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Eighty-year-old Maime Kapten is a member of the Seto ethnic community, which once a year turns a village in southeastern Estonia into a symbolic kingdom for a day—complete with entry visas instead of tickets, made-up currency, and even a mock military parade. She’s one of only a few thousand fluent speakers of Seto, which is closely related to the Estonian language.
The idea was born in 1994 as the Setos, whose homeland was divided by the Estonian-Russian border after the collapse of the Soviet Union, created a special event called Kingdom Day to highlight their unique culture, preserve their language, and bring the community together.
“This is an important cultural day for us,” Kapten said. “We get to meet people we know; we get to talk, exchange a few words, give each other a hug.”
The Seto people have lived for centuries in the border region and never had a real kingdom. After the Soviet Union’s collapse, many on the Russian side of the border eventually abandoned or sold their houses and moved to Estonia. Fewer than 200 stayed behind.
According to Estonia’s 2021 census, about 25,000 people reported being able to speak Seto, but linguists estimate only a few thousand use it in everyday life. Seto speakers are spread across Estonia, and the Setomaa parish in their traditional home region is home to fewer than 3,000 people.
Seto traditions have survived largely by being passed on by word of mouth, and the annual Kingdom Day is one of the most important events for preserving the Seto language.
Maria Grünberg, 23, learned Seto by listening to songs as a child and trying to sing along. Now she’s leading the youth choir and her dream is to help every generation embrace Seto.
“We all together try to preserve the songs, the language, and show also other young people that Seto songs and Seto language is not only for old people,” said Grünberg, who sang wearing a traditional Seto dress she customized herself and her grandparents’ jewelry. “We want to show that this is for everyone.”
This article was provided by The Associated Press.