News
Museum is collecting stories of swings
25.04.2011
Estonian Open Air Museum launches a new campaign "My Swing" for collecting photos and stories of self-made garden and indoor swings.
According to the coordinator of the project, Liina Kanemägi, swinging plays an important role during Easter, which is also known as the beginning of the swinging period, because swinging in late spring was believed to facilitate crop growth, improve the health of cattle and increase fertility among humans. During the summer, young people gathered around the village swings to communicate and get to know each other.
"The tradition of young people gathering near a swing was maintained in several parts of Estonia up until the beginning of 20th century. It never regained its popularity after World War I, but the love for the swing among Estonians has not diminished. Nowadays, families with children use swings to entertain their kids and adults also enjoy spending time on garden swings during warm summer nights. The village swing is a compulsory part of the contemporary celebration of Midsummer Day. Despite the wide variety of swings available at the stores, many people still prefer to build their own swings," said Kanemägi.
Your stories and photos of handmade swings should be sent to Estonian Open Air museum via post (keyword: MY SWING) or via their website http://fotod.evm.ee before May 31. An online exhibition will be compiled from the photos and it will be put up for everyone to see. The visitors of the webpage will be able to vote for their favourite swing. The stories and photos will be archived and preserved at the Estonian Open Air Museum. On Midsummer Night on June 23, prices will be awarded to those whose photos and stories were voted to be the best.