General information
Package type: half day
Season: January-December
For whom: groups (min. 10 – max. 20 pers.)
Duration of the programme: 3 hours
Type of transport: tour bus
Public transportation:
bus Tartu-Varnja
Services included: workshops
Package type: half day
Season: January-December
For whom: groups (min. 10 – max. 20 pers.)
Duration of the programme: 3 hours
Type of transport: tour bus
Public transportation:
bus Tartu-Varnja
Services included: workshops
This area has been populated for 350 years by Russian Old Believers – orthodox Christians who fled from Russia due to persecution. Today the area surprises with its authentic customs and traditions, one of the most important of which is tea drinking. Traditional samovar, a predecessor of the modern kettle, is used to brew and serve tea. Tea rituals take time, so people slow down, sit back, enjoy company, and have a chat. Making tea in samovar is a social event.
The hostess, Herling Mesi, moved from Estonia’s capital Tallinn to this remote area of Lake Peipsi shore, 45km from Tartu, Estonia’s second largest city. She got fascinated by the local lifestyle, learned a lot about Russian Old Believers everyday life and now shares it enthusiastically with her guests. She has collected more than 100 samovars that are exhibited in a special building – the Samovar House.
The Mesi family offers visitors an experience of the lifestyle of the local Russian Old Believers. In the workshop guests learn about local tea drinking history, how a samovar works, the sizes and the shapes of samovars, and they can enjoy the very special Ivan’s tea made from Fireweed. Guests can also learn how to decorate the traditional gingerbread that goes with the tea. The workshop has an EHE (Genuine and Interesting Estonia) ecotourism quality label for maintaining authentic traditions, skills and atmosphere.