Tartu school and toy museum mark Teddy Bear Day
Teddy Bear Day, when people bring a favourite toy along, is marked in many countries in mid-October. In Tartu, Estonia, first-graders at Raatuse School brought their bears to class.
At Raatuse School in Tartu, Estonia, first-graders marked Teddy Bear Day by bringing their favourite toys to lessons and seating them beside them at their desks. The story was reported by "Aktuaalne kaamera", the news programme of Estonian public broadcaster ERR.
Teddy Bear Day is observed in many countries in mid-October, and the custom is to take a beloved toy along. In Estonia, the Tartu Toy Museum has promoted the tradition for ten years.
Pupils and teacher
Edvard, a pupil at Raatuse School, said his bear is simply called Mymmi and is just the right size. He has another, bigger bear at home, but it would not fit in his school backpack.
Class teacher Mare Leivo called the idea a good one, saying first-graders sometimes still want to hold a teddy bear close, so that it keeps them company. A bear of her own from childhood has also sat in her classroom for many years, and on this day she placed it in a place of honour on her desk.
The school also has a permanent resident: a large white bear that is ready to hug pupils and lift their mood every day.
Origins of the tradition
The custom of taking teddy bears to work, school and kindergarten exists in many countries, but it is now hard to establish where it began. In Estonia, the initiative is popularised by the Tartu Toy Museum.
Marge Pärnits, head of development at the museum, said she found the day in an English calendar called simply the "Calendar of Cute Things", which listed many amusing and touching celebrations. Because the museum's symbol is a bear and toy bears are very important to it, the team chose the bear day out of all of them as the one closest to its heart.
