Estonia
Eesti1 region
Estonia suits a visitor who wants a medieval old town and a market that stays up after Christmas. Tallinn's market fills Town Hall Square from 20 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, so a trip over New Year still finds the stalls open. The square's tree comes with one of the oldest Christmas tree records in Europe, from the Blackheads merchants' guild in the 1440s. Tallinn is the one base, and you should come ready for real cold and very short days.
How Estonia keeps Christmas
- Jouluvana (Jõuluvana)The Christmas old man usually comes to the house in person, played by someone in costume, and asks each child for a Christmas verse or a song before he hands over a present. Some tellings give him a bundle of twigs in his belt for the children who would not listen.
All through December the päkapikud (Santa's elves) visit homes with children at night. They leave a treat in the shoes or slippers set on the windowsill and keep an eye on whether the children are behaving.
Christmas Eve has been a public holiday since 2005, and 25 and 26 December are state holidays too. Many Christians go to a service on the evening of the 24th or at night, and a visitor who goes should treat it as worship first. Dinner is verivorst (blood sausage) and roast pork with baked potatoes and sauerkraut, with piparkoogid (gingerbread) to follow. Breweries put out dark Christmas beers in late autumn. Since the early 20th century families have also visited cemeteries at Christmas to light candles on their relatives' graves, and a mayor or another local leader traditionally reads out a declaration of Christmas peace.
Tallinn holds one of the oldest records of a Christmas tree. The merchants of the Brotherhood of Blackheads set up trees for the holidays in their guild houses in Reval (Tallinn) and Riga in 1441, 1442, 1510 and 1514, and on the last night they carried the tree out to the Town Hall Square and danced around it. Tallinn's market organizer calls the tree on the square the world's first public Christmas tree, and Riga makes its own claim to the title.
Market in Estonia
Town in Estonia
Quick answers about Estonia
Did Tallinn have the first Christmas tree?
Tallinn holds one of the oldest records. The Brotherhood of Blackheads set up holiday trees in its guild houses in Tallinn and Riga in 1441, 1442, 1510 and 1514, and danced round them on the Town Hall Square on the last night. Tallinn and Riga both claim the first public tree.
What do Estonians eat at Christmas?
The classic dinner is verivorst (blood sausage) and roast pork with baked potatoes and sauerkraut. Piparkoogid (gingerbread) follows, and breweries make dark beers for the season.
Who brings the presents in Estonia?
In Estonia, Jouluvana brings the presents. The Christmas old man usually comes to the house in person, played by someone in costume, and asks each child for a Christmas verse or a song before he hands over a present. Some tellings give him a bundle of twigs in his belt for the children who would not listen.
When do the Christmas markets run in Estonia?
In Estonia, the Christmas market on Tallinn's Town Hall Square runs from 20 November 2026 to 6 January 2027. The stalls open daily from 10:00 to 20:00, and hot drinks are served until 22:00, or 23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.