On the first post I commented very superficially about the student traditions, it was more like and introduction. Now I’ll comment a little more deeper about them ;)

Fuksipassi

As I said before it’s the place where you’ll keeptrack of the things that you participate and your points. All the events arerelated to the teekkari culture. For example, on my freshman’s year in TUT,there was an activity called Teekkari hymn that was to sing it properly.

Usually in the events that they give points thereis one responsible to stamp your fuksipassi, a Fuksicaptiain. They are the onlyones authorized to give stamps, besides them just the board or officers of theclubs that you visit and the ones from the Student Union.

Overalls - Haalarit

The overalls are the standard clothing of a teekkari and also party clothing  too! The overalls come in many different colors, and each color represents a guild. In the overalls the teekkarit usually sews patches. They came in different sizes and have the logo from a guild, a club, some special event of even advertisings.

The traditions demands you to sew by yourself the patches in the overalls and never wash them. You can stand in the rain with them or “accidentally” drop yourself into the water (in the summer please!) wearing your overalls, and you can also go to the sauna with them!

As the exchange students doesn’t have a guild, they can buy the overalls from any guild, and at least here in Tampere, the ESN section have their own overalls.

A little bit more about overalls: http://www.lily.fi/blogit/nordic-skin/overalls-and-how-wear-them and https://www15.uta.fi/FAST/FIN/A14PAPS/tk-overa.pdf

Teekkarilakki

The most and unique characteristic of an teekkari, the teekkari cap. The sign that show to the other that you’re an teekkari. They are wore since Wappu until the end of September when the darker season begins (i.e. Autumn and Winter). The shelving event is called Lakinlaskijaiset and after the midnight of that day the teekkarilakki can just be used with the Student Union’s authorization.

Unfortunately, the exchange students can’t have lakkis :'((( This is the Lakinlaskijaiset event in 2014 in Otaniemi (Aalto university)

Laulukulttuuri

Singing is also an important part of the teekkarikultuuri, every teekkari and also the fuksis are supposed to know how to sing the teekkari hymn. Teekkarit know how to sing, not that they really sing well…. The teekkari hymn is sing in the local-time midnight, standing and tree times in a row. Teekkarit also sing in other events, like sauna, excursions, sitsits, etc.

Every city/region have a songbook, here in TUT it’s called Rasputin.

Sitsit

Academic dinner, some can be more serious than the others, but in any case you need to sing, A LOT! In these dinners you are supposed to sing, drink, be a gentleman or act like a girl you are so, and maybe eat (yeah, that’s serious!).

In these dinners people usually sing songs from the songbook, or they print a booklet with some suggestions and the program of the night. There’s always a Master of Ceremonies who drinks a lot too! Any person can propose song and sing it or maybe ask someone to start so. You can also propose toasts, give spontaneous speeches and also interrupt a song in the middle to drink more or finalize it because it was never-ending.

Sitsits seems strange but they are for sure fun!

The Christmas sitsit we had: http://www.esninto.org/events/gallery/event/2014.11.13PikkuJouluSitsit

The only way of getting in touch with the teekkarikulttuuri is participating in the events. The Puoli vuotta Wappuun, which means, Half an year to Wappu party already passed, months ago. Yeah, Wappu is coming!