January 1 - New Year
People in Estonia love holidays and celebrate them cheerfully and noisily. New Year can be celebrated here four times. Russians living in Estonia meet it together with Russia (an hour before Estonian time), 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, the 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 it when the clock strikes, in the last seconds of the passing year. The New Year is celebrated in a noisy company with abundant treats and alcoholic drinks on the table, and colorful fireworks on the streets of the city. Almost all nightclubs and large hotels offer interesting programs on New Year's Eve.

After 24 hours, the roar of firecrackers can be heard on the street and the sky is covered with rainbow bursts of fireworks. The celebration lasts most of the night, and sometimes until the morning. New Year, although not a native 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 display the national tricolor flag.

Initially, January 6 was celebrated as the birthday of Christ. After the birthday of Christ was moved to Christmas according to the calendar, the Day of the Three Kings began to be celebrated on January 6th. To this day, in many European countries, including Estonia, Three Kings Day is considered the end of the Christmas festivities.

February 2 - Day of the conclusion of the Tartu Treaty
Immediately after declaring independence, Estonia was forced to fight a war of independence with Soviet Russia in the east and German forces 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 refracted in half. On this day, ritual food was prepared: porridge and pork. Candles were also made. Candlelight Day is the first major holiday for women of the year. Women went to the tavern, and on this day men did women's housework. In the work calendar, knitting and spinning began from this day.

February 5 - Maslenitsa (Vastlapäev)
On February 5, Estonia celebrates Vastlapäev - a holiday similar to 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 on Vastlapäev was pork feet, which were boiled with peas or beans, sometimes served with sauerkraut. Maslenitsa in Estonia is celebrated for only one day. On this day it is customary to go sledding down hills, horseback riding and on ice on the river.

The longer the slide, the higher the flax will grow. Recently, a tradition has emerged to eat scones 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 within a week after Maslenitsa, only to appear again a year later. The bun is a round ball of yeast dough with a thinly cut cap. On the cut there is whipped cream, a “cap” of the bun, cut off before, is placed on top and everything is sprinkled with powdered sugar. Sometimes bakers try to surprise consumers and put sour jam, such as cranberry, under the whipped cream.

Another indispensable culinary attribute is pea soup. Since Maslenitsa is the last chance to eat well before Lent, people cook and eat a lot. They carefully prepare for Maslenitsa: steep slopes are poured for skiing, high ice and snow mountains, fortresses, and towns are built.

February 14 - Valentine's Day (Valentine's Day)
In the last decade, it has been customary in Estonia to celebrate such a holiday as Valentine's Day, which is actually 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 Soviet occupation of Estonia in 1940.
As hopes for the restoration of national independence grew in the late 1980s, people began to publicly celebrate 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 has once again been celebrated as a public holiday and a day of remembrance for the Estonian people.

February usually gets colder, so celebrations are limited to a daytime parade in the city center, which is prepared for a week before the event.

In the evening, it is customary to celebrate with family by having a feast and watching a live broadcast of the reception of the President of the Republic of Estonia. Members of the government, prominent cultural figures and entrepreneurs are invited to the reception. In the evening, multi-colored fireworks lights soar into the sky above the Town Hall.

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

The Estonian language belongs to the Uralic languages ​​and represents the Finno-Ugric languages, being part of the southern group of Baltic-Finnish languages. In terms of the number of speakers, it is one of the small languages; it is spoken by about 1.1 million people, of whom 950 thousand live in Estonia.

The Estonian language has three dialectical groups:

Northern Estonian, which includes the island, western, central and eastern dialects;

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

A northeastern coastal dialect that shares many features 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 Estonian grammar, the first thing that usually strikes us is the number of cases - there are 14 of them. But there is no category of gender.

March - Good Friday
Good Friday precedes Easter and commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. The forms of commemoration of Good Friday vary widely - from simple remembrance or special services among Protestants to a special liturgical rite in the Eastern Churches and a complex liturgical ceremony in the Roman Catholic Church. In the Catholic Church, Good Friday services are scheduled for 3 o'clock in the afternoon, when, according to tradition, Jesus Christ died. Although this service appears to be one, it is actually made up of four distinct parts, each with its own origins and history.

The first, oldest part, the rite of the Word, was carried out in the ancient church in those cases when the sacrament of the Eucharist was not performed. Currently, it includes a series of readings from the Old Testament, ending with a solemn reading of the story of the Evangelist John about the Passion of Christ. 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 ​​covered with a veil on the Sunday that begins Holy Week. The priest and his assistants then 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 that were consecrated the day before (hence the name).

March - Catholic Easter
Easter is celebrated over 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 Holy Resurrection of Christ (Easter), which falls from March 22 to April 25. Being 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 Feast 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 guide the Western Church, remained the same, but the calendar reform made some changes to the procedure for calculating Paschal. 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
Since ancient times, Walpurgis Night has been celebrated in Estonia on the night from April 30 to May 1. According to legend, on this night, witches gather for a Sabbath, where they dance and sing, so a terrible noise must be made in the city to scare away evil forces, which is successfully done by local youth. Although in old Estonian traditions, witches were benevolent and healed people. If it rains on May 1, they say that “old witches are taking a steam bath.”

Walpurgis Night is the most significant of the pagan festivals dedicated to fertility.
Walpurgis Night is celebrated on the night of April 30th to commemorate the blossoming spring. The name Walpurgis Night is associated with the name of Saint Walpurga, a nun of Wimburn (England), who came to Germany in 748 to found a monastery. She died on February 25, 777 in Heidenheim. She enjoyed extreme popularity, and very soon she began to be revered as a saint. In the Roman list of saints, her day is May 1. In the Middle Ages, there was a belief that Walpurgis Night was the night of the witches' feast.

Now, on the night from April 30 to May 1, Walpurgis Night is celebrated throughout Central and Northern Europe - this is a holiday to welcome spring, when huge bonfires are lit to ward off the witches who flock to the Sabbath that night.
The holiday program has not changed for more than 100 years: ancient games, like our burners, performances of 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), a beautiful holiday was celebrated in May, symbolizing the arrival of spring. On this day, various shooting and horse racing tournaments were held. The winner of the horse racing and target shooting tournament became the Count of May, who chose the Countess of May among the girls.

A smart cavalcade led by them entered the city, and a large feast and ball was held until nightfall. Now this tradition is renewed 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 of May. This day is considered a holiday only for mothers and pregnant women. Residents of Estonia decorate their houses with flags. Kindergartens and schools host matinees and concerts for mothers. Children give homemade gifts to their mothers.

June 4 - Estonian Flag Day
The tricolor received the status of the state flag of the Estonian Republic in 1922 and flew 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 the blue-black-white tricolor in their hands.

The flag is raised over the Long Herman Tower at sunrise and lowered at sunset. The raising of the flag is accompanied by the melody of the Estonian anthem.

June 23 - Jacob's Day
The second most important holiday after Christmas is Midsummer's Day. It is traditionally celebrated in villages and hamlets, and is considered a day of miracles and witchcraft. On this day, the girls wove wreaths from nine different types of flowers, nine flowers of each type. When the wreath was placed on the head, not a word could be said. The girl went to bed with him. According to legend, her future husband was supposed to come to her in a dream and remove the wreath.

A traditional important summer holiday and the summer equinox. On Midsummer's Eve, bonfires are lit, then the whole night they dance, sing, drink beer, jump over the fire and look in the forest for a fern flower, which, according to legend, blooms only on Midsummer's Eve. Great wealth and happiness await the person who finds the flower. The fire was made on the mountain or by the sea. Swimming in rivers and lakes, like Russians did in the old days on Ivan Kupala Day, is not common among Estonians. But on this day they really like to go to the sauna. It is accepted that bath brooms should be prepared only before June 24th. Because it is believed that after Midsummer the broom has no 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 dedicated to this sacrament. It is called differently in different countries. It was believed that on Midsummer night one should not sleep until dawn - not only because one can hear the singing of elves, but above all for the purpose of protection for the whole coming year.

Celebrations in honor of the holiday began in the evening and continued all night, ending with the meeting of 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 it - on the contrary, Midsummer's Night remained a favorite national holiday. Compared to Christmas and Easter, this holiday has much less to do with church celebrations. Most of the ancient pagan customs are associated with Midsummer's Night.

Perhaps the main tradition dedicated to Midsummer's Eve is the lighting of bonfires. Since ancient times, people have believed that fire can protect against evil forces. Fire is the most powerful and effective cleansing element: everything dirty and obsolete can burn in it, but the fire itself always remains clean. Midsummer bonfires were lit in several ways.

The fire itself was intended to “help” the sun overcome the top of the sky; it symbolized the victory of light over darkness. By lighting a fire and keeping it going until the morning, people seemed to welcome the new sun. The peasants tried to make the fire as big as possible - this was considered a matter of honor. On this occasion, competitions were often held to see who had the highest and brightest flame. As a rule, several households or farms gathered at a common fire, where old and young took part in preparing a large fire. Now local authorities are trying to facilitate the organization of the holiday.

Each district of the city has its own largest bonfire, songs and dances. The location for the celebration is usually chosen near bodies of water (sea or lake). Local newspapers publish summaries of ongoing events. Both before and after the celebrations, thereby comparing the size of the bonfire, the number of people who attended the celebrations, as well as the amount of beer drunk on these days. Since beer is considered the main drink of this holiday. Beer producers begin their advertising campaigns dedicated to the holiday long before Midsummer. Draws for valuable prizes are held during the day from June 22 to 24.

Of course, these days many of the customs are either forgotten or performed purely formally. However, the holiday is alive, and still embodies the triumph of summer, fertility, and the flourishing of vitality.

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

August 20 - Day of Restoration of Estonia's Independence
On August 20, 1991, the Supreme Council of the Estonian SSR decided to restore the independence of Estonia on the basis of the principle of historical succession of Estonian statehood.

August 24 - Pärtel Day
It was believed that autumn began on the day of Pärtel. They said that Pärtel “throws a cold stone into the water,” that is, the reservoirs cool down. By the day of Pärtel, the rye harvest should have ended, because the potato harvest was coming, and the harvest of spring crops was still ongoing. We started washing and shearing the sheep. It was believed that a sheep sheared on Pärtel's day would produce long wool.

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

October 31 - Halloween - All Hallows' Eve (Samhain)
The holiday is marked by processions around the city in carnival costumes.

Millions of people in different parts of the world annually celebrate Halloween - “the eve of All Hallows' Day”.
Children dress up in unusually scary costumes and put on ugly masks. With bags in their hands, they walk from house to house, frightening both children and adults with their appearance. According to custom, they must be given gifts, otherwise they may cause harm to the house or owner. Small children usually do not carry out their threats, but, having received a gift, leave.

According to some sources, the Druids believed that on this evening Samhain (the god of the dead) summoned evil spirits who had lived in the bodies of animals for the past year. Other pagan peoples believed that on this evening all the spirits of those who had died over the past year visited their homes and therefore tables were set for them and doors were left open for fear that if the spirits did not find food and shelter, they would cruelly take revenge on the living for this lack of attention to them. . Making all kinds of sacrifices was also a common occurrence that evening.

Among the northern peoples, the holiday began on the eve of November 1st. It was believed that the souls of good people after death were carried away by good spirits to heaven, and the souls of evil people remained to wander in the sky, disturbing the living and therefore needed 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 one's family, the old, the sick and the dying, people begin to value experience even in a culture that reveres youth, to preserve ancient shrines and the cultural heritage of the world, including the wisdom of the aborigines. On this day, clairvoyance abilities may awaken.

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 jack-o'-lanterns and place candles lit from the altar in them. You can create additional lanterns from orange glass containers and place tea light candles inside. Such lamps are placed on window sills and behind the threshold. They not only drive away uninvited guests from the World of Spirits, but also protect your home from the plans of your enemies, from envy and malice that may be directed at you.

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

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

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, they slaughtered cattle, cooked blood sausage, brewed beer, baked barley cakes and ate their fill. Then they had games and dressed up.

Previously, on this day it was customary to distribute food to the poor. The beggars were divided into two groups: some lived by alms, others put on performances, entertaining the people, living off it. Therefore, now on this day you can see mummers singing and asking for treats.

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 home. So don’t be alarmed when you open the door to a 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 some 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 Epiphany, celebrated on January 6. The main holiday for local residents, even in Soviet times, has always been Christmas, which is celebrated from December 24 to 25. On the eve of the sacred holiday, 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 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 this day on, they began preparing Christmas dishes, putting out beer, and doing pre-holiday cleaning. By this day all chores must be completed.

The tradition of putting up a Christmas tree at Christmas is associated with Lutheranism and German-speaking countries. At the beginning of the twentieth 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 them with candles, ribbons, and wooden figurines. You can hang it above the door, on the wall or on your Christmas table. On Christmas Eve it is customary to relax with friends and visit people. Because Christmas is considered a family holiday, which is celebrated mainly in a narrow family circle. Previously, pork with vegetables and rye bread were served on the table; sausage with barley was prepared, and later - blood sausage. Roast goose and Christmas pepper cookies piparkook are a 20th 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, the increase in daylight hours begins. This holiday brings special joy to children, because... they look forward to gifts. Usually these are candies and other sweets. During the Christmas period, the delicious smell of a traditional winter dish - blood sausages (verivorst) - can be heard from everywhere. They are prepared from pearl barley wrapped in pork intestine with the addition of blood.

Also, in the chilly winter season, there is nothing more pleasant than drinking spicy hot wine (hõõgvein), which is offered in almost all bars and cafes. This holiday brings special joy to children, because... they look forward to gifts. Usually these are candies and other sweets. December 26th is the Second Day of Christmas. Both days are public holidays and days off.

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Slide captions:

National traditions and customs of Estonia and Latvia

National costumes of Estonia In the folk clothing of Estonians, several types are clearly distinguished, which correspond to ethnic groups that formed a long time ago. The main ones are southern, northern, western and island.

National costume of Latvia

Traditions, culture and customs of Estonia One of the best traditions of antiquity that has survived 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.

Traditions, culture and customs of Latvia Ligo (the main holiday of the year) is a mystical festival of the ancient pagan ancestors of Latvians, which is celebrated during the summer solstice on the night of June 23-24. According to the folk calendar, the year in Latvia is divided into four parts, the peak of each of which is its own a holiday associated with the solstice or equinox. Winter - Christmas, spring - Easter, summer - Ligo and Midsummer, autumn - Apyumibas

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. Such a festival accommodates a choir of 30 thousand on a built stage and listeners of up to 250 thousand people. Traditions, culture and customs of Estonia

The second most important holiday is Christmas (Ziemassvētki, December 25). This holiday has absorbed more Christian features. Many Latvians go to services on this day; compositions with Christmas scenes are often installed on the streets of the city. Preparations for celebrating Christmas in Latvia begin long before the holiday itself, namely from the last days of November, with the beginning of Advent, when every Sunday one candle in a Christmas wreath is lit. December 24th is a special evening when you can say goodbye to all the misfortunes of the past year. According to ancient customs, the owners drag a log around the house and then burn it. It was believed that in this way they, together with him, burn all their troubles, sorrows and tears, and drive away evil spirits from their home. Festive decorated trees, glowing garlands, and Christmas wreaths appear in houses and on the streets. Traditions, culture and customs of Latvia

Easter (Lieldienas) is managed in much the same way as in Russia. On this day, you need to paint eggs and organize egg-rolling competitions, and visit each other. It is also advisable to ride on a swing: the higher, the better. This brings happiness, and in ancient times it was also considered the key to a good harvest.

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 the national traditions of Latvia, the mitten symbolizes the character and destiny of a person. Now about 5,500 patterns of Latvian mittens are known, not one of them is completely repeated. Elements of the pattern may be repeated, but the location, color, pattern on the cuff or elastic, and the overall composition of the pattern are unique for each pair of mittens.

National cuisine A distinctive feature of Estonian cuisine is a small amount of spices and seasonings. The most common seasonings in Estonia are salt, pepper, cumin and marjoram. Traditional Estonian dishes include blood sausages, meatballs, herring with sour cream, deviled eggs, potato salad and liver pate. One of the most famous national desserts is bread soup, which is made from stale bread soaked in water, with the addition of raisins and whipped cream.

National cuisine The national cuisine of Latvia was formed under the influence of German, Lithuanian, Russian, Belarusian and Estonian cuisines. Local cuisine is quite simple to prepare, but at the same time tasty and filling. The basis of Latvian cuisine is agricultural and livestock products - peas, beans, potatoes, vegetables, flour, cereals, meat, milk and dairy products. Fish and seafood occupy an important place in the national cuisine of Latvia.

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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, and reflects the characteristics of various periods of history. 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, its division 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 newlyweds from evil forces, unbraiding the braid, putting on a cap are in the wedding rites of 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 clothing, 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 belief 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 bride a headdress of a 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 folk customs are also preserved, for example, the march of mummers (usually children) on Martynov (November 10) and Catherine’s (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 (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 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 in amateur performances. However, even in modern clothing, the traditions of folk costume are quite clearly visible - in colors, decorations, etc. Latvians willingly wear knitted sweaters and 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. The Latvian wedding was the richest in rituals and colorful. In a modern wedding with a solemn marriage 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., greeting the newlyweds at the entrance to the house with bread -salt, a rite of passage for a young woman to become a married woman (they remove the wreath and put on a cap - a symbol of a married woman). The modern celebration of naming a child takes place colorfully and solemnly.

Ancient labor traditions have acquired new content. On collective and state farms, holidays are widely celebrated: the first furrow, the end of sowing (sometimes it is timed to coincide with June 23 - the ancient holiday of Ligo), the end of the harvest, harvesting and many others. The main motive of these holidays is to honor the leading rural workers. The Ligo holiday is a favorite folk holiday among Latvians, in which both adults and children participate; it 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. Traditional dances of mummers (kekhats, budels, carols, etc.) accompanied by songs celebrated holidays - the winter solstice, Maslenitsa, and the 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. The preservation of large families was facilitated by 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 managed the wedding table and served the 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 a modern wedding, some customs and rituals of a traditional wedding are preserved. 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.

It is generally accepted that Estonian culture has absorbed the traditions of the inhabitants of Scandinavia, Germany and Eastern Europe. But the idea of ​​it as a disparate cultural mosaic is not entirely true. Estonian culture, while preserving many elements and carefully preserving them, still strives to go into its own isolated channel. Self-determination is a sensitive issue for Estonians.

A strong national identity is associated with a difficult past: Estonia was conquered by the Swedes, the Danes, the Germans, and the Russians. Each established their own rules for many centuries. This is especially pronounced on the islands, where isolation from the big world helps preserve the customs of their ancestors. It is still customary here to wear traditional costumes, especially for women. Bright scarves, embroidered with patterns, beads, amulets, great-grandmothers’ jewelry.

Not only every island, but also almost every settlement has its own way of organizing housing, its own clothes, its own songs. There are many languages ​​preserved here that are difficult for even a native Estonian to understand. While maintaining this multi-layered nature, the culture of Estonia has had its own, unique outlines since about the 19th century. We can say that now she gravitates towards the cultural model of Sweden - with its musicality, intimacy and love for high technology.

Modern culture

Perhaps the most famous Estonian film is Ilmar Raag's "Class", which has won many international awards. And perhaps the most recognizable face of Estonia is the top model, chess player and politician Carmen Kass, who has also been the face of Chanel, Calvin Klein, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Mercedes, Gucci, Versace, Victoria's Secret, Ralph Lauren and many other brands.

Music of Estonia

Undoubtedly, artists, playwrights and actors born in this country have influenced world culture, but still the brightest and strongest side of Estonian art is music.

Music, or rather choral singing, has always occupied a huge place in Estonian culture. Just listen to the Seto choral singing or the melodious intonations in the speech of the inhabitants of the island of Saarema. Songs accompanied a person during birth, wedding, and death.

Choral singing helps to hold together all the different cultural branches. A striking example is the Laulupidu festival, which takes place in Estonia every five years.

It is impossible not to say a few words about classical music. Composers, musicians, and conductors from Estonia have gained authority on the world stage: Arvo Pärt, Veljo Tormis, Erkki-Sven Tuir - these are just a few names. The Estonian jazz school is also strong.

Internet technologies

It is surprising that Estonians, who are considered uncommunicative, together with the Swedes invented Skype, and in general significantly advanced the Internet and means of communication forward. This country has some of the most active users of electronic services, social networks and mobile devices.

Estonian

As for the Estonian language, it is recognized as quite difficult to learn, with its 14 cases and unusual pronunciation. However, when set to music, it sounds very beautiful. Some Estonian words are quite funny to the Russian ear.

National characteristics of Estonia

Estonians' habit of thinking about their words and actions is mistaken for slowness. They are, first of all, distinguished by a reasonable outlook on things and calmness. These are reserved people who do not like open feelings and emotional outpourings.

Estonians are hardworking and pragmatic, so they do what is best for them. At the same time, they are honest and accurate. Education, passion for poetry, music, and theater are considered necessary qualities in society. A sign of a good home is an extensive library.

Religion does not have much influence on the lives of Estonians. The reasons for this also lie in the spread of Lutheranism, which is distinguished by restraint and simplicity. Estonians love nature, just like their Swede neighbors: walking in the forest, going to the sea, having picnics.

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 the national costume ("kaised" in Northern Estonia, floral patterns, "potmüts"). In Northern Estonia, the north-eastern coast can be especially 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 were preserved 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.