Midsummer eve or.................
Midsummer eve or
suvi/hari – "the peak of summer", also known as
jaani/laupäev (St. John's Day Saturday, i.e. the eve before) has always been the perfect time to gather on the
küla/kiik (village swing) in Eesti. The swing at the Eesti Vaba/õhu/muuseum (Open Air Museum,
www.evm.ee) has this
kasutus/juhend or set of instructions posted on its swing by the sea. The translation might not be the smoothest in spots, but gets the message across:
Kiikumine omal vastutusel! – Swing at your own risk!
Ära tee suurt hoogu – Don't get carried away with pushing and swinging too high.
Hoia tugevasti kinni – Hold on tight.
Arvesta teistega – Be considerate.
Kuni 8 inimest – There's room for up to 8 people. Swingers get the kiik moving by taking turns squatting and standing; those on one side and then the other. See also:
kiiking, a sport where the swinger is fastened to the (solo) swing's base by their feet; the swing's arms are made of steel to enable a person to swing 360 degrees going over the spindle of the swing (
üle võlli). (Rohkem Eesti Elu 21. juuni paberlehes)