Ludza Estonians

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Ludza Estonians (in their own Estonian dialect: Lutsi maarahvas (Lutsi rural people) ) were a group of ethnic Estonians who lived in the Ludza area in southeastern Latvia .

Distribution of the South Estonian dialects around 1900

Most of the Ludza Estonians probably immigrated to the Ludza area in the 17th century , but the first Estonian settlements may have existed earlier. The maximum number of settlers is estimated at 4,000.

During the era of feudalism , the ethnic group retained their original language, their Estonian customs and traditions, as life was then limited to a narrow radius. The Estonians were Catholic and had closer relations with their Latvian and Belarusian neighbors, who were also Catholics. As long as church ceremonies were held in Estonian, there was little reason to learn Latvian or Belorussian beyond common usage.

In the 19th century, however, Latvian gained the upper hand in the church and Russian became the official and lingua franca. The Ludza Estonians were absorbed by the surrounding population and were marginalized by the Soviet era at the latest .

However, there were still people with Estonian mother tongue around Ludza until the 1970s and 1980s.

Sources and web links