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EveryParampara

Traditions of Tallinn

A medieval Baltic city where the Song Festival gathers tens of thousands, and Midsummer Jaaniõhtu is celebrated with bonfires.

Tallinn is the capital of Estonia, a country known for its Singing Revolution. The Song Festival, laulupidu, held every five years, brings tens of thousands of singers to a bowl-shaped stage. Midsummer, on 23 June, is marked with bonfires, wreaths and swings. The city's medieval old town is well preserved.

Tallinn: Aerial view of Tallinn Old Town
Photo: Hiiumaamudeliklubi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Song Festival and Jaaniõhtu

In the Song Festival, a choir of about thirty thousand sings before an audience of tens of thousands. The tradition, inscribed by UNESCO, began in 1869. On Jaaniõhtu, families go to the country, light bonfires, and jump over them for luck, and wear flower wreaths. Estonians also keep the sauna tradition.

At the table

Black rye bread, sour cream, smoked fish, blood sausage, verivorst, and sauerkraut are served at Christmas. Kama, a mix of ground grains, and Kalev chocolates are loved. Kohuke, curd snack, and Vana Tallinn liqueur are popular. Soup, supp, is eaten daily.

Signature traditions of Tallinn

Also part of it, and being written: Estonian Song Festival (The song festival.), Jaaniõhtu (The midsummer.), Verivorst (The blood sausage.), Kama (The grain mix.).

A trail idea for Tallinn

  1. Town Hall Square See the market.
  2. Telliskivi Creative City See modern craft.
  3. Song Festival Grounds Visit the bowl.
About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, markets and festival dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

KindSpiritualFestivalRite of passageTable customSeasonalDressPerformanceEtiquetteCraftGameFolkloreHomeCeremony
MealBreakfastLunchDinnerSupperTea-time and snacking customsTea, coffee and drinking ceremoniesSweets given and sharedFeasts and festival mealsFasting and breaking the fast
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Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly EveryParampara

Every week: one tradition from somewhere new, what is being celebrated around the world this week, and one idea explained.