More than 200 of Estonia's best local artisans are on hand, keeping the 29th annual fair vibrant as ever.

This year, the fair's main focus is on Aiboland — the Estonian Swedish name for the region of Northwestern Estonia home to its historical Swedish-speaking minority. Attendees have had the chance to explore the Coastal Swedes' unique crafts and folk traditions.

Liina Veskimägi, chair of the Estonian Folk Art and Craft Union (ERKL), highlighted the Swedish roots evident in local crafts.

"This Swedish influence can be seen in things like paper flowers, which we don't have anywhere else, their wedding headdresses and their folk dress," Veskimägi said. "The colors follow completely different rhythms than elsewhere in Estonia."

The Pakri wedding headdress, or seppel, closely resembles other Coastal Swedish ones.

Jana Stahl, chair of the Estonian Swedes' Cultural Administration, explained that when a book about Coastal Swedish folk dress was completed this year, Anu Pink from Saara Publishing requested that every bride in the photos appear very sad — a nod to the serious faces seen in old photos.

Shoppers traveled from near and far to attend the St. Martin's Fair. One visitor, Kairi, said she appreciates the fair for preserving local traditions.

"Halloween is everywhere else in the world already, but few outside Estonia know about St. Catherine's Day or Martinmas," she said. "So it's much cooler to keep these traditions alive."

The fair also offers hands-on experiences. Younger fairgoers can try out woodworking tools while adults can brush up on various traditional crafting skills.

"We have smaller weaving projects here with willow or birch bark," said Taavi, a teacher at the Edev Eremiit traditional woodworking school.

"This morning, people did wood engraving, writing with knives," he said. "Japanese visitors got to write their names in runes and were thrilled at the chance to try out this Estonian wood carving."

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