In Estonia, as with many Eastern European countries, the native Pagan religion is entertwined with national pride. Conquerers from the medieval Teutonic Knights to the Soviet Union have tried to supress it.
Taaraism [native Paganism] went against the ways of Christianity and focused more upon the belief of nature. Because of the disbelief in Christianity, Estonians maintained a traditional culture of neo-Paganism that has continued to affect Estonian culture, beliefs and traditions to this day.
What I think might be happening can be explained by the good old 80-20 rule. Even if there is a “traditional culture of neo-Paganism” (Isn’t that a clash of adjectives?), at most only about 20 percent of people really care about the daily business of religion, while the rest, to use an old phrase, mainly want it when they are “hatched, matched, and dispatched” — and for festivals.
Despite Estonia’s well-maintained churches and other medieval tourist attractions, Estonia is considered to be one of the least religious countries in the world, with 78% of Estonians saying they do not use religion as part of their daily lives, according to the 2006-2011 Gallup polls.
This is the normal condition of humanity, when you leave people to their own devices and do not demand that they line up in neat rows every seven days (on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday) and say their prayers.
More from the article:
Those who had hoped Taaraism to become Estonia’s national religion during the first independence period in 1918-1940, saw their prospective success squashed by the Soviet occupation, as the atheistic and collective Soviet Union didn’t take any religion kindly, let alone a stand-alone national one, which would give too many independent ideas and thoughts.
Today, the population of Taara or Maausk followers is extremely small. However, according to the 2000 census, only 29% of the total Estonian population is at all religious, but in 2005, the Eurobarometer poll found that 54% believed in some spirit or external life force.
Okay, this has nothing to do with your essay, but I wanted to send you this link to an excellent essay on Mesopotamian Jewish magical bowls from Aeon Magazine (excellent articles!): https://aeon.co/essays/what-should-be-done-with-the-magic-bowls-of-jewish-babylonia
and this was the only way I could think to do so.
Chas, I’ve been meaning to ask you if you’ve read the Estonian novel The Man Who Spoke Snakish. It can be an exasperating book, but it’s interesting at least. One of its major subjects concerns dogmatic clinging to or recreation of perceived traditions (relevant to Eastern Orthodoxy as well as pagans). I get the feeling that it’s probably satirizing a lot of cultural currents that would make much more obvious sense to an Estonian reader.
I need to look up that book. Thanks.