We Finns are ice hockey fanatics, one of the few things we can compete at the top level. So much so that people here go crazy when Finland wins ice hockey World Cup, or the first ever Olympic gold, as just happened today. And when that happens, they yell "TORILLE!" Which means "to the marketplace!" While any marketplace can do, the one in Helsinki is usually the place referred to, and being in the capital, usually has the best party. Of course, the party has to include booze.
Almost immediately after Finland won the gold metal game, people started populating Kauppatori and hours later, they still were after I went there myself. Decided to check this cultural phenomena in real time since Kauppatori was just 20 minutes from my workplace where I treated couple clients.
In Kauppatori there's this Havis Amanda statue and as you can see the kind hockey fans went out of their way and dressed that poor lady a Finland hockey shirt so she won't be cold and naked.
If it wasn't for winter, people would've swam in the water fountain surrounding her. Well, they did anyway, at least pretended to. But since there was no water, somebody brought his DJ setup there – what's a party without a music?
I don't know what it is about this statue but people always gather at it when Finland wins in ice hockey. It's just one of those things we do.
Police is watching the party but not interrupting as long as there's no mayhem.
Some with entrepreneurial spirit took the opportunity to sell flags.
This guy definitely had the coolest hat. Looks like sami one, the indigenous people who live in Lapland.
Even the Finnish agencies had their Finnish flags up in the background.
Tomorrow the players are coming back and there's going to be a "national party" in Helsinki's olympic stadion. The hockey players are now basically national heros here, lol. I don't consider myself too nationalistic, but there's still something with national ice hockey that makes it exciting to watch, despite not following the sport. I don't get upset if Finland doesn't win, though I don't get overly happy and yell "SUOMI! (Finland in Finnish)" while drunk either if Finland wins, but it's amusing to watch when others do.
Edit. Even more amusing is that there's a live stream over Havis Amanda statue where you can watch mad Finns live, lol.
