Traditions – Blue Moment

Day 90: Vappu(ish)

May 9, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Espoo, Festivals, TraditionsTagged 365 Project, Espoo, Holidays, SpringLeave a comment

Kiara got a cold last night and was running a high temperature, so we cancelled all our Vappu plans. It has been the warmest Vappu in 18 years, so lounging on the terrace wasn’t a bad alternative.

To make it a bit festive, our snacky lunch included all the traditional Vappu essentials: sima (kind of fermented lemon mead), strawberries, munkkis, potato salad and wiener sausages.

I even wore my matriculation hat, as tradition demands. Mine is a bit small, so I rarely wear it for long, even at Vappu. Otherwise it would not be in such pristine shape.

It is the one garment where stains are worn with pride.

Day 89: Day of balloons and funny hats

May 8, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Helsinki, TraditionsTagged 365 Project, Helsinki, HolidaysLeave a comment

I stepped out of the office today and realized I have forgotten the culmination of Vappu (May Day) in Helsinki: Mantan Lakitus.

It is a dramatized placing of a Finnish matriculation hat on Havis Amanda, the statue in Helsinki harbor, by one of the university student unions. So naturally, tens of thousands of people come every year to see it. This year, the weather was fine, so the event gathered 80,000 people to Market Square.

The last time I participated was when I was a student myself. So, as the time was almost right, I decided to go and take some photos.

I gave up before I even saw Havis Amanda in the distance.

Too crowded.

The overalls are the “official” party outfits for university students. Each student union has it’s own color and you are not, for example, allowed to use it after graduation. It may sound stupid, but it is one of the things I miss the most from my student days…

Day 81: A Day For Just Alanna

April 28, 2026April 28, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Alanna, TraditionsTagged 365 Project, AlannaLeave a comment

When you are a twin, you share everything: attention, toys, clothes, most experiences – and birthdays.

In Finland, tho, there is an age-old tradition of celebrating name days. A few years ago, we picked up the idea and started small-scale celebrations to make sure Alanna and Kiara both have their own day.

Alanna’s name day was today. Alanna, as a name, is very rare in Finland (fewer than 60 in the whole country), so it doesn’t appear in the name calendar. Alina and Aida were the closest matches I could find.

As a treat, Alanna got a few small presents in the morning and chose a restaurant for the evening: Korean BBQ (smart kid!)

Day 76: Snitches, cauldrons and skateboards

April 22, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Festivals, Kiara, TraditionsTagged 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Children, Home, KiaraLeave a comment

The Day was finally here. Harry Potter birthday!

The house was packed – at first with wands, owls, floating candles, Gryffindor colors and golden snitches. And later the chaos was completed by 127 excited little wizards and witches (or that is what it felt like).

The Herbology lesson (plant your owl pot) was popular, as was the Potions lesson (mix different color juices) and Levitation class (on the trampoline). But nothing was as eargerly anticipated as the opening of the Honeydukes candy shop after the other food was finished.

Our little witches loved the day – but I am happy it is a whole year to the next kids birthday!

Day 67: Warm Milk

April 12, 2026April 12, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Everyday objects, Family, Home, TraditionsTagged 365 Project, Children, Everyday objects, HomeLeave a comment

Warm milk has been a part of our bedtime routine since… well… since the girls were just born. We transitioned from mother’s milk to cow’s milk and from bottles to sippy cups to normal cups – but the routine stayed. It is a taste of calming down (most nights).

Day 64: Next-Level Egg Hunt

April 9, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Alanna, Asikkala, Family, Kiara, TraditionsTagged 365 Project, Alanna, Children, Finland, Holidays, Kiara, Summer CottageLeave a comment

In my family, escape rooms are a thing. We regularly go with my siblings, their partners, and sometimes include our parents. The girls have tagged along for a few times as well – and keep begging to come again.

So this Easter, I built them their own escape-room-style egg hunt. They had to solve puzzles, break codes, search for clues, and even reveal invisible writing. Along the route they had to uncover boxes and find matching keys or number codes.

A few of the challenges were quite hard, but the girls managed to locate all of their eggs. Apparently, it was more fun that our “typical” hunt, so I have a feeling we may have started a new tradition.

A great addition the already existing tradition of spending the Easter in our summer cottage with my parents

Day 57: Easter Blessings

April 3, 2026April 6, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Alanna, Festivals, Kiara, People, TraditionsTagged 365 Project, Alanna, Espoo, Holidays, KiaraLeave a comment

I adore the Finnish tradition of Easter blessings (virpominen). It is such a joyful thing to do. I firmy believe one should make an effort, which is why we take care with both decorating the willow branches, and dressing up as traditional witches. These witches then go from house to house, blessing the home and handing over a decorated branch in exchange for chocolate eggs or other candy.

In addition to the nearest neighbors, in Finland you can still ring any doorbell and ask for permission to bless the house. A lot of the people in “our route” we only see this for one time a year. But naturally, after doing this a few years, we favor the houses where people have been especially excited to see us.

We clearly left a bit late this year, as almost every house commented they were already worried we would not come at all.