[In-It] Eat, drink and stick together!

# The story of Finnish people's special spring festival'Bappu' The

meaning of Finnish people having spring is a bit

.

Spring is a kind of liberation for those who are confined indoors during a cold, dark winter that lasts more than a year and a half.

Perhaps that's why it has become a long tradition to run out into the streets on May 1st every year on a spring festival called'Vapuu' and play with the spirit of'Pour it up, drink it' like a loose foal.

This day was also the day when livestock, traditionally confined in pens, were also grazed for the first time in the field.

May 1, known to us as'Worker's Day' or Labor Day, is a stronger spring festival in some European countries, including Finland.

The Finnish people, who are usually quiet and gentle, are strangely different during the festival.

From the eve of April 30th, the whole city is noisy, and people enjoy drinking in public places without hesitation.

Some people wear ridiculous clothes.

You don't need to be surprised if you see bears, squirrels, and tigers walking on the street on this day.

For the past 30 years, on May 1 every year, some people have become famous by walking around the city of Helsinki, disguised as a pink pink panther.

Even socially taboo behaviors are almost tolerated during the festival. On the contrary, deviant behavior can also create a more festive atmosphere. This year, in particular, the Finnish government asked citizens to avoid meetings of more than six people due to Corona 19, but there were many people who seemed to be happy to play hide-and-seek with the police regardless of this. In the early days of immigration, I was confused as to why people suddenly became mad on this day. However, after experiencing the harsh winters of Finland myself several times, I began to understand their mentality.

A festival is a feast for a group. The essence of the Bappu festival lies in the'together' of the members of the community. People try to participate in many large and small gatherings. However, they insist on outdoors as a gathering place. It seems to be because of the legitimacy of going outdoors because it is a spring festival. The problem is that early May in Finland is still quite chilly for spring. Statistically, the weather in Bappu is cloudy and cold three times out of four, and sometimes it snows. There are many cases of suffering from trembling outside. I've seen a lot of people saying that they suffered because of the cold, recalling memories related to Bappu. Of course it includes me. The reason I feel the temperature is lower is because I take off my winter clothes and dress up with thin spring clothes to make myself feel.

Another thing that stands out in the attire is the white hat worn by many people.

This hat is a Finnish graduation cap (in Finland, on graduation day, a white cap is worn instead of a black square cap).

It's not even a graduation ceremony, but the reason they wear this hat is that the huge student union spring festival, where current students and graduates gather together, takes place during the busy period.

This hat is a sign that he was once a'student'.

In the past, there were not many people with higher education, so it was not common for people to wear graduation hats.

These days, the number of highly educated people is increasing, and one in two adults wears this hat and attends the Bappu Festival.

That's why this hat has become a symbol of Bappu for some time.

The official start of the festival is also proclaimed by putting a graduation hat on the head of ``Habis Amanda,'' the statue of the sea, standing in the middle of the fountain in front of Helsinki City Hall.

Like a crown coronation, a large crowd gathers and the atmosphere of the festival rises even further.

The large crowd in white hats then flock to a park on the beach of Helsinki and play wildly until dawn the next day.

There are many interesting stories hidden in this graduation hat.

At first glance, it may look the same, but the color of the rim of the hat, the tassel on the hat, and the color of the lining reveals the holder's major and hometown.

The approximate graduation year can be estimated to the extent that the white has faded yellow.

Finns who don't know how to graduate, who have turned yellow, don't think it's ugly.

Rather, it is regarded as more precious because it has memories.

If you ever lose a hat, you can buy a hat made by deliberately turning the color yellow.

There are also hats that are lined with waterproof treatment, which is a fun consideration for those who use hats as drinking glasses during the festival.

Food is another indispensable thing on festival days. On spring festival days, they eat a lot and drink a lot in preparation for the summer. That doesn't mean eating fancy food. They mainly enjoy simple foods such as potato salads and sausages. A donut called munkki, which has a common feel, is also a snack that represents Bappu. It tastes similar to Korea's pretzel. Everything is delicious when fried in oil. The smell of frying donuts on a busy day boosts the feeling of a feast, like the smell of jeon during Korean holidays.

A Bappu drink served with donuts is called'sima'. Shima originated from the drink that Vikings drank at the spring festival to wish for abundance before Christianity spread in Northern Europe. Until soda became common in the mid-20th century, Shima was a favorite summer drink for Finns. Lemon, honey (or sugar), yeast, and raisins are the main ingredients of fermented lemonade. Although the alcohol content is weak (less than 1%), there is no big problem for both men and women to enjoy.

The more I live in Finland, the more I feel that the'Bappu' festival is a more important holiday to the Finnish spirit than Hajj or Christmas. 364 days a year, is it a day when people who live in an orderly manner get a breath of breath one day a year? It feels as if the whole society is receiving'play therapy' as a group on this day.

At first glance, the Finns, who play with excitement while crossing the line during the Bappu Festival, and the Finns, who keep order in the community and live as healthy citizens, seem to be at first different images. However, if you look a little deeper, you can see that it is a complementary relationship that cannot be separated from each other, like the front and back sides of a coin.

Since ancient times, festivals have played a role in helping members of the group feel mental catharsis through experiences of extraordinary deviations. Individuals can enjoy festivals with community members, relieve tensions and re-establish a harmonious community.

The Bappu Festival was also a holiday that brought back laughter to the faces of the Finns who fell in despair after the yoke of a defeated nation after World War II. No matter how hard it was, on May 1st they were able to laugh together.

We also know that there were various traditional festivals enjoyed by our ancestors during the Three Kingdoms and Goryeo Dynasty. However, almost all of these festivals disappeared without sound rumors. Even now, many people gather at Gwanghwamun or City Hall Square, but rarely gather in a festive atmosphere like the 2002 World Cup.

It is a little shocking, but Korea is said to be the last in the'Community Index' ranking announced by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Interfloor noise disputes, honbap and spirits, and loneliness have become our everyday terms. What we need now as we are losing our community is to restore the festival where we can meet and laugh together… Even today, I think of a country far away from a country far away.

<Sima Recipe>

Ingredients:

-4 liters of water

-2 lemons

-300 ml brown sugar-300 ml

white sugar-

1/4 teaspoon dry yeast

When stored in a bottle:

-A little sugar-A little

raisins

How to make:

1. After washing the lemon well Peel the lemon peel thinly with a peeling knife. After peeling, use a knife to remove the white layer underneath the skin. Cut a lemon in half horizontally, remove the seeds, and slice it thinly.

2. Put the sliced ​​lemon and peeled yellow peel in a large (at least 6 liters) pot and pour sugar over it.

3. Pour 2 liters of boiling water over it and stir until the sugar dissolves.

4. Pour 2 liters of cold water.

Cool it to a little warmer (42 degrees) than your body temperature.

5. Sprinkle dry yeast on top, wait for a while, and stir.

6. Cover the pot with a lid or cloth and leave it at room temperature for 24 hours.

7. After that, filter the lemon through a fine sieve and receive only the liquid.

8. After washing the container (bottle) to be stored with hot water, add 1 teaspoon sugar and several raisins to each container.

9. After that, add the liquid (Caution: don't put it too tightly), close the lid loosely, and let it ferment in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

(Caution: If you close the lid too tightly, it may explode.) When raisins land on the surface, fermentation is complete.

It takes about 1 week in the refrigerator and 3 days at room temperature.

10. After fermentation is complete, refrigerate and eat within one week.

#In-It #In-It # Meet'In

[In-It] Wet Finnish Apple Pie with Tears