St Martin’s Fair: Estophiles and Festivals
Text Susanna Poikela Photos Toomas Dettenborn, Urmas Veersalu
Finland’s largest Estonian cultural festival attracts thousands of visitors every year.
The Tuglas Society’s St Martin’s Fair has grown from a small Estophile meeting in the 1980s into Finland’s largest Estonia-themed cultural festival. The first market was held in 1983 on the premises of the Finnish Literature Society. There were a few sales tables and a café. Long-time event activist and non-fiction author Tapio Mäkeläinen recalls how the cultural event began to expand gradually. He has taken part in every St Martin’s Fair organised by the Tuglas Society.
“In the early years, visitors were mainly Finnish Estophiles and friends of Estonia. Performers included, for example, Lasse Liemola, whose wife is from Setomaa, as well as M.A. Numminen and Pedro Hietanen. At that time, guests from Estonia could not yet be invited. Only towards the end of the 1980s did the situation begin to change,” Mäkeläinen recalls.
Although the event has become commercialised and now attracts more than ten thousand visitors, Mäkeläinen believes it has succeeded in preserving something of its original spirit: “People come to the St Martin’s Fair to enjoy themselves for several hours and to meet old acquaintances.”
Today, choirs and folk-dance groups from Finnish Estonian communities participate, joined by Estonian authors and cultural guests, artists, and Estonian entrepreneurs presenting their products and services.
The Director of the Tuglas Society, Jaana Vasama, describes the cultural festival’s decades-long growth as so extensive that preparations begin in January. Its expansion has required a new approach to organisation. Sandwiches are no longer prepared for performers by volunteers, nor are guests hosted in private homes as before. However, the event still relies strongly on collaboration and collective effort.
“Unfortunately, resources have decreased significantly. Within two years, the Tuglas Society has faced cuts amounting to €115,000, and we have only three full-time employees. This year we are testing a voluntary entrance fee. If every visitor donated even one euro, the festival’s future would look much brighter,” Vasama says.
In addition to cultural programming, food, handicrafts and travel tips, encounters are also central: “Finns are genuinely interested in Estonian culture.”
CULTURAL PROGRAMME OF THE
ST MARTIN’S FAIR—KOIDULA HALL
SATURDAY 15 NOVEMBER
10:15 Opening of the cultural festival. Jaana Vasama, Director of the Tuglas Society, and Urmas Veersalu (Eesti Rookoondis), creator of the world’s largest crown himmeli
10:30 Kantele player Eva Väljaots
11:00 Children’s theatre Rõõmulill. Estonian-language Martinmas play “Mart läheb katri ja Kadri läheb marti”
11:30 Estonian Ambassador Janne Jõesaar-Ruusalu. Interviewed by Marjo Näkki
12:00 Competitive dancers from Dance Sport Club Lumets
12:30 Maimu Berg at 80. Short story collection “Stalin Tallinnassa” (Finnish translation by Heidi Iivari). Interviewed by Sirpa Kähkönen
13:00 Mixed choir Siller of Finnish Estonians
13:30 Current affairs from Estonia. Helsingin Sanomat Finland–Estonia correspondent Kaja Kunnas and journalist Marjo Näkki
14:00 Tallinn Trumpet Ensemble
14:30 Juhani Salokannel and Sirpa Kähkönen discuss A.H. Tammsaare’s works and the latest Finnish translation “Hornanperän uusi paholainen”
15:00 Finnish–Estonian dance group Ülelahedad
15:30 40 years of the St Martin’s Fair. Reflections and future visions with Tapio Mäkeläinen, Director Jaana Vasama, and Chair of the Tuglas Society Satu Grünthal
16:00 Tallinn Trumpet Ensemble
16:30 Carolina Pihelgas: Rajalinja (Finnish trans. Anniina Ljokkoi). Interviewed by Ella Kanninen
17:00 That Band from Finland—communal singing
18:00 End of the first festival day
SUNDAY 16 NOVEMBER
10:15 Helsinki Estonian Music Studio
11:00 Children’s theatre Rõõmulill. Estonian-language Martinmas play
11:30 Authors Kätlin Vainola (Toivon puu, trans. Hannu Oittinen), Mika Keränen (Karmea koiravarkaus, trans. Kaisu Lahikainen) and translator Katariina Suurpalo discuss new Finnish translations of Estonian children’s literature
12:00 Allan and Lukas Vainola perform
12:30 Challenges and opportunities in tourism on the Finnish–Estonian eastern border. Discussion with Mikko Virta (Ida-Viru County), Mikko Kiirikki (Kotka–Hamina) and Heikki Nenonen
13:00 Helsinki Estonian Women’s Choir
13:30 Historians Helena Sepp and Heikki Rausmaa discuss Mart Laar’s Metsäveljistä (Finnish trans. Petteri Aarnos) and the Estonian Forest Brothers
14:00 Heidi Iivari’s bilingual poetry programme “Greetings from Tartu!”
14:30 Estonian design discussed by Tero Leponiemi (LAB Institute of Design) and Ruth Melioranski (Estonian Academy of Arts)
15:00 Allan and Lukas Vainola perform
15:30 Joonas Sildre’s graphic novel “Kahden sävelen välissä” (Finnish trans. Kaisu Lahikainen) about Arvo Pärt. Interviewed by Risto Nordell
16:00 Finnish–Estonian dance groups Helsingi Helmed and Lahepere—joint dancing
16:30 Himmeli handover to Kaapelitehdas
17:00 Festival closes
A Window Into Estonia for 40 Years!
Founded in 1982, the Tuglas Society is Finland’s oldest and largest Estonia association. It has played a central role in promoting Estonian culture, language and society in Finland.
The Society organises cultural events, exhibitions and trips, and publishes the cultural magazine Elo. Elo presents Finnish and Estonian people, phenomena, literature and art that enrich cultural exchange between the two countries.
Although based in Helsinki, the Tuglas Society has members and events across Finland, currently numbering around 2800. For anyone interested in Estonia—be it the language, arts or travel—the Society is the ideal starting point.
“For 40 years, the cornerstones of the Tuglas Society have been language courses, cultural trips and our quarterly magazine Elo. The Society offers in-depth knowledge of Estonia and connections to all sectors of Estonian cultural life,” says Director Jaana Vasama.
To learn more about this and similar topicsCable Factory culture festival events events in Helsinki Mardi laat Martin Markkinat St Martin’s Fair
