"Paabapraasnik is a holiday that is celebrated during Butter Week, and right now Butter Week is underway in Setomaa, from Monday through Sunday," Luigas explained in Seto. "And on Thursday – today – all of the women from the surrounding area will gather here, at the Kohvitarõ, and we're gonna have a praasnik."

And what do they do at this praasnik? All kinds of mischief, the cafe owner divulged.

"We eat, we drink, we play, we hand out medals," Luigas said. "We do all kinds of other things too. And then we all go home at night. And then on Sunday we come back here again, and then we celebrate maaselits."

Sunday's maaselits celebrations mark the culmination of Butter Week, and then Lent begins Monday.

"And during Lent we don't hold any praasniks; we live modestly," she continued. "And after seven weeks of Lent, everyone comes back for Easter – to the munaloomka [traditional Easter egg-rolling hill], to roll their eggs."

According to the one-time ülembsootska, or Seto regent, in the olden days, paabapraasniks were parties where men and children weren't allowed.

"And if the women came across a man, then they asked the man for verrev viin [a fermented berry drink] – or money," she explained. "The problem wasn't that the women had too little money; it's just a custom that men they came across that day – that all kinds of mischief was done with them. So know that today in Mikitamäe, if any men are found circling the house and are caught by the women, then they'll be pulled inside and have a skirt put on them and kinds of other mischief."

In earlier times, it was also customary for many paabapraasniks to be held simultaneously all over Setomaa that day, with women going around attending one after another.

This year, she noted, paabapraasniks are being organized not just in Mikitamäe at her cafe, but also in Uusvada, possibly Värska and elsewhere too.

Asked by the "Terevisioon" host whether things have changed and men are also now allowed to attend, Luigas said that the women have already been discussing how life has changed so much, and considered what they should do if a man were to come and say that he wants to be equal too and attend the praasnik.

"There's absolutely nothing wrong with that!" she declared. "We have plenty of undriks – skirts – on the rack here. We'll put them in a skirt and headscarf and they can dance and sing and taste all the good food the women have brought here."

In other words, she concluded, the paabapraasnik revelers will indeed welcome anyone who wants to join in their celebrations.

Men will just have to remember that they're still men, she warned, "and that the women are full of swagger that day and may get up to all kinds of mischief with them."

Two Easters, two Lents

While Orthodox Christmas, celebrated by Setos as talsipühä, falls on a set date each year — January 7 according to the Gregorian calendar used in Estonia today — Othodox Easter, like Western Easter, is a moveable feast, or moving holiday, dictating in turn where in the calendar Lent and events preceding it fall.

Western Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the spring equinox. The date of Orthodox Easter, meanwhile, is determined based on the Julian calendar it follows, while also ensuring, in keeping with the Bible, that it falls after the Jewish Passover.

This year, Shrove Tuesday was celebrated in Estonia on March 4, with Lent beginning the next day, and Easter Sunday to fall on March 31.

Celebrated by several different groups of people across Estonia, Butter Week (literally võinädal in Estonian), or Maslenitsa Week, celebrated by Setos as maaselits, fell on the second full week of March this year.

Orthodox Lent will begin on Monday, March 18, with Orthodox Easter to be celebrated on May 5.

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