Häid jõule

Although Estonians love a white Christmas, when I spent my first winter here, I was warned that it isn’t guaranteed, more like a 50/50 chance.

Although it snowed early in December, after the IceSwim festival the snow melted away. Although the weather quickly went cold again, the only snow was small clumps in suburban corners, where the snow had been cleared and left in a big heap. 

That changed suddenly on the 23rd, when the snow began to fall in the early hours. I know this because I left a window open. I woke up wondering what the dripping sounds were and got out of bed to step in a tiny snow drift.

By today, Christmas Eve, the city was wrapped up in a lovely snowy cover. At noon, Christmas peace was declared across Estonia, a tradition that dates almost four hundred years.

The sun came out as if to celebrate the day with us. We had a traditional market meal of sausages with sauerkraut and potatoes at the Christmas Market in Town Hall Square along with a bracing cup full of mulled fruity wine.

The Estonian word for Christmas is the pre-Christian jõulud, an ancient Scandinavian word related to English “yule”. Here, the winter solstice is celebrated from the 21st to the 25th, when the sun is said to be rising once again. 

The Christmas tree at Town Hall Square dates back to 1441, when we have documentation from the Brotherhood of the Black Heads, a medieval guild, who paid musicians to play music on the 25th of December next to Christmas tree decorated with white paper roses.

The Christmas dinner, eaten on Christmas Eve, is to be left on the table and the fire burning all night, so that the ancestors can visit the house. Traditional, too, is a Christmas Eve sauna.

I’m pretty sure I can manage all of that.

We are having steak braised in chili sauce with charred corn and a brown butter cornbread crust, which is most assuredly not traditional but promises to be delicious.

I hope that you have a wonderful holiday season and that you are able to spend time with those that you love.