AN OUTSIDER’S GLANCE ON TODAY’s ESTONIAN CHRISTMAS

Abstract

For the Estonian, Christmas is a most beloved holiday, not only by children, but by the whole population. Christmas, which coincides with the winter solstice, has been so important, that the Estonian have been able to preserve it throughout the Soviet era, despite the hostility of the authorities, which tried to uproot this tradition and to replace it with the laic acknowledgement of the New Year. Today, the celebration of Christmas is a mixture of old traditions, of Soviet times adaptations and of international influences. This article aims at presenting the modern way of celebrating Christmas and insists on the centrality of family and kin, with eating of traditional dishes, a fair amount of material symbols, the exchange of presents, the performance of ritual songs and the visiting of the kin’s graves. The attendance at church remains from the past. The author discovered Estonia and started living in this country as an adult and has been observing the Estonian’s customs for circa 30 years. This article relies mostly on these observations and in addition, on literature written about old customs.