May Day

The May Day on the 1st of May is a mixture of traditions, from a celebration of the spring to working class and student party. The May Day is a quiet day after the celebration on the 30th of April, Walpurgis Day. On May 1st, it is common to gather in a park for a picnic lunch, sometimes called "herring lunch". The food is often salty, with Finnish pickled herring, potatoes and meat. Some traditional food and drink on Vappu include Finnish mead (sima) and vappu pastries, such as jelly donuts and a deep-fried fritter called "tippaleipä".