(Freshmen) Year’s Important Events
After the busy start of September, Syrinx’s activities continue over the dark winter, culminating in the crowning glory of the academic year, Vappu (First of May)! In recent years, efforts have also been made to maintain community spirit through official summer meetings outside the academic year. Regular events include Syrinx meetings and the weekly sports shift.
The Event Calendar lives and is shaped by those who organize the years events – however there are still a lot of traditions that are worth mentioning!
All Syrinx events follow the guidelines for a safer space. This is how we strive to ensure a pleasant event experience for everyone!
Flying Start
The flying start is a day-long trip to the Konnevesi research station right at the beginning of studies during orientation week. During the Flying Start, you will get to know what the field entails, other students, university staff, the student organization and its activities. The trip includes both learning and having fun together during sauna & swimming and BBQ-party! After the event, you will hopefully have gained a concise understanding of what the coming years of study will bring and have made new acquaintances. This is not to be missed!
Freshman kyykkä and sauna
At the beginning of the semester, we aim to introduce freshmen to the secrets of academic kyykkä! Kyykkä is a game where students throw a wooden bat called “karttu” towards smaller wooden blocks called “kyykkä”. After a hard game, the Opinkivi sauna is heated for the participants, where the evening continues with a cozy hangout with tutors, board members and other freshmen. You might even get to enjoy the warmth of the jacuzzi!
Sitsfests
The first sitsfest of the Syrinx academic year are organized around September or October, so that the new freshmen can also get into the swing of things as quickly as possible. Traditionally, the first sitsfests have been Park Sitsfest, when Mattilanniemi Park is filled with cheerful, refreshing sitsfest-songs! Usually, songs are sung in Finnish. In addition, Freshmen Sitsfest are organized, when you can get into a real sitsfest atmosphere at the long table! It is not worth missing the sitsfest for fear of punishment, and the first (freshman) sitsfests of the academic year are also very beginner friendly. During the academic year, Syrinx hosts sitsfests about 2-4 times, depending on enthusiasm, usually together with another student association. The sitsfests have also seen guest stars from other cities!
Fuksiaiset
Your Fuksiaiset only come once! One of the most unforgettable events of your student life is held in September-October as the evenings get darker. Biology students tour Harju in small groups along a route designed by older students. The freshmen end at the Nero stairs with the freshmen oath, after which the freshmen are officially declared as students of Biological and Environmental sciences. It is natural for the freshmen to go to the nightclubs in the city centre for afterparty together with other Natural Scientists.
Kauppakatu’s approbatur & other appros
Kauppakatu’s approbatur is one of the longest-running student events in Jyväskylä and the largest in Finland in terms of number of participants. The aim of the students is to tour the pubs and clubs of Jyväskylä, collecting stamps for their appro-passports from the drinks they drink. The award for completing the approbatory examination is a badge and a very memorable morning-after.
In addition, there are numerous other appros in Jyväskylä, all of which have the basic idea of going around different restaurants and bars! The most memorable of these have been Harbour Appros, Treat Appros and Ynnä’s Appros.
The Organism Rally
Syrinx’s traditional Organism Rally is held in both autumn and spring. Gather a team and go spot as many species of organisms as you can in just six hours! The best team will be awarded a prize and at the end of hours of hard work you will be able to enjoy the warmth of the sauna.
Natural Sciences Christmas Cruise
The cruise brings together around a couple of thousand natural scientists from all over Finland to celebrate the Christmas season and the looming end of the autumn semester. Syrinx, together with other STEM-organizations, organizes a bus ride to Turku (and back), from where the shipping company picks up the partygoers for Swedish territorial waters. It’s not the destination, it’s the journey! The bus ride is often a more exciting spectacle than the cruise, the party starts at the Matkakeskus and ends when your feet touch again the safe ground of Jyväskylä.
Pre-Christmas Party
Pre-Christmas Party will be kicked off at the Syrinx autumn meeting, where the new board for the following year will be elected. Freshmen will get down to business when they organize a spectacular party for older students, complete with refreshments and entertainment. There will also be an award ceremony for the freshmen who have completed the Freshmen Pass the best! Only the best can achieve the title of Super Freshman, but second and third place have not been forgotten.
Overall Baptism
Overall baptism is held close to the arrival of the freshmen’s overalls, usually in early spring. The event has a very free format, culminating in the declaring an oath for the overalls, after which the freshmen are allowed to proudly represent their subject wearing overalls. Given the freezing weather of January-February, efforts have also been made to reserve a sauna for the event.
Shrovetide of Natural Sciences
STEM-students celebrates together again! The event traditionally includes sauna, hot tubs, Shrovetide buns, kyykkä and various other activities. A great time to get to know other natural scientists and enjoy the Shrovetide atmosphere.
STEM’s Payback Round
Freshmen get to take revenge on older students for the tricks and pranks of the Fuksiaiset & Overall Baptism! In practice, the freshmen organize a spectacular tour route for other students that is very similar to the Fuksiaiset. Close STEM’s cooperation is in the works as usual and the evening continues together with the afterparty!
Spring meeting
The autumn meeting looks to the future, and the spring meeting looks to the past, the spring meeting of Syrinx ry reviews the association’s actions from the previous term and (hopefully) releases the old board from responsibility.
Vappu (First of May)
May Day is the best time for students, courses are ending, and students are released from the torturous year. In several years, Syrinx’s Vappu has included, for example, sitsfests, Vappu-improv, saunas, Huiskilo (event for children), STEM baseball tournament, Fog Orienteering and everything between earth and sky. On the eve, biologists gather in Kirkkopuisto to celebrate the Minna’s lakitus (putting a graduation cap on a statue) and the next day they climb the already familiar slopes of Harju to have a Vappu-picnic. Vappu is the crowning glory of spring, which also generally ends an active year full of events.
Summer meeting/meetings
The long gap between May and September has been shortened to varying degrees by organizing a meeting/meetings in the summer, including very relaxed picnic in the summer weather. When the sun is shining, it is good to remember how wet the grass in Kirkkopuisto was on Vappu, or how icy it was.
3MIOT
3MIO-parties organized three times in the spring and three times in the autumn, which are in three different bars. Typically, first you go to quizzes, bowling and play billiards at Hollywood Bowling, from where you move on to bingo and sing karaoke at Gloria and finally you go to conquer the dance floor at Escape. Each 3MIO has its own theme, which you should dress according to, and which is reflected in the activities of the bars in different ways.
Bingos
Syrinx typically organizes a few bingos a year. These popular events have featured themes ranging from sexual health products to random prizes!
Trekking
In the fall, the students of Syrinx head for a weekend-long hike to a nearby national park or other destination! Treks are also organized in the spring, but usually in the form of day trips.
Trash Pick-up Event
Perhaps not the most exciting-sounding event, but believe it or not, the evening will be entertaining! People leave the strangest things in nature, waiting to be discovered. Maybe they will catch on your trash tongs?
Event Team 2026 – modelled after the 2016 event team <3