Pop-up Café Days - Seto Kostipäiv 2023
On Seto Pop-up Café Days, you have the opportunity to visit cozy cafes at homes, farmsteads and some surprising venues as well. On that day, you will hear the sounds of musical instruments and traditional Seto singing called Seto leelo, see the beauty of Seto traditional clothes and have the dishes made using grandmothers’ recipes caress your tastebuds. Enjoy traditional Seto dishes as well as new delicacies made of local produce. Let the hospitality of Setos entertain you! In case you missed our event this year - you are welcome next year - on August 10-11, 2024.
We are very grateful to our photographers, who took pictures in cafes in 2023 - Martin Ivask, Andres Treial ja Helen Tulp. The event is over, but we can still get back to the emotions through photos. Click on the name of the photographer and you will see, where the pictures were taken.
Our star 2023 was blackcurrant! Every year, there is special ingredient or topic that is central to every café. As Setomaa has become known as a hub of organic berry and vegetable cultivation and organic blackcurrant is widely cultivated here, we have chosen this powerful berry to be the star of cafes this year. Every café provides some dish that has been made of blackcurrants. In addition, different blackcurrant products, such as juice, jams, lemonade, powder etc., will be provided for sale at the cafes.
2023 – Be Active Year. Before and after a meal, it was healthy to get some movement. The cafes provided different possibilities to get active. The Kriisa Farm Café, for instance, invited guests to take part in an orienteering game in their village. At Väikesaare and Näpotüü Kotus cafes, guests were taken on tours to see the local Orthodox chapels. There were also opportunities to go rafting on a pontoon (at Harrõoro Hämmätüs Café), or swimming at various locations. Many cafes offered dancing, whether through Seto dance workshops or attending a garage disco (at Café Korraks Garaaži Alla). Exact itineraries were presented in the bios of the cafes, and some luck was also needed. Seto Café Day was a process, a slow journey through time.
Enjoy sauna! 2023 was also declared as the Year of the Sauna. As part of Seto Café Days, saunas were available for guests to enjoy. Saunas could be found at the following cafés: Linnusõbra Pesä, Piiri Veereh, and Ilolinõ Kirsi Talo.
Different ways to spend Saturday evening. In 2023, Saturday evening offered several entertainment options. Visitors were welcomed at ObiNizza Üülokaal (Night Club), where a new artist performed every full hour. The program was packed with poetry, songs, traditional Seto singing, and instrumental music. Café Näpotüü Kotus also planned to light a fire on Saturday night, with the possibility of additional spontaneous events happening that evening.
The Seto Café Day cycle was part of the European Cultural Capital Tartu 2024 main program and supported by the South-Estonian Community Program.