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Estonian Cultural Context & Localization

Estonian cultural context differs from Western defaults, requiring specific handling for occasions, budgets, and gift appropriateness.

Estonian Cultural Calendar​

Location: language.ts:77-132

Major Estonian Occasions​

const ESTONIAN_OCCASIONS = [
  {
    name: 'Jaanipäev',  // Midsummer Day (MAJOR Estonian holiday)
    date: '06-23',
    typicalBudget: { min: 15, max: 40 },
    keywords: ['jaanipäev', 'jaani', 'jaanikingitus']
  },
  {
    name: 'Kadripäev',  // St. Catherine's Day
    date: '11-25',
    typicalBudget: { min: 10, max: 25 }
  },
  {
    name: 'Mardipäev',  // St. Martin's Day
    date: '11-10',
    typicalBudget: { min: 10, max: 25 }
  },
  {
    name: 'Isadepäev',  // Father's Day
    date: '11-14',  // NOTE: Different from US!
    typicalBudget: { min: 20, max: 60 }
  },
  {
    name: 'Emadepäev',  // Mother's Day
    date: '05-09',  // NOTE: Fixed date, not floating Sunday
    typicalBudget: { min: 20, max: 60 }
  },
  {
    name: 'Valentinipäev',  // Valentine's / Friend's Day
    date: '02-14',
    typicalBudget: { min: 15, max: 50 }
  },
  {
    name: 'Naistepäev',  // Women's Day (ex-Soviet tradition)
    date: '03-08',
    typicalBudget: { min: 15, max: 40 }
  },
  {
    name: 'Jõulud',  // Christmas
    date: '12-24',
    typicalBudget: { min: 25, max: 80 }
  }
];

Budget Inference​

static getBudgetHintByOccasion(occasion: string): BudgetRange | null {
  const normalizedOccasion = occasion.toLowerCase().trim();
  
  for (const estonianOccasion of ESTONIAN_OCCASIONS) {
    const matched = estonianOccasion.keywords.some(keyword => 
      normalizedOccasion.includes(keyword)
    );
    
    if (matched) {
      return {
        min: estonianOccasion.typicalBudget.min,
        max: estonianOccasion.typicalBudget.max,
        hint: `${estonianOccasion.name} kingitus`
      };
    }
  }
  
  return null;
}

Cultural Filtering Rules​

Location: language.ts:51-72

Age and Gender Appropriateness​

const CULTURAL_RULES = {
  // Elderly recipients (60+) should not receive:
  elderlyForbidden: [
    'mänguasjad', 'beebi', 'laste', 'nukkude',
    'gaming', 'videomängud', 'baby', 'toys', 'kids'
  ],
  
  // Child recipients (0-12) should not receive:
  childForbidden: [
    'alkohol', 'vein', 'spirits', 'alcohol', 'wine', 'beer', 'õlu'
  ],
  
  // Teen recipients (13-19) should not receive:
  teenForbidden: [
    'beebi', 'baby', 'väikelaste', 'toddler'
  ]
};

Application​

static filterByAge(products: Product[], ageGroup: string): Product[] {
  if (ageGroup === 'elderly') {
    return products.filter(p => 
      !rules.elderlyForbidden.some(forbidden => 
        p.category.includes(forbidden)
      )
    );
  }
  // ... similar for child, teen
}

Estonian Product Boost​

Location: language.ts:420-456

Boosting Strategy​

static boostEstonianProducts(products: Product[], language: string): Product[] {
  if (language !== 'et') return products;
  
  return products.map(product => {
    let boost = 1.0;
    
    // Estonian authors: +15%
    const authors = product.authors?.toString().toLowerCase() || '';
    if (authors.match(/\b(eesti|estonian)\b/i)) {
      boost *= 1.15;
    }
    
    // "Eesti" in category: +15%
    const category = product.csv_category?.toString() || '';
    if (category.includes('Eesti')) {
      boost *= 1.15;
    }
    
    // Estonian publishers: +10%
    if (this.isEstonianPublisher(product)) {
      boost *= 1.1;
    }
    
    return { ...product, score: product.score * boost };
  });
}

Estonian Publishers​

const ESTONIAN_PUBLISHERS = [
  'varrak',          // Major Estonian publisher
  'tänapäev',        // Contemporary literature
  'pegasus',         // Children's books
  'eesti raamat',    // Estonian book
  'kunst',           // Art publisher
  'avita',           // Literary publisher
  'postimees',       // Newspaper/books
  'kirjastus'        // Generic "publisher"
];

Impact:

  • Estonian author books ranked 15% higher
  • Estonian publishers get 10% boost
  • Results feel more locally relevant

Occasion Synonym Normalization​

Location: language.ts:204-218

const OCCASION_SYNONYM_PATTERNS = [
  { pattern: /\b(birthday|b-day)\b/i, canonical: 'sünnipäev' },
  { pattern: /\b(mother'?s day|emadepäev)\b/i, canonical: 'emadepäev' },
  { pattern: /\b(father'?s day|isadepäev)\b/i, canonical: 'isadepäev' },
  { pattern: /\b(valentine'?s day|sõbrapäev)\b/i, canonical: 'valentinipäev' },
  { pattern: /\b(wedding|pulm)\b/i, canonical: 'pulm' }
];

static normalizeOccasion(occasion: string): string {
  const lower = occasion.toLowerCase();
  
  for (const { pattern, canonical } of OCCASION_SYNONYM_PATTERNS) {
    if (pattern.test(lower)) {
      return canonical;
    }
  }
  
  return occasion;
}

Benefits:

  • Consistent occasion handling
  • Cross-language support
  • Budget inference works for both languages