Penkkarit: The Finnish Tradition of Driving around Town and Throwing Candy at People

Imagine the following: you're a senior in high school, and you get to ride around town in the back of a truck and throw candy everywhere. Thousands of people come to watch, and along with all your classmates, you chant the name of your school at the top of your lungs in hopes of drowning out the chants of the other schools. The trucks are covered in sheets on which you've painted memes, and the traffic is in disarray nationwide because every senior class in the country is participating. Too strange to imagine? Well, a Finnish high school senior doesn't have to imagine any of this, since this is a 100-year-old tradition in our country, a tradition which I took in part in two days ago.

It's a cold Thursday morning. I'm standing in the schoolyard, shivering, knowing I'm about to participate in one of the most anticipated traditions of a Finn's academic career; the penkkarit. I have 2 kg (4.4 lbs) of candy in my backpack, and I'm eager to get to where the action is.

Formally called the penkinpainajaiset, but virtually always referred to as the penkkarit, this peculiar Finnish tradition has been around for about as long as we've had secondary education in this country (which according to some research I did is for well over a century). However, it has only been celebrated in its current form for six or seven decades. While no one really knows where the name comes from, is it speculated to be a loose translation of the Swedish term bänkskuddagille; bänk means bench, skudda means to shake or to cleanse, and gille means feast or party. The penkkarit originated in the capital, Helsinki, and later spread across the country.

"No way we'd be allowed to do this if someone came up with this idea now", I say to one of my classmates, laughing, as we're driving at a fast speed toward the center of the city. Everyone's standing and we're banging the sides of the truck with our fists, chanting and greeting everyone we see with what can only be described as loud shrieks. The spirits are high, and as the cold Finnish winter wind numbs my face, I can't help but feel a sense of pride.

We celebrate the penkkarit when we no longer have any school left. In contrast to every other school year in Finland, the last year of high school ends around mid-February, when students get time off to study for their final exams. We no longer have to attend any classes, but instead, we are expected to study until we take our finals later in the spring. I, of course, still have school left because I'm studying at an international school with a different schedule, but that's another story for another time.

Having returned to the school, exhausted, I notice that I have been proven wrong. As we gather to take a group photo on the ice-covered​ stairs in front of the main building, I realize that I had a really good time, even though I was a bit reluctant to go at first. I'm really happy I went and I know I'm going to remember this day for the rest of my life. The penkkarit is now definitely one of my favorite Finnish traditions!

Alright, that's it for this post, you guys. Feel free to tell me about some fun traditions you have in your country, I'd love to hear about them!

P.S. I have blurred every other face except for my own in the photo out of respect for my classmates.