Festival Kaera-Jaan

Once upon a time, in Lääniste, near Võnnu, in the modern-day Kastre parish, there lived a blacksmith named Jaan, whose escapades were the basis for a well-known joke song. Jaan, most likely, had no idea that he was the inspiration for Estonia’s best-known folk dance, which is still popular today, 135 years later. Since 1999, a fair and family day “Võnnu Kaera-Jaan” (in English, John of Oats) has been held in Võnnu, where folk dance groups from all over Estonia take part, presenting their inventive interpretations of the dance “kaerajaan”.

In 2024, the much-loved event grows into a family festival. Visitors will be able to explore a unique world of straw, experience traditional fair life, learn about the history of Kaera-Jaan (the family day) and kaerajaan (the dance), and enjoy dance and music on a magical trail on Vooremäe, created especially for the weekend. The festival bringing together land art, community stories and heritage will be held in Uniküla in Kastre municipality on the Vooremäe nature trails from May 31 to June 2.

From May 31st to June 2nd, all festival lovers are welcome to Vooremäe. Inspired by oats, the overarching theme of the event will be straws. They will be used to create a seating area for the audience, café areas, stalls and a stage, as well as an adventurous world of straws for children. The straws will also become a working tool for artists who were involved through an open call from Estonia and abroad. In August 2023 and May 2024, a total of 9 artists from Estonia, Germany, Finland, Norway and Australia made sculptures from wood, straw and other natural materials installed on the Vooremäe forest trail.

In the year of the Capital of Culture, guests with very different interests are invited to the festival: families to explore the Children’s Day activities, the sculpture trail and the world of straw, craft and gardening enthusiasts to the fair. However, the community theater performance “and then there was us” is truly spectacular and at the same time sincerely communal experience born from the interests of its performers. The creative team is the Latvian production company Initium with their chosen international artists, and the performers are approximately 80 local residents, the youngest of whom is 1 and the oldest is 80 years old.

On Vooremäe, the experience is spread out at varied pace – when the charge of fair energy becomes too intense, you can calmly disappear into the path of sculptures to find exciting perspectives at your own tempo. The performance parade, accompanied by folk musicians, moves from one fantastic scene to another in a world of its own.

Kaera-Jaan festival is part of the main program of Tartu 2024. It is organized by the Department of Education and Culture department of the Kastre municipality with many helpers, supported by Männiku Piim, Sõbra Kinnisvara, Theater Vanemuine, Uuskustuskeskus, Järvselja ÕKM, Estonian Cultural Capital and others.

Information about the event can be found on the website www.kaerajaan.eu and tickets are on sale in Piletilevi.

NB! The performance ticket also guarantees access to all other areas of the festival.

The fascinating cultural heritage of Kastre parish will be brought to audiences in Estonia and abroad in an original reinterpretation. During the festival, the collaboration within the local community as well as with foreign partners will increase.