Estonian folk culture was influenced by Central Europe and Scandinavia on the one hand and Eastern Europe on the other. Due to the presence of common features, Estonia, together with Latvia and Lithuania, forms a single cultural and historical region.

The uniqueness of Estonians is most clearly expressed in the alliterative verse of old Estonian folk songs, in holiday and wedding rituals, the existence of a residential barn and other cultural phenomena.

Regional differences, which originated from ancient tribal differences, are reflected both in archaeological finds, linguistic dialects, and in material and spiritual culture. In Estonian culture, as well as in Latvian, Lithuanian, and Finnish, the differences between the western and eastern regions are most pronounced. They occur both due to different natural conditions, economic differences, and from long contact with eastern or western neighbors.

There are phenomena of folk culture, for example, the spread of new elements in national costume(“kaised” in Northern Estonia, floral ornament, “pottmüts”). In Northern Estonia, the north-eastern coast can be particularly highlighted, where the Finnish influence is most clearly represented, and in the eastern part the Votic-Izhorian influence is both in folk art and in buildings.

In Southern Estonia, as well as in Northern Estonia, agriculture is well developed. Here, Mulgimaa (Viljandi County) and the area where the Setos live stand out for their peculiarities. Folk traditions remained in Mulgimaa until the second half of the 19th century. The Latvian settlements located here also gave the region its originality. The peculiarities of the Seto arose due to a fairly long period of isolation and the influence of Russian neighbors, which is most clearly expressed in buildings, clothing and national traditions.

In addition, a number of South Estonian cultural features have been preserved here. The Setos preserved their traditional national culture until the mid-20th century.

Even before the beginning of the 20th century, Western Estonia remained a rather backward region, in an economic sense, where the main activities were fishing, navigation and waste trades, relegating agriculture to the background.

More ancient tools that have fallen out of use in the rest of Estonia have been preserved here (plantar hammer, sickle with a flat blade, etc.). Thanks to constant communication with other peoples, various innovations spread more quickly: tools, work methods. This is most clearly reflected in the works of Western Estonian artisans. Each island has its own characteristic features. Based on objects from the western region of Saaremaa, it can be concluded that Estonians have connections with Gotland and Kuramaa. On the islands, traditional folk culture was preserved until the first half of the 20th century.

We have very scanty information about the prehistoric Estonians. The term “prehistoric” should be put in quotation marks, since written evidence (historical sources) about the Estonians appears only with the arrival of conquerors to their lands.

The authors of the first volume of “History of the Estonian SSR” (Tallinn, 1961, p. 955) approach the reconstruction of Estonian customs and beliefs very carefully. In the absence of your own written sources, it is quite difficult to put together a coherent picture of life. The scheme proposed by Friedrich Engels does not work when it is necessary to describe the customs and beliefs of a people who left behind only stone burial grounds and a few utensils.

The principle of analogy does not give us an adequate idea of ​​how and who exactly the ancient Estonians worshiped, how they behaved at home, how they communicated with relatives and neighbors, conducted honest trade or cheated, were cruel to prisoners or, on the contrary, merciful. What is known for certain is that the prehistoric Estonians developed a cult of dead ancestors and animals. The dead were burned on funeral pyres.

Some details of these cults were preserved in later songs and tales. It is not possible to put together a whole picture from these details, since it is impossible to separate time layers.

“With a great degree of accuracy, we can say that the ancients did not divide phenomena into natural and supernatural, and a harmony reigned between nature and the human soul, unattainable for us. Our folklore collections contain information about contacts with supernatural beings: fairies, brownies, etc. The world seemed much more diverse than we see it.”

The key word that reveals the essence of the ancient beliefs of the Estonians is the word “vagi” - denoting power, at the same time life-giving force. Power lies in living and inanimate nature. The word has power. Humans and animals have the most power in their blood, sweat, nails, hair and fur, teeth and internal organs.

“Estonians believed that in addition to the body, a person also has a spirit and a soul. There may have been more than one soul... Spirit is power - life force, energy, not the same for all people. The presence of personal power and mastery of the power contained in nature are characteristic of people from whom leaders of the people grow - but also sorcerers or healers. Lack of power is the lot of mediocrity. The soul is the bearer of human individuality; it maintains strength in the body. The soul can temporarily leave a person's body - during sleep or when he is in a trance. The soul leaves the body in the form of an insect through the nose or mouth. With death, the soul separates from the body forever. The most ancient beliefs are that even after death the soul retains some connection with the remains of a person and the place of burial.” (Ibidem.)

The place where the dead were located was not far from the burial ground, or far to the north in Manala or Toonela, so the dead were buried with their heads to the north. In the first millennium AD, the dead began to be burned on funeral pyres. Animistic ideas were widespread that all nature was a living and spiritual unity. Fairies, spirits, goblins, mermaids and similar creatures were part of nature. Of the highest gods, Tarapit (Taara, Thor?) is known, who was born in Virumaa on Mount Ebavere, and then flew to the island of Saaremaa:

“Obviously, the Estonians in general were characterized by the presence of a large number of lower deities, who were relatively faceless (...) Quite meager sacrifices were made to the lower beings: wool, milk, meat, animal blood, cereals, bread and other products. Animals were sacrificed to higher deities or deceased ancestors. In ancient times, human sacrifices were also made - obviously captives. In one of the lakes 10 miles from Otepää (probably Ilmjärv), children were sacrificed back in the 16th century.” (Ibidem.)

Magic was widespread among the Estonians. The Estonians developed familiar relations with the brownies and household gods. If the idol did not fulfill its functions, it could be punished. The Ests also performed other magical actions, the content of which expresses “the connections of things that are incomprehensible to us.”

As you know, during the Singing Estonian Revolution, the idea spread that Estonians cultivated the lands on the shores of the Baltic Sea five and even 10 thousand years ago. In the light of these ideas, the genetic memory of the Estonians has preserved abstract views whose age exceeds the entire written history of mankind. A modern author (Priit Hybemägi) states:

“Estonians have lived in cities for about a thousand years, in villages for about five thousand years, but before that they lived in forests for a million years. The Estonian is adapted specifically for life in the forest, and the skills developed over a million years have not gone away. We are able to eat forest plants and raw meat, arrange shelter in the forest, be fruitful and multiply. If there is no other option, most of us are capable of living in the forest. And the skills acquired over a million years will be revived - we will remember them again.”

If pagan rudiments are still strong in the genetic memory of the people, then this people lives without the moral principles developed by Christianity. If there are no moral principles, then the state is governed by the laws of karma (inevitable punishment for sins and retribution for crimes), and not on the basis of Christian charity:

“Unlike Christian ethics, which was based on love for one’s neighbor and mercy, man’s responsibility before God and the constant relevance of the choice between Good and Evil, the morality of the ancient Estonians was very specific and pragmatic. Hence the killing of weak offspring, the expulsion of an old wife, blood feud, and human sacrifice. It seems that abstract concepts of good and evil, sin and guilt were alien to the ancient Estonia.” (Ibidem.)

There is no official religion in Estonia; there are about 70 different religious organizations in the country. Most of all there are Estonians who consider themselves to be of the Lutheran religious denomination. Other active and large religious associations operating in the country: Orthodox, Old Believers, Catholics, Baptists, Pentecostals and Methodists. Some Estonians practice Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. Estonians are considered one of the least religious nations.

Folklore is the oral poetry of peoples and represents an important part 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 connected with folk life and rituals, reflecting the characteristics different periods stories. Works of folklore are the creation of collective creativity, and what is created by a collective is preserved for a very long time. Traditions are a form of collective preservation of works of folklore, as well as the result of collective creativity. Traditions are inherent in both verbal folklore and other types of folk art - music, dancing, carving, embroidery.

Folklore works have arisen since ancient times. In them, 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 the listeners the way it was sung or told to them. This explains the extraordinary stability of folklore works. The stability of folklore was also associated with the way of life, living standards and forms of peasant and artisan labor, as well as with the people's poetic views of reality, artistic tastes developed over 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, dividing it into four cycles, corresponding to the four seasons, which regulate agricultural work. Rituals and songs are associated with cyclicality. During the winter, all the peoples of the Baltic states had caroling and fortune telling about the future harvest, and fortune telling about happiness. During the transition from winter to spring, Maslenitsa was celebrated, accompanied by games, mummers and songs. The rituals and customs of welcoming winter and the first drive of livestock to pasture are unique. The celebration of Kupala Day is similar. The customs during harvesting, zazhinki and dozhinki, are very similar, and the songs accompanying them are also similar.

The seasons and agricultural work regulated both family rituals and their poetry. The wedding routine, the lamentations of the bride, magnification at the feast, magical means of protecting the young from evil forces, unbraiding the braid, putting on the cap are in wedding ceremony among 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 who guarded homes, forests, fields, and waters (brownies, goblin, field, water). Paganism evoked in creativity poetic images of Baba Yaga, a pitchfork, and a mermaid, who could help or harm people.

With the establishment of Christianity, the eradication of paganism began, but pagan ideas persisted for a long time. The features of dual faith (a combination of pagan and Christian ideas) are 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 is manifested not only in the language, but also in the peculiarities of the national character, nature and wildlife, 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 languages ​​of the Leto-Lithuanian group, close to each other. However, they do not understand each other so freely. These languages ​​are the closest of the living European languages ​​to the language of India - Sanskrit, and generally 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 of them are Lutherans. Only in Latgale, the eastern part of Latvia, are there more Catholics. And Lithuania is mainly Catholic, and in its culture the Lithuanians are somewhat similar to the Poles and Belarusians.

ESTONIA

The folk culture of Estonians has long had a pronounced peasant character. The enslaved Estonian peasant, in the centuries-long struggle against foreign feudal lords, managed to preserve his language, culture and lifestyle.

Currently, folk clothing, sewn according to samples of authentic traditional costumes from different areas of Estonia, is widely used as clothing for participants in folk festivals (especially during singing festivals and folk dance festivals).

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

In modern Estonia, new rituals are being created, including civil registration of marriage. The new wedding ritual includes some traditional rituals that are humorous in nature (blocking the road for the wedding train, testing the young couple’s housekeeping skills, kidnapping the bride, etc.).

Some are also preserved folk customs, for example, the march of mummers (usually children) on Martynov (November 10) and Katerina (November 25) days.

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

Among 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 the night before this day with the obligatory lighting of a fire, songs and dances around it.

For more than 100 years, a Song Festival has been held annually in Tallinn and Tartu (the first was in Tartu in 1869). At such festivals, a 30,000-strong choir can perform on the built stage, and up to 250,000 people can attend the Singing 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 festivals take place throughout the country ( summer days youth), accompanied by songs and dances of hundreds of people of all ages, dressed in colorful 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 rapid development of capitalism, the rise of national self-awareness, the national movement and revival associated with the formation of the Latvian bourgeois nation, the development of Latvian professional culture intensified.

Currently, Latvians wear folk clothes for traditional song festivals; they are widely used as attire for participants amateur performances. However, even in modern clothes The traditions of folk costume are quite clearly visible - in color scheme, jewelry, etc. Latvians willingly wear knitted sweaters, jumpers. Mittens, socks and other products

– often homemade, in which traditional folk ornaments are widely used.

Family rituals of Latvians until the beginning of the 20th century. has retained many traditional features. It was the richest in rituals and colorful Latvian wedding. IN modern wedding with the solemn wedding in the registry office, the most colorful and solemn rituals have been preserved: on the way to the wedding train, friends and neighbors arrange “an honorary gate, for which they demand a ransom - sweets, pies, beer, wine, etc., meeting the newlyweds at the entrance to the house with bread and salt, the rite of passage of a young woman into a married woman (they remove the wreath and put on a cap - a symbol of a married woman), takes place colorfully and solemnly modern holiday naming the child's name.

Ancient labor traditions have acquired new content. On collective and state farms, holidays are widely celebrated: the first furrow, the completion of sowing (sometimes it is timed to coincide with June 23 - ancient holiday Ligo), completion of the harvest, harvesting and many others. The main motive of these holidays is to honor the leading rural workers. Ligo holiday is a favorite among Latvians folk holiday, in which both adults and children participate, is a celebration of flowers, herbs, blooming nature and rural labor of the inhabitants of Latvia. A floral wreath on the head is an indispensable attribute of Ligo.

The Latvian people carefully preserve folk cultural traditions that have developed over centuries of historical development. Dances and round dances were held at family and calendar holidays. Holidays were celebrated with traditional dances of mummers (kekhats, budels, carols, etc.), accompanied by songs. winter solstice, Maslenitsa, 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 concert venue. A stage and stands for spectators are being built in the central square of the city, the Esplanade. All folk choirs gather into one choir of thousands and perform folk songs for several hours in a row. The tradition of holding Song Festivals is a significant incentive for the development of choral singing culture in Latvia.

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

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

The traditional occupations of Lithuanians were agriculture and animal husbandry, so the main equipment of a peasant farm consisted of tools for cultivating the land, harvesting crops and processing agricultural products. The traditional means of transportation for Lithuanian peasants were carts in the summer, sleighs and logs in the winter, and the horse was used as a horse-drawn animal.

In the era of feudalism, the main form of the peasant family was the large family, although already in the 13th-14th centuries. There were also small families. Conservation large families contributed to the peculiarities of the economic development of the region: for centuries, the unit of taxation of feudal duties was the peasant household, which united several marriage couples along direct and collateral lines of kinship. The owner of the courtyard enjoyed great power in matters of housekeeping in the personal life of each family member. The peasant household 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 - especially rich - families there was a custom of ishimtine. According to him, elderly parents, transferring the yard to their son, settled separately. At the same time, their lifelong maintenance provided by the heir was stipulated by a notarial deed.

Until 1940 a marriage without a wedding was considered invalid, divorces were prohibited. The traditional wedding ritual consisted of several stages. The wedding itself was preceded by matchmaking, during which the matchmaker - pirshlis bargained with the bride's father about the dowry - pasoga. The Lithuanian bride also had another dowry - kraytis, which consisted of things she made herself - fabrics, handicrafts, clothes. Matchmaking was accompanied by a viewing of the groom's household and betrothal. All village residents were usually invited to the wedding. On the wedding day, the groom came to pick up the bride and was met at the entrance by the bride's father with bread, salt and wine. After the wedding, the newlyweds went to the groom's house, where the wedding celebration took place. On the morning of the second day of the wedding, the newlyweds were woken up noisily, with jokes and music, after which the ceremony of initiation of the young woman into a married woman was performed: accompanied by ritual songs, she was put on a cap and a mantle. In a traditional wedding, a big role was played by the matchmaker and the matchmaker, who decided wedding table, served an indispensable treat - a loaf. There were some rituals and customs that signified the end of the wedding: “hanging” the matchmaker (they hung a stuffed effigy with straw), “smoking out” the guests (seeing off the 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 customs and rituals are preserved traditional wedding. They usually have a comic, playful character. The centerpiece is 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 - groomsmen and bridesmaids. According to the old custom, parents greet the newlyweds at the entrance to the house with bread and salt. Quite often, a rite of passage for young women into married women is observed. Towards the end of the wedding, even today, the matchmaker is “hanged” and the guests are “smoked out.”

In Lithuania, modern civil, labor and public holidays and rituals are currently being successfully introduced into everyday life. Traditional elements are often used in the development of the organization of these holidays and rituals. Much attention is paid to the material base for holding them: in a number of cities special buildings have been built anew or re-equipped (Wedding Palace in Vilnius, Kaunas and Siauliai, House of Remembrance of the Dead in Vilnius, etc.).

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

The archives of the Institute of Lithuanian Language and Literature of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences contain more than 990 thousand units of folklore of various genres. The most numerous and significant are folk songs (mostly lyrical), as well as fairy tales, stories, 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.

Most residents of Western Europe, and especially Asia and the United States, are unlikely to be able to find Estonia on the world map. But so much the worse for them, because Estonia is not just a small country in the Baltic states. Estonia has 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 Baltic States, Northern Europe. In the south, Estonia borders on Latvia, in the east on Russia. In the north and west, Estonia is washed by the Baltic Sea. The total area of ​​this 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 Hills, whose height is only 318 meters.

There are a lot of lakes in Estonia, the largest of which 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 more than 420 thousand people. Archaeologists believe that the first human settlements on the territory of modern Tallinn appeared approximately 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 population of Estonia belongs to the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church, and another 10% of Estonians are Orthodox Christians. The rest of Estonia does not believe in God.

State structure of Estonia

According to the 1992 constitution, Estonia is a parliamentary republic, the head of which is the 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 the Cabinet of Ministers.

Climate and weather

The climate in Estonia is temperate, 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. The average annual precipitation is 568 mm.

Average air temperature in Tallinn:

• January – -5C
• February - -6C
• March - -3C
• April - +3C
• May - +8C
• June - +13C
• 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

There are 200 rivers and about 1,500 lakes in Estonia. Rivers in northern Estonia form picturesque rapids and waterfalls. The highest Estonian waterfall is Valaste (30.5 m).

Several beautiful rivers flow through the territory of southern 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 which are Lake Peipsi in the east and Võrtsjärv in the center of the country. In general, lakes occupy 6% of Estonia's territory. On the shore of Lake Peipsi there is the longest sandy beach in Estonia – 30 km.

History of Estonia

People appeared on the territory of modern Estonia approximately 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 the 1560s, Estonia was part of the Holy Roman Empire (it was conquered by the Livonian Order).

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

In 1721, according to the Treaty of Nystadt, Estonia was included in Russian Empire. It was only after the First World War in 1918 that Estonia's independence was 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 August 20, 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 currently 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 took place in Tartu. Now the tradition of this festival continues. The Estonian Music and Dance Festival in Tartu is now included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

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

Estonian cuisine

Estonian cuisine is quite simple, it does not have any fancy dishes. But now Estonian cuisine already includes the most popular dishes of international cuisine. However, in Estonia the most typical products are still brown bread, pork, potatoes, fish and dairy products.

We advise tourists in Estonia to try 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 kali made with yeast, to which juniper berries are added.

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

Sights of Estonia

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

Cities and resorts

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

Estonia has several good beach resorts on the Baltic Sea coast. 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

For many centuries, or even centuries, Estonia stood on the border between the east and west of Europe. This location determined the holistic image of the national culture, formed from...

Habitat

​They tried to systematize national culture based on very different foundations. The simplest is the separation of habitat and way of life. The first looks at how they lived, the environment that...

Lifestyle

​Since ancient times, home and family have occupied a central place in the economic life, worldview and beliefs of Estonians. In the old Estonian language the word "family" (Estonian pere) had...

Life cycle

​Ancient Estonians perceived the world around them. first of all, based on the image of a circle. The awareness of the linearity of things could only arise during the transition from Catholicism to Lutheranism...

Time cycle

​The second cycle that determines a person’s life is a temporary one (annual cycle), which was constantly repeated. The annual cycle concerning nature was divided in half, in accordance with the spring awakening of nature and...

Folk beliefs

​The main features of Estonian folk beliefs are pluralism, which is expressed in the belief in various spirits and fairies that did not have an internal hierarchy. Spirits revived many natural...

Greeting: Hands are shaken only at the first meeting. Peculiarities of business relations: In Estonia, it is important to be able to listen and not interrupt, and only then express your opinion. Impatience, interrupting remarks and aggressive lectures indicate extreme bad manners and alienate Estonians. But modest, polite behavior, on the contrary, helps build trust and smoothes the path to signing the contract. Business meetings are usually agreed upon in writing one to two weeks in advance.

Small, “typically German (Austrian or Swiss)” souvenirs. Invitations home are most often made verbally. Just like in Finland, be prepared to be called to the sauna. If you take the trouble to learn a few Estonian words, Estonians will undoubtedly be flattered. Small dictionary Good afternoon - Tepe paevast Thank you - Tavan Please - Palun Goodbye - Nagemiseni

Refusal to drink was perceived as a fear of spilling the beans, a desire to hide something. As a matter of fact, in the grassroots tradition there is still an idea that a guest, a “new” person must get drunk in order to become “one of our own” from a “stranger.” Of course, modern etiquette, although it does not prohibit the consumption of alcoholic beverages in a table situation, prescribes that you need to drink just enough to have fun. Every person should know how much he can drink so that the effects of alcohol do not have an undesirable effect on his condition. In many etiquette situations (business lunch or reception, company presentation, etc.) alcohol these days is perceived very conditionally; “drinking to the bottom” or “drinking in one gulp” is unacceptable here. In general, one should adhere to the old folk proverb: “It is better to leave the table hungry than to overeat or overdrink.”

Culture Estonian folk culture has been influenced by Central Europe and Scandinavia on the one hand and Eastern Europe on the other. Due to the presence of common features, Estonia, together with Latvia and Lithuania, forms a single cultural and historical region. For a long time, the Estonian culture had a distinctly peasant character. Folk clothing, sewn according to authentic samples of traditional costumes, from different corners Estonia, is used as clothing for participants folk festivals and holidays (singing festivals and folk dance festivals). The characteristics of the northern and southern regions were preserved due to the long-standing division of Estonia into the Estonian and Livonia provinces. This is also expressed in later phenomena of folk culture, for example, the spread of new elements in the national costume ("kaised" in Northern Estonia, floral patterns, "potmüts")

Estonian family rituals have been preserved centuries-old traditions. For example, according to the strict belief of the people, a marriage is considered concluded after the main rites of the wedding ceremony, which consist of putting a married woman’s headdress on the bride and tying her with an apron, and not after a church wedding ceremony. Modern wedding rituals associated with the civil registration of marriage involve the inclusion of comic rituals (blocking the road to the wedding train, testing the housekeeping skills of a young couple, kidnapping the bride, etc.). Lutheranism and the funeral rites associated with it are of great importance for modern Estonians. People are seen off on their final journey by collective singing of psalms called chorales. The ritual of commemoration on the 40th day was borrowed from the Orthodox.

Traditions One of the best traditions of antiquity, preserved to this day, is the custom of lighting bonfires on Ivan Kupala (June 24) throughout Estonia. The celebration takes place at night, on the eve of this day, accompanied by songs and dances. The folk customs of walking on Martin's Day (November 10) and November 25 - on Catherine's Day have also been preserved. Of the most significant holidays, the seasonal harvest festival is celebrated annually. The singing festival in Tartu and Tallinn annually brings together half of the country's entire population to the famous field. The famous choral singing is over 100 years old.

Annual summer days for young people are accompanied by Estonian dances and songs different ages dressed in national women's and men's suits. Estonian handicrafts are so unique that knitting and macramé are the hallmark of the country. There is an opinion that the patterns were invented for sailors who, if lost at sea, could recognize the area by their clothes. In addition, Estonians are famous woodworkers, furriers and excellent leather craftsmen.

Traditional national cuisine is formed, in many respects, under the powerful influence of German cuisine. Estonian cuisine is not in danger of monotony, since you can find dishes made from beef and pork, fish, as well as vegetables and other ingredients. National dishes are considered to be dishes prepared from rye flour “Kama”, wheat and barley, peas, consumed with milk or curdled milk, and cabbage “mulgikapsad” prepared with pork and cereals, blood sausage and dumplings are also extremely popular.

Among the drinks, Ale beer, which is produced on some islands of Estonia, is famous here. Despite the fact that the taste of this beer is rather weak, nevertheless, it has an enviable strength. Estonians also love ssaka, birch beer, and huugwein (this is wine that is heated with spices).