1A Setomaa: The Divided Kingdom

1A Setomaa: The divided kingdom
It’s early in the morning and Leida is crossing the border. She is a Seto woman, and
her country, Setomaa, lies partly in Russia and partly in Estonia. Setomaa has its own
flag, language, traditions and festivals, but it is divided by an international border.
Leida has to cross the border frequently to get from one part of her country to the
other, and although people of Seto nationality have special visas to simplify the
crossing, it sometimes takes several hours.
Today Leida is making the journey from her hometown of Pechory in Russia to the
village of Obinitsa in Estonia to attend the annual Seto Kingdom Day festival. This is
the day when people from all over Setomaa get together for a ceremony to choose
their ‘Sootska’, or king. The event is also a celebration of Seto traditions and there
will be plenty of singing and dancing. Leida sings in a Seto women’s choir. ‘Singing
is a very important part of our culture,’ she says, ‘Songs are passed from generation to
generation – they connect us with our ancestors.’
Another important connection with the past is the national costume. The women wear
a large circular plate of silver known as a Suur Solg on their chests. Mothers often
pass on their Suur Solg to their daughters on the day when their firstgrandchild is
born, and some of them are very old. Unfortunately, Leida can’t take her ceremonial
silver plate across the border because of customs regulations, so she leaves it with her
sister Helen in Estonia. ‘I’m always having to cross the border to Estonia for festivals
and other special occasions, so it’s better forme to keep it there,’ she says.
One of Setomaa’s most well-known figures is Evar Riitsaar, who was king from 2004
to 2007, and although he no longer holds that position, he is still something of a
celebrity. According to Evar, the most important responsibility of the Seto king is
spiritual leadership. Although nowadays the Setos believe in Christianity, they also
maintain many of their ancient religious beliefs in gods such as Peko, the god of
fertility. Evar spends much of his time in activities such as singing, dancing, and
painting. He says Peko often sends him signs while he’s singing or in dreams.
Evar is very active in a movement to save Seto cultural identity. More and more
young people are leaving Setomaa for the cities and Evar is worried that Seto culture
will die out. ‘A lot has already been forgotten,’ he says, ‘For example, there used to be
special ways to speak with animals and plants. Things like this have now been lost.’
Meanwhile, back at the border, Leida is finally through the immigration controls. Her
sister Helen is waiting in her old VW to collect her. First, they will drive to Helen’s
farm to put on their traditional costumes, then they’ll go straight out again to join the
festivities in Obinitsa. It’s going to be a long day.
1B Script detectives
Bruno: Oh, Excuse me! I beg your pardon, but aren’t you
Guy Haines?
Guy: Uh huh.
B: Sure! I saw you playing tennis on TV. You reached the
semi-finals, didn’t you? I really admire people who do
things. By the way, I’m Bruno Anthony. Bruno.
G: How do you do?
B: I don’t usually talk so much. Go ahead and read.
G: Thanks.
B: It must be pretty exciting to be so important.
G: A tennis player isn’t so important.
B: People who do things are important. Me, I never seem to
do anything. I suppose you’re going to Southampton for
the doubles.
G: You are a tennis fan.
B: I wish I could be there to watch you. But I’ve got to be
back in Washington tomorrow. I live in Arlington, you
know. Cigarette?
G: Not now, thanks. Here.
B: Thanks. Elegant. To G from A. I bet I can guess who A is.
G: Yes?
B: Anne Burton. You see, sometimes I turn to the sports
page and I look at the society section. And the pictures.
She’s very beautiful, Senator Burton’s daughter.
G: You’re quite a reader, Mr Anthony.
B: Yes, I am. I read everything carefully. Even news about
people I don’t know. Like who’d like to marry whom when
he gets his divorce.
G: Perhaps you read too much!
B: There I go again – too friendly. It always happens – I
meet someone I like and I talk too much. I’m sorry …
G: That’s all right. Forget it.
1D Smoker quits in glass box
A Singaporean woman will return to normal life today after spending three days in a
glass box. 26-year-old Cheyenne Lu has been living in full view
of the public on a busy shopping street in an attempt
to quit smoking.
Lu, who has been smoking for the last 12 years, knows how difficult it is to quit. Her
previous attempts all failed because she didn’t tell her family and friends that she was
trying to give up. So this time she has made her decision very public. The experiment
was organized by the Health Promotion Board as part of an effort to encourage young
Singaporean women not to smoke. There has been a sharp increase in the number of
women smokers in recent years.
Keeping fit
Lu has been eating and sleeping in a glass room for the last three days, with an
internet connection and a collection of DVDs to help her pass the time. In addition,
she has been having yoga and pilates sessions with a fitness trainer. Lu, who is a
freelance writer, has been keeping an online blog of her experiences in the glass
house.
The kindness of strangers?

Lu says she has received a lot of encouragement from people passing by. She has also
received messages of support on her internet blog. However, some people have tried
to make it more difficult by stopping in front of her window and lighting a cigarette.
One stranger even offered to give her $500 to smoke a cigarette with him.
‘Surprisingly, it made me want to stop smoking even more,’ said Lu.
A keen football fan

Although Lu has managed not to smoke for three days, she knows this is only the
beginning of her smoke-free journey. But she has something to look forward to. She is
a keen supporter of Arsenal Football Club, and she plans to use all the money she
saves by not smoking to travel to London. She wants to see her hero Cesc Fabregas in
real life.

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1A Setomaa: The divided kingdom

1D Smoker quits in glass box

The kindness of strangers?

A keen football fan

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