Teekkari capping

History 

In the spring of 1958, students from the School of Social Sciences (which would later become the University of Tampere) moved from Helsinki to Tampere and began planning a Wappu event that would help introduce them to their new home city. The inspiration came from the student tradition in Helsinki of capping the Havis Amanda statue, and Tampere’s equivalent was found in the Maiden of Finland statue on Hämeensilta. The Maiden of Finland received a graduation cap on her head for the first time at midnight on Wappu Eve in 1958. 

The Technical University arrived in Tampere in 1965, and during the first Teekkari Wappu in 1966, the idea emerged to crown the Maiden of Finland with a teekkari cap in honor of the first teekkari dipping. An agreement with the student union of the University of Tampere (Tamy) couldn’t be reached, so the matter was settled with a “stunt”(in Finnish tempaus)—during the Wappu morning parade before the dipping, a teekkari cap tassel was placed on the already-capped Maiden. From then on, the crowning alternated annually between student cap and teekkari cap. 

Around the early 1970s, Tamy declared that the student cap, as a symbol of class division, no longer reflected the spirit of the times. Since then, the tradition was handed over solely to the teekkaris, and the Maiden of Finland has accepted no other kind of cap on her head. 

The tradition continued nearly uninterrupted until 2017, when the renovation of Hämeensilta and tramway construction forced the teekkaris to shift the capping of Kultakutri statue in Työnpuisto Park. Once the Maiden of Finland returned to her place, small strike teams occasionally managed to cap her during Wappu, while the main community celebration continued in Työnpuisto. 

The movements of the tram that disrupted the capping have now been studied thoroughly—and this Wappu, it’s finally time to return to Hämeensilta. 

The return of the Capping of the Maiden of Finland 

The most ceremonial event of Wappu takes place during the night between Wappu Eve and Wappu Day, when The Teekkari Union of Tampere once again organizes the capping of the Maiden of Finland statue (Suomen neito). It's time for the teekkari community to gather by the thousands on Hämeensilta (Hämeensilta Bridge) and turn their gaze towards the Maiden of Finland, who has been calling out for us for years. 

Accompanied by festive speeches, the Teekkari Hymn will be sung out at midnight, ending both the long winter rest of the teekkari cap and the years-long wait for the Maiden’s capping. With champagne rain, the real celebration of Wappu Day begins. 

The event starts at 23:40, and it’s highly recommended to arrive in advance. Traffic on Hämeensilta will be closed for the event, and the area will be cleared no later than 00:15 due to tram operations. Please follow the instructions of the security personnel!