Õnne õhtu (Fortune Night) [2024]
single channel video, 02:07Õnnetina valamine remains a traditional Estonian New Years practice of molybdomancy - an act of scrying for the coming year. Passed down through informal gatherings of family, relatives and friends, each year this tradition evolves with collective gestures solidifying into a choreographed ritualistic practice. Yet what happens when the shadows we encounter are yet to be interpreted? What happens when we recast our fortunes? How solid are the fortunes we cast and the traditions we uphold?
Historically, hot paraffin wax or animal fat was melted over a heat using a metal ladle (kulp), and poured into cool water or a snow-filled bowl. Nowadays, fortunes are cast from hobu/raua (horseshoe) shaped individual pieces of lead (now tin). Fortunes are poured by every member of the family individually. Before casting, the pourer is told to repeat the following:
Estonian: «Minu nimi on [name]. Ma olen oma saatuse sepp, ja oma õnne valaja»
Translation: “My name is [name]. I am the smith of my own destiny, and the pourer of my own fortune”
Once said, the group in unison shouts “Ja, ja, ja!”. The shapes, texture and shadows cast by the tin are read to forecast auguries (omens) of the future year for the person in whose name the tin was cast. A list of definitions for shapes has been compiled by me here.
The most important member/eldest of the group congratulates everyone. Once everyone has finished their tin-pouring, all must wash their face/hands with the water to protect them from illness and all kinds of evil. This comes from a similar tradition on New Years Day morning where the “peremees” would throw salt into the well and fetch water from it. The water is poured into a bowl and a silver knife or coin is placed inside for good luck. Everyone would wash their faces with this water to protect those from illness and evil.
The remaining water should be poured back at a location where no human would ever tread such as around a tree. Do not look at the water while pouring it out, and say these words:
Estonian: «Lase sel tagasi minna, kust see tuli»
Translation: “Let it return from whence it came”
This phrase comes from Ukrainian “nekhai ide tudy, zvidky pryshlo” and was uttered as the water was discarded. The practice of fortune telling remains an ever-evolving act of alchemy, transformation and imagination. These rules are not set in stone.
