Martinmas and St. Catherine’s Day

Martinmas and St. Catherine’s Day 

Sunday, 8 November, from 11.00 to 16.00

All sorts of things happen in the November gloom. You may meet not only the souls of your ancestors, but also Mart and Kadri guisers, whose arrival always causes a stir. Would you like to keep your ancestors’ customs alive, dress up and go guising from house to house? And do you know how to prepare for the guisers on the eve of Martinmas and St. Catherine’s Day so that you can welcome them properly in your home?

Martinmas and St. Catherine’s Day at the Estonian Open Air Museum, held on Father’s Day, is a good chance to brush up on your knowledge! What should you wear when you go guising? How should you behave? Should you be rowdy and make a racket, or put the emphasis on beauty? How can you change your voice beyond recognition? Who can a twig help? How should you treat the guisers?

Come and celebrate Martinmas and St. Catherine’s Day on Father’s Day and find out for yourself!

Free entry with the museum card, Tallinn Card, and the annual pass of the Estonian Open Air Museum!

 

Kuie village school – guising school

Before Martinmas and St. Catherine’s Day, you absolutely must complete an intensive guiser boot camp. You will find out who these Marts and Kadris really are and why they roam the village. Together we will explore who belongs to the guiser family, what they look like, what costumes they wear and how they behave. Guising school classes start every hour on the hour: at 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00 and 15:00.

Köstriaseme farm – Mart guiser masks
In the dim chamber of the barn-dwelling, visitors make particularly frightening masks, because a proper Mart has to be ugly and hairy. Just about anything can go into a mask! Make your own with a little help from the farm folk, and there you are, almost a fully fledged Mart!

Threshing floor at Köstriaseme farm – Mart doctors

The Mart doctors have set up shop on the threshing floor: they will cure you of any ailment and can even ease a toothache! If need be, they will shave off your beard or grow you a new one. And of course, they know everything about making a Martinmas twig. Step closer and get to know these delightful eccentrics!

Härjapea farm – getting ready for St. Catherine’s Day

The industrious womenfolk of the farm are busy from dawn till dusk. But St. Catherine’s Day is a women’s holiday, so today they have decided to celebrate it merrily with the other village women and get dressed up for the occasion. They are making beads from whatever materials are at hand, while in the kitchen they are cooking the dishes traditionally served on St. Catherine’s Day.

Lau village shop – turnip teeth and sweets for every taste

A proper Mart should not be recognisable by voice or looks. This is where turnip teeth come to the rescue: they are easy to carve yourself. The shopkeeper, meanwhile, has a wide selection of sweets on offer – anyone still without treats for the guisers can pick some up right here.

Kolkhoz apartment building – welcoming the guisers

On the eve of Martinmas and St. Catherine’s Day, everyone in the kolkhoz apartment building is full of anticipation. The guisers are eagerly awaited because they bring good luck, so people try to have treats ready for them well in advance. But for anyone who refuses to let the guisers in, anything might happen. Find out how the guisers’ good wishes and the treats they are given have changed over time.

 

A mischievous guiser family is roaming the village! Meeting them will bring good luck and lift your spirits. Let’s see whether they can make you laugh and inspire you to host an unforgettable guising day of your own!

The barn-shed of Kolga farm is open to visitors.

Stable room of Kolu Inn

At 12.30 and 14.00 – folk music and traditional games with the Hõbeudu ensemble.

Sassi-Jaani farm

In the chamber of the barn-dwelling, you can see an installation by Doreen Mägi about souls’ visiting time, “Kellele kataksid sina laua?” (“Who Would You Set the Table For?”)