KAASAEGSE TSIRKUSE TRUPP
BIG WOLF COMPANY
TRADITIONS
And the female role through baltic history
Estonia and the Baltics have a strong ancestral background with old traditions that are somewhat to this day kept in our everyday lives.
The sauna culture stretches across centuries, people are more connected to nature and earth, due to an extensive history of farming and living off the land.
Women have always played a strong role in the household, not just being mothers and caregivers, but also being the head of the households, carrying the role of hosts and financial decision makers.
This has slightly changed from the 19th century, when christianity got more rooted into the Baltic region.
HOME
While in each household man and a woman had a part to play, then in the husband's absence, the wife often took on both roles by default. The lady of the house worked nearly as hard as the man. Often they would continue working right after giving birth, while older women would take over child care.
WEDDING
Weddings were traditionally held in winter — no fieldwork got in the way, and households were at their wealthiest. Weddings typically lasted three to four days and were held during the new moon, believed to bring good fortune.
It was common for the newlyweds to be taken to sleep their first night in the sheep barn.
The groom made the mattress from hay he had personally cut. The bride brought the bedding. No stranger was allowed to sit on or touch the bed, for fear of taking away the couple’s happiness or causing trouble between them.
THE DOWRY CHEST
Back in the day, as soon as a child was born, families began preparing for their future — they would soon grow up, leave home, find a partner (if luck was kind), have a wedding, and eventually become parents themselves.
When a bride left her father’s home, she was given what she needed for her new life: a cow, a few sheep, bedding, clothes, and personal items. These gifts were especially for the bride, to offer “financial” stability.
THE SAUNA
In old Estonia, the sauna was known as “the poor man’s doctor.”
People washed and beat themselves with leafy whisks (bath whisk : made from fresh birch or other branches bundled together ) — but they also gave birth there, healed illnesses, and held family rituals.
Meat was smoked in the sauna. Yarn was dyed. A person entered the world in the sauna… and took their final farewell there too.
In many regions, sauna and wedding went hand in hand. A bride often visited the sauna before her wedding day, and newlyweds might bathe together afterward.
By the etiquette, during whisking, the whipper must call out “Good health!” and the person receiving it replies “Thank you!”
Afterward, everyone must thank the sauna — the steam-thrower, the firestarter, the whisk-bearer — and most importantly, the sauna itself: “Thank you for the good steam!”
One common rule was: no working after sauna. If you broke that, bad luck would follow. Your work would be cursed, not blessed.
BIRCH LORE
At Midsummer bonfires, girls would head home earlier and peek out the windows, waiting to see if someone would bring a birch branch — a sign of romantic intent.
Usually, it was clear who the boy was. But sometimes two (or more!) lads brought birches to the same girl.
If they met outside, there could be a scuffle, and the weaker one had to run off.'
A birch under the window was a clear symbol: the boy wanted to propose - bringing the branch inside? That meant she agreed.
CATTLE AND MIDSUMMERS
On Midsummer night, herds were led three times around the bonfire to ward off illness and misfortune.
Cows wore wreaths made of buttercups and other herbs. They were brought home before sunset and fed “Midsummer hay” for good health.
THE WHISK
The best time to make a sauna whisk was right before or after Midsummer (Jaanipäev), when birch leaves were full and firmly attached.
It was believed that Midsummer birch whisks held special power — especially good for joint pain and sore muscles.
In Võro tradition, people would gather leaves from nine different trees on Midsummer’s Eve to make their whisk.
Whoever was whipped with it — whatever leaf stuck to their body — that leaf would be dried, crushed, and used in love magic.
The person who ate it would fall in love with the one who fed it to them — boy or girl, it didn’t matter.
