Day 6 – A Day of Connection to My Roots

Read full blog and photos here.

Today’s adventures began close to home, with a drive past my grandmother’s old house, still for sale! We visited Võru cemetery to find my mum’s great-grandparents’ graves. After some confusion with the surname spelling, we found them and lit candles at the beautiful, flowerbed-like graves surrounded by forest. My nephew called during this time, and his wonder at the forest reminded me of my own love for Estonia’s nature.

Next, we visited a favourite käsitöö shop in Rõuge. At first, we thought it was closed again but discovered the new entrance. We were lucky to find fresh chantarelles and delicious black bread. We also found beautifully woven belts, either for us or the Australian folk costume library. Watching a woman weaving rugs reminded me of my great-grandmother.

We then visited the grave of my great-grandfather Osvald Ellamaa. He grew up in Setomaa and I’ve always felt deeply connected to that region. His grave was peaceful, surrounded by forest. I noticed an oak leaf engraved on the stone, perhaps why oak trees feel so healing to me. He received a freedom cross for his efforts in the war, something I am very proud of.

We drove to Miikse to see my great-grandparents’ old summer house, abandoned and inaccessible this time. For lunch, we visited Obinitsa Talu, where I was recognised by a woman from Estonian Children’s Summer Camp, Johanna, who’s helped me connect more deeply with Setomaa. We witnessed a traditional Seto ceremony, and visited the local museum where we were warmly remembered and had to drink a very strong home made spirit. I couldn’t resist buying more folk costume ribbons of course, on our little trip to the museum there.

At Värska museum, we admired Seto costume pieces, and Dad proudly carried my Estonian Designs AU Seto mug for photo ops. On the way home, we stopped in Pindi, where my great-grandmother Rosalie was from, then took a peaceful walk to the lake near Tiiu’s. The day ended with a delicious Estonian dinner and plenty of laughs.