Muhu Mother
During the Soviet era, marriages were registered in the Civil Registry Office in Kingissep.
During the Soviet era, marriages were registered at the civil registry office in the town of Kingissepa (capital of Saaremaa, today Kuressaare).
When newlyweds returned home to Muhu to hold their wedding reception, it was customary to stop by the Väinatamm causeway for a fun little ceremony where the bride would bid farewell to her maiden name. This usually meant writing her name on something, such as a dinner plate or a heart-shaped copper trinket, and throwing it into the water. The second stop was at the Statue of the Grieving Mother. There the master of ceremonies would give a short speech and the newlyweds would place a bouquet of flowers at the foot of the monument in memory of the fallen soldiers. One time, such a master of ceremonies began with a peculiar sentence that led to the attendees bursting out laughing: "It has become traditional to place flowers at the grave of the Grieving Mother..."
Meelis Mereäär
Related objects
Mass grave of those who fell in World War II and Monument of the Grieving Mother
This monument is situated at the tip of Väike Strait on Muhu, near the old road.
The mass grave was marked with a statue of the Grieving Mother, a grandiose granite monument eloquent in its simplicity which was unveiled in 1972. The sculpture surmounts a polished granite plinth. The grave is surrounded by a low dolomite fence.
The monument is made from red granite, while the statue is carved and the plinth is polished. It depicts a mourning woman standing with her arms crossed. The statue stands 2.5 metres high and its base dimensions are 1.6 x 0.78 x 0.75 metres. The base is engraved with the years 1941/1944. The engraving is 18 cm in height.
