Welcome to the Year 10220!
| Estonia is situated on a transitional area where the coniferous Euro-Siberian taiga opens onto a European zone of deciduous forests. Almost half of Estonian territory is under forest and woodlands. Estonia has been inhabited for about 10000 years. Estonians and their religion are considered just as old.
The Estonian native religion is the only native nature worship in Estonia. It was never created, it has arisen and changed in this country together with Estonians during innumerable generations. Being an inseparable entity together with our land, traditional culture and native languages, its something more than a religion. It is a consistent worldview, tradition and way of life, which in this form exists only here, in Estonia. Animated Nature
Man is only one animated being among many others. Human beings together with stones, plants and animals have a common mother - the Earth. Estonians has for thousands of years arisen from the Earth and the remains of the people have made the Earth fertile. We are in a thousand ways connected to the Earth and nature. All that is done to us, is done to the Earth and all, that is done to the Earth, is done to us. Shrines Shrine is the sanctuary of Estonians. It is the sacred place of tens and tens of generations where people go on more important festivals or other important occasions. We can talk to the powers of nature there, experience peace and gain power.
The trees of the shrine, as all trees, are alive. People go to the trees to ask for an advice or to tell about their grief. There are stories about the shrine trees and sacred lakes that have left their places because they were not shown enough respect. In the winter of 10215 (2002) a lake dried up in northern Estonia after deepening. Many local inhabitants are sure that the lake left because it was disturbed. The Native Religion is Enjoyable Among the attitudes of Estonians one of the central terms is mõnu (harmony, enjoyment). Mõnu is the cumulative effect of the conditions and facts, which enables to carry out whatever action in the most enjoyable and harmonious way. If you want your life to be mõnus (enjoyable), you must be in harmonious relations with other people, ancestors and the powers of nature. Healthy food, harmonious environment and other natural things belong to this kind of life-style. Also the possibility to go to sauna on Saturday evening. Harmonious relations are positive and durable. Relations must not be drained out or misused. Some relations must stay superficial, others must grow deeper. The being of a people must also be mõnus. The state of a people also depends on relations - relations inside the people itself, relations with other peoples, relations with nature. Related Links: Estonian House of Taara and Native Religions, Wise Man Vigala-Sass |
As the stories of our people and our kindred peoples tell us, at first their was a water bird. From its eggs the world and nature were born. Nature signifies something that was not born but is alive and in development. It grew as a tree grows until everything was filled with all kind of beings. Everything that dwells, has a soul - the stars, the Moon, the Sun, water, fire, earth.
Shrine is a limited area together with ancient trees, stones, bodies of water, plants, swing, fireplace, sauna of the shrine and log-store of the shrine. Before going to the shrine body and mind are purified; in the shrine it’s not allowed to have bad thoughts, to swear, to break twigs or to gather plants. It’s not allowed to be drunk or do any kind of cruel deeds. There are many folk stories about people who have broken these laws and were punished, sometimes even killed by the powers of the shrine.