Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to you all! Many  Finns head for the countryside as we wish each other "Hauskaa pääsiäistä!" Besides being a religious festivity, it is the promise of the coming spring! In Estonian you may wish "Ilusaid lihavõtteid!" Both countries have their special Easter treats. Egg plays of course a central role, but in Finland we have this very special sweet rye treat called mämmi - definitely an acquired taste, but you should try it once (tastes far better than it looks)! There are all kinds of traditions and beliefs playing out in Easter, and in Finland the most obvious is the little girls dressed out as witches. Their task: to drive away evil spirits from homes - and for that they expect to be rewarded with sweets (or other treats) - a bit like Halloween in the U.S. Other kids look for hidden Easter eggs at home - a fun tradition for the whole family.

PS. Don't forget to move your clock/watch one hour ahead on Sunday.

sanasto = sõnastik = vocabulary

herkku = delikatess = treat

kananmuna = muna = egg

maistuu paremmalta kuin miltä näyttää = tastes better than it looks

makeiset, karkit, namut = komme = sweets

noita = nõid = witch

paha henki = kuri vaim = evil spirit
pitkäperjantai = suur reede  = Good Friday

pääsiäinen = lihavõtted = Easter
pääsiäislauantai = = Easter Saturday

pääsiäismuna = lihavõttemuna = Easter egg
pääsiäissunnuntai = = Easter Sunday

ruis = rukis = rye
toinen pääsiäispäivä = = Easter Monday

uskonnollinen juhla = religioosne pidu = religious festivity

Any questions?

Any questions? For example "Kas sul on lapsi?" or "Kui vana sa oled? Or, maybe more important to a visitor, "How do I get to point A?" (with a map at hand). You could always throw in "En puhu paljon suomea" or "Ma ei räägi palju eesti keelt" to get a sympathetic ear before you ask that "Could you please help me?" It is always good to be able to ask, so you may get an answer - maybe even the correct one! Any questions? Read below for more. Or here, in Wikitravel's  Finnish and Estonian phrasebooks.

sanasto = sõnastik = vocabulary

En puhu paljon suomea/eestiä = Ma ei räägi palju soome keelt/eesti keelt = I don't speak a lot of Finnish/Estonian
kartta = kaart = map
kuka = kes = who?
kysymyssana = küsimus sõna = question word
miksi = miks = why?
Minkä maalainen sinä olet? = Mis on sinu rahvus? = What is your nationality?
minne = kust?????? = whereto?
missä = kui = where?
mistä = kust = from where?
miten, kuinka = kuidas = how?
Miten voit? Miten menee? = Kuidas läheb? Kuidas elad? Kuidas käsi käeb? = How are you? How are things?
Miten vanha sinä olet? = Kui vana sa oled? = How old are you?
mitä = mis = what?
Onko sinulla lapsia? = Kas sul on lapsi ? = Do you have kids?
Voisitteko auttaa minua? = "Vabandage, "Could you please help me?"

Vernal equinox

Up north we always look forward to the spring after another winter that seems just too long. Aren't we almost kind of entitled to spring latest by the spring equinox? So if and when takatalvi announces its coming, it is a bit disheartening for many of us. Still we all know that kevad on ukse ees. The days are getting longer after the equinox, the sun is melting the snow and ice, and there comes a day that the pavements are cleared from the winter's sand and you no longer have to watch your steps. Eläköön kevät!

PS. The spring equinox is around March 20th. Blackberry winter falls by definition after the equinox.

sanasto = sõnastik = vocabulary
Eläköön kevät! = Elagu kevad! = Long live the spring!
jalkakäytävä = kõnnitee = pavement, sidewalk
kevät = kevad = spring
kevätpäiväntasaus = kevadine pööripäev, kevadine võrdpäevsus = vernal equinox, spring equinox
liian pitkä = liiga pikk = too long
lumi ja jää = lumi ja jää = snow and ice
olla oikeutettu = õigust omada = to be entitled to 
ovella = ukse ees, uksel = at the door
pohjoisessa = põhjapool = up north, in the north
päivät pitenevät = päevad pikenevad = the days are getting longer
takatalvi = tagatalv = blackberry winter
varoa askeleitaan = ettevaatlikult kõndida = to watch one's steps
viimeistään = hiljemalt = latest (by)

Viking Humor

Click for a bigger picture

Häger the Horrible (check that fantastic link!) is head of a viking household somewhere in Scandinavia long ago. This beloved comic character goes in Finnish newspapers by the name Harald Hirmuinen, and in Estonian by Hagar Hirmus. The strip in Postimees tells about the daughter Honi asking her mother Helga whether she ever thinks about the carefree and happy days before she got married. The answer sounds pretty modern - or maybe not!

sanasto = sõnastik = vocabulary
ajatella = mõelda = to think
avioliitto = abielu = marriage
ennen naimisiinmenoa = enne abiellumist = before (you/she) got married
Harald Hirmuinen = Hagar Hirmus = Häger the Horrible
huoleton = muretu = carefree
lentää = lennata = to fly
linnut = linnud = birds
onnellinen = õnnelik = happy
äiti = ema = mother

Happy Women's Day

Happy Women's Day to you all - especially women! Starting as a socialist political event, Women's Day is celebrated today somewhat the same way as Mother's Day all around the world, celebrating women per se. But also bringing out the need to improve their human rights. The United Nations has every year a different theme for International Women's Day. This year's theme is "A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women". On a lighter note, don't forget to get tulips to at least one woman in your life - or her lempikukka - or in some other way show your lugupidamine of her. She's well worth it!

Hyvää naistenpäivää! 

Head naistepäeva!

sanasto = sõnastik = vocabulary
aika = aeg = time
arvostus = lugupidamine = appreciation
eri teema = erinev teema = different theme
joka vuosi = iga aasta = every year
jollain muulla tavalla = in some other way
kukka/kukat = lill/lilled = flower/flowers
lempikukka = lemmik lill = favorite flower
lupaus = lubadus = promise
nainen/naiset = naine/naised = woman/women 
tulppaani = tulp = tulip
väkivalta = vägivald = violence
Yhdistyneet Kansakunnat = Ühinenud Rahvaste Organisatsioon = United Nations  

All about Helsinki

Here is a list with links of all the articles that have appeared in this blog that concern the city of Helsinki. The list is continually updated. There is also a similar page about Tallinn. You can always get here by clicking Helsinki on the front page under Teretulemast. Latest update: 5.3.2013

Arriving in Helsinki - Finnkino in Helsinki - Helsinki Central Railway Station - Helsinki Day 2013 -  Helsinki Ice Park - Helsinki Senate Square - Helsinki Statue Walk  - Independence Day - Kampintori Meeting Place - Martin markkinat - Verkkokauppa -

All about Tallinn

Here is a list with links of all the articles that have appeared in this blog that concern the city of Tallinn. The list is continually updated. There is also a similar page about Helsinki. You can always get here by clicking Tallinn on the front page under Teretulemast.  Latest update: 24.6.2013

x - Estonian Independence Day - Free rides, for real - Grocery shopping in Tallinn - Jaywalking in Tallinn - Kristiine Keskus - Pancakes in Tallinn - Pirita Adventure Park - Tallinn Christmas Market - Tallinn elephants - Tallinna Raekoja Plats - The Trams of Tallinn -

Rear problems

Let's try a joke in Estonian! A husband and wife situation. The wife is asking whether her rear would look smaller if she put her hair up in a bun. There are four võimalikud vastusevariandid in the thought balloon. What would you answer, and would you fare any better - since each answer anda mõista, et on suur tagumik. Perhaps the problem is in the question... For more similar anecdotes and jokes, go to igav.ee

sanasto = sõnastik = vocabulary
ajatuskupla = mõttemull = thought balloon
Annan ymmärtää, että on suuri takamus = Annan mõista, et on suur tagumik = I'm implying that she has a big rear
antaa ymmärtää, vihjailla = mõista anda = to imply
ehkä, voi olla = võib-olla = perhaps
ei aavistustakaan = pole aimugi = I have no idea
en tiedä = pole aimugi = I don't know (at all)
hiukset = juuksed = hair
iso, suuri = suur = big, large
jos = kui = if
kysymys = küsimus = question
mahdollinen = võimalik = possible
nuttura =krunn = bun, topknot
näyttää = paista = to look, seem, appear
pakarat = tuharad, istmik = buttocks
pärjätä paremmin = to fare better
takamus,  takapuoli = tagumik = behind (of a person), backside, rear
vastaus = vastus = answer, reply
vastausvaihtoehto = vastusevariant = answer choice
vähemmän; pienempi = väiksem = less; smaller

Friday Phrase 12

"Where there's smoke, there's fire"  is said when something cannot be seen, but its implications can. A universal truth, which in Finnish translates "Ei savua ilman tulta" and in Estonian "Kus suitsu, seal tuld". Most often used of rumors and suppositions; that there must be some truth in it (the rumor) as everyone is speaking of it (the "truth"). And when used literally, be sure to keep a fire extinguisher at hand! Here is an Estonian õppefilm about that titled "Tulekustuti kasutamine".

sanasto = sõnastik = vocabulary
Ei savua ilman tulta = Kus suitsu,  seal tuld = Where there's smoke, there's fire
huhu = kuuldus, kuulujutt = rumor
ilman = ilma = without
kirjaimellisesti = sõna otseses mõttes = literally 
käyttö = kasutamine = use, application 
maailmanlaajuinen = universaalne = universal
maaliskuu = märts = March
missä = kus = where
oletus = oletus = supposition, assumption
opetusvideo = õppefilm= educational film
sammutin = tulekustuti = fire extinguisher
savu/savua(part.) = suits/suitsu(part.) = smoke
seuraus = = implication 
siellä = seal = there
totuus = tõde = truth 
tuli/tulta(part.) = tuli/tuld(part.) = fire 
vaahtosammutin = pulberkustuti = fire extinguisher
(part. = the partitive case)