Visiting Seto. A people without writing, but with a rich culture. Setu people: between Russia and Estonia Culture and religion

It’s not easy to believe, but on the territory of Russia there are still peoples who do not have their own written language. Moreover we're talking about not about some tribes in Chukotka or Far East, but about Europe itself. In the Pskov region, on the border with Estonia, there is a small Seto people with a unique culture that has absorbed a lot from Estonians and Russians, but has preserved its customs and traditions from ancient times. In total, 200 people belonging to this nation live in Russia. I recently visited Seto.

2. The Seto estate museum (emphasis on the first syllable) is located in the Pechora district of the Pskov region in the village of Sigovo. Here, in the estate, the life of a farm family from the early 20th century has been preserved.

3. Seto (or setu) - unique people. They are called half-believers or Orthodox Estonians, they acquired their faith in the Pechora Monastery, but there are still a lot of rituals and beliefs in their lives that have remained from ancient times. For example, Seto do not say swear words, believing that this calls dark forces. There are no swear words in the Seto language, the worst word is kure, damn. They also have preserved wooden idols - Peko.
The charming hostess of the Malle estate will tell you about all this and the culture of the Seto people.

4. The Seto were mainly farmers and practiced agriculture. Agricultural tools have been preserved on the territory of the estate.

5. This huge toothed circle is a horse-drawn flax mill. The flax mill was made by Seto men after seeing an advertising picture in a German magazine.

6. This is how the flax mill worked.

7. Let's go into the house. Life was simple and modest. In the women's part of the house there was always a loom; all the girls knew how to knit mittens, weave and embroider.

8. Pagan motifs were used in embroidery. The red color protected from evil spirits and the evil eye.

9. A hanging cradle, a simple bed, photographs of the estate’s residents on the walls.

10. Women's jewelry was made from silver, mainly from coins. In the center of Malle's chest hangs a fibula, a traditional silver decoration. Total weight jewelry on a woman could amount to several kilograms.

11. In front of us, Malle prepared with stories a traditional dish Seto people - warm cheese. It is prepared from milk and cottage cheese. It turns out to be a very tasty and nutritious dish.

Photographs cannot convey a special conversation; here video comes to our aid. Watch this short video, hear, see, and at the same time find out where the expression “like cheese rolling in butter” came from.

12. It is very important that while preparing food no one even accidentally says bad words, otherwise the food will not be tasty.

13. The Seto try to preserve their culture; they hold the “Setommaa” festival. Family Meetings”, which is attended by guests from neighboring Estonia. About 10,000 Seto people live there. One of the customs is the selection of King Seto.

14. We visited a very interesting place. If you are in the Pskov region or somewhere nearby, be sure to visit this estate, you won’t regret it.

Thank you Malle for your hospitality!

Tour partners in the Pskov region:

An ethnographic group of Estonians in the southeast of Estonia and in the Pechora district of the Pskov region. Orthodox believers... Big encyclopedic Dictionary

An ethnographic group of Estonians in the southeast of Estonia and in the Pechora district of the Pskov region. Orthodox believers. * * * SETU SETU, an ethnic group of Estonians (see ESTONians), live in the Pechora district of the Pskov region of Russia and in the southeastern ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

An ethnic group of Estonians (See Estonians), living in the southeast of the Estonian SSR and in the Pechora district of the Pskov region of the RSFSR. The language of S. is a special dialect of the Võru South Estonian dialect. Orthodox believers. In the material and spiritual culture of S... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

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- (Sanskrit R â ma setu = Rama's bridge) an air bridge built for Rama by his commander Nale, the son of Vishwakarma, to cross his army to the island of Lanka (Ceylon). This name is given to a series of rocks in the strait between the mainland and Ceylon, which... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

kosetu- (Mong.) corset. Ol kozіne k ө s e t p e y і n sh e senbeytugyn adam (Mong.) …

musetu- (Turikm.: Red, Zheb., Ashkh., Tej.) kanagat etu, kanagattanu. B ugan d a m u s e t p e y s i n b e? (Turikm., Ashkh.). Ol aldyna otyrganda da m u s e t p e y, nomіrli oryn tabyn dedi (“Karabugaz.”, 06/7/1937) … Kazak tilinin aimaktyk sozdigi

- (Setubal), a city and port in Portugal, on Atlantic coast, administrative center of the district of Setúbal. Over 80 thousand inhabitants. Fish canning, chemical, engineering, cork processing industries; winemaking. * * * SETUBAL SETUBAL… … encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Setúbal), a city in Portugal, 41 km to the SE. from Lisbon, to the north. the shore of a deep estuary with access to Atlantic Ocean. 91 thousand inhabitants (2001). On the hills of the left bank there are the ruins of the Roman city of Setobriga, which was destroyed in 412 AD... ... Geographical encyclopedia

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Seto (Setu) - an ethnographic group of Estonians living in the border zone of Estonia and in the Pechora district of the Pskov region and created their own original culture: speaks a special dialect of Estonian, according to national clothes and Orthodox customs is close to Russians and Belarusians.

The Setos call their place of compact residence Setomaa - “land of Seto”. Setomaa is a borderland between several cultures. Traditions common to the Volga-Finnish, Baltic-Finnish and Slavic peoples have been preserved here to this day.

On Seto land, for a long time the Chud tribes coexisted with the Slavs - the Krivichs, and in difficult times peasants from the east and west came here. There was an active migration of Estonians fleeing German and Swedish landowners, and Russians fleeing the oppression of the Moscow tsars and the church (west bank Lake Peipsi populated mainly by Old Believers). Some refugees from Russia converted to Lutheranism, and the Setos, who came under the influence of the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery, became Orthodox. They were called half-believers (poluwernikud) for the mixture of Russian and Estonian features in their culture and frequent bilingualism.

At the end of the 19th century, some scientists noted that in “modern Pechora Este the features of everyday life are strikingly reminiscent of the life of an ancient Finn and especially a Finnish woman.” Some Seto traditions have common roots with the traditions of not only the Suomi Finns, but also ethnic groups - Vodi, Izhora and even eastern Finnish-speaking peoples - Mordovians, Udmurts. The Seto are most closely related to the Estonians. The Seto retained remnants of pagan beliefs. In some places they brought gifts not only to the church, but also to sacred stones and places of worship: on Midsummer's Day - dairy products, on St. Anne's Day - wool and lamb. On the holiday, they decorated the statue of St. Nicholas the Pleasant in the Pechora Monastery with tubs of butter and cottage cheese and covered it with flatbreads so that the statue itself was not visible. Seto smeared the statue’s lips with butter and cottage cheese - “fed” them, as before the idols. The Seto had a cult of the fertility god Peko. His figurine was kept in a dark place and only during sowing was it taken out to the fields to consecrate the land. Peko was also called upon in songs. Other Finnish-speaking peoples also had spirits similar to him - patrons of fertility: Estonians, Mordvins, Vodians, Karelians and Finns, but among them such rituals became a thing of the past earlier than among the Seto. The Seto call themselves "Setokese", "Setokene" or simply "Seto Rahvas" seto rahvas (Seto people). The Seto, “afraid” of high water, engaged in agriculture. They preserved much of the culture from their ancestors: national costume, language, spiritual creativity, customs, morals.

Folk art Seto is rich in songs, fairy tales, riddles and proverbs. The largest Seto epic is the Peko epic, which tells the story of the life and adventures of folk hero Peko, who became the god of fertility, helped Jesus Christ and was buried in the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery.

The epic combines the pagan beliefs of the Seto people, the adoption of Orthodoxy, a description of the history and life of the people, as well as resettlement to Siberia. The epic “Peko” was recorded from the words of the legendary Seto storyteller Anne Vabarna and published in Kuopio (Finland) in 1995. To get acquainted with the epic “Peko”, we offer a brief retelling of it.

Seto epic "Peko".
Narrator: Anne Vabarna. Translation: Paul Hagu and Victor Danilov

Click on the rectangle with the arrow to read in full screen mode

Tradition is best folk culture preserved in women's clothing. When factory clothing began to spread in Setomaa in the second half of the 19th century, it became fashionable among men, and the women of Setomaa did not want to change their traditional clothes for “urban” ones: “St. Mary wore the same clothes,” they said, “and it’s a sin.” change it to a newfangled one.” Currently, traditional Seto clothing has evolved from casual to festive. The ruid sundress (once adopted from the Russians) is perceived as an ancient elegant dress. Instead of the current “khame” - a shirt made of white canvas with wide embroidered sleeves, the upper part of which was made of thin and the lower part of coarse canvas, women wore “army hame” - also a shirt, but with long (up to one and a half meters long) sleeves. They were covered with a much thinner canvas. Holes were made in the middle of the sleeves, through which the arms were threaded during work, and the free ends of the sleeves were tied behind the back. This feature of the ancient sarafan passed on to its later type “villaneruyd”, in which the sleeves are also tucked into the back of the belt. Traditional in clothing White color, but blue is also common. The trims of the caftan, the ornament on the sleeves, and the apron are usually red. Traditional decoration Seto women - “seulg”. This is a large silver plaque in the shape of a hemisphere, covering the entire chest, silver chains with hanging coins, and crosses. A neck decoration in the shape of leaves, the number of which reached a dozen, is called “lekhet”. Seto women, following the example of the Russians, began to wear earrings, although earrings are not typical for Estonians.

The Seto language included many Russian words, but it remained as a dialect of the Estonian language. Pastor J. Hurt, who studied Seto folklore in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, wrote that knowledge of as many songs as possible by the bride is considered a precious dowry by this people. Not a single girl dared to leave the house without a song. Seto songs were first recorded in 1877 by the Finnish scientist Axel August Borenius - Lähtenkorva.

At the end of the 19th century, according to Yu. Trusman, the Seto settlement area included 250 villages in 11 parishes. In 1890, Yu. Trusman calculated that 12,289 people of the Seto people lived in the western part of the Pskov district. According to an indirect estimate of the All-Russian Population Census, in 1897 there were 16,334 Orthodox Estonians in the Pskov district, which included, along with the Seto, Orthodox Estonians.

In 1920, according to the Treaty of Yuryev (Tartu), the Pechora region, where Seto lived, but with an absolute majority of the Russian population, went to Estonia and was reorganized into Petseremaa county. The Seto received Estonian surnames instead of those previously used as their grandfather's names, began to be called Estonians in official documents, and Seto children were educated in Estonian. In 1934, the Estonian census recorded 13,319 Seto people. In 1944, the territories annexed to Estonia in 1920 were returned to the Pskov region. But the entire Mäe volost and parts of Zacherenskaya, Pechora, Merinogorsk and Verkhoustinskaya volosts remained in Estonia. The Seto settlement area turned out to be split between Estonia and Russia, which, despite the presence of formal borders within Soviet Union did not complicate the life, everyday life, and cultural interaction of the entire Seto people.

But the collapse of the USSR in 1991 and the declaration of independence of Estonia led to the severance of traditional ties within the Seto community. In 1996 - 1999 there was a significant migration outflow of Seto to Estonia. From 1945 to 1999, the number of Seto in the Pechora region decreased from 5.7 thousand to 500 people.

According to the 2002 All-Russian Population Census, 176 Seto (Seto) people live in the Pskov region. The modern territory of Seto settlement in the Pechora region is Seto villages and hamlets in the Krupp volost along the Estonian border, in addition, the location is in the south-west direction from Novy Izborsk to Panikovichi with a small branch towards the city of Pechora. The Seto ethnocultural society operates here, the members of which are all Seto living in the Pechora region. In the village of Sigovo there is a museum-estate of the Seto people. There is also one school left in Pechory, in which, at the request of the student and his parents, education is conducted in the Seto language. There is a small folklore group at the school, where students become familiar with the Seto language, their traditions and national art.

Seto (Seto) is a small Finno-Ugric people from Estonia. They are close to the Estonians, but unlike them, they are not Lutherans, but Orthodox. The area where the Seto live is divided by the Russian-Estonian border and is historically called "Setomaa".
Three years ago I already talked about private museum of this people in the Pskov region. Since then I really wanted to visit the Estonian part of Setomaa. Recently this was achieved.

2. We will travel through Setomaa from north to south. There are signs along the route interesting places, there are route diagrams and descriptions. This is a sign to the local chapel. The Seto chapels are unusual and slightly different from what we are used to.

3. Most of them on the way turned out to be wooden and without domes. If it weren’t for the cross on the roof, I thought it was an ordinary house. Chapel St. Nicholas, 1709 in the village of Vypsu.

The village of Vypsu grew up at the intersection of trade routes and has been known since the 15th century. Later, a port appeared here, since Lake Peipus is about three kilometers from here. Now it is a small village where approximately 200 people live.

As stated above, the Seto were "half-believers." After the baptism of this people, paganism did not go far. Even after the war, on some farms, next to the icons there was a figurine of the pagan god Peko, who in appearance resembled a snowman. And some Seto still make sacrifices to holy stones, holy springs and holy trees.
Peko is the god of fertility. According to the epic, he helped Christ, and was buried in the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery. Seto consider it the main religious center. Although the monastery is located in Russia, it is only 30 kilometers from the farthest point of Setomaa.

5. More precisely, this is not Lake Peipsi, but its southern part - Lake Pskov (Pihkva-yarv in Estonian). Also I like Russian name the vicinity of Lake Peipus - Prichudye. Romance)

6. There are no people around, the water is clean. I would like to sail somewhere on the lake on a raft)

7. It’s true that traveling on a raft can be difficult. Passes along the lake state border. Most likely those islands in the distance are already Russia

8. Seto has its own flag. Created in the image of Scandinavian ones with the addition of local ornaments. Interestingly, the flag hangs on many houses, and sometimes even next to the Estonian one instead of the EU flag

As for the Seto language, in Estonia it is considered part of the Estonian dialect. Many experts agree with this. The Seto themselves consider their language to be independent. In 2009, it was included by UNESCO in the Atlas of the World's Endangered Languages ​​as "endangered".
In Russia, the Seto were included in the list of indigenous small peoples countries only in 2010. Before this, it was believed that such a people did not exist at all.

9. Next we go to Mikitamäe. The village is larger than the previous ones. If I were Peter I (many origins of names are attributed to his words and actions), then after this post the village would have been called Vezhlivoe. Polite people live here helpful people. The children greeted us, unfamiliar adults, several times. And when we approached the chapel, then from somewhere appeared local, who wants to tell and show everything about her. Of course it's free
Chapel St. Thomas is one of the oldest wooden buildings in Estonia and the oldest clock set. 1694

10. One day, very quickly, grandfather got a key from the administration, and we went inside

11. It's modest inside. Candlestick, central and several “non-main” icons. Services are held here and the chapel is operational. From the words of the accompanying person, we learn that in almost every large Seto village, kirmas is held once a year - a big village festival. It is mainly associated with the day of the saint, in whose honor a chapel in a particular village is consecrated

12. The Seto Church is subordinate to the Patriarch of Constantinople. It also turns out that for Easter the Seto do not bake Easter cakes, but replace them with pies with cottage cheese and prepare special cheese

13. And such beaters replace bells

Since I already said about the Seto holidays, the biggest and most important is “Seto Kingdom Day”. What a name! The Seto have never been independent, but once a year they become an "independent kingdom." It is held in the summer. On this day they reveal the best masters for the production of cheese, wine, beer, the best chefs, shepherds, dancers. A special separate tradition is the choice of a king. He is chosen very fairly: applicants for honorary title they stand on stumps, and people line up behind them. Where the tail is bigger, there is a king. The king issues his decrees. These are formal laws for one day: so that everyone actively participates in competitions, smiles and so that everyone is in a good mood...

14. And then a border suddenly appears on our way. It turns out that Russia has a small protrusion into the interior of Estonia, similar in shape to a boot. You cannot walk here on foot; there are signs and bollards warning about the border. We drive about a kilometer and a half through the Motherland. There is no ban on the movement of bicycles, motorcycles, cars and buses, travel is free. There is a fence along the road, in two places I saw plowed land

15. Village of Obinitsa, monument to the singer. Seto songs are still very popular at holidays. The “trick” of the Seto song is that it is invented in some places “on the fly”. Recently the Seto leelo song tradition was listed as an intangible cultural heritage UNESCO

16. The Song Girl looks somewhere into the distance. She reminded me of the Buranovsky grandmothers. By the way, the Udmurts are related to the Seto, it is supported with them cultural connection, guests arrive. Actively supports seto and Cultural Center Finno-Ugric peoples

17. We will stop in Obinits for lunch

18. There should be national food inside

19. Let's go. Table, benches, woven rugs

21. There is a lot of information around about the Seto and other Finno-Ugric peoples. Book about chapels

22. And finally food! National cuisine I really liked the set. Delicious, satisfying and unusual. This soup contains both meat and dried fish. Vegetables and pearl barley are also added. It turned out great.
They also brought us homemade kvass, meat in pots and a cranberry roll for dessert. It costs 6 euros. Not everywhere you can get a full meal for that price.

They try to preserve the cooking traditions in Setomaa. There are even workshops that teach cooking. For example, popular workshops where they prepare syyr - local curd cheese

26. Interesting swing. Would love to ride one of these with a Seto girl)

27. The Seto Museum is located here in Obinitsa. More precisely, there are three museums in Setomaa, but two were closed on the day of our arrival. It’s a pity we weren’t able to see the Seto estate under open air, but nothing. Setomaa is worth returning to

28. The museum is small and cute. It’s completely different from what everyone is used to thinking about museums (which is why I don’t like many people either and try not to go to them)

29. The flag again.
Separately, it is necessary to say about the weather. Lucky) Sun, drops and spring

30. The museum has a homely atmosphere. The Seto, like many other peoples, paid special attention to ornamentation. On different clothes, For different cases and he had his own holidays. The ability to do good handicrafts sometimes remains key point still when choosing a bride

32. National Costume Seto is also still worn today. More often, of course, during the holidays. The state encourages in every possible way national characteristics seto. Money is allocated and help with organizing holidays. Previously, Estonians did not like the Seto, considering them lazy and “not quite Finno-Ugric,” but now, according to local people, they are trying to live together

33. Everything seems to be clear here and without comments

38. Seto farms were most often closed, the buildings were located around a toro - courtyard. The people lived in the territory of constant wars; not only a good guest could come

39. Gate next to the museum. I don't know if it's decorative or not

40. Further, in the village of Torbova we came across another chapel. Again, I wouldn’t have known, I would have mistaken it for a barn

41. In front of the entrance there is a stone with a cross. Honestly, I don't know what it is

The Seto (Seto) live in Estonia and Russia (Pskov region and Krasnoyarsk region).

Setomaa (Estonian - Setumaa, Seto - Setomaa) is the historical region inhabited by the Seto people, literally translated "land of the Seto". It is divided administratively into two parts: one part is located in the south-east of Estonia (in the counties of Põlvamaa and Võrumaa), the other is located in the Pechora district of the Pskov region of Russia.

In Estonia, Setomaa consists of four parishes: Meremäe, Värska, Mikitamäe and Misso. The Setomaa parishes have formed a unique association of self-governments located outside the county borders - the Setomaa Parish Union.

Pechora district is one of the border areas of the Pskov region. Its territory begins twenty-second kilometer from Pskov and borders Estonia and Latvia.

The area of ​​the district is 1300 square meters. kilometers. The population is 26 thousand people, among the residents of the area there are almost 1000 people of Estonian nationality, more than 300 belong to the Seto people. In the Pechora district, Seto representatives live in 48 populated areas and in the city of Pechory.

To preserve the language and culture of the Seto people, ECOS, the Seto ethno-cultural society, has been working in the area for about 15 years. With the support of the Pechora District Administration, the society is organizing and conducting national holidays. Has been in the area for 37 years folklore ensemble Seto song of the village of Košelki, in the Mitkovice library there is an amateur club "Leelo", whose members collect old folk songs, studying traditions, organizing folk art exhibitions.

In the Krasnoyarsk Territory, between the Mana and Kan rivers, the Seto settled at the beginning of the 20th century. The Siberian center of the Seto “land” is the village of Haidak, Partizansky district. Here, original elements of culture, language, folklore and self-awareness of the Siberian Seto have been preserved to this day, significantly different from similar Seto groups from other regions, including the Pskov region. All this attracts Russian and foreign scientists to the village of Khaidak.

In 2001, at a local school, through the efforts of teacher G.A. Evseeva was organized National Museum. And in the summer of 2005, with the support of the regional grant program, the Siberian Setu holiday was held for the first time in the village of Khaidak.

Local Setos consider themselves Orthodox. In 1915, the Trinity Church was built here.

Seto are the descendants of the Chudi-Ests. The separation of the Seto from the Estonians began in the 13th century. After the conquest of Livonia by the crusaders and after the fall of the Russian Yuriev (Dorpat, Tartu), part of the Seto fled east, to the Pskov lands, where they for a long time preserved paganism. Here, being in the zone of influence of the Orthodox Pskov state, on the one hand, and the Catholic Livonian Order, on the other, throughout the Middle Ages, the Finno-Ugric population of the ethno-contact zone occasionally converted to Christianity, but the bulk of the population remained pagans.

The eradication of paganism among Chud, Izhora and Vod must be attributed to XVI century, when, by order of Ivan the Terrible, the Novgorod monk Ilya fulfilled this mission in 1534-1535. Intensive conversion to Christianity of the Chudi-Ests, who lived on the border of the Livonian Order and the former Pskov feudal republic, took place only during the Livonian War in the second half of the 16th century. Their conversion to Orthodoxy strengthened the basis for the formation of the Seto ethnic group.

The activities of a powerful religious center - the Pskov-Pechora Monastery - cemented one of the main differences between the Seto and the Estonians - affiliation Orthodox Christianity.

Seto are a fusion of two cultures, which resulted in the formation of a distinctive Seto culture, which reached its peak during the period Russian Empire. In those days, the Seto had cultural autonomy within the borders of the Pskov province.

The Russians sometimes called the place where the Seto lived Setukesia. The Estonian name for these lands is Setomaa, or “land of the Setos.”

After the Tartu Peace Treaty, the lands of the current Pechora region went to Estonia. Thus, all of Setukesia became part of the territory of the Republic of Estonia. In 1944, the Pechora district became part of the newly created Pskov region.

The border between the RSFSR and the ESSR divided the Seto settlement territory into two parts. Tangible consequences for ethnocultural contacts this did not result, since the border had administrative status. The population could easily cross it in all directions. At the same time, Setomaa, split into two parts, never received cultural autonomy, since there were no clear ethnic boundaries, as is the case in ethnocultural zones.

With Estonia gaining independence, the Seto community was for the first time in history really split into two parts due to the state status of the border and the introduction of a visa regime between Republic of Estonia and the Russian Federation.

The Seto population grew until the beginning of the 20th century. WITH mid-19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, their number increased from 9 thousand to 21 thousand (its maximum). After this, the number of these people began to decline. In 1945, in the Pskov part of Setomaa, the Seto population was less than 6 thousand people.

The 2002 All-Russian Population Census recorded only 170 Setos, of which 139 people live in rural areas and 31 people - in Pechory. However, according to the results of the same census, 494 Estonians live in the Pechora district, of which 317 live in rural areas.

It should be taken into account that the Russian population census of 2002 is the first and so far the only census in the world after World War II that recorded the Seto as an independent ethnic group. It is obvious that part of the Seto, according to tradition dating back to Soviet times, considered themselves Estonians. Therefore, the real number of Seto in the Pechora region is slightly larger than the population census showed, and it can be estimated at approximately 300-400 people.

According to the 2010 census, Seto in Russian Federation 214 people live there.