Teekkari culture
‘Teekkari’ is a distinctive term used in Finland to refer to university students enrolled in institutes of technology. The title of Teekkari is officially bestowed upon students once they have successfully completed their first year and participated in the Wappu eve baptism.
Teekkari culture encompasses various elements such as the iconic overalls, the Teekkari cap, and significant events like Wappu Eve and Wappu Day. Moreover, the culture also includes student pranks, guilds, sitz parties, and excursions.
Table of contents:
The path towards becoming a Teekkari
- Newcomers: Students who secure a study place at LUT.
- Freshers: Those who undergo baptism during the fresher promotion.
- Teekkari: This title is earned after completing the fresher slip, undergoing the fresher baptism & the Teekkari baptism, and singing the Teekkari hymn at midnight on Wappu eve.
The fresher slip is given to all newcomers during the orientation week. It contains a set of tasks that must be accomplished throughout their first year, starting from orientation week until Wappu eve. Only those who fulfill the requirements on the slip become eligible to receive the Teekkari cap and attain the status of a Teekkari.
Additionally, Jaloviina holds a special place in every Teekkari’s heart; like their best friend. Moreover, the Teekkari Hymn holds a unique meaning, as it can only be sung at midnight, though it is not limited to a specific day.
Event descriptions
- Fresher Baptism
A VERY important event held after the Fresher weeks, the Fresher Baptism is held to promote mere students to Freshers, A.K.A. Freshmen. During it you walk into Lahti’s Vesijärvi, recite the Fresher Oath, and get baptized by your Fresher Captain.
- Teekkari Baptism
Like the Fresher Baptism, the Teekkari Baptism is another CRUCIAL event held during your first year, though this time, during Wappu Eve. After sliding down a metal slide into Vesijärvi Freshers become Teekkaris A.K.A. proper engineering students, and at midnight all new Teekkaris are allowed to put on their Teekkari Cap for the first time!
- Sitz party
Sitz parties are what we call academic table parties. This is where university students come together to sing sitz songs, eat good food, drink together, and follow the theme of the party often followed by an afterparty where you can socialize even more with your fellow students.
Sitz parties have toastmasters who lead the event and inform you when breaks and meals are held. The Toastmasters’ word is law and must be followed at all times for the celebration to proceed according to the schedule and without any issues.
Singing is a big part of the sitz party. In fact, Teekkaris have their very own singing traditions that you will be acquainted with very soon! At LUT we also have our very own and dear songbook, PunaMusta, where you can find all the necessary songs usually sung at sitz parties.
- Appro
An Appro is an event similar to a bar crawl, with you going from bar to bar to collect stamps by either buying drinks (Alcoholic or Non-Alcoholic doesn’t matter) or by completing certain missions, depending on what type of appro you are attending. For example, MOVEO’s appro, which has students complete sports-related checkpoints, to get stamps, meaning it’s fully non-alcoholic! By collecting a certain amount of stamps on your pass you can trade it in for an overall badge, that is exclusive to that event.
- Excursion
‘Excursions’ encompass a range of activities such as company visits, study trips, and research journeys. These excursions often comprise both official and informal segments, with evenings spent together after company visits being a common tradition. Additionally, some excursions are solely recreational. Typically spanning one or more nights, these trips are a perfect chance to foster new friendships and broaden one’s professional network.
- Wappu
The grandest celebration of the year WAPPU. It is celebrated during April, with it often spanning the whole month, and it culminates into the grandest event of the year WAPPU EVE, when Freshers become Teekkaris and older Teekkaris are allowed to once again brandish their cherished Teekari caps. Every day of Wappu there is an event being held in every university city meaning it truly is a celebration you have to experience, especially Wappu Eve!
- Annual ball
‘Annual balls’ are held to commemorate the birthdays of various groups, such as guilds, organizations, associations, or any other collective. These events adhere to a set of customary etiquette and typically follow a structured format. Primarily, the festivities, known as ‘vujut’, revolve around activities like enjoying good food, and drinks, and engaging in pleasant singing and dancing.
The celebration typically commences with a cocktail party, during which invited guests express their greetings and gratitude to the party organizers. These guests often bring imaginative gifts as tokens of appreciation. The program’s specific elements may vary depending on the nature of the organization being celebrated. Potential components could include a keynote speech, the recognition of outstanding students or alumni, a speech by the chairperson, or a segment with free-flowing activities.
This year, Kapital will be celebrating our very first anniversary with various events and of course, our annual ball. Being our biggest event of the year, our annual ball team has already started the planning and is ready to host a lovely event for all to enjoy. Stay tuned for more information in the coming months!
Sitz party Quickstart guide
- Toastmaster’s word is law!
- You may only leave the table during breaks unless stated otherwise.
- No talking during speeches or songs.
- You may request songs!
Taking the floor in a nutshell:
- Say “Kilinkolin kilinkolin”
- Introduce yourself
- Give your speech/tell a joke!
- Request a song
- Start a song
- End with “Skål!”
- You “Skål!” to the person sitting to your front right, then front left and lastly the one sitting right in front of you.
Kyykkä
History
Kyykkä is an old Karelian village game that has been played in various parts of Karelia and its surrounding areas since the 1800s. After the 1950s, the game is practiced especially in academic contexts at universities, where the game is played several times during studies. In University contexts there are multiple national contests to take part in during a year.
Rules in nutshell
Traditionally, the Kyykkä is a scrimmage between the teams. It requires a playing field with two demarcated playing kyykkä at a distance of ten meters from each other. Wooden game pieces, or Kyykät, are placed in a row at the front borders of the squares, always two on top of each other. The game is played in such a way that each team tries to use throwing sticks to get the opposite side’s Kyykät out of the square over its side or back boundaries.
Detailed rules in English can be found here.
Other
PoWi organizes the PoWiCup Kyykkä tournament in the spring, which is one of the highlights of the spring. The tournament will be held in Lappeenranta in the immediate vicinity of the other campus. Kapital plans to send a team to represent the guild in this event this year as well, and possibly also a Freshman team under the leadership of our Fresher Captain.