HYY to crown Manta on May Day Eve
NEWS
May Day celebrations in Helsinki begin in earnest with the traditional Crowning of Manta by the Market Square on May Day Eve, 30 April.
The Student Union of the University of Helsinki (HYY) will place a student’s cap on the head of the Havis Amanda statue at 6 pm in front of a crowd of thousands of people. However, festive atmosphere will already start filling the Havis Amanda square at 3.45 pm when the official programme at the square begins. The event will be opened by Mayor of Helsinki Daniel Sazonov with the mayor’s May Day greeting.
‘May Day is the undisputed high point of spring in Helsinki. Helsinki truly comes to life on May Day as residents get together in parks, in restaurants and on picnics to spend time together. The Crowning of Manta is an important and traditional part of May Day, and it feels amazing to get to open the crowning ceremony for the first time as mayor’, Sazonov remarks.
Manta has been crowned on May Day for over a century now. Over the years, the celebrations have expanded, and the activities during the crowning now include various musical performances, for instance. The traditional ceremonial parts of the crowning are the washing of Manta at 5 pm and the crowning itself at 6 pm. In line with tradition, the festive crowd may place their student’s caps on their head after Manta has received her cap.
‘I never imagined that I would get to crown Manta myself at some point. This is the best possible way one can spend May Day’, Julia Gunyhó asserts. She is one of eight volunteer students from the University of Helsinki who will get to crown Manta this year. Our volunteer team, Manta Crew, has been preparing the crowning and its activities since January.
Crowning programme:
- 3.45 pm: Mayor Daniel Sazonov’s greeting
- 4.00 pm: Party at Manta begins
- 4.15 pm: John Nurminen Foundation presents: Ville Veikka
- 4.45 pm: Performance by dancers from Humanistispeksi
- 5.00 pm: Washing of Manta
- 5.15 pm: UniCafe presents: MASSE
- 5.30 pm: Party continues
- 6.00 pm: Manta is crowned
- 6.05 pm: Rap group Good Boys performs
The theme of the Crowning of Manta this year is the Baltic Sea and its wellbeing. The theme can also be seen in the event’s activities. As Finland has the most litter-strewn coasts out of all Baltic Sea countries and Helsinki has the most litter on its streets around May Day, we hope that everyone participating in the crowning pays attention to recycling their trash and keeping the festive area clean.
The crowning has been organised in cooperation with the City of Helsinki, the University of Helsinki, UniCafe, the John Nurminen Foundation and C.L. Seifert.
The crowning brings together a whopping 60,000–80,000 people every year to celebrate May Day. For this reason, there are special traffic arrangements in place near the Havis Amanda square, on both the Esplanadi streets and on their side streets. We recommend leaving any bicycles and scooters outside the event area. We ask that people coming to watch the crowning arrive at the area from the direction of the Senate Square, mainly via Kluuvikatu or Katariinankatu. Both the Esplanadi streets, their side streets and the area of the Senate Square are closed for road traffic 3–9 pm on 30 April. Parking in the area is also prohibited. Trams follow alternative routes 2–9 pm due to the crowning.
Representatives of the media are welcome to come follow the crowning at the Havis Amanda square. Due to limited space, only media representatives who have been accredited in advance will be allowed to access the crowning area.
For further information, media accreditation to the area and interview requests, please contact:
Vilma Viertola
Communications specialist, HYY
050 420 5566
vilma.viertola@hyy.fi
