In many countries, it is becoming fashionable to play weddings taking into account national ancient rites. Weddings in Estonia are no exception. Traditional ancient rituals have almost completely changed over time, but many of their elements have remained and are used with pleasure in organizing wedding celebrations by modern youth. Newlyweds are well aware of such national rituals as the ransom of the bride from her parents and friends. And also one of the traditions that concerns the bride's wedding dress: going to the altar, the bride must put on something old, something new, something blue and borrowed. Some traditions are similar to ours, for example: on the head of a bride going to the altar, there should be a veil, which is a symbol of purity, purity and innocence (it is believed that the veil protects the bride from the evil eye) of the girl.
With the birth of a girl in an Estonian family, her parents immediately began to collect her dowry. After the girl began to needlework herself, all this was assigned to her. Particular attention was paid to the design of the family bedspread. The more intricate embroidery on it, the more the daughter-in-law was valued by her husband and mother-in-law. In the period between matchmaking and wedding, bridesmaids came to help the bride to do needlework.
Behind the scenes, there was a list of the contents of the dowry: more than 50 pairs of mittens, about 100 belts, as many different bandages should be present: stockings, shirts, nightgowns, bed linen, blankets and bedspreads embroidered with love by the hands of the bride.
One of the old rites that distinguishes the Estonian bride from the brides of other countries is the dressing up at the wedding celebration in three different wedding dresses, in sequence by "seniority": the first dress reflects the earlier era of Estonia, then the national Wedding Dress, but of a later time and the third - a modern wedding dress.
The central moment of the transition of a girl from a bride to a married woman at a celebration was considered to be the replacement of a girl's bandage on the bride's head with a wreath of fresh flowers, since before marriage the girl had to wear a bandage on her head, and after the wedding - a cap.
The wedding dress of an Estonian girl is replete with jewelry (beads, chains, etc.) - this is also connected with national traditions, it is believed that all these riches, during wedding ceremony should protect the bride from the evil eye. Moreover, the richer the groom, the more beads and chains he will give to the bride. Well, not very wealthy grooms forced their chosen ones to borrow jewelry from their friends for the duration of the wedding.
Another tradition that is performed in Estonia to this day is giving gifts, on the last day of the wedding celebration (and it is celebrated for three days), to the groom's relatives. A wedding chest was brought into the house, in which there were gifts. The richer the chest and the more impressive its size, the more wealthy the bride's family was considered.

Even in the last century, a wedding in Estonia lasted several days and was closely connected with the customs that have developed over the centuries. According to these customs, the bride at the Estonian wedding had to give gifts to all her new relatives. beautiful gifts. Mothers began to collect dowries for their daughters while they were still small - "a daughter is knee-deep, a dowry chest with a span." The preparation of the dowry took on a special scope before the wedding, in the period between the courtship and the wedding. Village girls usually came to the aid of the bride.
On average, for an Estonian wedding, the bride prepared more than 50 pairs of mittens, belts and headbands, more than 100, stockings and other items of clothing were added to this. The bride's dowry must have included a beautiful colored sledge cover, to which a bed cover was added in the 19th century.
In the Estonian wedding dress, especially in the bride's costume, ancient forms of folk costume were preserved for a long time. For example, on the island of Muhu, the bride changed clothes during the wedding ceremony three times, with each subsequent costume belonging to a later period, until the last one turned out to be modern suit. Girls before marriage, that is, before receiving a cap, wore a girl's bandage. On the islands of Saaremaa, Hiiumaa in the northern part of mainland Estonia, there were also special wedding wreaths.
The central event of the Estonian wedding ceremony was the putting on of the headdress of a married woman (tanutamine) for the bride. On the mainland, where the girls did not wear aprons, the bride, in addition to the cap, wore an apron. In the future, a woman could not "cross the street without a cap and a room without an apron."
Of the jewelry, women wore beads every day, the cut of the blouse was fixed with a small brooch. Large brooches and silver beads were worn to the festive costume. Special attention was given to the bride's jewelry, as they were supposed to protect her from evil forces and an unkind eye. It was a tradition in Northern Estonia that a rich groom gave his bride a complete set of pectoral jewelry - a brooch and chains. Poorer brides borrowed jewelry.
The main event of the last wedding day in Estonia there was a distribution of gifts to the groom's relatives. A wedding chest was brought into the house, in which lay wedding box. The wealth of the bride was judged by the size of the chest and the beauty of the patterns on it.
As gifts for a wedding or betrothal for the bride, a whorl, rolls for linen, cordica (wooden knives) were made.

Despite the early collapse of the community, the population of almost every Estonian village preserved until the middle of the 19th century, and partly even later, quite a few traditions that developed over the centuries. The village elected a headman for a year, and this position usually passed in turn from one householder to another. To resolve common issues, the hosts, as necessary, gathered “the whole village”: the issues of hiring a village shepherd, a blacksmith and a miller, driving a herd, dividing mowing, raising virgin lands, helping victims of fires were discussed, as well as minor disputes were resolved, punishments were imposed for minor offenses (for example, injury) to shame the perpetrator or make amends to the victim.

Mutual assistance was provided by the villagers, for example, in case of fire. Like other peoples, the neighbors first of all helped the victim in the delivery of building materials for the new building, gave him thatch for the roof.

According to the communal tradition, poor and land-poor peasants, who did not have enough of their own bread, flax or roofing straw, went from house to house during threshing, digging potatoes and scutching flax, or to the shore when fishermen arrived with their catch, and, having treated the householder or fisherman with vodka, received small amounts of grain, potatoes, straw, or fish. It was called "going for help" ( abiajamine ).

In many villages there was a custom (transferred in some cases to the city) of mutual treats to the nearest neighbors and relatives with beer brewed for the holiday or a new dish, the first bread of the new harvest, in some places also fresh meat (when cattle were slaughtered), etc.

The rest of the communal traditions that survived until the 20th century were help, yali cleaning ( talgud ), - collective and voluntary assistance in case of urgent or labor-intensive work - manure removal, haymaking, flax processing, etc. This form of mutual assistance is well known among other peoples of Eastern Europe.

Among the ancient social traditions worthy of attention are the gatherings of various age groups. For older people, gatherings sometimes had a ritual or cult character, but for young people they were meetings where they made acquaintances and had fun.

In addition to data on Seto secret cult brotherhoods, there is information from the islands of Muhu and Saaremaa about autumn holidays men not associated with a particular cult. After returning from seasonal work and finishing the harvesting of grain, the men of the village brewed beer from the malt collected in the “storehouse”. Beer was prepared in turn in different estates. After eating at home, they went to drink beer, talk and have fun. These holidays were called "social beer" on the island of Muhu ( kambaolut ), on the island of Saaremaa - "social holiday" ( killapidu ).

The holidays of married women of one village are celebrated only in a narrow area - near Seto and in the northeast. The existence of this tradition was undoubtedly associated with the preservation of the corresponding holidays among the Russians. Seto "Babi holiday" (which also adopted the Russian name paabapraasnik ) in some places he celebrated at Shrovetide, in others - in the fall, after harvesting the bread. Women used the money collected from men to buy sweets, brew beer together, and bring food from home. Men were not allowed to the feast. Particular attention was paid to young married women who participated in the celebration for the first time. The songs of the Indian feast are characterized by wishes for good health, fertility and the offspring of the herd. The holiday lasted one or two days.

In the north-eastern part of Estonia, women celebrated St. George's Day in approximately the same way. This holiday was called “soaking the pails” (“so that the pails do not dry out later”). Participants performed churning butter to the corresponding traditional song. By these and similar rites, they believed to ensure a good milk yield and an abundance of oil in the coming summer.

In the past, and in some places even at the beginning of our century, there were also associations that were usually called "boys of their village" (ot kiila poisid ). The company included young people from one village, mostly farm laborers, the sons of householders often kept aloof. head of the company ( nina - rnees ) there was usually an older guy, the strongest or most resourceful. The company considered it its duty not to offend either the boys or, especially, the girls of their village, and also took care of the arrangement of places for entertainment. On Sundays, the guys competed on the village street or somewhere on the road to various games: rolled a wooden disc or played towns (which differed from Russians in form).

Similar remnants of ancient male unions are known among many peoples, in particular among the Ukrainians (“parubotska hromada”).

In each village there was a place for the entertainment of young people, in the north, usually a central square where swings were set up. They rocked all summer, the girls sang at the same time. In the southern part of Estonia, young people did not have a specific gathering place; as a rule, swings were used here only in spring. In winter, young people gathered for games and dances in one of the houses or in a tavern.

Joint evenings-gatherings had a different character ( kildsann , ehalka - imine ) girls. They were going to spin, knit, weave belts in the evenings in the autumn. At the same time, they sang, told, made riddles. At the end of the gatherings, the guys came, began games, dancing.

The intra-family relations of peasants, the order of inheritance, family rituals and other aspects of life had a number of features due to the specifics of historical development and socio-economic relations in the Estonian countryside.

ABOUT big family there is no definite information in Estonia, if we exclude random reports from the peripheral territories of the country (for example, from Avinurme, from the island of Hiiumaa) from the second half of the 19th century. On the whole, in the last two or three centuries Estonia has undoubtedly been dominated by the small family. The Estonian rural community disintegrated very early, apparently already by the 13th century. there was a transition to household land use. Under feudalism, the taxable unit was the peasant household ( talu ), not the community. This contributed to the establishment of a majorat system of inheritance: the peasant farm passed entirely to the eldest son. The division between the heirs was allowed only as an exception and only with a large size of the yard.

The younger sons, if they failed to marry the heiress of some neighboring farm, usually became farm laborers either with their older brother or with another householder, or settled on the outskirts of the village as beans. In the absence of sons, the eldest daughter inherited the household, and her husband was part of the family in the position of son-in-law (Primak). koduvai ). Such a system of inheritance was one of the reasons for the very early emergence of a stratum of landless peasants in Estonia and its constant growth. Peasant allotments remained relatively large on average, and the duties imposed on the court were very large. The peasant family usually could not cope with the cultivation of the land and the bearing of corvée, which was the main form of duties, on their own. In this regard, in addition to the householder and his family, one or more farm laborers lived in the peasant yard ( Sulane ) and laborer ( tiidruk , vaim ). The total population of the yard was called "pere" (rege) - households, and the host family "pererahvas" ( pererahvas ). The head of the family, the husband, was in charge of the family property and resolved all family issues, usually conferring with his wife. The wife, although she occupied a secondary place in the family compared to her husband, was not disenfranchised. So, only she herself could dispose of her dowry. After her death, the dowry, and if she was the heiress of the farm, then the farm, did not pass to her husband, but to the children, and in case of childlessness to her brothers and sisters.

Despite the fact that there was a certain social line between the masters and farm laborers, the differences between them were somewhat softened by the patriarchal relations that prevailed in the feudal period within the peasant household. Despite the difference in property and, to some extent, legal relations, both householders and farm laborers in the feudal period belonged to the same exploited class. The living conditions of both laborers and householders were homogeneous: they lived in the same room, ate at a common table, and performed essentially the same work.

In family customs in the Estonian village until the middle of the 19th century. there were a lot of old features. Christian church rites took root extremely slowly. In family events, church rites were primarily performed at funerals and baptisms, but even this took root only centuries after the conversion of Estonians to Christianity. As for marriage, until the beginning of the 20th century. the role of the church remains here. was formal. According to a belief deeply rooted in the people, marriage was considered concluded after a national wedding, and not a church wedding.

In the past, a number of magical procedures were associated with the birth of a child, which were supposed to protect the mother of the newborn from illness, misfortune and ensure a happy life for the child. Childbirth took place in a bathhouse or a sheepshed. During childbirth, an experienced old woman helped, who knew special rites and spells to facilitate childbirth.

A few days after the birth, the woman in labor began to be visited by married relatives and neighbors. It was called "bride" ( katsikul kaimine ). From the end of the XIX-beginning of the XX century. men were also allowed to attend. Barley porridge was brought to a woman in labor as a treat.

Not later than two or three weeks, the child was given a name. This was associated with church baptism and the subsequent family holiday - christening ( varrud , ristsed ), in which the closest relatives, godparents and neighbors took part. They gave the child money "for a tooth" ( hamba - raha ), drank to his health.

Putting the children to bed, they were rocked and lulled. In the old days, the cradle was hanging, fixed at the end of a springy pole, like that of the Eastern Slavs. In the 19th century began to use standing cradles on skids. Children's educators and teachers were often grandparents. From them, children heard folk songs, fairy tales, legends, riddles, etc. They raised children strictly, they were very common Physical punishment. To warn against misfortunes, children were frightened both by real dangers (wolf, bear) and fantastic ones (monster, water, beech, etc.). Children were taught early to work. An old proverb says: "At seven years old a swineherd, and at eight - a shepherd, at ten - a plowman."

An important moment in the life of young people was "taking them into the ranks of adults." This did not depend on age, but on physical maturity, the ability to perform certain jobs, etc. For Lutherans, confirmation ( leer ) meant "acceptance as an adult", in Estonia the Orthodox Church began to carry out confirmation.

Before confirmation, they arranged a three-week or longer training at the church, the youth were introduced to the catechism and the psalter. In conclusion, in the church, the confirmants were solemnly “blessed” in front of the entire parish and accepted into the number of parishioners. Those preparing for confirmation usually performed various work for the pastor (threshing, spinning, etc.).

After confirmation, young people could participate in general entertainment and meetings, girls put on jewelry and did their hair, laborers received salaries and food, like adults. The guys had the right to smoke and drink vodka, to take care of the girls.

The youth got acquainted on collective works and entertainments. When choosing a wife, her diligence was considered very important. On the islands, there was a custom according to which the bride, who was betrothed in the spring, went to the groom's family in the summer to harvest rye (the so-called pruudiosumine - “the harvest of the bride”), the wedding was arranged only in the fall.

In recent centuries, matchmaking usually consisted of three stages: preliminary sending of a matchmaker ( kuulamine ); actual marriage ( kosi - mine ) and betrothal ( kihlus ).

to woo ( kosimine ) they usually went in the evening or at night, preferably on a Thursday. The wooer went with the matchmaker (isamees), who was supposed to be a married and eloquent man. The matchmaker made a proposal to the bride's parents (it was, for example, about searching for a missing bird or animal) and treated them to vodka (or beer). The acceptance of the treat meant that the matchmaking was accepted. This was followed by a trip to the pastor for engagement. In the last century, the pastor tested the ability of the bride and groom to read.

The wedding was arranged in three or four weeks. The bride went around her relatives with an invitation to the wedding, treating them to vodka and receiving a gift in return. The bridesmaids helped her spin wool and knit stockings and mittens. The groom invited guests from his side. The closest relatives and friends were invited to the wedding.

Wedding ( pulmad ) was the most solemn and joyful holiday in peasant life. She coped most often in the fall, after the completion of field work. In material terms, relatives helped to celebrate the wedding: married guests brought with them a “wedding bag” with food - bread, meat, butter, etc. In the houses of the bride and groom, they brewed beer, slaughtered cattle, cooked aspic, etc. Duration of the wedding depended on the material possibilities of those entering into marriage. In the last century, wealthy people usually celebrated a wedding for three days, in some places even up to a week.

According to the traditions of the wedding, on the first day, guests from the groom's side came to his house, the bride's guests gathered at her place. Early in the morning the groom went to fetch the bride. A friend rode at the head of the wedding train ( peiupoiss ), armed with a saber. In some places, the villagers blocked the road and let the trainees through only after receiving a treat. In the bride's house, the gates were closed, and only after a song contest, a mock battle and payment of a ransom did the train enter the yard. The bride was hidden and the groom had to find her. Then everyone sat down for a solemn meal. After her, the bride was dressed up to the appropriate songs. If the wedding took place on the same day, they went to the church, and from there to the groom's house. If the wedding took place earlier, then immediately to the groom.

The wedding train was moving fast, with screams, noise and music. The bride's face was covered from the "evil eye". Various barriers were erected along the road, a “passport” was demanded for travel, a “kidnapping” of the bride was played, etc. A blanket or a fur coat was spread on the ground in front of the groom’s house (to protect against the “wrath of the earth”). The young were met by the groom's parents, led to the table to the ritual songs, the bride was laid on her knees little boy to protect her from infertility. Then the solemn meal began.

In the evening of the first or in the morning of the second day, they performed the main rite of the wedding ceremony - putting on the headdress of a married woman - a line or cap ( tanutamine , linutamine ). This was done by the mother of the groom along with other married women. Then the bride was tied with an apron. From that moment on, she was considered a married woman. Then they invited the rest of the guests to "look at the young" and "pat the apron." The guests had to put money on the apron of the young. The givers were treated to beer or vodka.

If the bride was brought from afar, then after putting on the cap (or the next day), she was introduced to the new home. Accompanied by her mother-in-law and the most respected relatives, the young woman went to the well, to the cage, barn, etc., making sacrifices or gifts: she threw a silver coin into the well, tied a woolen belt to one of the cows on the horns, etc. The mother-in-law took the gifts .

On the third day, the young woman performed the ceremony of distributing gifts to her husband's relatives ( veimed ). Together with the bride, they brought a chest with her dowry, as well as a box with gifts ( veimevakk ). The mother and father of the young received "full gifts" or "a bunch of gifts" (a set of things), others - stockings, mittens, garters, belts, etc. Then they collected money from those who received the gifts. By the end of the wedding, a traditional dish (usually cabbage soup) was cooked, which meant the end of the holiday and was a sign that it was time for the guests to leave. All the most important stages of the wedding ceremony were accompanied by appropriate traditional songs, games and jokes. On the first day of the wedding, the young people were put to bed with songs, and woke up the next morning. The first night the young in the old days spent in the barn.

In funeral rites even in the XIX century. some traditional magical and sacrificial techniques were preserved.

For centuries, the church was unable to get the peasants to bury the dead on "consecrated ground": the peasants continued until the 17th century, and in some places even into the 18th century. to bury the dead according to a semi-pagan rite in family cemeteries, traces of which can be found near almost every village. The body of the deceased was guarded until the funeral. On the occasion of the funeral, as a rule, cattle were slaughtered and food was prepared for the participants in the ceremony. In some places, the custom was preserved to eat on the grave and leave some food on it. At the funeral, the church beggars were necessarily given food. In southern Estonia, on the way to the cemetery, the funeral procession stopped at a traditional tree (spruce or pine) and a cross was carved on its bark so that “the deceased would not go home.” During the position of the body in the coffin, seeing off, burial and commemoration of the deceased, special laments were performed, which were preserved for the longest time in southeastern Estonia. The church funeral rite was performed in the church immediately after the service, and in the southern part of Estonia - at the grave.

Until the XVI-XVII centuries. the custom was preserved on certain traditional days to arrange on the graves according to the old rites a commemoration for the dead. The Setu adhered to this custom until recently. The people continued to believe that the dead visit their relatives during the so-called time of souls. The “Time of Souls” fell on October-November, that is, at the time of the withering of nature, the onset of darkness and cold weather. At this time, on a certain evening, a table was laid for the dead, and the head of the family invited the souls to eat, and then affectionately asked them to return to the kingdom of the dead.

From the second half of the XIX century. Significant changes have taken place in rural social and family life. The aggravation of class stratification significantly weakened the communication of fellow villagers and family ties.

The remnants of communal life disappeared, the courtyards became more and more isolated from each other. Especially prosperous householders dissociated themselves from less wealthy neighbors and relatives. Social life took on new organizational forms.

Until the middle of the XIX century. the rural population did not have any associations, except for the volost community; in the middle of the century, numerous societies arose: singing choirs and orchestras, and on their basis musical and theater associations, then sobriety societies, etc. In the 70s, on the initiative of K. R. Jakobson, the organization of Estonian agricultural societies began. At the end of the century, the cooperative movement developed, peasant credit, insurance, consumer societies appeared, etc. New societies began to emerge primarily in the more economically developed southern Estonia, but soon became widespread. The initiators of organizing these new forms of social life were usually rural teachers. Since the 1880s, evenings with amateur dramatic performances and dances have become one of the favorite entertainments.

Many societies built special buildings that, along with school premises, served as clubs. The fact that with the development of capitalism the ties between town and countryside became stronger was especially noticeable in Estonia, because during the same period the percentage of the Estonian population in the cities was growing rapidly, a working class was being formed, and a national intelligentsia was taking shape.

Influences in the field of social life penetrate into the countryside from the cities. So, at the turn of the XIX and XX centuries. first in the cities, and from the 1920s also in the villages, voluntary sports societies were organized, primarily for cyclists and weightlifters, and later others.

At the beginning of the XX century. the first women's organizations arose in the cities in Tartu, etc.). Their activity was limited to the organization of needlework and cooking courses, as well as the protection of motherhood and infancy, the organization of charity bazaars, etc. The number of public and cooperative associations (dairy, marketing, etc.) grew rapidly. In the 1930s, there were about 3,500 cooperatives alone. They were organized on a capitalist basis, and the big rural bourgeoisie played a leading role in them.

Numerous voluntary women's and youth organizations have sprung up in rural areas. The bourgeoisie increasingly used these organizations to propagate nationalist sentiments. And the church, trying to intensify its activities, sought to influence primarily the youth. However, the number of religious youth unions remained insignificant. In contrast to the bourgeois, progressive youth organizations arose and operated (the Society of Young Proletarians, the Socialist Union, Youth of Estonia), which had connections with communist underground organizations.

The government, especially in the 30s, heading for a fascist dictatorship, tried in every possible way to distract the public from the political struggle. To this end, various organizations were created and numerous government campaigns were carried out, which served to instill in the masses the bourgeois ideology, the principles of "class peace and national unity."

Although bourgeois public organizations contributed to some extent to the dissemination of knowledge on the improvement of the home environment, the popularization of choral singing, folk dances, folk costumes, etc., on the whole they played a reactionary role and were not popular among the people.

With the development of capitalist relations in the countryside, drastic changes took place in family life. The patriarchal collective of the household members of the peasant household - "pere" - fell apart. The need for hired labor in peasant households has sharply decreased. A significant number of farm laborers were forced to work on manors, forming the poorest stratum of the rural proletariat characteristic of Estonia (the so-called moonakads). Since the householders were still forced to resort to hired labor, they preferred to hire single people. This gave rise to an abnormal phenomenon in the Estonian countryside - a large number of landless people who were forced to give up the right to have their own family. This question became especially important during the years of the bourgeois republic, when there was an acute shortage of workers in the villages. At this time, even the government was forced to agitate for special houses for workers to be built in peasant households, which would make it possible to hire family laborers. Such houses existed, however, only in the largest courtyards of the southern part of Estonia.

The host family sharply separated from their employees. In South Estonian kulak farms, farm laborers often began to be fed separately from the master's family. On the whole, the position of farm laborers, especially in large capitalist farms, has noticeably deteriorated.

From the time when the yards became the private property of the peasants, they also became the most important object of inheritance. Usually the whole farm passed to one of the children, and the rest had to look for other means of subsistence, which was not easy under the conditions of bourgeois Estonia. As a rule, there were no material opportunities to create separate households for all children. Therefore, strife and litigation often arose between co-heirs. In those cases when parents during their lifetime handed over the household to their children, they usually left the yard and settled separately, on a bean allotment.

The life of a peasant family was closed within the courtyard. Peasants had little contact not only with fellow villagers, but also with relatives. It is characteristic that the number of kinship terms used in the spoken language has greatly decreased over the past hundred years. Basically only the terms denoting the closest relatives (uncle, aunt, etc.) remained.

Traditional family rituals have also disappeared. This process was, however, uneven: in; in some peripheral areas (on the islands, among the Setos), old traditions survived longer. New customs, penetrating from the city, spread primarily among the wealthy sections of the peasantry. The rapid growth of the Estonian urban population, which maintained close ties with the countryside, also played a significant role in this. Old rites were forgotten or acquired only a comic character. Main family celebration, wedding, lost almost all traditional features, its celebration was reduced to one day, which was also affected by economic considerations. Marriage was usually sealed with a church wedding. True, during the period of the bourgeois dictatorship, civil registration of marriage, birth and death was introduced, but the influence of the church in family rituals decreased very slowly. Often, ceremonies such as baptism and weddings were performed at home. In wealthy families, confirmations began to be celebrated more solemnly, ceremonial parties, etc. In poor families and among the laborers, confirmation was almost never celebrated, as in the old days. Characteristically, during the years of the bourgeois dictatorship, the children of wealthy peasants usually went to the spring, and the poor - to the autumn confirmation.

After the restoration of Soviet power in the social and family life of Estonians, there were huge shifts that reflected fundamental changes in the structure of the economy and society, as well as the restructuring of the entire cultural life. Changes in the way of life of the people, especially among the peasantry, took place gradually. The views and customs that had developed in class society, characterized by strong individualism and permeated with religiosity, were quite widespread in the countryside even in the early years of Soviet power, when individual farms were preserved in the countryside. Mass collectivization in 1949 marked the beginning of a radical change in the life of the rural population. It created a solid foundation for the emergence of new, socialist social relations and traditions.

After the restoration of Soviet power, all nationalist societies, both in the city and in the countryside, were liquidated.

The most important role in the public life of the urban and rural population is now played by the Party and Komsomol organizations, among children - by the Pioneers. On new democratic principles, sports, youth, amateur societies, unions and collectives were organized everywhere, the same as in the other republics of the Soviet Union. At the same time, prerequisites arose for the rapid development of amateur art activities, the work of choirs, orchestras revived and expanded. folk instruments, folk dance ensembles, etc. In connection with the constant growth of the material well-being of the working people, the cultural services of the rural population have changed significantly, numerous well-equipped clubs with stationary film installations, people's houses and houses of culture have been established, and the activities of sports organizations have been expanded.

The celebration of new Soviet holidays came into everyday life: the anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution, Soviet Estonia, as well as international holidays workers - May 1, International Women's Day March 8. These holidays are characterized by the fact that they are celebrated not only at home, in the family, but also in the team - at enterprises, collective farms and state farms. Collective and state farms also celebrate the annual harvest festival, which is held after summing up the results of the year.

In area family life processes of transformation are still ongoing, as family rituals and traditions are known to change relatively slowly.

First of all, it should be noted that in Estonia the average family size is the smallest in the entire Soviet Union - 3.5 people (according to the 1959 census). To some extent, this is still a consequence of the war. The small size of families is explained, on the other hand, by the fact that young couples are no longer financially dependent on their parents, do not expect an inheritance from them, and have every opportunity to live separately. The economic independence of all members of the family eliminated those ugly phenomena that the capitalist system had given rise to. Gone were the strife between parents and children, between brothers and sisters over inheritance and dowry, and unequal marriages of convenience.

A certain part of the older generation, especially in rural areas, is still influenced by the church. It happens that old people who observe church rites seek to persuade young people to follow them.

However, thanks to the consistent explanatory work carried out in the press, at school, by the Komsomol, by cultural and educational institutions and various other organizations, broad sections of the people have realized the reactionary essence of religion. The number of members of all church communities has sharply decreased. Religion no longer plays any important role in the social and cultural life of the Estonian people.

Only a few folk traditions are steadfastly preserved both in the city and in the countryside, for example, “the bride of the child”. True, their meaning and character have changed. Now all the friends of the relative and, as a rule, workmates come to the bride. With the penetration of urban customs into the village, the traditional barley porridge for the woman in labor was replaced by a new treat - a pretzel if the newborn is a boy, and a cake if a girl. “For a tooth” they usually give a silver spoon, as well as children's clothes, etc.

Traditional wedding ceremonies have already disappeared in Estonia (excluding the island of Kihnu). Most of those entering into marriage are limited to registration in the registry office. The refusal to conclude church marriages was facilitated by the great work of recent years on the creation of new rites of civil registration of marriage. The wedding ceremony in the Tallinn registry office is especially beautiful and festive. People come here from rural areas closest to the capital. From the old wedding traditions only a few * of a comic nature have survived: blocking the road for the wedding train, etc. The nature of gifts to the young has become completely different. Now they give dishes, household items, collectively make valuable gifts: televisions, radios, washing machines etc.

Nowadays, the circle of guests invited to the wedding has greatly expanded. Now, in addition to relatives, work comrades and acquaintances come. Komsomol weddings are often arranged.

In recent years, civil funerals have also begun to spread in the villages. In a number of places, annual days of civil commemoration of the dead are now held in cemeteries.

Confirmations are still held annually in Estonian churches, but the number of confirmants is decreasing every year. This was facilitated in particular by the Komsomol summer youth holidays. They have been held since 1957 and quickly became popular. Usually in each district several groups of 18-20-year-old youth are organized, gathering for 7-10 days. The program of "summer days" includes lectures and talks on issues of social behavior, practical lessons in housekeeping, sports games, dancing. They end with the solemn distribution of memorable gifts and certificates of participation in the holidays, followed by a concert, a common dinner, and dancing.

essential feature modern development is a fast-paced process of erasing the boundaries between city and countryside. An important role in it is played by the change in living conditions in the countryside, the rise in the cultural level of the rural population. The widespread introduction of mechanization in agriculture and the electrification of the countryside meant a decisive change in the working conditions in agricultural production. The unfolding construction of urban-type settlements will smooth out the difference in the housing and living conditions between the inhabitants of the village and the townspeople. Modern means of communication, radio, television allow residents of the most distant regions to keep abreast of the latest achievements of science and art.

The transition to cash wages and the development of trade made available to collective farmers and workers of state farms the urban range of industrial, food and cultural goods. The cadres of the rural intelligentsia are constantly growing; the professions of machine operators, tractor drivers, etc. have become common in the modern countryside.

The extensive construction of people's houses of culture, numerous rural film installations, rural libraries, traveling performances of the best theaters of the republic - all these are clear features of the new in the Estonian countryside, indicating that the process of erasing the boundaries between city and countryside is unfolding with particular force. The continuous growth of the material well-being of the working people of town and country, the general rise in the culture of the entire Estonian people determines the formation of a new man, a man of the communist era.

Folklore - oral poetic creativity of peoples, is 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 arts. It is closely connected with folk life and rituals, reflecting the features of various periods of history. Folklore works are the creation of collective creativity, and what is created by the collective is preserved for a very long time. Traditions are a form of collective preservation of folklore works, as well as the result of collective creativity. Traditions are inherent in both verbal folklore and other types of folk art - music, dance, carving, embroidery.

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

The folklore of the peoples of the countries of the Near Abroad, the former republics: Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, has common and similar features. Much in common and similar ritual folklore, in particular, dividing it into four cycles, corresponding to the four seasons, which regulate agricultural work. Ceremonies and songs are connected with cycles. All the peoples of the Baltic winter period there were caroling and divination about the future harvest, divination about happiness. During the transition from winter to spring, Maslenitsa was celebrated, accompanied by games, dressing up and songs. The rituals and customs of meeting winter, the first pasture of cattle on pastures are peculiar. The celebration of Kupala Day is similar. Harvesting customs, 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, the glorification at the feast, the magical means of protecting the young from evil power, unweaving the braid, putting on the cap are in wedding ceremony all the Baltic peoples.

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

With the establishment of Christianity, the eradication of paganism began, but pagan ideas persisted for a long time. Features of dual faith (a combination of pagan and Christian ideas) were reflected in many genres of folklore (in calendar and family ritual poetry, in incantations, 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 features of the national character, nature and wildlife, details of 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, which are close to each other. However, they are not so fluent in understanding each other. 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, religion, Latvians are more similar to Estonians than to Lithuanians. Both of them are Lutherans. Only in Latgale, the eastern part of Latvia, there are more Catholics. And Lithuania is mostly Catholic, and Lithuanians are somewhat similar in their culture to Poles and Belarusians.

ESTONIA

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

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

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

IN modern Estonia new ceremonies are being created, including civil registration of marriage. The new wedding ritual introduced some traditional rites, which are of a comic nature (blocking the road for the wedding train, checking the skills of a young couple in household skills, bride kidnapping, etc.).

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

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

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

For more than 100 years, the Song Festival has been held annually in Tallinn and Tartu (the first was in Tartu in 1869). At such holidays, a 30,000-strong choir can perform on a stage, and up to 250,000 people can attend the Song Festival.

Song Festival at the Song Festival Grounds in Tallinn.

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

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

At present, Latvians wear folk clothes for traditional song festivals; they are widely used as outfits for amateur art 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 of their own manufacture, in which traditional folk ornament is widely used.

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

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

The Latvian people cherish the folk cultural traditions that have developed over centuries of historical development. Dances and circle dances were arranged at family and calendar holidays. Traditional dances of mummers (kehats, budels, carols, etc.), accompanied by songs, celebrated holidays - the day winter solstice, carnival, summer solstice.

Popular in Latvia is the annual Song Festival, whose 100th anniversary in 1973 was celebrated by the entire public of Latvia. This is a massive, truly magnificent review 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 Mežaparks, the venue for the concerts. On the central square of the city - the Esplanade, a stage and stands for spectators are being built. All folk choirs gather into one choir of many thousands and perform folk songs for several hours in a row. The tradition of holding Song Festivals is a significant stimulus for the development of the culture of choral singing in Latvia.

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

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

Villages and odnodvorki 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, in which peasant estates were built on both sides of a straight street. One-yard settlements of Lithuanian peasants - farms.

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

In the era of feudalism, the main form of the peasant family was a large family, although already in the 13-14 centuries. There were also small families. The peculiarities of the economic development of the region contributed to the preservation of large families: for centuries, the unit of feudal duties was the peasant household, which united several married couples along the direct and lateral lines of kinship. The owner of the yard enjoyed great power in matters of housekeeping in the personal life of each member of the family. The peasant household with all 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, passing the yard to their son, settled separately. At the same time, their lifelong maintenance provided by the heir was stipulated by a notarial deed.

Before 1940 marriage without a wedding was considered invalid, divorces were prohibited. The traditional wedding ritual consisted of several stages. Actually, the wedding was preceded by matchmaking, during which the matchmaker - pirshlis bargained with the father of the bride for a dowry - a pass. The Lithuanian bride also had another dowry - kraitis, which consisted of things made by herself - fabrics, needlework, clothes. Matchmaking was accompanied by the bridegroom's housekeeping and betrothal. All the inhabitants of the village were usually invited to the wedding. On the day of the wedding, the groom came for the bride, at the entrance he was met by the father of the bride with bread, salt and wine. After the wedding, the young went to the groom's house, where wedding celebration. On the morning of the second day of the wedding, the young people were awakened noisily, with jokes and music, after which the ceremony of initiation of the young woman into married women was performed: accompanied by ritual songs, she was put on a cap and a cap. In a traditional wedding, a matchmaker and a matchmaker played an important role. wedding table, served an indispensable treat - a loaf. There were some rituals and customs that marked 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 are preserved. traditional wedding. They usually have a comic, playful character. The central place is occupied by the trip of the bride and groom to the registry office in a car decorated with flowers, greenery and ribbons. They are accompanied by witnesses, traditionally called matchmakers, and retinue - friends of the groom and bridesmaids. According to the old custom, at the entrance to the house, the young are greeted by parents with bread and salt. Quite often, the rite of initiation of a young woman into a married woman is observed. By the end of the wedding, and in our days, the matchmaker is “hanged” and the guests are “smoke out”.

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

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

The archives of the Institute of the Lithuanian Language and Literature of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences contain more than 990,000 pieces of folklore of various genres. The most numerous and significant are folk songs (mostly lyrical), as well as fairy tales, tales, legends, sayings, proverbs, riddles and other works.

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

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Slides captions:

National traditions and customs of Estonia and Latvia

Estonian national costumes In the folk costumes of Estonians, several types are clearly distinguished, which correspond to ethnic groups that have developed a very long time ago. The main ones are southern, northern, western and insular.

National costume of Latvia

Traditions, culture and customs of Estonia One of the best traditions of antiquity, preserved until today, is a custom that involves lighting fires on Ivan Kupala (June 24) throughout Estonia. The walk 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 the Latvians, which is celebrated during the summer solstice on the night of June 23-24. folk calendar the year in Latvia is divided into four parts, the top of each of which is its own holiday, connected with the solstice or equinox. Winter - Christmas, spring - Easter, summer - Ligo and Midsummer Day, autumn - Apyumibas

Of the most significant holidays, the seasonal harvest festival is celebrated annually. The song festival in Tartu and Tallinn annually gathers half of the entire population of the country on the famous field. The famous choral singing is more than 100 years old. Such a festival accommodates a 30,000-strong choir on a stage and listeners - up to 250,000 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, and compositions with Christmas scenes are often set up on the streets of the city. Preparations for the celebration of Christmas in Latvia begin long before the holiday itself, namely from the last days of November, with the beginning of Advent, when one candle is lit in a Christmas wreath every Sunday. December 24 is a special evening when you can say goodbye to all the misfortunes of the outgoing 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, drive away evil spirits from their homes. Festively decorated Christmas trees, luminous garlands, Christmas wreaths appear in houses and on the streets. Traditions, culture and customs of Latvia

Easter (Lieldienas) is handled in much the same way as in Russia. On this day, you need to paint eggs and arrange competitions in their skating, visit each other. It is also desirable 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 handicraft is so unique that knitting and macrame are the hallmark of the country. There is an opinion that the patterns were invented for sailors who, having lost their way at sea, could recognize the area by their clothes.

In the national traditions of Latvia, a mitten symbolizes the character and destiny of a person. Now about 5500 patterns of Latvian mittens are known, none of them is completely repeated. Elements of the pattern may be repeated, but the location, color, pattern on the cuff or elastic, the overall composition of the pattern - each pair of mittens is unique.

National cuisine Distinctive feature Estonian cuisine is a small amount of spices and seasonings. The most common spices in Estonia are salt, pepper, cumin and marjoram. Traditional Estonian dishes are blood sausages, meatballs, herring with sour cream, stuffed 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 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 dishes are quite simple to prepare, but at the same time, tasty and satisfying. The basis of Latvian cuisine is agricultural and livestock products - peas, beans, potatoes, vegetables, flour, cereals, meat, milk and dairy products. An important place in the national cuisine of Latvia is occupied by fish and seafood.

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