Get Hot and Wild this Week in Estonia

In this weeks edition:

Viljandi Winter Folk Dance Festival

WILD FOCUS: Wild Organic Tea

VILJANDI WINTER FOLK DANCE FESTIVAL

Estonians know how to enjoy themselves in any sort of weather and you can see this for yourself in the town of Viljandi this week as Viljandi County will be celebrating its 13th Winter Folk Dance Festival. This years theme is ’Hotter than Ash’ (Estonian: Tuhast Tulisem). The most popular event of the festival is the ühistants when hundreds of people come together to dance Estonian Folk Dances in the centre of Viljandi. This happens on Saturday 11th of February and so far over 700 dancers both young and old have registered. Even the County Mayor will be dancing.

Photo by Ülar Mändmets

This is an outdoor event and no matter what the temperature may be outside you will see people wearing their Estonian traditional clothing such as colourful woolen skirts and long, black ’Mulgi’ jackets with beautiful red stitchwork. Please be aware though that this is not a performance, but a real community event, so not everyone will be dressed in traditional clothing.

Photo by Ülar Mändmets

All the dancing will happen on Vabaduse Plats (English: Freedom Square) which is the main parade square in front of the County Government building and the Tourist Infomation Centre. The event will start though at the nearby Pärimusmuusika Ait (English: The Estonian Traditional Music Centre) with traditional music workshops in the morning. At 14:30 all the dancers will gather at the Pärimusmuusika Ait before they parade along the road leading to Vabaduse Plats.

Twelve simple folk dances have been chosen by the organisers so that everyone can join in. The music for these dances can be heard here. For more information about this event, please contact Viljandi Tourist Information Centre.

WILD FOCUS: WILD ORGANIC TEA

Winter may be a beautiful time of the year, but unfortunately it is also the most common time for people to catch a cold or the flu. Drinking plenty of hot tea with honey is the most popular remedy here for normal colds and flu. The interesting thing about tea in Estonia is the incredible variety that can be found in shops and kitchen cupboards.

Flowers of the linden tree (Tilia cordata)

Regular black and green teas are common, but so are herbal teas such as peppermint, rose-hip, hawthorn, lemon balm and linden flower. Special blends created to improve your health or your mood are also commonly available. Often, people grow their own herbal teas at home or at their country summer house. Plants like peppermint (Mentha x piperita) and linden (Tilia cordata) are easy to grow and fresh peppermint tea is one of the most popular hot drinks in Estonia. It can also be found growing wild in the forest and a cup of hot, wild peppermint tea is a nice way to end a morning of summer berry picking or bird watching.

Peppermint (Mentha x piperita)

The Organic Energy Farm (Estonian: Energia Ökotalu) is one of the better known organic tea farms operating in Estonia. The farm is located in the middle of Estonia, which means that it is close to all the main Estonian cities and towns. In warmer months it is usually possible to visit one of these farms and even create your own personal tea blend. Energia Ökotalu offers special herb tours to visitors but also has a variety of accommodation packages available throughout the year. This allows you to gain a fuller experience of the tastes, smells and health benefits that come from fresh organic herbs and teas.

Energia Talu field