A city in celebration: How the streets come alive with the University’s conferment festivities

Most conferment venues in Helsinki are located in the city centre, that is, close to the University’s old City Centre Campus and Main Building, Senate Square, and the Old Student House with its environs. However, on Flora’s Day (13 May), which marks the beginning of the conferment festivities, graduands enjoy a traditional picnic in the city’s Kumpula district. 

After the actual conferral of degrees in the Main Building, all graduates, wreath weavers, sword whetters and guests form a long procession. Led by the Master of Ceremonies, this procession leaves the building to the sound of church bells and makes its way along Unioninkatu towards Helsinki Cathedral. The procession splits into two sections near the cathedral: one continues inside for an ecumenical church service, while the other proceeds to a secular ceremony, often held in the nearby National Library facilities across the street. Afterwards, the procession returns to the Main Building, where all of the graduates receive their diplomas and can sigh in relief. Often, curious members of the public or friends and family gather at Senate Square to wave and cheer as the graduates, weary from the hours-long conferral ceremony, make their way to the cathedral.  

This festive procession is documented in many 20th-century news items and even mentioned in private correspondence from the 19th century.  briefly touches on the history of conferment ceremonies while showcasing street scenes from the 1950 ceremony: 

“Despite the unpredictable weather, the festively clad procession captivates onlookers. [...] Even the sun can’t help but gaze upon the procession’s wreathed participants,” exclaims commentator Oke Tuuri. 

The 1950 ceremony was the 80th since 1643. In 2023 the Faculty of Philosophy celebrates its 100th conferment ceremony. Throughout history, city residents have been keen to watch the procession from the Main Building to the cathedral as well as the throng of graduates taking to the streets. Mrs Lampa, who resided near Senate Square, described the festive atmosphere to her granddaughter on 31 May 1853:  

“Yesterday we saw master’s graduates with laurel wreaths on their head, but somewhat worse for wear after dinner, strolling the streets. All this would have been a remarkable sight for my little Josefin to behold.” 

Besides the Main Building and the cathedral, another key conferment venue is the Old Student House, where the ball concluding the celebrations takes place. The final act of the conferment unfolds on the streets at night, bringing the festivities to a close. After the ball on Saturday night, the graduates and their guests gather in a procession that winds its way from the Old Student House to Esplanadi. Here, they halt at various statues for speeches addressed to them and songs. At sunrise the procession arrives at Senate Square, where a final speech is given to welcome the rising sun; this takes place at about 4 in the morning in late May or early June. Conferment festivities are actually only briefly visible in the streets. When they do appear, however, it is as processions or other collective formations. As Professor Laura Kolbe says: 

“Perhaps one of the benefits lies in the mystique and mythical allure it carries – after all, it is about a collective stepping into the street: the intellectual elite momentarily occupying the nation’s most significant square. Also apparent here is the contact between the institutions of the university and the church.” 

Kolbe, an expert in university history and collective memory, notes, however, that the locations of the celebrations within the streetscape represent a tacit tradition. It could readily be challenged, and the festivities could just as well occupy a prominent place elsewhere in the city.