Kajantie Arvo / helsinkikuvia.fi
Lead text
May Day traditions in Finland have stayed very much the same over the decades. Colorful balloons, serpentine throws and student caps are an important part of the celebration – as are sweet delicacies such as sima, tippaleipä and sugar doughnuts. In Helsinki, May Day traditionally includes workers’ Labour Day parades and picnics in the Kaivopuisto Park. We collected May Day images from the last hundred years.
#1 Cheerful drivers on Pohjois Esplanaadikatu in the 1910s
Timiriasew Ivan / helsinkikuvia.fi
Show in landscape format
Off
#2 Elegant ladies celebrating May Day in the spring of 1912
Timiriasew Ivan / helsinkikuvia.fi
Show in landscape format
Off
#3 Students enjoying a May Day picnic in Kaisaniemi Park in the 1920s
Timiriasew Ivan / helsinkikuvia.fi
Show in landscape format
Off
#4 Happy families strolling along Eteläranta in 1959
Kajantie Arvo / helsinkikuvia.fi
Show in landscape format
Off
#5 Sales point for colourful balloons by the Swedish Theater in the beginning of the 1960s
Jernvall Juha / helsinkikuvia.fi
Show in landscape format
Off
#6 Students gather together for a sing-along in the Kaivopuisto Park
Jernvall Juha / helsinkikuvia.fi
Show in landscape format
Off
#7 Students getting ready to celebrate May Day on the steps of the Old Student House in 1966
Volker von Bonin / helsinkikuvia.fi
Show in landscape format
Off
#8 Workers' Labour Day parade on Siltasaarenkatu in 1973
Rista Simo / helsinkikuvia.fi
Show in landscape format
Off
#9 A student couple watching the happy celebrations in Kaivopuisto Park in 1976
Volker von Bonin / helsinkikuvia.fi
Show in landscape format
Off
#10 Mother ties a balloon to the little girl's wrist in Esplanade Park in the 1970s
Hakli Kari / helsinkikuvia.fi
Show in landscape format
Off
#11 May Day celebration fills the Market Square with joyful crowds and balloons in 1974
Volker von Bonin / helsinkikuvia.fi
Show in landscape format
Off
#12 Pohjois Esplanaadikatu cleanup after May Day 1912
Signe Brander / helsinkikuvia.fi
Show in landscape format
Off
Show created/updated
On
Show in search dropdown
Off