Finnish high school seniors across the Mikkeli region have started their traditional ‘penkkarit’ celebrations, marking the symbolic end of formal classes with truck parades and public festivities. The season commences this week in Pieksämäki, with other towns following through early February, continuing a decades-old rite of passage for graduating classes.
Pieksämäki Kicks Off the Festivities
Pieksämäki Upper Secondary School holds the region's earliest penkkarit day, with celebrations scheduled for Friday, January 30. The traditional truck parade departs from the schoolyard at 11 AM, with a route passing through the city center. The convoy will first head to Kontiopuisto School, then proceed via Harju School to the Maaselkä School in Naarajärvi. After returning from Naarajärvi, the graduating class will visit Hiekanpää School and the market square before returning to their own school around 12:15 PM. A unique 59-year tradition at the school is the polonaise dance performed by the students on the evening before the penkkarit parade.
Mikkeli's Main Event Draws Media Attention
The city of Mikkeli will hold its penkkarit celebrations on Wednesday, February 4. Local media plans extensive coverage of the day, following the students from the morning and broadcasting the atmosphere of their last official school day in near real-time. A reporter will also attend the morning's 'abigaala', an event which has reportedly already caused some contention between the school's principal and the student organizers. In Mikkeli, the penkkarit trucks will leave the school around 1 PM heading towards Vuorikatu. The convoy will circle the city's central core a couple of times, passing around Kirkkopuisto park and the main square, using routes along Maaherrankatu, Porrassalmenkatu, Vuorikatu, and Vilhonkatu.
Regional Celebrations from Juva to Kangasniemi
Other municipalities in the region will hold their celebrations on Thursday, February 5. In Juva, the penkkarit day begins with student-organized events at the school. The ceremonial carrying out of the graduates begins at 1 PM, after which they leave for a truck parade around the church village. In Mäntyharju, the carrying-out ceremony starts an hour earlier at noon, preceded by a program arranged by the students. The penkkarit convoy in Mäntyharju is scheduled to stop at the market square to greet onlookers around 12:30 PM. In Kangasniemi, the graduates will head out on their truck parade around midday on Thursday. While the precise route is not yet finalized, it traditionally travels through the center of town, with the truck usually making visits to Becker and Kalliola schools.
The Tradition of Vanhojen Tanssit
Following the penkkarit celebrations, most of the region's upper secondary schools will host the formal 'Vanhojen tanssit' or 'Old People's Dances' on Friday, February 6. This more formal ball is a cornerstone of the graduation season, where students perform carefully choreographed dances for family and the public. Mikkeli Upper Secondary School's dance performance is a key highlight. These events represent the formal, ceremonial counterpart to the raucous, public penkkarit, together forming the complete graduation experience that transitions students from school life to adulthood.
National Context of a Local Celebration
While the details are hyper-local—specific streets, school names, and times—the phenomenon is nationally ubiquitous. Similar truck parades and celebrations will occur in every Finnish municipality in the coming weeks. The Mikkeli region's schedule is a microcosm of this national ritual. The traditions, from the decorated trucks and themed costumes to the formal dances, are a shared cultural language understood across Finland. They mark a definitive, joyful milestone in the education system, a collective deep breath before the final sprint towards the matriculation exams. The widespread media coverage and public interest underscore that this is not merely a student party but a significant community event, a celebration of local youth and a public investment in their future. As the first trucks roll out in Pieksämäki, they signal the start of a brief, vibrant season that momentarily transforms the quiet February streets into corridors of celebration, echoing with the sound of air horns and the cheers of a community sending its next generation forward.