It is often said that we make our own luck. However, when it comes to good luck in Estonian, there are countless ways of giving luck a helping hand. In this blog, we will explore a few words and phrases that mean good luck in Estonian as well as look briefly at how the Estonians bring good luck upon themselves.
Useful Ways To Say Good Luck In Estonian
Edu
The most common way to say good luck in Estonian is “edu!” It is an interjection used when offering a person some encouragement, wishing them good fortune or simply wishing them luck. For example: “Suur tänu sulle abi eest ja edu venna leidmisel”, or “Thank you very much for your help, and good luck finding your brother”.
Õnn
Another way to say good luck is with the Estonian word “õnn”, a noun that means something positive that happens to you, or someone else, by chance. For example: “Nii palju halba õnne tuli sellest, et seal saab olla ainult head õnne järel”, or “So much bad luck came out of it there can only be good luck left”.
The phrase “hea õnne” can be used as a noun that in translation means “good fortune”. For example: “Kaheksa on Hiina kultuuris õnnenumber ja seda seostatakse hea õnne ja jõukusega”, or “Eight is a lucky number in Chinese culture and is associated with good fortune and prosperity”.
The phrase can also be used as an interjection meaning “good luck” as in “Sa ütlesid, et nad toovad head õnne, aga ei too”, or “You said that they would bring good luck”.
Õnn Kaasa
Yet another of the phrases used in Estonia as a way to wish someone luck is to say “õnn kaasa”. In translation, it means “good luck with that”. For example: “Siis tee oma uinak. Õnn kaasa täna õhtuks”, or “Then take your nap and good luck for tonight”. One might also use it when saying goodbye to someone, for example: “Õnn kaasa, Charlie”, or “Farewell, Charlie”.
Making Your Own Luck
It may, however, not be enough just to wish someone luck or to have luck wished upon you. If you want to take things into your own hands, then Estonia may have the answer. During Estonia’s Midsummer celebrations, there are a few quirky traditions that are bound to have you with luck coming out of your ears. Midsummer is an important tradition for Estonians. It dates back to before Christianity and is the celebration of the Summer solstice. You don’t have to understand Estonian to get involved if you are visiting on the night that falls between June 23rd and 24th, just grab a beer and participate in a few luck-granting traditions.
Find Yourself A Fern Blossom
It is of vital importance that you only attempt to seek out a fern blossom at midnight, otherwise, the luck-granting magic just won’t work. It is unlikely you will find a fern blossom at midnight, or any other time though, because, of course, ferns don’t blossom. But if you do happen to stumble upon one you can expect to be instantly wealthy, have the gift of foresight, and be able to become invisible!
Jump Over A Bonfire
Obviously, a bit of common sense is needed if this Estonian good luck tradition doesn’t end in a great deal of bad luck. But for the brave, the benefits of jumping over a bonfire on Midsummer include ensuring that next year’s harvest is bountiful and guaranteeing general good luck for the future.
Rolling Around In Dew-Covered Grass
The Midsummer dew is proverbially said to hold magical properties that will transfer to you if you attempt a couple of forward rolls in it at the right time of year. The benefits of getting a bit damp include eternal youth.
Dream Of Your True Love
Love is the same in all languages and if you are visiting Estonia during Midsummer don’t forget to keep an eye out for some pretty flowers. Tradition has it that if you pick seven (some experts advocate picking nine) different kinds of wildflowers and put them under your pillow before falling asleep will guarantee vivid dreams of the person you are meant to spend the rest of your life in a relationship with. All that is then required is that you go out and find them and inform them of their amazing luck.
Drink To Good Luck With A Glass Of Beer
Another tradition that guarantees a bountiful harvest and good luck for the coming year. Beer is ubiquitous at Midsummer, so be sure to raise a glass or two and feel the luck flow through you. If you are a beginner, we suggest you pace yourself as the beer really tends to flow at the Midsummer festivals.
Other Estonian Superstitions That Bring Good Luck
Superstitions and folklore abound in Estonia, perhaps more in the south than the north, which has been more exposed to the trappings of modern life.
Peko: The God Of Fertility
There may be no better signal that you are experiencing good luck than when a family learns it is about to get bigger. In the distant past, Peko was revered as an agricultural deity. It was believed, and still is in southeastern Estonia, that Peko would grant each household in the village good luck, guarantee the harvest, and keep the land fertile.
Still associated with fertility, each village has an effigy of Peko that is shared between the farms every year. A special feast is celebrated in honor of the deity where offerings of wool and butter are made that cannot fail to bring luck. Any food leftover after the feast is distributed to the poor. In order to claim the right to Peko’s effigy, men will participate in fence-jumping competitions and wrestling matches.
Sacred Groves
There are some 500 sacred groves across Estonia today, and it is believed that by making offerings of food, drink, wool, cloth, and yarn in these mystical places the mythical creatures that dwell at the site will protect the people from bad luck and disease.
Prepare For Your Own Good Luck In Estonia By Downloading Ling
We have merely scraped the surface of how to bring good luck when visiting Estonia in this blog. By downloading the Ling App today you can learn useful words and phrases to speak in Estonian that will prepare you for a fruitful trip to this beautiful and magical European nation. Ling makes it easy for you to learn through entertaining games and quizzes as well as more tried and tested ways of learning a new language. Download Ling now at App Store and Google Play.
