News
| 28.04.2021

Hanken gives bubbles and joy to Havis Amanda

SHS saluterar Havis Amanda 20.4
Despite the exceptional circumstances, the Havis Amanda statue in the centre of Helsinki still gets its student cap to Walpurgis night. This year it is the Student Union of Hanken School of Economics that has the honour to do so. Rector Karen Spens and representatives from Hanken's student union provided Havis Amanda with both a cap and a face mask in a ceremony that was recorded for YLE 20.4.2021.

In Helsinki, Walpurgis night is celebrated remotely again due to the corona situation. Havis Amanda thus got her cap already in advance, and will be protected by a fence to avoid crowds around the statue during the weekend. The recording of the event can be seen at Yle Areena on Walpurgis Night at 17:45. In YLE's news piece in Finnish you can catch a glimpse of how Hanken managed the task of giving Havis Amanda her cap!

Giving Havis Amanda a student cap on Walpurgis Night is a student tradition dating back to the early 20th century. At first it was illegal, but from 1951 a public permit has been issued to provide the statue with a student cap. Originally, the ceremony took place at midnight and quickly became a popular event. Due to the late hour, however, there was also some disorder, so from 1978, the time was changed to 18.00.

According to tradition, students put on their white caps as soon as Havis Amanda gets her own, but the technologists still do not put their caps on until midnight.

Today, four student unions in the capital region take turns with giving Havis Amanda her cap, the Student Union of the University of Helsinki (2018), the Aalto University Student Union (2019) and the University of the Arts Student Union (2020).