Vappu enlivens Rovaniemi children, parents

Several hundred children along with their parents and guardians celebrated the first of May, locally known as Vappu Day, amidst festivities in Rovaniemi Angry Birds Park with events arranged beyond the regular ones for the occasion.

Temporary stalls and shops with fast food, candy floss, gas balloons and popcorn up for sales, added rides, music programme turned the park into a hall of revelry on Labour Day.

The Finnish name Vappu comes from Walburg, a Bayern abbess pronounced a saint on May 1 in the 700s. But today Vappu is no longer considered a religious celebration. It is a revel of students and the working class and also a celebration welcoming the spring.

Temporary stalls and shops of fast food, doughnuts, gas balloons and popcorn were of great attraction. Musical concert by noted singers added to the amusement.

Police and Red Cross kept their vehicles open for the children who were very enthusiastic to enter into the vehicles.

The May Day event is organized annually at the Angry Birds park since 2013.

“We want to give the families an intoxicant-free May Day. The intoxicant-free environment encourages families to come with little kids. The event is free of charge and it offers fun activities for families in the early summer,.” One of the organisers said.

Another visitor, who was accompanying her grandchildren, told Daily Finland, “I am a grandmother so I have my grandchildren with me. We have been here for about two hours and that seems to be quite suitable amount of time before the kids get too tired. We like this event a lot. Small children have had plenty to do and to play.”

The event began at 11:00 am and continued till 4:00 pm, although the cloudy weather put impacts on the number of visitors this year.

A visitor who came with her spouse and two children to join the celebrations said that they had found their children totally enchanted by the programme.