Shrove Tuesday in Estonia - Vastlapäev

Shrove Tuesday (in this year on 16/2) is before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent. On this day, families go sledding and eat split pea and ham soup. A toy is made from the ham bone by tying the bone to a string and spinning it around to make a whistling noise. A traditional pastry is a semla. The semla consists of a cardamon-spiced wheat bun which has its top cut off and insides scooped out, and is then filled with a mix of the scooped-out bread crumbs, milk and almond-paste, topped with whipped cream. The cut-off top serves as a lid and is dusted with powdered sugar.