Võros

Names and Territory

Võros  (in Estonian: võrokesed, autonym: võrokõsõq) are indigenous inhabitants of South Estonia’s Võrumaa (current Võru County and Põlva County with parts of Valga County), a Baltic-Finnic people who can be considered a sub-ethnos of Estonians.

Population

There are approximately 70 000 Võros in the world.

Language and Customs

The foundation of Võro identity is the Võro language. Võros are considered straightforward, hospitable and more temperamental than northern Estonians. The role of the community is still quite high in the Võro countryside, and extended families are rather important also for urban Võros. many ancient customs have been preserved in Võro villages and there are extensive records of Võro folk songs and stories.

Modern Times 

Võro language and culture has been valorised more highly since the 1990s. Võru Institute – a national research and development institution involved with Võro language and culture has been operating since 1995, including organising teaching of the Võro language. A  significant body of Võro-language literature has been created. There is also a Võro-language version of Wikipedia.
Fully Võro-language newspaper Uma Leht is published twice a month. Some Võro-language TV and radio series and programmes are produced each year.