4,729 communion wafers and only nine litres of wine
Police estimate mass attendance at 5,000, organisers put figure closer to 9,000
The open-air mass held in Helsinki's Senate Square on Thursday was attended by thousands of people.
Police estimated the figure at around 5,000, while the organisers believe it was closer to 9,000 worshippers who turned up for the ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the diocese of Helsinki.
Certainly very few of the 10,000 brochures printed for the occasion were left in the hands of the organising committee.
One means of determining the true figure would be the amount of communion wafers consumed. A total of 4,729 went, and the organisers believe that around one in two of those present took communion.
The wine consumption was only modest at nine litres, since the wafers were merely dipped in the communion wine.
The Senate Square has seen plenty of large public events in its history, but few as quiet as this one.
It was possible to hear the squeaking of a passing tram's wheels as Bishop Eero Huovinen delivered his sermon, and the screaming of the gulls overhead was also clearly audible.
All 39 congregations from the Diocese of Helsinki were represented, with 160 Lutheran pastors handing out communion.
Thursday was Ascension Day and a public holiday, but the mass brought plenty of people to the centre of the capital and traffic was also disrupted by a simultaneous procession of fire engines parading through the centre of town to mark the 145th anniversary of the founding of Helsinki's Volunteer Fire Brigade.
Also involved was the Malmi Volunteer Fire Brigade, which chalks up 100 years this year.
It was fortunate for all that the events took place relatively early in the day, for Helsinki was cloaked in thick mist in the evening, a result of advection as warm and moist air from the south arriving over the still-cold sea water.
By around 20:30 in the evening, visibility was down to only some 300 metres at the Harmaja Lighthouse, while inland at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport it was 10 kilometres.
The phenomenon, though quite startling, is not uncommon at this time of year.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 22.5.2009 - TODAY |
 4,729 communion wafers and only nine litres of wine |
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