Fern Flowers
“Everything You Can Imagine Is Real”
Like fern flowers or the rather miraculous men’s robe, soft tank top and pants, all ethically crafted of fine cotton in Tallinn town.
The fern flowers are magical flowers in Estonian mythology. According to the myth, the flower blooms only for a very short time on the eve of the summer solstice (in Estonian jaaniöö), bringing great fortune – luck and sometimes even the ability to understand animal language – to the one who finds it. Young couples go into the woods “seeking the magical flower” and even if they come back with empty hands, love still blossoms in their hearts.
Celebrated in Estland long before the arrival of Christianity, the most magical time of the year was once embraced as “leedopäev” but changed forcefully to “jaanipäev” – a relic of crusaders we still reflect. However, it did not change the pagan beliefs and fertility rituals – in 1578, Balthasar Russow wrote in his Chronicle how Estonians placed more importance on the celebrations than going to church – instead, they spent time lighting bonfires, dancing, singing and following “pagan” rituals in the wilderness. And we can tell you from our own pocket – not much has changed!