NESU operates in both the Nordic and the local level. The most important task in the local level is to organize different kinds of events, the largest of them being sitsit parties. The name means a student party with a certain theme and where you sit at long tables, drink and sing drinking songs.
Sitsit parties are arranged by the NESU Chairman of Preemio and his/her team six times per year. Two of the parties are NESU sitsit parties that gather business students together from all over Finland. One is for freshmen to get to know the tradition, one is during the May Day (Vappu) week and two of them are for students from different faculties in Kuopio. The people may change but the party remains the same, in all versions you sit at a table, drink schnapps and sing. Traditions change over time – and sometimes it takes only one occurrence to make something a tradition – but the point is to keep the idea behind everything in mind.
Starting the Sitsit party
After the arrival of the participants the toastmaster calls the guests to the table. It is inappropriate to arrive late to a festivity. The sitsi begins with the song ”Helan går” and the song is often followed by a few welcoming words from the toastmaster.
Three Basic Rules
- When the toastmaster speaks, quiet down.
- When someone is performing, remain quiet.
- During the sitsi only the waiters may move in the vicinity of the tables.
Rule breaking is heavily punished. Punishments have varied over the years from eating dog biscuits to standing on one’s head. The idea behind the punishments has however remained the same, something humiliating and/or unpleasant.
