Estonians

Subject / Ethnic culture/Ethnic communities
Subject / Ethnic culture//
Estonians (their native name is Eestlased, old use - Maarakhvas) is an ethnic community. The Estonian language is related to the Baltic-Finnic subgroup od the Finno-Ugric branch of the Uralic language family. They live in Estonia (963 thousand people), Russia (28,1 thousand people), Sweden, Latvia. In 1897 in the Saint Petersburg Gubernia (without Saint Petersburg) there were 51,9 thousand Estonians (mainly in the western part, including the Gdov Gubernia). For 2002 in the Leningrad Oblast there were 1,4 thousand Estonians. People come from Estonia were noted on the territory of the western districts of the present Leningrad Oblast in the 18th century. The mass migration of peasants-Estonians began after the abolition of serfdom in Estland and Livland (Swedish Livonia) in 1816 and 1819, increased in the second half of the 19th century. In the beginning of the 20th century the migration was stimulated with the agricultural policy of P.A.Stolypin directed to developing individual farms. Estonians settled in the individual farms which were often located near the villages where representatives of other nationalities lived. There were also villages (in fact they were assumulations of individual farms) where the Estonian population prevailed (e.x. Zimititsy Village in Volosovo District). Estonians were occupied with farming, dairy farming. They grew grain crops (rye, oats, barley), potato. In farming they used progressive methods (many-field system, foddergrass cultivation) that marked them among the local peasants. Five-wall log houses on the low basement are typical for Estonians' village building. For building houses and outhouses they also used rubble stone. The ethnic specificity were kept in their food for a long time (dishes from portk, potato, blood sausage). Among the calendar rites the celebration of St.Yan' (St.John) Day on 24 June is the most kown. The religious are Lutherans, but there are also members of the Orthodox Church. The religious centres were in Saint Petersburg, in the towns of Yamburg, Gatchina, Luga, Teshkovo Village of Volosovo District. During the Great Patriotic War the number of Estonians in the Leningrad Oblast reduced because the German occupation authorities resettled them on the territory of Estonia. Chistyakov, Anton Yuryevich
Stolypin, Pyotr Arkadyevich
Leningrad Oblast, the/Volosovo District/Bolshoye Teshkovo Village
Leningrad Oblast, the/Gatchina District/Gatchina Town
Historical Toponyms/Saint Petersburg Gubernia, the/Gdov Uyezd
Leningrad Oblast, the/Luga District/Luga Town
Historical Toponyms/Saint Petersburg Gubernia, the
Historical Toponyms/Yamburg Town
Leningrad Oblast, the/Volosovo District/Zimititsi Village
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