Estonia

I could start writing about Tallinn, but I´m not going to. That will be for another day.

My trip to Estonia was a very spiritual one. Estonia is small and does things in a low-key way. Imagine my surprise then, when I discovered that the fourth largest lake in Europe, Lake Peipsi is in Estonia.

The Estonian shore of this immense lake is dotted with little Old Believer villages and I was privileged to meet some of these fascinating people.

Way back in 1666, the Russian church schismed when the then Patriarch Nikon introduced reforms. The Russian texts, form of blessing oneself, rules for bowing and spelling of Christ’s name were all to be changed. Those who did not accept the changes were persecuted and killed. Many were forced to flee.
These Old Believers or “starovery” found their way to territories not under Russian power, so Estonia was perfect given that it was during that time ruled by Sweden.

Old Believers villages follow a particlar pattern – there is only one street. The shore-line of Lake Peipsi has mile after mile of these quaint little one-street villages. The worship house is usually the biggest building in the village and most are painted brightly in yellows, blues and pinks.

For Old Believers, people of other faiths are seen as “aliens” but they have never been into forcing their beliefs on non-believers. They are more interested in preserving their own faith. Hence, they have lived in relative peace for centuries (except for the continuing persecution of those living in Russian held areas).

Old Believers preserve many long-held traditions and the most important of these is hospitality. Even if that means being hospitable to a person like me – a gay Roman Catholic! Our arrival in the village provoked the immediate suspicion and interest of the inhabitants. Children came running over to say hello to these foreigners. Net curtains twitched as Old Believer desperate housewives got a good luck at the new arrivals.

One woman was braver than the others, and invited us into her house to show us her beautiful icon of Saint Nicholas. She blessed herself with two fingers rather than the three now used in the Orthodox world. Next she showed us her pride and joy – a huge, ornamental samovar. She offered us tea and we noticed that none of the family touched any of the plates or utensils that we used. Later we discovered that it is a sin for them to share tableware or utensils with aliens.

Our visit to this region culminated with a dinner in the village of Kolkja. Here there was a little restaurant called the “Kolkja Kala Ja Sibularestoran” or Kolkja First and Onion Restaurant. It was like two worlds crashing into each other at 150kph. Four gay men and two Old Believer female waiters. I would love to have heard the conversations in the kitchen that day. Anyway, the food was amongst the freshest that I have ever tasted. The houses around the restaurant had long onion beds running right down to the lake – so I guess this is why it was a fish and onion restaurant.

Estonians are not ostentatious and in a world so accustomed to sensory overload, it would be easy to simply miss Estonia altogether. Estonia forces you to retrain your senses and be open to the subtleties of the world. A birch forest by a small lake, a yellow painted farmouse with a horse in a field, a beautiful sunset. You should go an enjoy.