Pilluralli
In Finland there is a tradition of gathering to a center of a small town with cars for socializing. In the Finnish language there is a word to describe it: “Pilluralli,” directly translated as “pussy rally.” The meaning of the word: Driving without destination with an old banger decorated with Wunderbaums and fuzzy dices and having your friends on the backseat sipping alcohol. There are less cars gathering nowadays but in Northern Finland this practice is still easy to find. The phenomenon is often thought symbolizing social exclusion, but I see it as a Nordic subculture and way for young people to connect in remote towns. Owning your first car symbolizes the moment of becoming an adult, giving you the freedom of moving around and having access to places where your parents used to drive you. With the 500€ Nissan Bluebird you can drive with a girl- or boyfriend sitting on the passenger seat, playing Finn hits as loud as you wish from the car stereo. Many of the drivers I met drove 40 000km in their first year, not even leaving their hometown, which amounts to driving around the world. Known for being anti-social, connecting from the inside of the cars fits Finns perfectly. I asked one of the guys “so you all know each other here?” “Nope, we just know the cars,” he answered.