The Yearly Rendezvous of Dawn and Dusk

VINCENT TEETSOV

Every Jaaniõhtu, it’s said that koit (dawn) and hämarik (dusk) join together for one day, and one day only.

When the days are at their very longest in the northern hemisphere, one can see how the end of one day and the beginning of the next fade into each other. These times of day are anthropomorphized as lovers who meet briefly, before they are separated for 12 months until the following solstice.

This story has become especially pronounced in Estonian folk culture since Friedrich Robert Faehlmann published his story Koit ja Hämarik in 1840. Faehlmann is also known for being the co-founder of the Learned Estonian Society at the University of Tartu.

In his story, dawn is a young man who ignites the sun in the morning, while dusk is a young woman who extinguishes the flame in the evening. Upon crossing paths at the time of Jaanipäev, they fall in love and wish to stay together. However, they must carry on in their duties, and so they kiss and part ways.

For its connection to a moment of the year that’s central to the Estonian calendar, Faehlmann’s story became celebrated as a monument of Estonian literature, especially during the Estonian Age of Awakening (Ärkamisaeg). The story’s roots extend deep into the Baltic region. As folklorist Matthias Johann Eisen explained in his book Eesti mütoloogia, some scholars have pointed out the similarities between Koit ja Hämarik and other local legends, such as the Lithuanian folk tale of Aušrine· (the Morning Star) and Vakarine· (the Evening Star), who take opposite roles in waking up and preparing the sun for bed.

Koit and Hämarik, along with a grandfather figure played by Ivo Linna, were important characters during the proceedings of the 12th Estonian Youth Dance Festival in 2017. Though, the objective of the story was different than serving as an allegory of passing seasons. Margus Toomla, the main director of the festival, explained, “The main message of the dance festival is the preservation of the basic values of national culture and the transmission from generation to generation, which is expressed as the journey of Dawn and [Dusk] in four seasons...”

The story gives us license to philosophize about cycles and infuse more poetry into our Jaanipäev traditions. Our celebrations each year can be seen as a continuation of our ancestors’ culture.

Just like the Estonian folk tradition of searching for the lucky fern flower in a forest on the eve of Jaanipäev, the story of Koit ja Hämarik also imbues the solstice with a youthful attitude. The meeting of dawn and dusk guides us to cherish the extraordinary. To love freely. To be present. To chase the “impossible.”

On a scientific level, this mythological meeting reminds revellers of the rarity of a solstice. We are halfway through our revolution around the Sun, receiving ample quantities of heat and light. In six months, Earth’s northern half will be angled away, changing everything. So let’s make the most of all we can do with this time!

Photo: traveller.ee