4. Wide spectrum of deaf culture

Throughout the history of the Culture Days, the competitions have varied based on the customary activities of deaf clubs. At the very first Culture Days, the competitions included drawing, recitation, storytelling, presentations and folk dancing. The introduction of new competitions made the event more popular. New competitions during the 1960s included speeches and comedy.

Drama plays were added to the programme as early on as the second Culture Days. At first, all groups performed the same play. The organising committee favoured classic Finnish plays, such as the works by Aleksis Kivi, Minna Canth, Gustaf von Numers and Ilmari Turja. Since 1967, the groups have been allowed to select their own plays. For example, the team from Jyväskylä has performed Finnish classics directed by Kaisu Korhonen and the Helsinki team has performed foreign classics under the direction of Aira Passi. With the increase in deaf awareness, the deaf started to write their own plays that focused on the clashes between the worlds of the hearing and the deaf, for example. Young people especially had the desire to create new material using their native language.

As an important reform of principle, pantomime plays were introduced in 1969. In pantomime, the story is told using gestures, expressions and movements. Pantomime bore closer resemblance to sign language than recitation and drama plays, which were ultimately tied to written language. However, pantomime only became popular during the late 1970s.

Two new competitions, choir performances and visual storytelling, were introduced in 1971. Visual storytelling allowed the competitors to utilise novel ways to express sign language to complement the signed Finnish language. During the 1980s, physical exercise was added as a competition and open series for people of all ages were introduced. New competitions added in the late 1980s and during the 1990s included sketch comedy, dancing, popular and free-form performances.

During the 1960s, Culture Days featured quizzes and art projects, although actual handicrafts were initially not accepted. The early exhibitions from the 1900s showcasing the handicrafts by deaf and mute people can be considered as the forerunners for today's arts and crafts exhibitions. The purpose of these exhibitions was specifically to show deaf people's skills to potential employers and to promote the sale of their works.

On one hand, the history of the Culture Days can be seen as a way to preserve traditions. On the other, the Culture Days are about finding new directions. Some of the competitions were short-lived and others returned after a hiatus. Changes within the deaf community, such as the deaf awareness movement and sign language research, have had an impact on the selection of competition series. 2012 saw a major definition of policy as the performance series were divided into solo performances, group performances and small plays.