Finnish New Year celebration

Fireworks and parties

An essential part of the Finnish New Year's Eve festivities are the numerous fireworks displayed throughout the country, being the highlight of the evening. Most of these are consumer fireworks, fired by private citizens. Professional fireworks displays are sometimes conducted by many towns, organizations, clubs or companies.

In wait of the midnight, many people spend the evening celebrating with their family and friends, either at home or attending the numerous New Year's parties in restaurants and nightclubs.

The main event of the Finnish New Year celebration is held in Helsinki, the capital of Finland, where people gather in the Senate Square, one of the central squares of the city, to attend the national New Year's Eve ceremony.

The short and solemn ceremony usually consists of (mostly boring) speeches made by the city mayor, the bishop or the like, cheesy musical performances by various untalented "artists", saying of three cheers for the fatherland and playing and singing of the national anthem. (As told me by my grandmother, the event had an even more patriotic and graver flair to it at the time she was a child, taking a New Year's Eve stroll to the square with her parents and relatives.)