This is a country that has preserved national cultural traditions for many centuries. For a long time, the culture of Estonians had a pronounced character of the peasantry. Estonians, entrenched in the centuries-old struggle against the feudal lords, managed to preserve their language and uniqueness of life. Folk clothes made according to authentic samples of traditional costumes from different parts of Estonia are used as clothing for participants in folk festivals and festivals (song and folk dance festivals).
The family rituals of Estonians have preserved centuries-old traditions. For example, according to the strict conviction of the people, marriage is considered concluded after the main rites. wedding ceremony, which consists in putting on the bride's headdress of a married woman and tying up an apron, and not after the ceremony church wedding... Modern wedding rituals associated with civil registration of marriage involve the inclusion of comic rituals (blocking the road for a wedding train, checking the housekeeping skills of a young couple, bride kidnapping, etc.). Lutheranism and the associated funeral rites are of great importance to modern Estonians. On the last journey, they are seen off by collective singing of psalms called chorales. The rite of commemoration on the 40th day was borrowed from the Orthodox.

One of the best traditions of antiquity that has survived to this day is the custom of lighting bonfires on Ivana Kupala (June 24) throughout Estonia. The party takes place at night, on the eve of this day, accompanied by songs and dances. Preserved and folk customs walks on Martynov's day (November 10) and November 25 - on Katherine's day. Of the most significant holidays, the seasonal harvest festival is celebrated annually. The song festival in Tartu and Tallinn annually gathers half of the country's population on the famous field. The famous choral singing is over 100 years old. Such a festival can accommodate a 30,000-strong choir on the stage and listeners - up to 250,000 people. Independent festivals featuring a national folk dance have been going on since 1947. The annual summer days for young people are accompanied by dances and songs of Estonians different agesdressed in national women's and men's costumes.

Estonian handicrafts are so unique that knitting and macrame are the country's hallmarks. There is an opinion that the patterns were invented for sailors who, lost in the sea, could recognize the terrain by their clothes. A huge selection of Estonian knitwear can always be found on Viru Street, where the handicraft market is located. In addition, Estonians are renowned woodworkers, furriers and excellent leather craftsmen. One can feel the immense influence of the surrealism of skilful and pedantic German craftsmen, who have had an indelibly strong influence on the Estonian traditions of needlework. During the reign of the USSR, surprisingly enough, Estonian folk crafts were even more developed, which made this product extremely popular.

The traditional national cuisine is formed, in many ways, under the powerful influence of German cuisine. Estonian cuisine is not threatened with monotony, because you can find dishes from beef and pork, fish, vegetables and other other ingredients. The national dishes are dishes made from rye flour "kama", wheat and barley, peas, used with milk or yogurt, and also, mulgikapsad cabbage cooked with pork and cereal, blood sausage and dumplings are extremely popular.

Folklore - oral poetry of peoples, is an important component of the spiritual culture of the people. He played a huge role in the development of literature, theater, music, painting and other forms of art. It is closely related to folk life and rituals, reflects the characteristics of different periods stories. Folklore works are the creation of collective creativity, and what is created by a collective remains for a very long time. Traditions are a form of collective preservation of works of folklore, as well as a result of collective creativity. Traditions are inherent in both verbal folklore and other types of folk art - music, dance, carving, embroidery.

Folklore works have appeared since ancient times. In them, the people passed on their knowledge about the world, their poetic ideas, about the surrounding reality from generation to generation. Singers and storytellers who heard a song or a fairy tale tried to remember and convey it to listeners as they sang or told them. This explains the extraordinary stability of folklore works. The stability of folklore was also associated with the way of life, the norms of life and the forms of peasant and handicraft labor, as well as with the poetic views of the people on reality, artistic tastes that had been developed for centuries.

The folklore of the peoples of the countries of the Near Abroad, the former republics: Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, has common and similar features. There are many similarities and similarities in ritual folklore, in particular, its division into four cycles, corresponding to the four seasons, which regulate agricultural work. Rituals and songs are associated with cyclicality. In winter, all the peoples of the Baltic States had carols and fortune-telling about the future harvest, fortune-telling about happiness. During the transition from winter to spring, Shrovetide was celebrated, accompanied by games, dressing and songs. The rituals and customs of meeting winter, the first pasture of cattle on pastures are peculiar. The celebration of the day of Kupala is similar. Harvesting customs, zaginki and dozhinka are very similar, the songs accompanying them are also similar.

The seasons and agricultural work regulated both family rituals and their poetry. The wedding routine, lamentations of the bride, glorification at a feast, magical means of protecting young people from evil forces, unweaving a braid, putting on a cap is in wedding ceremony for all Baltic peoples.

The common religion of these peoples in ancient times was paganism, which deified the forces of nature (sun, thunder, lightning). People believed in the existence of spirits that guarded dwellings, forests, fields, water (brownies, goblin, field, water). Paganism caused poetic images of Baba Yaga, a pitchfork, a mermaid, which could help or harm people.

With the establishment of Christianity, the eradication of paganism began, but pagan ideas persisted for a long time. Features of dual faith (a combination of pagan and Christian ideas) were reflected in many genres of folklore (in calendar and family ritual poetry, in conspiracies, etc.).

Despite the similarities of genres, themes, plots, images of folklore, the poetic creativity of each people is nationally unique, which manifests itself not only in the language, but also in the peculiarities of the national character, nature and fauna, details of everyday life, national clothes, food, etc.

Three peoples live on the shores of the Baltic Sea. Two of them - Lithuanians and Latvians - speak the languages \u200b\u200bof the Summer-Lithuanian group, which are close to each other. However, they do not understand each other so freely. These languages \u200b\u200bare closest of all living European languages \u200b\u200bto the language of India - Sanskrit, and in general they occupy a place between the Slavic and Germanic languages. The Estonian language is completely different - it is related to Finnish.

But in culture, customs and religion, Latvians are more similar to Estonians than to Lithuanians. Both are Lutherans. Only in Latgale, the eastern part of Latvia, are there more Catholics. And Lithuania is mostly Catholic, and Lithuanians are somewhat similar in culture to Poles and Belarusians.

ESTONIA

For a long time, the folk culture of Estonians had a distinctly peasant character. The enslaved Estonian peasant, in the centuries-old struggle with foreign feudal lords, managed to preserve his language, culture and everyday life.

At present, folk clothes, made according to the samples of authentic traditional costumes from different areas of Estonia, are widely used as clothes for participants in folk festivals (especially during song and folk dance festivals).

In the family rituals of Estonian peasants until the middle of the 19th century. many features persisted. So, for example, according to the conviction of the people, marriage was considered concluded not after a church wedding, but after the main rituals of a folk wedding ceremony (putting on the headdress of a married woman and tying an apron to the bride).

New rituals are being created in modern Estonia, including civil registration of marriage. The new wedding ritual includes some traditional rituals of a comic nature (blocking the road for a wedding train, testing the skills of a young couple in household skills, kidnapping a bride, etc.).

Some folk customs are also preserved, for example, the mummers (usually children) walking on Martynov (November 10) and Katerinin (November 25) day.

Lutheran baptism and funeral rites, which are characterized by collective singing of chorales (psalms), are of great importance among modern Estonians. Recently, a commemoration for the 40th day has been borrowed from the Orthodox.

Of the holidays, the harvest festival is celebrated annually. Of the old folk holidays, Midsummer's Day is preserved (June 24, in some places - July 7, like the Russians.). The holiday is celebrated on the night before this day with the obligatory lighting of a fire, songs and dances around it.

For more than 100 years, Tallinn and Tartu have annually held the Song Festival (the first was in Tartu in 1869). At such festivals, a 30,000-strong choir can perform on a built stage, and up to 250 thousand people are accommodated at the Song Festival.

Song Festival at the Song Festival Grounds in Tallinn.

Since 1947, independent folk dance festivals have been held. Every year at the end of June, colorful folk holidays (summer youth days) are held throughout the country, accompanied by songs and dances of hundreds of people of all ages, dressed in bright national costumes.

The culture of the Latvian people in the era of feudalism was the culture of the peasantry. Only in the second half of the 19th century. During the period of the rapid development of capitalism, the rise of national consciousness, the national movement and the revival associated with the formation of the Latvian bourgeois nation, the development of the Latvian professional culture intensified.

Nowadays Latvians wear folk clothes for traditional song festivals, it is widely used as an outfit for participants amateur performances... However, in modern clothes traditions of folk costume are quite clearly visible - in colors, jewelry, etc. Latvians willingly wear knitted sweaters, jumpers. Mittens, socks and other products

- often of their own manufacture, in which traditional folk ornament is widely used.

Family rituals of Latvians up to the beginning of the 20th century. has retained many traditional features. The richest and most colorful was latvian wedding... IN modern wedding The most colorful and solemn ceremonies have been preserved with the solemn wedding in the registry office: on the way to the wedding train, friends, neighbors arrange “an honorary gate, for which a ransom is required - sweets, pies, beer, wine, etc., meeting the young at the entrance to the house with bread and salt, the ceremony of initiation of a young woman into a married woman (they take off the wreath and put on a cap - a symbol of a married woman). The modern holiday of naming a child is held colorfully and solemnly.

The ancient labor traditions have acquired a new content. In collective and state farms, holidays are widely celebrated: the first furrow, the end of sowing (sometimes it is timed to June 23 - ancient holiday Ligo), the completion of the harvest, the harvest, and many others. The main motive of these holidays is the celebration of the progressive workers of the village. Latvians' Ligo Festival is a favorite national holiday in which both adults and children participate, it is a celebration of flowers, herbs, blossoming nature and rural labor of the inhabitants of Latvia. A flower wreath on the head is an indispensable attribute of Ligo.

The Latvian people cherish the national cultural traditions that have developed during centuries of historical development. Dances and round dance dances were arranged for family and calendar holidays... Holidays were celebrated with traditional dances of mummers (kehats, budels, carols, etc.) accompanied by songs - winter solstice, carnival, summer solstice.

The annual Song Festival is popular in Latvia, the 100th anniversary of which was celebrated in 1973 by the entire Latvian public. This is a massive, truly magnificent show of the best choral, dance and musical groups. The song festival in the capital of Latvia begins with a colorful procession of participants dressed in folk costumes of the respective region to Mezaparks, the venue for the concerts. On the central square of the city - Esplanade, they are building a stage and stands for spectators. All folk choirs gather in one choir of many thousands and perform folk songs for several hours in a row. The tradition of organizing the Song Celebrations is a significant stimulus for the development of the culture of choral singing in Latvia.

Lithuanian traditional material and spiritual culture developed in close connection with the culture of neighboring peoples - Poles, Latvians, Russians, Belarusians.

The folk culture was created and passed on from generation to generation by Lithuanian peasants, and therefore its traditions had a pronounced peasant character.

Villages and one-houses are traditional settlements in Lithuania. The most ancient are two types of villages: cumulus, which do not have a definite plan for the location of estates, and street, in which peasant estates were built on both sides of a straight street. Single-yard settlements of Lithuanian peasants - farms.

The traditional occupations of the Lithuanians were agriculture and animal husbandry, therefore the main inventory of the peasant economy consisted of tools for cultivating the land, harvesting and processing agricultural products. The traditional means of transportation for the Lithuanian peasants were carts in summer, sledges and logs in winter, and a horse served as a horse-drawn animal.

In the era of feudalism, the main form of the peasant family was a large family, although already in the 13-14 centuries. there were also small families. Conservation large families contributed to the features of the economic development of the region: for centuries, the unit of taxation of feudal duties was the peasant household, which united several married couples along the straight and lateral lines of kinship. The owner of the yard enjoyed great power in matters of housekeeping in the personal life of each family member. The peasant yard with all its property was transferred to the eldest son or son-in-law of the head of the family. The heir had to pay the brothers and sisters who left the court, their share of the inheritance. In Lithuanian peasant families - especially the wealthy - the ishimtine custom existed. According to him, elderly parents, transferring the yard to their son, settled separately. Moreover, their lifelong maintenance, provided by the heir, was stipulated by a notarial deed.

Until 1940. marriage without a wedding was considered invalid, divorce was prohibited. The traditional wedding ritual consisted of several stages. The wedding itself was preceded by matchmaking, during which the matchmaker - pirslis bargained with the bride's father about the dowry - pasoga. The Lithuanian bride also had another dowry - kraytis, which consisted of things made by herself - fabrics, handicrafts, clothes. The matchmaking was accompanied by the bridegroom's bridegroom's bride and betrothal. All villagers were usually invited to the wedding. On the wedding day, the groom came for the bride, at the entrance he was met by the bride's father with bread and salt and wine. After the wedding, the young people went to the groom's house, where the wedding celebration took place. On the morning of the second day of the wedding, the young were awakened noisily, with jokes and music, after which a rite of initiation of a young woman into a married woman was performed: accompanied by ritual songs, she was put on a cap and a namitka. In a traditional wedding, a matchmaker and a matchmaker played an important role, who ordered wedding table, served an indispensable treat - a loaf. There were some rituals and customs that signified the end of the wedding: "hanging" a matchmaker (hanging stuffed with straw), "smoking" guests (seeing off guests); as a sign of the end of the wedding, cabbage soup was the last to be served on the table.

In modern weddings, some of the customs and practices of the traditional wedding are preserved. They, as a rule, have a comic, playful character. The central place is occupied by the trip of the bride and groom to the registry office in a car decorated with flowers, greenery and ribbons. They are accompanied by witnesses, traditionally called matchmakers, and a retinue - the groom's and bridesmaids' friends. According to the old custom, at the entrance to the house of the young, parents are greeted with bread and salt. The rite of initiation of a young married woman is quite often observed. By the end of the wedding and in our days, they "hang" the matchmaker and "smoke" the guests.

In Lithuania, modern civil, labor and public holidays and ceremonies are being successfully introduced into everyday life. Traditional elements are often used in the design of the organization of these celebrations and ceremonies. Much attention is paid to the material base of their implementation: in a number of cities special buildings have been built or re-equipped (the Wedding Palace in Vilnius, Kaunas and Šiauliai, the House of Commemoration of the Dead in Vilnius, etc.).

Lithuanian folklore is an inexhaustible treasury of wisdom, ethical, aesthetic and moral views of the Lithuanian people.

In the archives of the Institute of Lithuanian Language and Literature of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, there are more than 990 thousand pieces of folklore of various genres. The most numerous and significant are folk songs (mostly lyrical), as well as fairy tales, legends, traditions, legends, sayings, proverbs, riddles and other works.

In the capital of Lithuania - Vilnius, republican Song Festivals are held every five years - a wide and powerful demonstration of the achievements of amateur performances.

At first glance, Estonians look a lot like Germans. This is evidenced by the similar cuisine and national costume, as well as punctuality and thoroughness in everything. However, the influence was exerted by real geographical neighbors. Estonia, together with Latvia and Lithuania, forms one cultural and historical region. Cultural features have begun to form since the days of the ancient captives that inhabited the region. In western and eastern Estonia, there are differences in the dialect of languages, and in many aspects of spiritual and material life, which is associated with the influence of immediate neighbors. In general, modern Estonia can be divided into northern Estonia, southern and western. Areas of residence of Swedes and quaint Russians are interesting.

Estonian ceremonies, festivals and holidays

The culture that originated in the peasantry turned out to be quite colorful, it is worth noting interesting rituals and holidays. For example, it is believed that a marriage is concluded according to all the rules only after the bride has put on the headdress of a married woman and tied with an apron, and a wedding in a church or a painting in the registry office does not matter. The film "Prisoner of the Caucasus" could be easily filmed in Estonia. A variety of pranks at weddings are considered normal, such as kidnapping a bride, blocking the road on the route of a wedding cortege, checking the household skills of a young couple, and so on.

June 24 is quite active - games with bonfires on Ivana-Kupala, songs, dances and jumping over the fire. In addition, harvest festivals and singing events are celebrated all over Estonia, but especially numerous in Tallinn and Tartu. Up to 30 thousand choristers take part in this bright event at the same time, listened to by a quarter of a million listeners placed on the field. The program of the song festival includes performances by national folk dance groups. On such days, it is not uncommon to see ordinary citizens in bright men's and women's national costumes. Of course, most folk costumes are now made by machine, but if you visit Viru Street in Tallinn, where among old buildings and a large number In the café, you can find counters with unique hand-knitting, macramé and other national clothes or shoes, there are a variety of wooden figures and skillful leatherwork.

Features of communication with Estonians

When communicating with Estonians, it is not worth mentioning moments of history related to the Soviet period. Estonians themselves differ in many respects from the large number of Russians living in this republic, this concerns the mentality, outlook on life, aspirations. It is interesting that the Estonians themselves today no longer consider themselves to be the Balts and declare that they are Scandinavians, as I do not know how the fellow Lithuanians and Latvians regard such an escape.

Estonia is Scandinavia

Indeed, Tallinn looks more like its medieval architecture on the old towns of Germany than on the cities in Lithuania and Latvia, besides, local souvenirs are no different from those sold in neighboring Scandinavian countries. A sign that you are in Scandinavia, and not in the Baltics, can be seen with the naked eye on the streets of Estonian cities, there is no devastation, cracked building facades, houses outside are covered with corrugated iron in the manner of the Scandinavian countries, old Khrushchev houses are very hard to recognize, they have been altered to not recognizability, cleanliness and order on the streets, around you can see bike paths that motorists do not dare to ride, in general, all the signs are visible that this is Northern or Western Europe, and not the Baltic states.

Most of the inhabitants of Western Europe, and even more so of Asia and the USA, can hardly find Estonia on the world map. But so much the worse for them, because Estonia is not just a small country in the Baltics. Estonia is an amazing Baltic nature, medieval fortresses, numerous museums, amber, the Baltic Sea, as well as balneological and beach resorts.

Geography of Estonia

Estonia is located in the Baltics, in Northern Europe. In the south, Estonia borders with Latvia, in the east - with Russia. In the north and west, Estonia is washed by the waters of the Baltic Sea. The total area of \u200b\u200bthis country is 45,227 square meters. km., including islands, and the total length of the border is 1,450 km.

55% of Estonia's territory is covered by forests. The highest point in the country is Mount Suur Munamägi on the Haanja Upland, which is only 318 meters high.

There are many lakes in Estonia, the largest of them are Lake Peipsi in the east and Võrtsjärv in the south of the country.

Capital

The capital of Estonia is Tallinn, which is now home to over 420 thousand people. Archeologists believe that the first human settlements on the territory of modern Tallinn appeared about 2 thousand years ago.

Official language

The official language in Estonia is Estonian, which belongs to the Finnish branch of the Uralic language family.

Religion

About 14% of the Estonian population belongs to the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church, and about 10% of Estonians are Orthodox Christians. The rest of the inhabitants of Estonia do not believe in God.

State structure of Estonia

According to the 1992 constitution, Estonia is a parliamentary republic headed by a President elected by the country's Parliament.

The Estonian Parliament consists of 101 members who are elected for a 4-year term. Executive power belongs to the President, Prime Minister and Cabinet of Ministers.

Climate and weather

The climate in Estonia is moderate, transitional from maritime to continental. The average annual air temperature is + 5.2C. In general, the Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic Sea have a decisive influence on the Estonian climate. Average rainfall per year is 568 mm.

Average air temperature in Tallinn:

• january - -5C
• february - -6C
• march - -3C
• april - + 3C
• may - + 8C
• june - + 13С
• july - + 16C
• august - + 15C
• september - + 11C
• october - + 6C
• november - + 1C
• december - -3C

Sea in Estonia

In the north and west, Estonia is washed by the waters of the Baltic Sea (Gulf of Finland). The length of the Estonian coast of the Baltic Sea is 768.6 km. There are more than 1,500 islands in Estonia, the largest of which are Saaremaa, Hiiumaa and Muhumaa (Muhu).

The temperature of the Baltic Sea near the Estonian coast reaches + 17C in summer. In the bays, the water warms up better in summer and exceeds + 20C.

Rivers and lakes

Estonia has 200 rivers and about 1,500 lakes. Rivers in the north of Estonia form picturesque rapids and waterfalls. The highest waterfall in Estonia is Valaste (30.5 m).

Several beautiful rivers flow through the territory of the south of Estonia - Piusa, Ahja and Võhandu. By the way, Võhandu is the longest river in Estonia (162 km).

There are a lot of lakes in Estonia, the largest of them are Lake Peipsi in the east and Võrtsjärv in the ege of the country. In general, lakes cover 6% of the territory of Estonia. The longest sandy beach in Estonia is located on the shores of Lake Peipsi - 30 km.

Estonian history

People appeared on the territory of modern Estonia about 11 thousand years ago. The first state formations in Estonia began to appear in the 1st century AD. In the 9th-11th centuries, Scandinavian Vikings (mainly Swedes) often attacked the territory of modern Estonia.

Before the adoption of Christianity, Estonians were pagans who believed in a supreme being - Tharapita.

From 1228 to 1560s, Estonia was part of the Holy Roman Empire (it was conquered by the Livonian Order).

In 1629, most of Estonia fell under Swedish rule. The first university in Estonia was founded in 1632 in Dorpat (Tartu).

In 1721, according to the Peace of Nystad, Estonia was incorporated into the Russian Empire. Only after the First World War in 1918 was the independence of Estonia declared.

According to the 1939 agreement between Germany and the USSR, Estonia was included in the zone of interests of Joseph Stalin. On August 6, 1940, Estonia was incorporated into the USSR as the Estonian SSR.

Estonia's independence was restored on 20 August 1991. Since 2004, Estonia has been a member of the European Union.

Culture

Estonians, like other peoples, are very proud of their culture. The country's government is making efforts to preserve not only archaeological, historical and architectural monuments, but also intangible monuments. Thus, in Estonia there are now 7 government programs for the preservation of intangible traditional culture (we are talking about songs, music, dances, etc.).

Back in 1869, the first Estonian folk music and dance festival was held in Tartu. Now the tradition of this festival continues. The Estonian Music and Dance Festival in Tartu is now listed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.

The most popular holidays among Estonians are New Year, Independence Day, Easter, Midsummer's Day, Independence Restoration Day and Christmas.

Estonian cuisine

Estonian cuisine is quite simple, there are no gourmet dishes in it. But now Estonian cuisine already includes the most popular international dishes. However, in Estonia the most typical foods are still brown bread, pork, potatoes, fish and dairy products.

We advise tourists in Estonia to taste the following traditional Estonian dishes: beer soup, bean soup, soup with dumplings and meat, brawn, blood sausage, Baltic herring in vinegar, pike in oil, stewed pike with horseradish, herring casserole, mulgi porridge "With sauerkraut, honey cake, cabbage pie, baked apples.

In Estonia, the traditional non-alcoholic drink is yeast-infused kali, to which juniper berries are added.

Concerning alcoholic beverages in Estonia, it is, of course, beer and vodka. Estonians started making vodka around the 15th century, but it still cannot compete in popularity with beer.

Estonia landmarks

Estonians have always been sensitive to their history. Therefore, we advise tourists in Estonia to see:

Cities and resorts

The largest Estonian cities are Tartu, Pärnu, Kohtla-Järve, Narva, and of course. Tallinn.

There are several good beach resorts in Estonia on the shores of the Baltic Sea. By the way, the beach season in Estonia usually begins in mid-May and lasts until mid-September. The most popular Estonian beach resorts are Pärnu, Narva-Jõesuu, Haapsalu, Toile and Kuressaare. There are also beaches on the shores of Lake Peipsi.

But tourists come to Estonia not only to swim in the Baltic Sea and see local attractions. There are several excellent balneological resorts in Estonia. The most famous of them are Pärnu, Värska, Kuressaare, Pyhajärve and Vimsi.

Souvenirs / shopping

January 1 - New Year
Holidays in Estonia are loved, they are celebrated cheerfully and noisily. New Year can be celebrated here four times. Russians living in Estonia meet him together with Russia (an hour before Estonian), then all together according to Estonian time, then according to the old style from January 13 to 14 and Eastern - in February.

First of all, a distinctive feature of this holiday is the abundance of food on the table. The traditional drink is champagne. As a rule, glasses are filled with them during the chime of the clock, in the last seconds of the outgoing year. New Year is celebrated in a noisy company with abundant treats and alcoholic drinks on the table, and colorful fireworks in the streets of the city. Almost all nightclubs and large hotels offer new year's eve interesting programs.

After 24 hours, the roar of firecrackers is heard in the street and the sky is covered with rainbow splashes of fireworks. The festivities last most of the night, and sometimes even into the morning. New Year's Eve, although not an original Estonian holiday, has taken root in Estonia and is recognized as an official day off.

January 6 - Three Kings Day
The day is a national date associated with the religious calendar. On this day, it is mandatory to hang out the national tricolor flag.

Initially, January 6 was celebrated as the birthday of Christ. After the birthday of Christ on the calendar was postponed to Christmas, January 6 began to celebrate the day of the three kings. To this day, many european countries, including in Estonia, the day of the three kings is considered the end of the Christmas festivities.

February 2 - Day of the Tartu Treaty
Immediately after the declaration of independence, Estonia was forced to wage a war of independence with Soviet Russia in the east and German troops in the south. During this war, Estonia strengthened its borders and on February 2, 1920, concluded the Tartu Peace Treaty with Soviet Russia.

February 2 - Candle Day
They say that on this day, winter is broken in half. On this day, ritual food was prepared: porridge and pork. Candles were also made. Candle Day is the first major holiday for women of the year. The women went to the inn, and the men did the female housework that day. In the calendar of works, knitting and spinning began from that day.

February 5 - Maslenitsa (Vastlapäev)
On February 5, Estonia celebrates Vastlapäev, a holiday similar to the Russian Maslenitsa. According to the lunar calendar, Maslenitsa is a holiday that should fall on the first Tuesday of the new moon, Tuesday of the seventh week before Easter (for Russians, Maslenitsa is the eighth week before Easter). The most important food at Vastlapäev was pork legs, which were cooked with peas or beans, sometimes served with sauerkraut. Maslenitsa in Estonia is celebrated for only one day. On this day, it is customary to ride on sleds from slides, on horses and on ice on the river.

The longer the slide, the higher the flax will be generated. Recently there has been a tradition of eating buns with whipped cream. Today they are a kind of symbol of Maslenitsa in Estonia and are called Vastlakukkel. They are baked especially for this day. Usually, they disappear from store shelves a week after Shrovetide, only to reappear a year later. The bun is a round ball of yeast dough with a thinly cut cap. On the cut there is whipped cream, on top is the "cap" of the bun, cut off before and everything is sprinkled with powdered sugar. Sometimes bakers try to surprise consumers by adding sour jam, such as cranberry jam, under the whipped cream.

Another indispensable attribute of cooking is pea soup. Since Shrovetide is the last chance to eat well before fasting, people cook and eat a lot. They carefully prepare for Shrovetide: they flood steep slopes for skiing, build high ice and snow mountains, fortresses, towns.

February 14 - Valentine's Day (Valentine's Day)
In the last decade, it is customary in Estonia to celebrate such a holiday as Valentine's Day, which is really called Friends Day. Lovers give each other gifts, friends exchange heart-shaped cards (valentines) with assurances of love and friendship.

February 24 - Estonian Independence Day
The Republic of Estonia was founded on February 24, 1918, when the independence of the Republic of Estonia was proclaimed by the Salvation Committee. This day was celebrated as Independence Day until the beginning of the Soviet occupation of Estonia in 1940.
As hopes of restoring national independence grew in the late 1980s, people began publicly celebrating Independence Day even before the end of the Soviet occupation. Since the independence of the Republic of Estonia was restored on August 20, 1991, Independence Day is again celebrated as a public holiday and a day of remembrance for the Estonian people.

In February, frosts usually intensify, so the celebration is limited to a daytime parade in the city center, for which they are preparing a week before the event.

In the evening, it is customary to celebrate with the family with a feast and watching a live broadcast of the reception of the President of the Republic of Estonia. Members of the government, prominent people of culture and entrepreneurs are invited to the reception. In the evening, multi-colored fireworks soar into the sky over the City Hall.

March 14 - Mother Language Day
On March 14, Estonia celebrates Emakeelepaev - Mother Language Day ("mother tongue" if translated literally).

The Estonian language belongs to the Uralic languages \u200b\u200band represents the Finno-Ugric languages, being part of the southern group of the Baltic-Finnish languages. In terms of the number of speakers, it is one of the minor languages, with about 1.1 million people spoken, of which 950 thousand live in Estonia.

The Estonian language has three dialectical groups:

North Estonian, which includes insular, western, central and eastern dialects;

South Estonian, which includes Mulk, Tartu and Võru dialects;

A northeastern coastal dialect that has many similarities with the Baltic-Finnish languages.

Estonian writing is based on the Latin alphabet. The alphabet includes 32 letters.

The main rule to remember is to read as it is written. As for the Estonian grammar, first of all we are usually struck by the number of cases - there are 14. But there is no gender category.

March - Good Friday
Good Friday precedes Easter and commemorates the day of the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. The forms of celebrating Good Friday vary widely, from a simple remembrance or special worship among Protestants to a special liturgical order in the Eastern churches and a complex liturgical ceremony in the Roman Catholic Church. In the Catholic Church, the services of Good Friday are timed to coincide with 3 pm, when, according to tradition, Jesus Christ died. Although this service appears to be one, it is actually composed of four distinct parts, each with its own origin and history.

The first, most ancient part, the ordering of the Word, was carried out in the ancient church in those cases when the sacrament of the Eucharist was not performed. It currently includes a series of readings from the Old Testament, culminating in a solemn reading of the story of the Passion of Christ by the Evangelist John. The second part consists of several prayers (dating back to the 5th century) for the fulfillment of all kinds of spiritual needs of all people on earth. The third part is the rite of worship of the cross associated with an ancient custom practiced by Christians in Jerusalem.

The crucifix is \u200b\u200bcovered with a veil on the Sunday beginning of Holy Week. Then the priest and his assistants remove the veil, after which the clergy and parishioners kiss the crucifix.

The last part of the Good Friday service is the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, during which the clergy and parishioners partake of the Holy Gifts, which were consecrated the day before (hence the name).

March - Catholic Easter
Easter is celebrated on two days: the first Easter day is the Sunday following Good Friday. And on Monday, the second Easter day is celebrated. The second day is not a day off.

The Easter period lasts fifty days and begins with the celebration of the Bright Resurrection of Christ (Easter), which falls on the period from March 22 to April 25. As the most important great holiday, Easter is celebrated for 8 days (octaves). On the fortieth day of the Easter period, the Feast of the Ascension is celebrated. The Easter period ends with the holiday of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, celebrated on the 50th day after Easter.

With the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, the basic rules for calculating the day of Easter, which are guided by the Western Church, remained the same, but the calendar reform introduced some changes in the procedure for calculating Easter. Therefore, the dates of the celebration of Western and Eastern Easter coincide extremely rarely and, as a rule, have a discrepancy of one week (sometimes this discrepancy reaches 1 month).

April 30 - Walpurgis Night
On the night from April 30 to May 1, Walpurgis Night has been celebrated in Estonia since ancient times. According to legend, on this night witches gather for a sabbath, where they dance and sing, so a terrible noise must be raised in the city in order to scare away evil forces, which the local youth is successfully doing. Although in the old Estonian traditions, witches were benevolent and treated people. If it rains on May 1, they say that "the old witches are soaring."

Walpurgis Night is the most significant of the pagan fertility festivals.
Walpurgis Night is celebrated on the night of April 30 to commemorate the blossoming spring. The name Walpurgis Night is associated with the name of Saint Walpurgis, a Wimbourne nun (England) who came to Germany in 748 with the aim of founding a monastery. She died on February 25, 777 in Heidenheim. She was extremely popular, and very soon they began to venerate her as a saint. In the Roman list of saints, her day is May 1. In the Middle Ages, it was believed that Walpurgis Night was the night of the feast of witches.

Now, on the night of April 30 to May 1, Walpurgis Night is celebrated throughout Central and Northern Europe - it is a celebration of the welcome of spring, when huge bonfires are lit to discourage the witches who flock that night to the Sabbath.
The program of the holiday has not changed for over 100 years: old games like our burners, student choirs and traditional bonfires on the eve of Walpurgis Night.

May 1 - Spring Day
In the Middle Ages (until the middle of the 16th century) in May, he coped beautiful holidaysymbolizing the arrival of spring. Various shooting and horse racing tournaments were held on this day. The winner of the horse racing and target shooting tournament became the May count, who chose the May Countess among the girls.

An elegant cavalcade, led by them, entered the city, and a large feast and ball were held until nightfall. This tradition has now been resumed during the Old Town Days in early June.

May - Mother's Day
In Estonia, Mother's Day has been celebrated since 1992 on the second Sunday in May. This day is considered a holiday for mothers and pregnant women only. Estonians decorate houses with flags. Matinees and concerts for mothers are held in kindergartens and schools. Children give their mothers homemade gifts.

June 4 - Estonian Flag Day
The tricolor received the status of the state flag of the Republic of Estonia in 1922 and fluttered on the Long Hermann tower until 1940. In the early 1990s, on the anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, the Estonian people again openly carried in their hands the blue-black-white tricolor.

The flag is raised above the Long Hermann tower at sunrise, and lowered at sunset. The raising of the flag is accompanied by the melody of the Estonian anthem.

June 23 - John's Day
The second most important holiday after Christmas is Midsummer's Day. It is traditionally celebrated in villages and farms, and is considered a day of miracles and witchcraft. The girls wove wreaths of nine different types of flowers that day, nine flowers of each type. When the wreath was put on the head, not a word could be said. With him, the girl went to bed. According to legend, in a dream, the future spouse should have come to her and remove the wreath.

A traditional important summer holiday and the day of the summer equinox. On the eve of Midsummer's Day, bonfires are burned, then all night long they dance, sing, drink beer, jump over the fire and look for a fern flower in the forest, which, according to legend, blooms only on Midsummer's night. Great wealth and happiness awaits those who find the flower. A bonfire was made on a mountain or by the sea. Swimming in rivers and lakes, like the Russians in the old days on the day of Ivan Kupala, is not common among Estonians. But on this day they love to go to the sauna. It is accepted that bath brooms must be prepared only before June 24. Since it is believed that after Midsummer's day, the broom does not have healing power.

The main holiday that has come down to us from distant pagan times, which is still celebrated by the peoples of Europe, is timed to this sacrament. It is called differently in different countries. It was believed that on Midsummer's night one should not sleep until dawn - not only because one can hear the singing of elves, but above all for the purpose of a talisman for the whole coming year.

Celebrations in honor of the holiday began in the evening and lasted all night, ending with the meeting of the dawn - the rising sun. Until 1770, Midsummer's Day was an official holiday... Its abolition, however, did not become a reason for the people to lose interest in him - on the contrary, Ivan's night remained beloved folk holiday... Compared to Christmas and Easter, this holiday has much less to do with church celebrations. Most of all the ancient pagan customs are associated with Midsummer night.

Perhaps the main tradition timed to coincide with Midsummer's Night is bonfires. Since ancient times, people have believed that fire is able to protect against evil forces. Fire is the most powerful and effective purifying element: everything that is dirty and obsolete can burn in it, but the fire itself always remains pure. Bonfires on Midsummer's Night were kindled in several ways.

The fire itself was intended to "help" the sun to overcome the top of the sky, it symbolized the victory of light over darkness. By lighting a fire and supporting it until the morning, people seemed to welcome the new sun. The peasants tried to make the fire as big as possible - it was considered a matter of honor. On this occasion, competitions were often held - who has a higher and brighter flame. As a rule, several yards or farmsteads gathered on a common fire pit, where young and old took part in preparing a large fire. Now, the local authorities are trying to help organize the holiday.

Each district of the city has its own largest bonfire, songs and dances. The venue for the celebration is usually chosen near water bodies (sea or lake). Local newspapers publish a summary of the events. Both before and after the celebrations, thus comparing the size of the fire, the number of people who attended the celebrations, as well as the amount of beer drunk on these days. Since it is beer that is considered the main drink of this holiday. Beer producers long before Midsummer's Day begin their advertising campaigns timed to coincide with the holiday. Drawings of valuable prizes are held in the afternoon from June 22 to 24.

Of course, in our day, many of the customs are either forgotten or carried out purely formally. However, the holiday is alive, and still embodies the triumph of summer, fertility, the flowering of vitality.

June 23 - Victory Day in the Battle of Võnnu in Estonia
June 23 - Victory Day (victory in the Battle of Võnnu). On June 23, 1919, the Estonian troops repelled the attack of the German troops of Landeswehr and won a victory in the town of Võnnu (Cesis, Northern Latvia).

August 20 - Day of Restoration of Independence of Estonia
On August 20, 1991, the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR made a decision to restore the independence of Estonia on the basis of the principle of the historical succession of the Estonian statehood.

August 24 - Partel's Day
It was believed that autumn begins from the day of Partel. They said that Pyartel "throws a cold stone into the water", that is, the reservoirs are cooled. By the day of Pyartel, the rye harvest should have ended, because the harvest of potatoes was coming, and the harvest of spring crops was still going on. They began washing and shearing the sheep. It was believed that a sheep sheared on Pyartel's day would give long wool.

Hops were used to make beer. The hops harvested on Pärtel's day had to be especially good, because Pärtel gave the hops the final bitterness. Partel's Day is one of the hundred significant dates Estonian folk calendar.

October 31 - Halloween - All Saints Day (Samhain)
The holiday is marked by processions through the city in carnival costumes.

Millions of people around the world celebrate Halloween - “All Saints' Eve” every year.
Children dress up in unusually scary costumes and ugly masks. With bags in hand, they walk from house to house, frightening with their appearance both children and adults. According to custom, they must be given gifts, otherwise they can harm the house or the owner. Small children usually do not carry out their threats, and after receiving a present, they leave.

According to some reports, the Druids believed that on this evening Samhain (the god of the dead) summoned evil spirits that had dwelt in the bodies of animals over the past year. Other pagan peoples believed that on this evening all the spirits of the dead over the past year visited their homes, and therefore tables were laid for them and the doors were left open for fear that if the spirits did not find food and shelter, they would cruelly revenge on the living for this inattention to them. ... The offering of all kinds of sacrifices was also common that evening.

For northern peoples, the holiday began on the eve of November 1. It was believed that the souls of good people after death are carried away by good spirits to heaven, and the souls of evil people remain to wander in the skies, disturbing the living and therefore need to be appeased at least once a year.

Winter, which began with Halloween (November 1), opened the year. This is a time of mercy, selfless help to their families, the old, the sick and the dying, people begin to appreciate the experience even in a culture that honors youth, to preserve the ancient shrines and cultural heritage of the world, including the wisdom of the aborigines. On this day, the ability to clairvoyance may wake up.

The colors of this day are fiery red, brown, black - the colors of fire, the colors of torches. On Halloween night, the fire on the altar is not just a tribute to the gods - it guards your hearth, protects it with its clear, even light. Let there be many candles. You can make traditional pumpkin lamps and place altar candles in them. You can create additional lights from orange glass vessels and place tealight candles inside. Such lamps are placed on window sills and behind the threshold. They drive away not only intruders from the World of Spirits, but also guard your home from the designs of your enemies, from envy and anger that may be directed at you.

November 9 - Father's Day
The first time Father's Day was massively celebrated on June 19, 1910 in Washington, and since then many families in America have begun to congratulate fathers, but Father's Day became all-American only in 1966, when President Lyndon Johnson declared the third Sunday of June a national holiday. Traditionally, during the annual celebrations, the state and ordinary citizens rush to support low-income dads who are raising children alone.

Father's Day has been celebrated in Estonia on the second Sunday in November since 1992. On the eve, themed matinees are held in kindergartens, and concerts for dads are held in schools. Children give dads homemade cards and gifts (usually cut out of paper and painted ties or cars). On Father's Day, flags are flown.

November 10 - March day
Several holidays associated with spirits have survived to this day. March is the patron saint of grain growers. On this day, cattle were slaughtered, blood sausage was cooked, beer was brewed, barley cakes were baked and ate their fill. Then they played games and dressed up.

Earlier on this day it was customary to distribute food to the poor. The beggars were divided into two groups: some lived by alms, others played performances, entertaining the people, living off this. Therefore, now on this day you can see the mummers who sing and ask for food.

November 25 - Kadrin day
Several holidays associated with spirits have survived to this day. Kadri is the patroness of sheep, so young cattle were mated on her day. On this day, as on March day, mummers walk the streets. They go from door to door. So do not be alarmed when you open the door to the bell or knock and see three or even seven children whose faces are painted and their clothes are not quite ordinary. They just want to sing you a song and get treats in return.

December 24 - Catholic Christmas Eve
The Christmas period begins on December 24 with the eve of the Nativity of Christ and ends on the Sunday after the feast of the Epiphany, celebrated on January 6. The main holiday for local residents even in soviet times always remained Christmas, which is celebrated from 24 to 25 December. On the eve of the holy feast, believers go to church for the Christmas service.

In 2005, December 24 was declared an additional day off and, therefore, December 23 is a shortened working day. The day before Christmas Eve, there is the last opportunity to decorate your home, bring a Christmas tree, and also buy groceries.

Christmastide began on the day of Toomas (Thomas) - December 21. From that day, they began to prepare Christmas dishes, put on beer, and did the pre-holiday cleaning. All chores should be completed by this day.

The tradition of putting up a Christmas tree at Christmas is associated with Lutheranism and German-speaking countries. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Christmas tree was not yet widespread, straw was brought into the house and Christmas decorations were made from straw, as well as the first or last sheaf left from the harvest.

Many people weave Christmas wreaths from pine, spruce and fir branches and decorate with candles, ribbons, and wooden figurines. You can hang it over a door, on a wall, or place it on a Christmas table. On Christmas Eve, it is customary to relax with friends, to visit. Because Christmas counts family holiday, which is celebrated mainly in a narrow circle families. Previously, pork with vegetables was served on the table, rye bread was obligatory, sausage with barley grits was prepared, later - blood sausage. Roasted goose and Christmas piparkook are a twentieth-century innovation.

December 25 - Christmas
The first day of Christmas is December 25 (Esimene Jõulupüha). December 25 is the main day of the holiday and the day of the winter solstice, an increase in daylight hours begins. This holiday is especially delightful for children, because they look forward to gifts. These are usually candies and other sweets. During the Christmas period, the delicious smell of the traditional winter food - blood sausages (verivorst) - can be heard everywhere. They are prepared from pearl barley wrapped in pork intestine with the addition of blood.

Also, during the cold winter season, there is nothing more pleasant than drinking hot spicy wine (hõõgvein), which is offered in almost all bars and cafes. This holiday is especially delightful for children, because they look forward to gifts. These are usually candies and other sweets. December 26 is the second day of Christmas. Both days are public holidays and weekends.