Not without my suit.

Spinning the Finns? The Nordic student life knows strange rituals: first be dipped in ice water, then allowed them back into their overalls with patches slip. When parties can be seen on the piece of study. Güldene rule: never wash.

 

Thomas Olsson, 26, poses with proud breast geschwellter on the campus of the Technical University of Tampere (TUT). The arms in the hips gestemmt, he blinks with raised head in the sun. For the photo, the Ph.D. student herausgeputzt: Instead of a suit he wears a dazzling white suit.

Does the university about a new coat? Olsson grins and shakes his head, on which he makes a kind of conductor hat bear dangles from an excessively large tassel. "That," he says, "is the typical Finnish students divide."

Coveralls are available at nearly all Finnish universities. Each student and each student club has its own color, full body suits are on the campus identifier and identity. At the University of Tampere, in southwest Finland, there are 13 colors for Studienrichtungen and a few more on-campus clubs. Olsson has two overalls, a white from the club that organizes trips abroad and the black students of computer science.

Sweden invented the Saubär overalls

Students from Tampere allegedly led the tradition as the first mid-sixties in Finland. Juha Suvanto by the Student Union knows where the custom is: "The first overalls, there was the early sixties in Sweden at the Stockholm Royal Technical College." The Swedes, so Suvanto, allegedly searched a functional clothes for their wild parties. Soon swashes fashion at the Scandinavian neighbors over.

The overalls are not included in the official Uni-label and are not a form of a Nordic-Hörsaal uniform. On the contrary. The different colored blue men to act as a comfortable overcoat over the normal clothing, especially at parties. The university is still adorned with the student tradition. On posters, to study in Tampere promote students wear the typical white and black hats with the tassel.

"At first I thought this would be a kind of fraternity," says Benjamin Söllner, 21 The student of the TU Dresden spend two semesters abroad in Tampere. Especially the hats fueled his suspicion. As in the introduction week at the TUT everyone voluntarily wore overalls, had the German student will soon be one. Benjamin is now in the color of his computer science studies media: gray in gray.

Only one cap is missing Benjamin on genuine Finnish Unikluft. Nearly 100 euros then we need to make berappen, pretty much for a chronically empty wallet students. The overalls, however, are usually free for first. Made possible by a sophisticated sponsorship of companies that fit the respective course. So emblazoned on Benjamins gray piece in large letters of the Finnish mobile phone giant Nokia.

Pimp my overalls - with needle and thread

But is not the same overalls overalls - the patch is what counts. The students attending parties gather at sports events for their club memberships, from other universities or companies. Two to ten euros substance such patches, often they are also tickets. Then it says "Pimp my overalls, with needle and thread.

In his Benjamin Coverall looks like a Formula-1-pilot on the level of its advertising contracts. One-year Finnish student life persuade a good 20 Patches. A normal yield, but Finnish students deliver ever Races to most patches. "The more you have, the higher the prestige," says Thomas Olsson. One of his fellow students contributes to the overall now have a complete cloak - he had just too many patches.

The business students with the tradition flourishes. Some companies have focused on the manufacture of specialized coveralls, including print advertising, says student representatives Suvanto. No wonder: Finland has some 300,000 students, all potential carriers overall. However, students only buy almost a full overcoat, which has been part of his life.

"A good student is also a good drinker"

For the voluntary standardization group, the Finns have no explanation. "Actually, we are individualists, like all Scandinavians," said Olsson. A practical benefit is in the nature of overalls as Strainers - less for oil than for alcohol. In Finland, belong to the drinking culture, not only on campus, says Benjamin. In public, the overalls so often associated with alcohol use. PhD student Olsson says it this way: "A good student is also a good drinker."

Biggest test for students and their overalls is the Finnish folk Vappu on 1 May. For two weeks, the students vote in Tampere on the matter. The climax at midnight they put a woman's statue, a huge student cap on, then pop the champagne corks. Already a few hours before the draw students celebrating in their overalls and with homemade figures throughout the city. Their goal: the rapids between the two lakes in the city center.

Here, the first baptized in the icy water. The Krankorb remains in the water, "to no longer screams" assure observers. The ritual is popular, now takes two cranes to the masses to immerse. Even the old Rector and his successor, last year took a bath in the river.

For the baptism, the first off their overalls. Because there is an unwritten law: A suit should never be washed.

Benjamin would be solid stain devil nevertheless alert to the detergent draw. "A bit crazy's all here already," said German student. But the Finns were so flat, more or less quiet and restrained in order to surprise and not worry about what others think about it. "As the band
Lordi at the Grand Prix. "