Penkkarit

[DeHavilland]

Today all student schools in Finland are celebrating Penkkarit!

Penkkarit (more formally penkinpainajaiset, "benchpressing [fest]", or bänkskuddardagen ("penkkis") in Swedish) is a yearly tradition among Finnish upper secondary school (Finnish: lukio) 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 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 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.

They have big truck convoys with students back on the truck!

Here are the Penkkarit truck convoy in Mikkeli today

Penkkarit '12 movie made by the student school in my town

Abi-military from my town (Note abi is a Swedish shortcut for penkkarit)


Here's an old story I will tell about penkkarit.

One time, I think it was 2008, I was on my way to school one morning, when I came to swimminghall in my town, I saw some retards standing outside it (I didn't know Penkarrit exists back then) and they played a Soviet Russian military parade song with max volume over a area of 1km, when I came closer the schoolbuses arrived. They runed towards the buses and throwed cheese at it, the older classes knew this so they runed away, 7th class didn't know what to do so they hided inside the bus, the penkkarits started to yell "abi abi abi uuhhh uhh uhhh" and came with an homebuild tank (yes it had tracks) they drove around and the buses with it and suddenly they stopped, I saw the older classes runed to it and then I saw they gived candy so my first tough was WTF? Later when I came to it, I didn't recive any candy They said I should take of my cap and I got a fish inside it instend
So this event can be funny even if it was scary for first time I saw it xD

[Luismi.]

 I want live in Finland!!! Here in Spain, we havent this things and it sound funny

[DeHavilland]

I want live in Finland!!! Here in Spain, we havent this things and it sound funny

First it was scary for me but now it's fun to watch, they came today too, 1st class student were wearing baby costumes while 2nd class had old mans clothes

[Luismi.]

I want live in Finland!!! Here in Spain, we havent this things and it sound funny

First it was scary for me but now it's fun to watch, they came today too, 1st class student were wearing baby costumes while 2nd class had old mans clothes

I want it here, in Spain!! Sound funny as i said you and a lot of countries in EU has similar events at this....