Presentation of a Cultural and Travel Guide to Setomaa

Description

The latest travel guide by renowned guide and travel guide author Tapio Mäkeläinen is now available in Estonian.
The book introduces the Seto language and culture, customs and traditions, food and religion, and also provides practical advice on how to explore Setomaa independently.

Mäkeläinen has been building bridges between Estonian, Finnish and Seto cultures for decades. He has written nearly 20 travel guides to Estonian cities, counties and regions, but until now all of them have been published only in Finnish. “Setos and Setomaa” was also originally intended to be published only across the Gulf of Finland, but since there is no equally comprehensive and up-to-date cultural and travel guide to Setomaa in Estonian, Tapio agreed to an Estonian edition this time. As a result, the book was published in Estonian even before its publication in Finland.
“Setomaa is small, but it is a bottomless treasure chest because its spirit is great – and that spirit is rooted in the Seto language and culture, customs and traditions. These are precisely what the first part of the book is about,” Mäkeläinen says. “The second part provides guidance and advice on how to visit the Setos and explore Setomaa and its stunning natural environment independently.”
The book’s editor and Setomaa guide Helen Alumäe says: “A handy yet comprehensive book like this about Setomaa has been eagerly awaited for a long time, both in Setomaa and among our visitors. The fact that the book was written by someone who is not a Seto – and a Finn at that – is not a bad thing at all, in my opinion.”
“I have seen many times that it is not easy for local people to introduce their own region, because to them everything is part of everyday life, natural and nothing out of the ordinary. This applies not only to Setomaa, but to any region or country. To recognise what makes a particular region special, we need an outside observer, and the author of this book, Tapio Mäkeläinen, fulfils that role exceptionally well. Tapio is a Setophile at heart, and it was he who brought the Finnish groups that, after the fall of the Iron Curtain, were among the first to come and discover the culture of their kindred people.”

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