Estonians celebrate mardipäev to mark the end of agricultural work

Estonians celebrate Mardipäev, a folk calendar holiday held on November 10, to signal the transition from outdoor farm work to indoor tasks.

The holiday serves as an ancient New Year's celebration where communities complete all outdoor agricultural labor. Mall Hiiemäe, a scholar of the Estonian folk calendar, notes that the day also functions as a time to remember the dead because the death fairy in Estonian folklore is known as a mardus. While the day coincides with St.

Martin's Day, the local tradition originally focused on blessing households and inhabitants for the coming year rather than the begging rituals seen in other countries. Participants known as mardisandid traditionally visited homes to perform specific rituals. These visitors would sing runic verse songs, scatter grains on the floor to bless the home, and test the residents' skills with riddles and games.

A leader would then gently flog family members to wish them good health before requesting gifts like food, money, or sweets. If a household refused entry, the visitors would sing a curse song outside the door. The customs evolved over time, becoming more of an entertainment for children and youth in the 19th and 20th centuries. During this period, women began joining the mardisandid and the costumes expanded to include figures like sailors and chimney sweeps.

While wealthier families in the 19th century ate roast goose for the holiday, other traditions included eating cabbage, sausages, and barley bread. The holiday is sometimes called the old-time Halloween because its origins trace back to Allhallowtide.