The onion road and Russian Old Believers

Price 46 EUR, duration 4-5h, 14 July

We will drive through the villages of Russian Old Believers Varnja – Kasepää – Kolkja. In Kolkja we will visit a local farm, get acquainted with the old traditions of growing onions and have a traditional onion pie with tea.

Sure, the Onion Road might sound like a slightly offensive Eastern European equivalent of the Yellow Brick Road from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but not so fast! It’s actually a 30-kilometre-or-so stretch of road spanning the southern coast of Lake Peipus, inhabited by Russian Old Believers who are famed for growing beautiful golden onions. Sample delicious salted fish, wash it down with local moonshine and if you’re not blind or dead by the morning, listen as Aleksey from the neighbouring village passionately explains why things were so much better during the Soviet times.

We also visit Kolkja Museum of Russian Old Believers.

You can see the traditional clothes, everyday items, handicrafts, tools, photos, books and many other items associated with the Old Believers. The Russian Old Believers – starovery – have been following their religious traditions rigorously for more than a 1000 years. There are 11 congregations of Old Believers with approximately 15,000 members in Estonia. The Lake Peipus area – Mustvee, Kallaste, Kolkja, Kasepää, Varnja, Piirissaar – is the main area where Old Believers live.

The bus trip lasts about 4-4,5 hours