Estonia is a relatively small country with a low population density and completely distinctive culture that combines pagan beliefs, Scandinavian ideals, Germanic pragmatism, and a bend towards technological innovation. When all this comes together to make life the Estonia way. However, people visiting the country might run into a few things they don't expect.
Below we've got a few facts about the country that are totally mundane to Estonians but can wonderful, weird, or incomprehensible to outsiders.
With several world heritage sites, more than 2000 islands, and unique culture, Estonia is sure to surprise you
Photo by NASA
Let's start with a few random facts about Estonia
The people of Estonia have specific expectations when it comes to food. As such Estonian cuisine has a few dishes that may seem a bit odd to outsiders.
In one sense, Estonians can be described as tree-huggers. And that's not just a name! Some believe that if you actually hug a tree, you will get energy from it. Additionally, the forest is said to be full of guardian spirits that go back to pre-Christian beliefs. As a result, you shouldn't shout or yell while you're in the woods since it's a sacred place.
For example, they spit three times over the shoulder when a black cat crosses the road or walks around themselves. If two people are walking and there is an electric post or a trash can between them, then they should greet each other again or it will foster bad luck.
The Estonian language isn't part of the Germanic, Slavic, or Baltic language groups. In fact, it's totally unrelated to most other European languages as it's part of the Finno-Ugric family with Finnish and Hungarian.
Estonian is full of long strange words that can be formed by stacking smaller words on one another.
Compared to other countries, the Estonian communication style is straightforward and honest to a fault (almost). Naturally, Estonias prefer to communicate their point using a lot of logic.
Estonians can be a bit reticent to talk about their personal lives, however, they often open up during a hike or in the sauna.