It’s December 29 and “Santa Claus Johannes’s spruce outlet” is still enjoying brisk business on Liivalaia tänav in Tallinn. Photo: Riina Kindlam
Since Christmas Day Jõuluvana Johannes has been making sales in Russian, selling to people bringing home a tree for New Year’s Eve and in preparation for Russian Orthodox Christmas, which is celebrated on the evening of January 6 following the old Julian calendar. The salesman-Santa did remark however, that an increasing number of ethnic-Russians purchase trees prior to Dec. 24, taking advantage of the official national holidays.
Eastern Orthodox Christianity is the second largest faith in Estonia after Lutheranism and its followers are divided between the autonomous Eesti Apostlik-Õigeusu Kirik (Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church) with 18 000 members belonging to over 50 congregations, the primarily Russian-speaking local Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate with over 80 000 members in 32 congregations and the vanausulised (Old Believers) numbering 15 000 and belonging to 11 congregations.
The Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church is once again autocephalic (autonomous), yet allied with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, thereby continuing pre-World War II tradition. Its mostly ethnic-Estonian members follow the new (Gregorian) calendar. Although the Orthodox faith first arrived in the territory that is now Estonia with traders from Novgorod in the 11th century, it remained isolated amongst ethnic-Russians in their respective neighbourhoods. The tradition of this faith amongst Estonians began in the 1840s when over 70 000 mostly rural Estonians (including lots of islanders), converted to the Orthodox faith; many in the hopes that this would improve their economic situation. The ruling Czarist government at the time namely offered bonuses of cheaper land and lower taxes.
The primarily Russian members of the Estonian Orthodox Church’s Moscow Patriarchate follow the old (Julian) church calendar, as do the so-called Old Believers. The latter did not agree with Orthodox religious reforms in Russia in the 1650s and many later settled in villages along the west coast of Peipsi järv (lake) to avoid persecution. Both groups celebrate the birth of Jesus on the evening of January 6 and Christmas Day on January 7.
In contrast, January 6 marks the end of the Christmas period for most Estonians as kolmekuningapäev (“3 Kings Day” or Epiphany), the day the Wise Men arrived to worship the baby Jesus.
Näärid also deserve mention. Celebrated at “the turn of the new year” (aastavahetus) on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, näärid is old Estonian custom which due to its pagan origins was a palatable substitute for Christian Christmas during Soviet rule. Christmas trees were then officially called nääri trees and were not sold until just prior to New Year’s. Santa Claus – jõuluvana, was näärivana. Yet extensive nääri traditions such as playing a näärisokk (goat), predicting the future (including pouring molten lead into cold water and looking for symbolism in the shapes which emerge), making a näärikroon (crown) out of reeds, eating special foods (not clearing the table all night) and offering the same to animals, date back to the 16th century. Although lost in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season today, these old traditions deserve to be investigated and revived and should definitely not be associated with the bad rap of Christmas-stifling of the former political regime. HÄID NÄÄRE in the spirit of our forefathers and -mothers to you and yours!
