Activities at the farms

Accompanied by live music, a celebration which is different every time is born from the combination of traditional dances, songs, games and instrumental music. This year, “Leigarid” are hosting small-scale family gatherings rather than crowded village celebrations while the public can watch from a safe distance. Although guests cannot take part in games and dances this season, you can still have a dance of your own with your dearest family member, making sure to follow all safety rules.

Today, it seems more and more necessary to be able to live like our ancestors did: in an environmentally friendly way focused on the family and the community, passing one’s knowledge to the next generation, following the natural rhythm of the day and seasons of the year. Do come to the museum where you will be able to learn and teach your to notice and care about nature, value old customs, do some simple types of farm work as well as share moments of leisure and enjoy life with your loved ones.

A rural family never lacked work or chores to be done. They would sweat away in the fields, pastures or hay meadow, in the barn and on the threshing floor, in the summer kitchen or at the barn oven all day long, from dusk to dawn. Skills would be learned from parents and grandparents, and everything had to be done by the farm folk themselves.

This is a school like any other: long benches, kids, and the school master or mistress in front of the class. Still, there was a number of differences compared to modern schools. The time children spent going to school was rather short, and there were few subjects but a lot to be learned by heart. Kids generally liked going to school because it felt like a holiday compared to chores on the farm. However, some kids’ head just was not wired for learning, and going to school surely felt like school slavery to them.

In times long gone, children on farms took part in working in the field or making hay as early as they could and also helped adults by pulling weeds in the vegetable garden or grazing and taking care of cattle. Still, there was time left for having fun and playing merry games.

Two centuries ago, farm folk would mostly doctor themselves with herbs and weekly healing Thursday sauna. There is even a saying whish goes like “sauna is the poor man’s doctor”. If the illness worsened or persisted, one would go to the village wiseman (or woman) who could read your fortune, charm illness away and make a stronger potion. As far as the alertness and agility of the mind were concerned, these were greatly aided by learning the ancestors’ stories passed down from generation to generation.

Russian Old Believers are a people with a fascinating history, religion and customs. A number of rules and taboos have remained unchanged in their lives for more than 350 years. The Russian house and its surroundings are where you can see examples of Old Believers’ cooking culture, livelihood, handicraft and general way of life.

Just like the time-consuming and labour-intensive process of turning flax into linen for making fabric, transforming wool into yarn and then into fabric was not at all a piece of cake. It would actually take weeks and even months! Laundry and ironing were also major chores which would take all day. Instead of a washing machine, laundry would be done by the farmwife herself, sometimes, if she was lucky, aided by the cotter woman.

Setos have always lived “halfway in Russia and halfway in Estonia”, so, over the centuries, a unique people was formed whose language ordinary Estonians do not understand.

The exhibition on Sassi-Jaani farm features an introduction to Estonian rural architecture and way of life throughout centuries.

Farm folk would get up early, at dawn and with the rooster’s cry, on summer mornings to have a light breakfast and start working. All spring activities had to be completed by St. John’s Day (Midsummer) because hay-making had to be started after the greatest celebration of the summer. By July 25, St. Jacob’s Day, hay had to be in the loft, and rye harvesting would start.