Christmas in Estonia

(By Hugo Jakobsen, 3 October 1919 – 8 October 2010)

“It begins on Christmas Eve, the 24th of December. It is cold and dark outside and the snow is gently falling.

Our family is ready to go to Church to attend the special Christmas service. We enter a Church full of people and find our seats. In front of the altar is a huge Christmas tree lit up with wax candles.

Further to the right is a nativity scene: the baby Jesus in the manger attended by his parents Maria and Joseph. The Lutheran minister tells us the story of the birth of Jesus and all the things that happened around him. He also mentions the three wise men from far away, foreign lands, who came to worship the son of God.

The congregation, all the people crowded into the Church, sing numerous Christmas carols, including Silent Night.

After the service we return home, light our own Christmas tree and dine. The meal is a traditional one, consisting among other things, of fried ‘blood sausage,’ sauerkraut and potatoes.

Some of the presents are already under the tree but some were still to arrive during the night. Guess who was going to deliver them while we were all sleeping? Father Christmas of course.

The presents were not to be touched until the next morning. This was the day of rejoicing and happiness.

We head out into the snow, build a snowman, have snowball fights, and ski. And of course, we wished a merry Christmas to everybody we met.”

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

NOTE: Ann Smith has been researching, since 1988, the transport of people displaced by the Second World War, who sailed to Australia, firstly aboard the good ship General Stuart Heintzelman. Hugo Jakobsen was lucky enough to be on that ship, and during the long weeks of passage, started a newsletter for his fellow “New Australians,” which may be the first time that phrase was used. My father claimed to have assimilated on the very day he arrived (at Fremantle): “We went to the beach and then we went to the pub.”

[ https://www.blogger.com/profile/13162627848003952705 ] A search of the National Archives revealed the passenger list for that voyage, and Ann’s voyage into the past had begun. Her account of Hugo Jakobsen’s journey is linked here, and her blog reveals many other fascinating stories: https://firsttransport.blogspot.com/2024/10/hugo-jakobsen-leader-and-teacher.html