Day 44 - Unexpected Delights

​Today we started off on our journey to another little village in Setomaa. We had heard from some of the other ladies in our group that we were going to be driving through Russia. This idea made a lot of us a bit nervous and we really didn't want to do it, but our guide reassured us that it was safe and it would be OK. We were all still a bit nervous but we did it anyway because it would have taken an extra hour almost to get to where we had to go. Once we were safely back in Estonia, and arrived at the Talu we would be up for the day we started to get a bit excited.

We were met by our teacher who is going to give us some lessons on Seto Croche. Before she started teaching us, she showed us an abundance of her collection of all the things that she had made, including her Masters project which was a dress that had crochet flowers all over it. Our teacher had won the competition at Kingdom Day many times and she is thought to be one of the Masters of this craft. She told us she has been doing this since she was 16, and I was very impressed with the variations and how what she does can be applied to different elements of national costumes, particularly from this region. What I did notice was, there was a lot of red throughout all of the designs and patterns. After a little bit of time and more showing of her work, we started to do our own double thread crochet. I was not going to attempt the design and pattern that she had given us. I have never done this technique before so I thought I would just keep it really simple, and just do one long chain. It turns out the people from Setomaa still have their roots deeply connected in paganism. They often will wear a red something around their wrists in their ankles to keep bad energy away and to keep good energy in. I was talking with our leader, Kulli, and she was saying that they're almost like Seto protection chains, the things that I was making. I really liked that and so the first one that I made I put on my left ankle. This one had several loose knots and it wasn't until right at the end I realised how to keep the knots tight. So when I did the next one that I put on my right ankle, it looks a lot better and has a lot more tightened knots in it. I really like the sentiment of the fact that I made this chains in Setomaa, and I put them on here, and I really hope that they don't break over the next year until I can come back here again. The technique that she was teaching wasn't overly complicated but I did have trouble starting off and new chain. I was pretty impressed with myself given the fact that I have never done this before, or looked at the technique, so I had to watch notice how the other ladies were holding the threat in their hands, so that I could try and mimic that as a way of making it a little bit easier.

​After a little bit of time our teacher agreed to show mum how to dress as a married Seto woman. She showed us the braids that they use to make their heads look squirrel and how to tie that up in relation to the headscarf that they were. She showed us how to tie it up particularly in a certain way so that everything stays in place. She then showed me how to attach the braided belt,  which i thought was really beautiful and i would really like one, or learn how to make it. Like in every Estonian custom and tradition you have to make sure you are appropriate with what you're wearing and how you're wearing it, so right now that would not be appropriate for me to wear the braided band. Once she had finished doing mums headdress she put one of her aprons on her. What I really liked about the costume was the detailing at the bottom of the headscarf, which went down her back and almost closer to her knees. It was a mix of embroidery in crochet and weaving altogether. To be a good Estonian woman you need to understand and know various different handicrafts, is what i am beginning to understand.

​Once we had finished doing the crochet for the day we were asked to go into her house. There, she was teaching us how to make Seto cheese, which is made in a very specific way and with very specific ingredients. She was telling us that it can only be from this region and be called this specific cheese come on if all the ingredients from this area. It was only a few simple ingredients including milk, eggs, butter, caraway seeds and salt. The process itself is relatively quick, but it's very labour intensive, requiring you to stir a lot and consistently, so that the bottom of it the pan doesn't start to burn and the cheese cooks evenly. Once the cheese was made she put it onto a plate and she was putting it down and we got to have it whilst it was still warm. It was absolutely delicious and I am grateful that we got to have this experience especially whilst it was still warm, it tasted really good. I have never had this chase before until I came to Estonia this time and now I'm really glad that I got to see how it was made. Like anything in Estonia that's really good requires a lot of patience and is a labour of love.

After we had made all the cheese, he went and sat down so we could go and eat it. We had the cheese and some bread as an entre, and then she brought out the most incredible home cooked meal. We had some amazing slow cooked chicken, mashed potato with all these delicious things in it, fresh vegetables straight from her garden and a few other bits and pieces. She had prepared an amazing amount of food and it was so good, it was so nice to have a home cooked meal which came straight from her garden. After we had a now lunch, she had made the most incredible chocolate malteser cake I don't even know how to explain it. On top she had put some red currants, which really helped cut through the sweetness and I really liked this cake.

​After lunch, we went back to the workshop and then she started teaching us how to make some Seto dolls. She showed us some examples and then ran through the process of how one is made. She gave each of us a different job so that we could help each other build these dolls. I had the task of cutting out all of the dresses that were going to go on top. Once I had finished doing that, which took about an hour or so, I went back to the group and started making my own doll. It was a really fun afternoon because everyone was just laughing and talking, and really helping each other out in various ways. By the time I had finished my doll, I felt it was more of a group project than an individual one. There were so many elements for different people had helped me, because I started late due to cutting out the dresses. The other reason being that I have never done anything like this before or had much experience in sewing or creating. I was really grateful to the ladies around me, and gentlemen, that were able to help me so that I would be able to finish my doll. Once we had all finished we lined them up on the stairs, and took some really cute photos. I was joking around that they look creepy but they didn't really. I shared a story with the group that Danae and I, used to get one of grandma's dolls, that was particularly creepy, and we used to put it at the end of each others beds or somewhere in the room overnight so we could scare each other. They told me that they I had a lot more creepy dolls now that I can use to do this. It was funny when we were taking all the photos of the dolls sitting up on the steps, it looked like they were these little famous people and we were the papparazi. Mum also bought a book, that she has been wanting for a while, we found out that our teacher was the lead project manager on this book. It was really nice to be able to connect with the people that created it and to get it directly from them.

​Once we were ready, we moved on to the place where we were going to have dinner. We went to a Talu, where a lady and her family prepared a wonderful traditional Seto meal. It was fish and potatoes, with a few other things, and it was really good. After we had received our meals and before we started eating, she came out with the most adorable little mushrooms, and put some on everyone's plate. It was really nice having some deeper conversations over dinner with some of the people that I was on this tour with. I learned a bit about Austria and Germany and what happened after the war, in relation to schooling and people's experience. I also learned that they did talk about what happened in Nazi Germany, with the school children in Germany, and especially when they go into the army. I would hope the aim here is that it doesn't happen again.

​Once we had finished there we made our way back to our accommodation. We drove back through Russia and then back to Värska. It was a nice evening and I decided to go to the lake again, and have a swim. It was a little bit cold but that was OK. When I go back to the room after a little bit, there was the most beautiful sunset I had seen in a long time. There were so many purples and pinks in the sunset and I'm glad that I got a photo of it.

Today was a really good day and I'm grateful for the experiences that I had I look forward to seeing what happens tomorrow.
Until the next post
Marissa xx