Culture of people country wise : Estonia culture

Estonia culture food people and festivals

Estonia was ruled by Poles, Danes, Germans, Swedes, and Russians after the thirteenth century. Before the nineteenth century, the national identity was synonymous with the peasantry. The local nobility and clergy, merchants, and traders were predominantlyBaltic Germans; an Estonian could enter the upper classes only by adopting the German language and German customs. Estonians referred to themselves asmaarahvas("country folk") and to a Baltic German as asaks(short for "German"). The first term showed a connection to a place, whilesakswas used to refer to anyone with high status.

The development of a written language was important to cultural awareness. The first Estonian book was printed in 1535, and a Bible was published in 1739. Education in Estonian was a key part of national development. In addition to the peasant tradition of teaching children to read at home, an elementary education system was organized in the 1680s. By 1850, approximately 90 percent of the population was literate.

Language in Estonia

Estonian is the official language of Estonia. It is spoken by about 1.1 million people in the country itself and then thousands of others outside it too. Estonian is a Finno-Ugric language and is closely related to Finnish and distantly to Hungarian. It has been influenced by German, Russian, Swedish and Latvian, though it is not related to them

Estonian Culture & Society

Religion

During Soviet administration religion became a form of silent protest for most Estonians.
Since independence religious organizations have again begun to appear.
The largest church is the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church.
In 1989, the largest churches established the Council of Estonian Churches (CEC) with the purpose of uniting the different churches to promote spiritual development for all Estonians

The Role of the Family

The family is still the central focus of social life.
The make up of the family is usually "nuclear" in cities and "extended" in rural areas although this is a slight generalisation.
Family ties and very close which means newly weds will often live with parents until on their feet and the old are generally looked after rather than put in care homes

Cultural Traditions

Estonian culture as an identity is very strong.
Oral traditions especially have played a key role in preserving traditions, stories and customs during Soviet administration.
Singing is a very Estonian activity and the Estonians are known to have sung their way to freedom during the "Singing Revolution" of 1989-91.

Manners

Estonians on the whole are quiet and reserved.
They tend to speak softly and do not like to draw attention to themselves.
Being rational, calm and not going to emotional extremes are all qualities that respected.
At first Estonians can come across as aloof. Once a relationship warms up this becomes less so.

Etiquette and Customs in Estonia

Meeting and Greeting

Greetings can come across as rather formal and rather reserved.
Men should initiate greetings with women and the younger person always greets the older person.
When meeting someone make sure you are stood up, offer direct eye contact and give a nice firm handshake.
The most common greeting is "tere" ("hello").
Titles are very important. "Härra" is for Mr, "Prova" is Mrs and "Preili" is Miss. All should be followed with the surname.
Only use first names once you have been invited to do so.