November 25, Kadripäev (St. Catherine's Day)

St. Catherine’s day has retained its popularity throughout the centuries and is still widely celebrated in modern-day Estonia. It marks the arrival of winter and is one of the more important and popular autumn days in the Estonian folk calendar.

Customs

The customs for the Estonian St. Catherine’s day are generally associated with the kadrisants (kadri beggars) or kadris, which give the whole day a unique quality, although it is similar to the traditions practiced on St. Martin’s day. Both require dressing up and going from door to door on the eve of the holiday to collect gifts, such as food, cloth and wool, in return for suitable songs and blessings.

On Estonian farms, minding the herds and flocks were primarily the responsibility of women and therefore, St. Catherine’s day involves customs pertaining more to herd keeping than farming. In addition, both men and women may dress up as women. In comparison to the mardisants, who were generally dressed in a masculine and rough manner and often wore animal masks, the kadris wear clean and light-coloured clothing, which is in reference to the coming snow.

As with mardi eve (the evening before St. Martin’s day), when the village youth chose a mardiisa (father), the main player on kadri eve is kadriema (mother).

Thus, St. Catherine’s day is still widely celebrated in modern-day Estonia. It is particularly popular among students and the rural population.