Penkkarit
Encyclopedia
Penkkarit is a yearly tradition among Finnish
upper secondary school students. The event is celebrated in the spring of their final, usually third, year as the final day of school, before the start of the matriculation exams. Traditionally, the date of penkkarit is a Thursday in late or mid-February.
and was formally the entrance exam of this university. The upper secondary school students who wished to graduate left their school towns for Helsinki, usually somewhat ceremonially. After 1919, the examination was conducted in schools. However, since 1920's, the students stop attending classes in February, devoting themselves to solitary preparation for the exam which is held in March.
The ceremonies usually end with the school-leavers riding away from the school on lorries
decorated for the purpose. The design of the decorations is usually a mixture of pride in and insult at the own school. Often, the students then visit the major local elementary schools.
In larger towns, the penkkarit culminate at a parade where the lorries drive across the city at a slow speed, and the final-year students on top of them shouting slogans and throwing candy
at passers-by. The event is particularly popular among children, who come to the streets to collect free candy.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
upper secondary school students. The event is celebrated in the spring of their final, usually third, year as the final day of school, before the start of the matriculation exams. Traditionally, the date of penkkarit is a Thursday in late or mid-February.
The origin
Until 1919, the Finnish matriculation exam took place in University of HelsinkiUniversity of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
and was formally the entrance exam of this university. The upper secondary school students who wished to graduate left their school towns for Helsinki, usually somewhat ceremonially. After 1919, the examination was conducted in schools. However, since 1920's, the students stop attending classes in February, devoting themselves to solitary preparation for the exam which is held in March.
Celebration
The celebration of the penkkarit varies from school to school. Usually, the school-leaving students dress as for a masquerade, following a theme decided by themselves. The event often includes following elements- school-leavers visiting the classes of junior students, interrupting the teaching and replacing it with a parody class.
- throwing candy at the junior students
- visiting lower secondary or primary school, meeting old teachers and throwing candy
- singing parodic songs about the teachers
The ceremonies usually end with the school-leavers riding away from the school on lorries
Lorry
-Transport:* Lorry or truck, a large motor vehicle* Lorry, or a Mine car in USA: an open gondola with a tipping trough* Lorry , a horse-drawn low-loading trolley-In fiction:...
decorated for the purpose. The design of the decorations is usually a mixture of pride in and insult at the own school. Often, the students then visit the major local elementary schools.
In larger towns, the penkkarit culminate at a parade where the lorries drive across the city at a slow speed, and the final-year students on top of them shouting slogans and throwing candy
Candy
Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...
at passers-by. The event is particularly popular among children, who come to the streets to collect free candy.