Today is Hingedepäev / All Souls' Day in Estonia. This is one of my favourite ancient Estonian traditions as it's a day on which we reflect and honour the memory of our departed ancestors and loved ones. Hingedepäev is the day of spirits when it is believed that the veil between the living and that of the dead is at its thinnest. On this day, it is customary to visit the cemetery or to light candles at home to welcome the spirits. My home will be aglow from dusk this evening. Head Hingedepäev!
The Church of the Holy Spirit in Tallinn is a medieval Lutheran church built in the 13th century. The church is located near the famous Café Maiasmokk in Tallinn’s Old Town and is unique for several historical and architectural reasons. The Church of the Holy Spirit is the smallest medieval church in Tallinn and originally functioned as a hospital and almshouse chapel for the poor.
During medieval times, the church was the main sanctuary for common townspeople. After the Reformation, the first sermons in the Estonian language (instead of German) were held here.
Oldest Church Bell: The tower holds Tallinn's oldest church bell, dating back to 1433, which features a unique historic inscription.
Bernt Notke Altar: The interior houses a famous 1483 double-winged main altarpiece carved by the renowned Lübeck master Bernt Notke, depicting the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles.
First Estonian Book: In 1535, the church's pastor, Johann Koell, published a catechism here that is considered the first-ever printed book in the Estonian language.
Balthasar Russow, the famous Estonian chronicler, was a pastor at the Church of the Holy Spirit from 1563 until his death in 1600. He published The Chronicle of Livonia in 1578.
The Facade Clock: This elaborately carved and painted wooden clock was created by Christian Ackermann in the year 1684. The clock is Tallinn's oldest public timepiece and still works today.
The Holy Spirit Church is part of Tallinn’s Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is one of the city’s most important medieval ecclesial buildings.
Karl Erik Nazarov is Estonia's fastest man of all time. He holds the Estonian national outdoor record in the 100-metre sprint, with a time of 10.18 seconds, which he set on June 16, 2023 at the Heino Lipp Memorial in Jõhvi, Estonia. Karl also holds the national indoor record for the 60-metre sprint at 6.55 seconds.
Karl is the son of my cousin Natalja and I am so proud that he has achieved this title. It's a great accomplishment. As a young boy Karl dreamed of being an athlete like his uncle Andrei. A former decathlete, Andrei competed in the Olympic Games twice in addition to the World Championships and was a trainer and mentor for young Karl. Today there are two Nazarovs who have left their mark on Estonian sport and there may be a third in the future. Karl became a father for the first time last month and I'm sure little Franz will receive a lot of encouragement from his father and great uncle to reach his full potental.
Estonians love their dark rye bread. It's a daily staple that accompanies most meals. Here is an easy to follow recipe to make Estonian rye bread.
The Born from Culture project is a global series of short documentary films and videos created by Australian choreographer and director James Fenwick. The project combines traditional dance, native costume, and historic landscapes with contemporary music to make cultural heritage feel current, powerful and tangible.
This video about Estonia showcases Estonians love for song, dance and sauna!
October 20 is European Statistic Day and to mark the occasion here are some fascinating facts about Estonia compared to the EU average.
Estonia is successfully advancing its energy transition with the latest figures revealing Estonia now ranks 4th in the World Economic Forum's Energy Transition Index (ETI). Estonia outranked major industrial and economic powers such as Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. The World Economic Forum's Energy Transition Index (ETI) 2026, produced in collaboration with Accenture, evaluated 120 countries across 44 indicators. Despite record annual global energy investment reaching $3.3 trillion, energy transition progress is fragmenting as geopolitical tensions, infrastructure bottlenecks and rising energy demand expose vulnerabilities in the global transition. Overall, 56% of countries improved their ETI scores in 2026.
Successfully cultivating lavender in Estonia is considered a unique triumph due to the country's harsh northern climate. Natively a Mediterranean plant, lavender thrives in full sun for at least 8 - 10 hours a day and dry soil. Estonian farmers have proven that with proper care like mulching and frost protection, lavender can be successfully grown in Estonia.
There are two main lavender farms in Estonia. The Hiiumaa Lavender Farm (Lavendlitalu) and Sootsu Lavender Farm (Sootsu Lavendel).
Hiiumaa Lavender Farm is located on the edge of the Kärdla meteorite crater in Western Estonia. The farm features roughly 20,000 plants across nearly 1 hectare and produces organic goods like lavender lotions, balms, tea, jam, soap and honey.
Sootsu Lavender Farm is located in Hatu küla (Lääne-Harju vald) in Northern Estonia. Sootsu Lavender Farm is the largest in Estonia spanning 1.5 hectares with nearly 12,000 Hidcote Blue English lavender plants. The farm offers guided tours and handmade natural products.
Growing lavender has become increasingly popular in Estonia, not only with commercial farmers but also private gardeners who value the plant's alluring scent and medicinal properties. Lavender is a perennial plant that regrows every year with proper pruning and care.
Before traffic lights were built in Estonia, traffic was manually regulated by the police. On the 1st of April 1929, Anton Arumäe was appointed Tallinn’s first traffic police officer. It took the police considerable time to acquire the necessary skills and experience to carry out this role. For a long time, speed was estimated by eye only, and later measured using a stopwatch and special speed charts. Traffic accidents were an inevitable part of the rapidly developing traffic environment.
Speeding was often cited as the primary cause of accidents. However, the speed limit was quite low; passenger cars and motorcycles were not permitted to exceed 25 km/h in the city centre.
One of the major issues police had was frequent drunk driving. The streets of the Old Town, particularly the narrow section of Viru Street, Town Hall Square, Nunne and Mündi streets were considered very dangerous. Many accidents also occurred on Pärnu maantee, which experienced heavy use by people from rural areas.
The first red, yellow and green traffic light in Tallinn was installed in 1947 at the intersection of Pärnu maantee and Suur-Karja tänav. The first pedestrian traffic lights in Tallinn were introduced in 1959. They were installed at the busy intersection of Pärnu mnt, Estonia pst and Freedom Square.
Estonia’s first official postage stamps were issued on the 22nd of November 1918, shortly after the end of World War I. They were known as the 'Flower Design Series' and had nominal values of 5 and 15 kopecks. The stamps were printed by the Bölau Printing House in Nõmme.
Estonia's first stamps featuring the Tallinn skyline (part of the Tallinn Skyline definitive series) were released on the 4th of May 1920. The stamps were designed by Eduard Poland and were printed until 1924.
The yellow 25 penni stamp was the most popular in the series with a total print run of 4,939,000. The Tallinn Skyline stamp series is a valued collection among philatelists.
Colourised photo of Harju Street. The intersection of Niguliste and Kullassepa streets in 1905. On the left stands the Writers' House, and on the right, the monument to Eduard Vilde.
The building on the corner belonged to Adolf Klaff who once owned Tallinn’s oldest stationery and office supply business. He established his business in 1883 at Harju Street 20, and in 1938, the business moved to Harju Street 21.
Harju Street was one of Tallinn’s oldest streets for merchants and artisans. From the 19th century onwards, the city's commercial life began to concentrate there, and by the early years of the Republic of Estonia, it had gradually developed into one of the city's most important business districts.
Many of the buildings on Harju street were destroyed or severely damaged during the Soviet bombing raids of March 1944 but we have these old photographs to remind us how they once were.
Jägala Waterfall is the widest natural waterfall in Estonia. Located 25km east of Tallinn, the waterfall is approximately 8 metres high and more than 50 metres wide. During winter Jägala Waterfall is a fascinating sight to see when the water freezes and becomes a glistening ice wall with large icicles. Sometimes a tunnel is formed during the freezing months between the wall of the waterfall and the ice hanging down the edge of the waterfall.
Mushroom season is in full swing in Estonia. Between the months of July and October Estonians love to head to the forest to pick mushooms. Seenelkäik / foraging mushrooms has often been described as a national sport in Estonia and is a deep-rooted cultural ritual. There are over 7000 species of mushrooms in Estonia with 400 of them considered edible.
Last year over 100 tons of fresh or chilled mushrooms were exported from Estonia with a total value of 834 451 euros. Most of the mushrooms reached Sweden, Finland and Germany. The most popular mushrooms were chanterelles (93 867 kg). They're so delicious!
Grandparents' Day (Vanavanemate päev) is celebrated on the second Sunday of September in Estonia. As of 1st January 2026, 330,291 people living in Estonia proudly held the title of grandparent. Here are some interesting facts about grandparents in Estonia.
