Quote (Futurama @ Fri, May 1 2009, 05:31pm)

Some of those photos reminds me of those 1st of May protests or marches or rallies or whatever in Sweden. Too bad that people here in Canada are either too lazy or just don't care about the injustices or whatever to go out and protest course I would love to take photos during those kind of events. Btw the people in your photos look quite peaceful and it almost look like a street carnival than a rally probably because there were so many police officers around

Quote (chantal7 @ Fri, May 1 2009, 10:49pm)

Some of those shots of the policeman I found very interesting. I had to laugh at the police vans - haha. I've never heard of "May Day" or whatever ya call it. What exactly is it? Some kind of parade?

Cool series of photos; interesting

MY fav: http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/7679/1i7y8898.jpg

Quote (wiki)

Today in Finland, Walpurgis day (Vappu) is, along with New Year's Eve and Juhannus, the biggest carnival-style festivity, taking place in the streets of Finland's towns and cities. The celebration is typically centered on plentiful use of sparkling wine and other alcoholic beverages. The student, and particularly the engineering student traditions are also one of the main characteristics of "Vappu". From the end of the 19th century, "Fin de Siècle", and onwards, this traditional upper class feast has been co-opted by students attending university, already having received their student cap. Many people who have graduated from lukio, and thus traditionally assumed as university students or alumni, wear the cap. Engineering students have their own type of cap resembling the general one, but also having a pompon hanging from it. One tradition is drinking homemade sima (mead), whose alcohol content varies along with freshly cooked donuts.

In the capital Helsinki and its surrounding region, fixtures include the capping of the Havis Amanda, a nude female statue in Helsinki, and the biannually alternating publications of ribald matter called Äpy and Julkku, by engineering students of the Helsinki University of Technology. Both are sophomoric; but while Julkku is a standard magazine, Äpy is always a gimmick. Classic forms have included an Äpy printed on toilet paper and a bedsheet. Often the magazine has been stuffed inside standard industrial packages such as sardine-cans and milk cartons. The vappu of engineering students, unlike that of other students, starts a week before the actual day of celebration. The festivities also include a picnic on May 1, which is sometimes prepared in a lavish manner, particularly in Ullanlinnanmäki - and Kaisaniemi for the swedish-speaking population - in Helsinki city.

The Finnish tradition is also a shadowing of the Socialist May Day parade. Expanding from the parties of the left, the whole of the Finnish political scene has adopted Vappu as the day to go out on stumps and agitate. This does not only include center and right-wing parties, but also other institutions like the church have followed suit, marching and making speeches. In Sweden it is only the left-wing parties which use May 1 for political activities, while others observe the traditional festivities. Left-wing activists who were active in the 1970s still party on May Day. They arrange carnivals and the radio plays old leftist songs from the 1970s.

People at a Vappu picnic in Kaivopuisto in 2008.

Traditionally May 1 is celebrated by a picnic in a park (Kaivopuisto or Kaisaniemi in the case of Helsinki). For most, the picnic is enjoyed with friends on a blanket with good food and sparkling wine. Some people, however, arrange extremely lavish picnics with pavilions, white table cloths, silver candelabras, classical music and lavish food. The picnic usually starts early in the morning, and some hardcore party goers continue the celebrations of the previous evening without sleeping in between. Some Student organisations have traditional areas where they camp every year and they usually send someone to reserve the spot early on. Student caps, mead, streamers and balloons have their role in the picnic, as well as in the celebration as a whole.

Vappu/Valborg and Midsummer are Finland's two main holidays in the summer-half of the year, on par with Christmas eve and New Year's eve in the winter-half.

Quote (SeaBas @ Sat, May 2 2009, 12:01pm)

some of those are very good!, the close ups op people are my favourite.

Quote

Walpurgis Night (Walpurgisnacht) is a traditional religious holiday of pre-Christian origin, celebrated today by Christian and non-Christian communities as well, on April 30 or May 1 in large parts of Central and Northern Europe.[1]

The current festival is in most countries celebrating it named after Saint Walpurga, born in Devon about 710. Due to her holy day falling on the same day, her name became associated with the celebrations. Walpurga was honored in the same way that Vikings had celebrated spring and as they spread throughout Europe, the two dates became mixed together and created the Walpurgis Night celebration. Early Christianity had a policy of 'Christianising' pagan festivals so it is perhaps no accident that St. Walpurga's day was set to May 1.

Quote (Futurama @ Sat, May 2 2009, 01:09pm)

hahaha yeah I know there are always a lot of cops in the downtown area of Stockholm on that day and there are usually a lot of different protest groups marching around at the same time even those neo-Nazi bastards are quite active -.-

Oh! I almost forgot that it's not just laborday in Sweden either. It's called Valborg in Swedish