Folklorist says Halloween will not displace Estonian traditions

Halloween will not automatically push Estonian traditions out of the calendar, folklorist Marju Kõivupuu said in an interview on R2’s morning programme, as reported by ERR. People decide which rituals they continue to observe, she said.

“No holiday pushes another one out by itself; these are choices people make,” Kõivupuu said. She added that she is interested in how people make those choices.

Religious groups have often labelled the rituals of other faiths, Kõivupuu said. She noted that Christianity adopted and adapted observances linked to the old Day of Souls and the honouring of the dead.

Halloween also has roots in pre-Christian Celtic customs, she said. Germanic Christians later adopted the tradition, which is now known in Estonia as a commercial, entertainment-focused children’s holiday that reached Europe from the United States. Irish people once carved lanterns from turnips and rutabagas in Europe, but switched to pumpkins in America, where they were more practical to use.

Kõivupuu said beliefs about the dead returning to the world during the dark autumn and winter period are found across cultures. Masking was linked to the idea that the spirits of deceased ancestors might come back and take the living with them.

Traditions survive when people develop them, she said. The Estonian Folk Lore Council is working to have the country’s mardisant and kadrisant traditions added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Holidays appear in shops earlier

Marketing also helps drive holiday celebrations, with international companies offering ready-made ways to mark them. Estonian confectionery makers have also tried to sell special treats for children taking part in kadrisant customs, but lack the global reach of major companies.

Retailers are putting holiday goods on shelves earlier, Kõivupuu said, recalling seeing Christmas trees and elves in a hardware store in early September.