Historical aspects The area of modern Estonia has historically been inhabited by the same people as today, mostly speakers of
Estonian, but some minorities, such as Russians, have immigrated more recently. Although Estonia has been ruled by several different countries, for a long time the elite and ruling class of society were the
Baltic Germans, especially the German-speaking nobility. Even though the Baltic Germans enjoyed considerable autonomy under foreign with the administrative language being mostly
German, the indigenous population retained their native language and culture. The formation of a more defined Estonian cultural identity in the modern sense was accelerated in the 19th century, during the period of overall national
Romanticism and
Nationalism in Europe. Support from the German-speaking
Estophiles in upper strata of Estonian society for a separate Estonian identity led to the
Estonian Age of Awakening. Some pagan aspects of culture, such as storytelling traditions, have survived to modern times, and are generally more popular in
South Estonia.
People Today, Estonian society encourages equality and
liberalism, with popular commitment to the ideals of the welfare state, discouraging disparity of wealth and division into social classes. The
Protestant work ethic remains a significant cultural staple, regardless of its decline during the
Soviet Union era, and free education is a highly prized institution. The traditional occupation of Estonians, like most Europeans, has been
agriculture. Until the first half of the 20th century, Estonia was an agrarian society, but in modern times, Estonians have increasingly embraced an urban lifestyle. In 2013 the main export of the second largest town of Estonia,
Tartu, is software. Nonetheless, many Estonians maintain a fondness for a rural lifestyle close to nature, and it is a common custom to visit a summer cottage in the countryside during vacations.
Family structure Estonian family life is nowadays centered around anything but the
nuclear family. Members of an extended family typically live apart, and youths seek independence and typically move from their parents' residence around the age of twenty. The divorce rate is close to 60%. Estonia has one of the greatest percentages of single parents in Europe. The average percentage of single parents in Europe is 13% (2009), while in Estonia in 2000, 19% of the families with children under 18 had only one parent. In 2006, the percentage fell to 16%. The decline may be affected by the overall decline in birth rate. Same-sex relationships are legal in Estonia. The legislation allowing same-sex marriages took effect in 2024.
Festivities, holidays, and traditions is rather popular in Estonia. Dancers of
University of Tartu Folk Art Ensemble. Estonian holidays are mostly based on the
Western Christian calendar and
Protestant traditions. Notable among these is
Jaanipäev, the Estonian Midsummer, which involves seeking one's way to non-urban environments, burning large bonfires ("
jaanituli"), and participating in the drunken revelry of
jaaniõhtu. Part of the "jaaniõhtu" tradition is that almost near the morning, when the bonfire ("jaanilõke") has burned off and only ashes are glowing, a component of Estonian traditional food,
potatoes, are dug into the ground, right under the ashes, into the remains of the bonfire. After a few hours, when the potatoes have been cooked under the glowing ashes, the potatoes are dug up, peeled and eaten, while they are still hot. The midsummer traditions also include different versions of pairing magic, such as collecting a number of different kinds of flowers and putting them under one's pillow, after which one is meant to see one's future spouse in one's dreams. Another "jaaniõhtu" related tradition is the seeking of bugs called
"jaaniuss". The Estonian
Christmas,
Jõulud, is generally in line with the Northern and Central European traditions of
Christmas trees,
Advent calendars, and traditional meals, involving a number of dishes that are typically only eaten on Christmas. Christmas is the most extensive, appreciated, and commercialized holiday in Estonia. The Holidays start from December 23, and continue through
Christmas Eve (24th) and Christmas Day (25th). In schools and in many workplaces, vacation continues until
New Year's Day.
Estonian Independence Day is the 24th of February and a national holiday.
Food and drink , by
Oskar Hoffmann (painter), 1899. Historically, the cuisine of Estonia has been simple peasant food, which today is influenced by many countries, thus including many typical international foods. The most typical foods in Estonia are
black bread,
herring,
pork,
potatoes,
sour cream and other
milk-derived products. Estonians themselves have considered
blood sausage (
verivorst) and
sauerkraut (
hapukapsas) also as "typical Estonian foods", and these are mostly eaten during
Christmas.
Estonia as a Nordic country Traditionally, Estonia has been seen as an area of rivalry between western and eastern Europe on many levels. An example of this geopolitical legacy is an exceptional combination of multiple nationally recognized Christian traditions:
Western Christianity (the
Catholic Church and the
Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church) and
Eastern Christianity (the
Orthodox Church (the
Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church)). The symbolism of the border or meeting of east and west in Estonia was well illustrated on the reverse side of the
5 krooni note. Like the mainstream cultures in the other Nordic countries, Estonian culture can be seen to build upon ascetic environmental realities and traditional livelihoods, a heritage of comparatively widespread
egalitarianism arising out of practical reasons (
freedom to roam and
universal suffrage), and the ideals of closeness to nature and
self-sufficiency. Many Estonians consider themselves to be
Nordic rather than Baltic. As an ethnic group, Estonians are not
Balts; the Estonian language is closely related to the
Finnish language, rather the
Baltic languages, and Estonians are a
Finnic people. The northern part of Estonia was part of medieval
Denmark during the 13th–14th centuries, being sold to the Teutonic Order after St. George's Night Uprising in 1346. The name of the Estonian capital,
Tallinn, is thought to be derived from the Estonian
taani linn, meaning 'Danish town' (see
Flag of Denmark for details). Parts of Estonia were under Danish rule again in the 16th–17th centuries, before being transferred to
Sweden in 1645. Estonia was part of the
Swedish Empire from 1561 until 1721. The Swedish era became colloquially known in Estonia as the "good old Swedish times". Swedish ambassador, Mr. Dag Hartelius's speech on the Estonian Independence day, 24 February 2009, where he considered Estonia "A Nordic Country" gathered a lot of attention in the country and was widely considered as a great compliment. Additionally, the foreign trade minister of
Finland,
Alexander Stubb, has been quoted saying that Estonia is a "Distinct Nordic country". Beginning from the 14th century, parts of Estonia's northwestern coast and islands were colonized by ethnic Swedes, who later became known as the
Estonian Swedes. The majority of Estonia's Swedish population fled to Sweden in 1944, escaping the advancing Soviet Army. There are many words in
Finnish and
Estonian that are spelled exactly the same and pronounced almost the same way, but have totally different meanings. Many jokes, including derogatory ones, are based on the differences of the meanings of the words. Both, Finns and Estonians, tend to have, create and understand those jokes. However, Finnish and Estonian are sufficiently different languages that it is not possible for a native speaker of one of the languages to speak nor sufficiently comprehend the other language without explicitly learning the other language. Finns tend to have difficulties pronouncing the Estonian letter "õ" and Estonians tend to get "revealed" to Finns by their Estonian accent. For some reason, probably due to the greater amount of loan-words and expressions from other languages, native Estonians, who have not learned Finnish, tend to comprehend and acquire Finnish more easily than native Finns comprehend Estonian. ==See also==