Siberi eestlaste surma- ja matusekombestikust
On the death and funeral tradition of the Estonians in Siberia during the last decade of the 20th century

Summary/Abstract: The Siberian Estonians are the descendents of the deportees from the 18th-19th century and the voluntary emigrants from the last decade of the 19th century and the early 20th century. According to the 1989 census there were 17,000 Estonians living in Siberia. During 1991-2000 the author collected the death and funeral traditions of the Siberian Estonians in rural regions, about 30 Siberian villages from the Omsk Oblast to Krasnoyarsk District. Compared to other family traditions the funeral customs are considerably more conservative and stable. The Estonians in Siberia wish to be buried with the Word of God, according to the Lutheran tradition, though the social situation has not been favourable (during the 1920s-1930s Lutheran ministers were evicted from the villages, during 1936-1938 most of the religious literature was destroyed). The funeral ceremonies were conducted by amateurs, mostly older women. Even today the Estonians in Siberia attempt to observe the traditional death and funeral customs - e.g. the deceased is washed and dressed at home and sent to his or her last journey, there is no alternative to corpse burial in the Siberian villages, the traditionally lavish funeral feasts are held at home, death wake is still held and singing is still a part of the funeral tradition. Due to mixed marriages the Estonians in larger multi-ethnic villages are more prone to foreign traditions. The Estonians in Siberia have borrowed several memorial days from the Russian tradition (e.g. celebrating the passing of the 9th and 40th day from the departure, visit the graves of relatives on Christmas, Victory Day on May 9, and on Easter and Whitsunday). Siberian Estonians also bring food to the graves and the graves of the Estonians resemble more those of the local Russians. The funeral tradition of the Estonians in Siberia is considerably more archaic than that in Estonia, and the tradition of the Estonians from different regions has become more uniform. Changes in the tradition have occurred mostly in multi-ethnic villages and the Siberian Estonians still prefer Lutheran funeral ceremonies.

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