Description of the attraction
The construction of the Setu Museum building began in 1994. And in 1998 the museum was already opened. In 2004, a unique Seto tea house was built next to the museum, within the framework of the Phare project (funded by the European Union).
Setu (Seto, Pskov Chud) is a small Finno-Ugric people who live in the Pechora region of the Pskov region and adjacent areas of southern Estonia, which was part of the Pskov province until 1920.
The historical region where this people lived is called Setumaa (the land of Setu). Setuki are an extremely interesting people, with their customs, traditions, culture, famous for their chants and handicrafts., p> There are many different holidays in Setomaa, the most interesting of which is the election of the king of the land of Setu. This holiday is held every year on the first weekend of August. According to legend, the king of Setu is the deity Peko, who eternally sleeps in a cave, so the Seto people choose their king every year.
The choice of the king is made by voting. In order to take part in such elections, you need to stand behind the back of the candidate for whom you are voting. The candidate with the longest queue wins. The elected king rules the whole year, taking part in the activities of Setomaa.
At the exposition of the museum one can get acquainted with the Setu architecture of the late 19th - early 20th centuries, as well as with a collection of handicrafts and old instruments. The exposition of the Seto Museum includes the following buildings: a dwelling house, a shed for clothes, grain and food, a semi-enclosed courtyard, a workshop, a barn with a hayloft, sheds, a pottery workshop, a blacksmith's factory, a smoke sauna, a threshing floor and a tea house. Most of these buildings are authentic, brought from North Setumaa.
In the museum, you can not only admire the presented exposition, but also plunge into this atmosphere by taking part in the events held in the Seto Museum. Many holidays are celebrated here: Seto Lace Day, Christmas and other holidays of the folk calendar.
Museum visitors can try their hand by ordering Seto handicraft lessons, of which there are a great many: weaving, colored lace, belts, stockings, etc. In addition, you can order a Seto wedding program, take part in farm work: it can be blacksmithing or pottery baking bread. And of course, in memory of the Seto Museum, you can buy all kinds of souvenirs, handicrafts, and printed Seto publications.
