I don’t even know where to begin today’s story, with some of the most incredible things happening today just by coincidence or by chance, and things that were not planned for just started occurring. Before I start telling you this story you have to understand that said Setomaa is a very special place in my heart and in Estonia. It is almost like its own country and has its own ways of living, different to the rest of Estonia. There is a particular element of majik and mystic to it and somewhere I feel absolutely at home. My great grandmother, Anette (my Mum’s Grandmother/Sivly’s Mum) was born in a place called Petseri. This place is still very special to a lot of people even though it's now Russian territory. When we spoke to a number of people today it was very clear that this area I had a lot of meaning and purpose, because there was this almost wonder and all that these two people from Australia have roots in Petseri. Simply through conversation we found out so many stories and connections that we never even considered when we first started our journey today. I have had days that have been highlights but this was something else. I have never felt so connected to an area before and this kept happening in so many ways. As you read through today's story please know that it was written with a lot of emotion and a lot of reflective thought, because I could not have even predicted what had unfolded. There was so many moments that were coincidental or had us looking for things that I didn't even consider until each moment that it was unfolding. And so we begin… Mum and I started out our journey going to Setomaa. We put into google maps someplace in Väska, and started to drive. When we were driving I notice the landscape was becoming more and more dense forest and we had a little discussion around the fact that the forest brothers lived here for such a long period of time, and it made sense that they were able to hide from the Russian armies. As we started driving closer to the Setomaa region I was explaining to mom that I could just feel a certain sense of majik in the air. What you have to understand is that Estonians used to be very into magic, mystic and druidism, as well as paganism and nature. The people down South of Estonia still have elements of that through the culture and the way that they live. I started feeling more and more pace as we were driving towards Värska and I could start to feel my great grandmother being around me, almost guiding us to where we needed to go today. So we arrived at the Värska tourist information may be met a really beautiful woman who gave us some amazing ideas and pointers as to where we needed to go. We did have some ideas but this was incredible in trying to find a few other bits and pieces that we were kind of looking for. What amazed me that with anyone that we met that day as soon as we told them where our roots were from they were so interested in our story and what our names were, what our family names were, how we were connected all the things that brought us back to this area and they were absolutely wonderful and helping us finding what we wanted to find. Once we left the Information Centre, we be purpose built map of going to all the special places in Setomaa, we headed down to Obinitsa. The photos you see in this section are different areas of Setomaa and I was not sure wher else to fit them in. The train lines were significant because this is how people escaped Estonia, but also deported. There were various points throughout the day where we were very close to Russia, to the point where we were recommended to take our passports with us to prove citizenship. Luckily we didn't need them. The photo of the lady in the white folk costume, we found out was one of the original combination of colours for the Seto region, and it changed over time to what we wear now (seen on the front page of my website). On the way to Obinitsa, we saw the Puisa caves and sand dunes. I stopped to take some photos because I had been there before but looking at it from a different perspective. It was surrounded by forests but also there was big valleys of sand dunes but they used to mine out of the caves and make glass. There was such a peaceful energy around this area and it was quiet. It still amazes me how everything is still relatively preserved untouched by people, and it's just beautiful to look at. There is such a grandeur in these surroundings and it makes you feel incredibly small. We then kept driving on another ten kilometres or so, and arrived at Obinitsa. We went to the jewellery gallery where mum really wanted to go to that day, and we saw that it was closed. Something I have noticed that people do in Estonia easily phone numbers for you to call so that you can contact the people that run the shops. Mom was somewhat hesitant but I encouraged her to call the person so she did and he shared that he would be back in two hours. He also mentioned another museum that was close by that we should have a look at and we were a bit reluctant to but Oh my gosh I'm so glad we did. More on that later. So once we found out that we had to wait two hours we decided to go and have lunch at the Tarka Talu. It was a farmhouse that was set up and we were told does proper authentic Seto food. When we arrived there we were having a look at the menu and quickly realised that it was not in Northern Estonian language. It was in Seto Estonian. Thankfully there was a lovely young lady there, Johanna, who translated what the menu said and took our orders. When we were trying to decide what to have there was potatoes with chanterelle mushrooms as a source and I asked her if it came with meat. She said no it didn't because the people of Setomaa generally do not mix mushrooms and meat because the mushrooms are seen as a source of protein. I thought this was very interesting and I've never considered that as an aspect of eating but it makes sense. So we ordered the bristles and the mushrooms and I also wanted to try their pancakes with Seto cheese. We basically had a feast. As we were waiting for our food we were wandering around the Talu, taking some pictures and having a look at how they used to live. I still find it fascinating and I'm told there are some people even today, but live this way. Once we could have food I was amazed at how much of it there was, especially the potatoes. It was absolutely delicious and I really enjoyed the mushroom sauce that was on the potatoes. I really like chanterelle mushrooms and I haven't really had much of it since I've been here because I've only just been come in season, but I thought this was a really special meal and I really enjoyed it. Pancakes were incredible they were light and fluffy on the inside but the outside was really crispy and they were somewhat thicker but they were just done beautifully. Once we had our meal I was speaking to Johanna, and she wondered what our connection was to Setomaa. At the time I couldn't remember exactly where we were from but then I asked mum and when I told her where you are from Petseri, she smiled and was a bit excited, I think. Little did I know that sharing this little piece of information word and fold to an incredible conversation later in the day. We left the Talu, with still about an hour to wait until Evar returned back to the gallery so we went to the Obintsa Museum. There was a really lovely lady there that was so helpful for us in many ways, and I am sad that I did not get her name. She was so kind and set mom down to watch a 10 minute video on Leelo singing, which is a traditional way of singing for women, and man I found out, in Setomaa. It is almost like a callback chanting way of singing where the lead singer will say the verse and then the rest of the choir will sing the last line of the verse but they can also do it as a repeat thing and it just sounds absolutely beautiful. As mum was watching the video, I was reading through some of the customs and traditions of Setomaa. One interesting fact that I read that they had arranged marriages for quite some time even into the modern times, but what struck me was that most of them were 24 to 29 years old. I really liked this, and that the young men and women got to have their childhood and some of their early adult use to themselves. Of course this wasn't the case with everyone but the majority of people we're not married at the age of 12 to 16. I also read that Petseri was the heart of Setomaa for a very long period of time. At one point they had the highest population of Estonia in the highest birth rate, but they were also very poor. This statistic that they reported in the years that they reported it in, my great grandmother would have been part of that statistic, and this made me a bit emotional to think that this was the case and I just felt this deep connection to that area and to where I was in that current moment, an experience that I probably will never forget. I kept moving through the museum and then I saw it all…the Rahvariide. The thing that drew me the quickest and first was the Tanu. It is the headpiece that women wear with their national costumes end traditionally if you are a maiden, or a single woman, it is generally a lot more spectacular than someone who is married. I have never seen a traditional Seto Tanu, and I was so excited I had to share that with mum quickly, but I wasn't sure if I could touch it. The lady saw that I was very excited by it and she came over and she put it on me. For me, it was like wearing a crown. For those of you that know me, you know the crowns are very special and significant in my life in many ways for various reasons. I was so excited and felt in awe of having this beautiful Seto crown on my head. I didn't want take it off but I had to of course. I asked the lady if there is a place that I could purchase one of these because this is the last piece that was missing from my folk costume in Australia. It doesn't look like it would be something that is easy to make so of course if it was a possibility I would like to buy one whilst I'm here made by traditional Seto people. She had an idea where I could purchase one from and she made some phone calls since the messages and she discovered that the lady at the Värska museum had some for sale. I was subtly excited about the idea of finally having my own headpiece, or crown as I will now call it, but I didn't want to get too excited yet because I may not like them and they may not have one that I want. So we discussed with her about getting some photos to see if it was worth driving back up to Värska (35 minute drive), as we had just come from there. So we decided whilst we were at the jewellery gallery she would get information and photos of these crowns, and then we would come back and have a look and then decide if we were to make the journey back. So we headed back to the jewellery gallery and discovered that it was indeed open. When we walked in there we were greeted by a really lovely lady who was sharing with us that she is a journalist and a writer, and her husband makes the jewellery. It is our husband that we were most interested in. She was so kind and she brought out her own jewellery collection and spread it out all over the table to show us the beautiful work, and intricacies of this jewellery. She had photo albums of all the different pieces that her husband had made, and encouraged us to sit down, get comfortable, and have a look through the albums. She was very kind and let us touch her jewellery, put it on, and share in the delights of having this connection with Setomaa and its way of life. Historically, the people of Setomaa would wear all the jewellery at different events to show off well and it's traditional to put on as much as you can so it's vital to have an abundance of it. Her husband returned in about 10 minutes after we arrived, with his (I am not exactly sure what he is) off sider, Sean. Mum and Evar Started talking about different jewellery designs and mum started building a custom order based on a piece that she had seen and that she would like. Sean however, was really interested in stories. He was a very curious person and wanted to know the history and how he came to be there, what made this jewellery so special to us and what the story was behind it. It was really interesting being around him because he had a different kind of energy. I won't go into too much detail about it because that's his personal stuff but Needless to say it was interesting having a conversation with someone with Irish origin who is encapsulated by the Estonian way of life, I'm living here with no great plans. Once mum and Evar had designed the jewellery pieces that she wanted, he shared with her that he was hoping to have a finish by the time we go to leave Estonia, and would even bring it to Tallinn before we fly out if we needed to. He then wanted to take us to the other part of the museum which is set up in the old Sauna. In there was a shop with a lot of his handmade work as well as photos of his pieces of jewellery. It was incredible. In there I bought some ribbon that traditionally goes on the back of the crown, and the more colours and ribbon the better. I was not sure what colour I was going to get when I went to the museum so I bought colours that would go with everything. Whilst mom and I were looking around the shop and the gallery, which had more folk costumes from the Seto region, he was playing his accordion and singing to us, some beautiful Seto songs. I thought this was very special, literally being taken on a bit of a guided journey into the way of life of Seto people, including music and singing. This man had a lot of talent in many ways and he was really proud to show these to us and wanted us to connect with it. I was very grateful that I was having this experience and it was so not what I expected when we started today but I am so grateful that we did and I just couldn't believe it. Both mom and I were in or of the people that we had already met, and it's not the end of the story yet. What I did notice though if you tell people that your roots are from Petseri, this is something very special and something that I will treasure, now that I know this, and use it in a way that will really showcase the way that Seto people live, and built some wonderful new connections. Once we left the gallery, we went back to the museum to have a look at the crowns that were in Värska. Once I saw them I decided we had to go back there. But before we did, there was a gentleman who was in the shop just by coincidence, who had already connected with me on Facebook through Johanna. He had sent me some messages which I had a quick look at but because I was involved in a conversation I did not pay too much attention to, but he started explaining to me about a few different things that were in those messages, but in Estonian. Once I realised who he was and what he was kind of saying I put it together and understood. He and mum had a great conversation around our connection to this area and he wanted to know our family name and what happened. Mum shared with him that my Great Grandmother’s name was Anette Ellamaa and my Great Grandfather was Osvald Ellamaa. The freaky thing about this conversation was that he knew exactly where my great grand father was buried. Mum also shared with him that he had received a medal in the army, and this gentleman was very curious as to why he received it and the story behind it. This experience alone, today, really showed me the power of conversation and sharing little bits and pieces of yourself with people, and then some wonderful things can happen. There is a particular power in vulnerability and I'm starting to really see how that works. I was so grateful that this gentleman had connected with me and wanted to know more because he might be the key to unlocking more stories about my Great Grandparents and how they were living here in their history. We made the journey back to the Värska museum, and met a wonderful lady who could not have been more helpful. There was an abundance of Seto craft there, and I did have to restrain myself in many ways not to buy a whole heap of things but keep my focus on what I was really there for. She took the back part of the crown and put it on my head, yet I didn't know that this was in two parts. I was really glad that it was in two parts because it meant that I could get more of the colourful pieces to mix and match. Part of me really wanted to get three different front pieces because then I can put them on my wall and have them as a beautiful decoration, reminding me of the connection that I have to Setomaa, each day. I was trying on different pieces to see what I liked him what suited me but then I asked the lady, what is appropriate for someone that is divorced. She did giggle at me and said that any of the pieces would be absolutely fine. I found a beautiful pink piece that I really enjoyed and I bought this one first. I then saw a brown paste that had a lot of sparkles through it and had the cross design which is iconic for this region. When I put it on I thought to myself that I needed to get that one as well so I did. Then I remembered that there is a slight air of OCD to me, and I needed to get a third piece because I like things in threes. There were three different front pieces that I was tossing up between but in the end, mum help me decide on which one to get. We also discovered that it would be appropriate for mum to wear any one of these pieces but with a different back piece as she's married. Once I decided on the three that I wanted I was very excited and grateful that I was able to have this experience. I then started looking through other things in the shop and discovered that they had some beautiful authentic Seto apron’s for folk costumes. Mum and I looked through some of them and I found one that I really liked and so, as you can guess, I bought one. Once I had the crown and the apron, I felt this sense of completeness. They were the last pieces that I needed for my folk costume that I wear when I do dancing or attend formal Estonian and events. There was also this sense of deep connection to my great grandmother and this sense of pride that I'm able to honour her in this way and reconnecting with the culture and not forgetting where my roots are from. I don't even know if I can put into words how I was feeling in this moment and describe what I was feeling. It is not something I have ever felt before and I I'm excited and humbled at the fact that I am able to do this, travelling around Estonia, collecting what I needed to in order to complete this connection to my roots and to different ways of life. One thing that strikes me about this area is the abundance of forests. Every 100 metres or so I wanted to stop and just be in the forest and soak up all the energy. There's something very mystical about it for us down in this part of and I am so glad that I stopped and took some beautiful photos. Words cannot describe the connection I have to forests, in particular the ones in Estonia, and even more so the ones in Setomaa. I won't say too much on this part of the journey but let my pictures speak and I hope that you can see the majik that I do. Once we had gotten what we needed to here, we started our journey home. Both mom and I decided that today was a very big day and very unintentional with the journey that we took. This is different for me because generally I'm very intentional with my time and how I do things but I am glad that we took this unknown path today because we connected with so many different people. Today's experiences I will hold close to my heart for a very long time, and I cannot wait to see what unfolds in the future, based on the connections that I have made today.
Until tomorrow Marissa xx
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