Village swing (Estonian: külakiik, Finnish: kyläkeinu) is a large swing designed for multiple adults, traditionally built on village communal land, in Estonia and Finland.
History
The practice of swinging has been with Estonian culture for a long time, its origin is not known. The prevalence of village swings was noted by Estophile August Wilhelm Hupel in 1781, stating "swings can be seen near almost every tavern and small village, often individual farms".
In recent times, authorities have begun considering village swings to be a safety hazard. In 2013 the town government of Saue decided not to repair their swing because no companies were willing to accept liability in the event of damage.
Kiiking
Main article: KiikingThe sport kiiking was invented in Estonia in 1993, where people compete for performing a full 360 rotation with a swing. The construction of kiiking swings is radically different from village swings, but shares the cultural underpinnings.
References
- ^ Pungas, Piret (2004). "Kiigekohad Eesti maastikes" (in Estonian).
- Pungas, Piret; Oja, Tõnu; Palang, Hannes (April 2005). "Seasonality in Estonian Traditional Landscape: The Example of Large Village Swings". Landscape Research. 30 (2): 241–257. Bibcode:2005LandR..30..241P. doi:10.1080/01426390500044457. ISSN 0142-6397. S2CID 146395270.
- ^ Vissel, Anu (2002). "Eestlaste kiigekultuur enne ja nüüd" (PDF). Mäetagused (in Estonian). 21: 7–84. doi:10.7592/MT2002.21.kiik. (Translated abstract available)
- ^ Bradshaw, Luke (17 November 2017). "Estonia and its Love for Extreme Swinging". Culture Trip. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
- Teder, Taavi (2013-06-07). "Suure külakiige tellimine jääb puuduva turvalisussertifikaadi taha". Postimees (in Estonian). Retrieved 2020-08-10.
External links
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