If you admire Estonian national dress, love the artistry and beauty of heirloom quality, enjoy traditional folk dance and village band, come join us for a fun weekend, June 16 – 18 in Chicagoland. At our event, you will meet the foremost experts and teachers in Estonian folk craft, as well as their US students – a group of Estonian women who set a goal of learning how to sew, weave, knit, etc. traditional folk dress on their own, and after their two-year journey are now ready to show off their beautiful, accredited creations, their very hand-made national costumes. This midsummer celebration will also feature jolly, talented musicians from the band Sirli; musician Kaidi Soosaare, who will sharing with us her own songs accompanied on acoustic guitar; Chicago folk dance group “Põhjanael” and so much more.
Daily Schedule, found here →
Not only are all participants invited to enjoy the craftmanship of folk dress, attendees are also encouraged to wear their own “rahvarõivad“ ensemble (national folk dress), or even just an element their own folk costume. Events like these are called “an airing out of your folk clothes” (in Estonian, rahvariiete tuulutamine), and have become very popular in Estonia. If you do not have your own Estonian dress to wear, no worries, there will be workshops on Friday, where you could make your own beaded necklace or gain some new skills on how to make the first pieces for your future set. These dynamic workshops will be fun-spaced and one of a kind, so don’t miss out – all are invited to participate. Make sure to register early, so, our teachers know to bring enough material and supplies with them. On Friday evening, enjoy Kaidi Soosaare’s music with or without your handiwork in hand.
On Saturday, be sure to see the runway fashion show put on by the 2-year course graduates, where they dispaly their beautiful and intricate creations. Here you can have one-on-one conulattions with the teachers and inquire about the details, history, origin of your own set or elements of folk costumes passed down from generations or family friends. In the evening, the festivities continue with a Jaaniõhtu (St. John´s Eve / Midsummer´s Eve) bonfire with music, folk dance, games, food and so much more.
Everyone is encouraged to wear their folk set in Chicago on Sunday, where we will be having group picnics, photoshoots and outdoor concert visits.
Don’t miss out on this first-ever “airing out your folk clothes day” in the Chicago area: Kaaruspaelast Labajalavalsini, a colorful and joyous weekend of ethnic pride and heritage.
See you at the event!
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April 5, 2023 at 2:43 pm
❤️ looks like a fantastic event!