Martinmas and St. Catherine’s day

9th of November from 11 AM to 4 PM

In the dark time of late autumn, St. Martin’s Day (10 November) and St. Catherine’s Day (25 November) are among the most delightful holidays passed down to us by our ancestors. During the November season of remembering the departed, when autumn’s outdoor work is done, masked figures go from house to house –
the boisterous Martinmas guisers and the graceful Catherine’s guisers. Martins bring good fortune for the harvest, while Catherines bring luck for the livestock. These visitors are always warmly welcomed, as they bring variety and vitality to everyday life.

In addition to the traditional well-known disguised characters, there were others that roamed Estonian roads in the dark period between souls’ visiting time and Christmas. By now, Halloween has also secured itself a place in the local cultural space. The journey from one farm to another is filled with puzzles, meeting various guisers, laughing, singing, dancing and crafting. Let’s keep this tradition alive with colours together!  

 

Kolu inn – Singing and music for all!

At 12:00 Traditional songs and games performed by Hõbe-Teele Vahisalu and Herta Ida Udikas. The concert features traditional violin, kannel and button accordion pieces, and anyone is welcomed to join in the games and singing. This is great fun for adults and children alike!

At 15:00 ‘17 Estonian Wedding Songs’ from Veljo Tormis’s cycle performed by Kiili chamber choir. Conductor Tuuli Metsoja.

Weddings in rural Estonia were usually held in the autumn, after the harvest, mainly falling within the period between Martinmas and St. Catherine’s Day. This was when food and drink were aplenty, just the right time for celebrations. This time was also referred to as the ‘wedding month’. Singing was an integral part of a wedding celebration, accompanying any ceremony.

 

Härjapea farm – Traditions and jewellery for St. Catherine’s Day

Most of the wool processing operations would have been finished by St. Catherine’s Day, so girls could mask themselves as Kadri guisers and go in procession from door to door. Kadri guisers were always welcomed and given treats because they were kind, pretty and brought good luck for farm cattle.  On Härjapea farm, you can see how pearl necklaces are made for Kadri guisers and try on nice clothes and headwear.

 

Lau shop – Puzzles and handicraft

While the storefront is as busy as ever, the shop owner’s living room provides some food for thought as well as crafting ideas and materials. The folk calendar would not be the same without traditional ways of telling the weather: we have turned these into puzzles and mixed them up. Come by and put these back together to make sure the weather is fine. But don’t fret, we will not let things get too serious: a workshop on making false teeth from turnips will surely lighten up the mood.

 

Pulga farm – Masks for Mart guisers and the host’s duties

Mart and Kadri guisers went from door to door to collect treats from the villagers, and their host on the farm played an important role. Guisers received gifts for their performance and wishing good luck: apples, peas, nuts, turnips and other goodies. Do you know what would happen if a family didn’t let guisers in?  
On Pulga farm, we’ll be making historic Mart guiser masks using tow, coal and cardboard.

 

Kuie school – Fun trick or treat classes

The Estonian countryside saw various guisers throughout history. Guisers mimicking ghosts, typical of Mulgimaa region, are some of the lesser-known ones. These days, we still have Mart and Kadri guisers on Martinmas and St. Catherine’s Day while trick-or-treaters will eagerly demand candy on the eve of All Hallows’ Day. Fun classes will tell you the history of guising from ghost guisers to Halloween and teach you what to do as a host when guisers visit. Classes start at 12, 13, 14 and 15.

 

Kolkhoz apartment building – Dishes that take your breath away

Halloween is not an entirely foreign holiday in Estonia of 2019, but it is still not entirely ours yet. It found its way into homes and souls with cooking, where you can let your creativity run wild. Come by to see what scary surprises there are on the table.

 

A band of guisers on the move – You can see a merry family of guisers with their songs and dances on the museum grounds.

Estonian cultural heritage has plenty of old songs of Mart and Kadri guisers, and our characters will happily sing them with you and dance to the tune. Tech-savvy visitors can come prepared and get AI to write a song they will sing to the guisers, and we can’t wait to see what these songs can be like!  

Admission to the event is free for Tallinn Card holders!