New and old friends, laughter, unforgettable evenings and lots of memories. Checkpoint rounds and appros, beer bong tournaments, sports events and sitz. Community, joy and fun. Doughnuts, mead and funnel cakes in Kaivari.
A student Wappu (a.k.a. May Day) is made from these things.
I spent my first student Wappu in Haaga-Helia in 2019 and the last one last year. Helga’s 8 Day May Day was the most anticipated time of the year and I remember well how the tutors told us little freshers about the two-week long Wappu and its events.
As an active attender to the events, I attended all the events of the Helga 8 Day May Day as a first-timer. At that time, I also served on the board of my own association, Skuuppi ry, so I also got to organize our own Wappu event, Fotoralli.
During my studies, the next two Wappus were mostly spent at home with a small group of friends, but last year I was able to enjoy the Wappu in the final meters of my studies. Because of this, the warmest memories are related to my first Wappu, when we went to events with our fresher group, and my last Wappu, when there was always different in the group.
I remember my first year’s Coverall Baptism particularly well. The sun was shining and it was a warm summer day. We toured the checkpoints in Hietaniemi beach with a large group of freshers, sang JVG’s song “Ikuinen Vappu” again and performed it on the checkpoints. Finally, as the sun was already setting in the Baltic Sea, we swore the coverall oath and dipped our coveralls into the cold sea water.
Wappu has traditionally culminated on Runaway Train appro on May Day eve and Kaivari’s Wappu on May Day. In my first student Wappu, we danced in the Runaway Train appro afterparty at Ääniwalli until the small hours. However, we had also agreed in Skuuppi’s board that me and our chairperson at the time would go to Kaivari early in the morning to reserve space for our tarpaulins, so my sleep was rather short. Kaivari is disconcertingly quiet even at nine o’clock in the morning.
Celebrating student Wappu is an important tradition for students. It unites students regardless of their study fields. Wappu is an opportunity to break away from everyday studying and enjoy the best aspects of student life together with others. Today, as an alumni, I can only smile when I remember my own student Wappus. Even though I’m no longer a student, Wappu left a lot of memorable moments.
Enjoy your time with friends, boldly meet new people and take care of your friends!
Have a wonderful time and see you in Kaivari!
Aleksi Airaksinen
Wappu veteran 2019-2022
