The Christian holy day heralding the beginning of fasting for Lent is Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Tuesday in English-speaking countries, also known as Fat Tuesday from the French Mardi Gras. During this time Carnival or “farewell to meat” is famously celebrated in Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans.
The German Fasnacht, “night of the feast” and/or Fasttag “fasting day” became fastlag is Sweden and vastlad in Estonia. Remnants of the original Catholic-based traditions live on in (Lutheran) Estonia to this day, although mainly people of the Eastern Orthodox faith observe them as religious rites. The date is never fixed, for the Tuesday of vastlapäev must be closest to the date of the new moon.
Following tradition, Merle Lilleoru and Tiia Sepmann made pea soup and enjoyed vastlakuklid last Tuesday. Photo: Riina Kindlam
Meat and fat were to be used up before asking for repentance on the following day, Ash Wednesday (tuhkapäev - ash day) and fasting for the next 47 days until Easter (lihavõtted - meat taking).
Stores of meat were running low by this time of the winter anyway, and now the pig’s head and feet were cooked as part of a thick pea or bean soup. The bones from the pig’s legs were used in games to predict the future and as a special toy for children. Holes were drilled through the bone and a thread strung through. By pulling and tightening the string at both ends (with the bone in the middle), it began to spin and hum. The toy’s name vurr describes the sound it makes.
Vastlakuklid, buns filled and topped with whipped-cream are still popular on this day. In neighbouring Sweden, an almond paste is also added inside the “semlor” (singular - semla) and these favorities begin appearing in bakery windows weeks in advance.
If in England pancake races are held, with contestants running a course with griddles in hand, flipping pancakes; then the site of competition in Estonia on this day is the sled hill. Since the further one slid, the taller and better one’s flax (lina) and hemp (kanep) were believed to grow, women were especially keen to compete. If not sledding, then skates or skiis were donned in the spring-like sunshine. The new moon was generally thought to entice growth and so washing, combing and cutting one’s hair, as well as brushing your favourite horse’s mane and tail, were also recommend on vastlapäev or liupäev (sledding/sliding day), as it was called in North Eastern Estonia.
And… if the day was windy, the upcoming summer would bring a wealth of berries!