Saaremaa has reached coronavirus herd immunity

The Coronavirus pandemic has ended on the Estonian island of Saaremaa. Saaremaa Hospital chief of medicine Edward Laane said coronavirus vaccinations and recoveries have reached a herd immunity point in Saare County. According to the lastest study, 86% of Saaremaa's population is immune and that number is higher at 90% for risk groups.

Last year Saaremaa became the epicentre of infections in Estonia when a volleyball team from Italy spread the virus to the local population. For two months the island was cut off from the mainland when it went into lockdown. Resources at Kuressaare Hospital were stretched to the limit by the crisis and a field hospital was established by the Estonian Defense Force. Over 100 volunteers came to assist on the island.

The people of Saaremaa must be feeling a great sense of relief right now from this news. More information can be found here (in Estonian).

Eesti Post releases commemorative stamp of Olympic gold medal winning épée team

The Estonian women's épée team won gold at the Tokyo summer Olympics this year and to mark the achievement, a commemorative stamp has been issued by Eesti Post. The stamp shows fencers Katrina Lehis, Erika Kirpu, Julia Beljajeva and Irina Embrich jumping in the air while holding the Estonian flag. 10,000 stamps have been issued with a face value of €5.90.

The stamp can be purchased on the Omniva website.

Estonian Australians enjoy two extra days of Christmas

Christmas Day and Boxing Day fell on a weekend this year so for a lot of countries they miss out on two public holidays. In Estonia its back to work as usual today but for my family in Australia, they are all enjoying an additional two days off work. The rule regarding public holidays in Australia is that if one falls on a weekend, then the next work day (usually the Monday) becomes the official public holiday. If two consecutive public holidays fall on a weekend, then Monday and Tuesday are deemed public holidays and people are entitled to time off work. This is one of the things I like about Australia, it's a very fair country.

As it's summer in Australia right now, no doubt many people will be enjoying themselves at the beach. Lucky them! 

Merry Christmas! Häid jõule!

May the celebrations begin! Merry Christmas everyone!

I like these language maps!

Most popular words searched on Google in Estonia

Each year the search engine Google releases its annual data report revealing the most common keywords and phrases searched online. In Estonia, the Euro 2020 football event was at the top of the list followed by politics and electrcity prices.

The most popular person, according to Estonians and their Google searches, was ETV current affairs show "Ringvaade" host Grete Lõbu. President Alar Karis also made the list of popular people, as well tennis player Anett Kontaveit and Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.

The most popular Google searches in Estonia for 2021 are:

Euro 2020

Valimised 2021

Grete Lõbu

Elektri börsihind

Pensionikeskus

Tambet Sild

Terviseamet

Digiregistratuur

Nordpool

Avatud Talude Päev 2021

The most popular events 2021:

Euro 2020

Valimised 2021

Eesti Laul 2021

Australian Open 

Eesti Vabariigi aastapäev

Tartu maraton 

US Open 

Eurovision 2021

Isadepäev

Ironman Tallinn

The most popular brands 2021:

Nordpool - Coop  - ERR - About You - GME - LHV - Zalando - Delfi - Kanal2 - Elering

Snow covered Tallinn is always so beautiful!

Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir: Angels We Have Heard on High

Only a week to go until Christmas. Time to enjoy the festive season!

The Story of Building and Using Dugout Boats in Soomaa Estonia

The Soomaa region dugout boat culture was recently added to the UNESCO protection list. 

The world's first Christmas tree was in Tallinn Estonia

Latvia claims they had the world's first Christmas tree in 1510 but the truth is Estonia did it first in 1441. Later the tradition spread to Germany and then the rest of the world. Great things start in Estonia!

Classic Estonian drink: Vana Tallinn

It's Friday. A good time to sit back, relax and enjoy a Vana Tallinn. This spicy rum liqueur was created in Estonia in 1960 and is usually served on ice, in cocktails, coffee or in food recipes. Many Estonians bring out a bottle of Vana Tallinn when its time for celebration.

Here are eight Vana Tallinn cocktail recipes for you to try.  To view, click here: Vana Tallinn

WHAM!'s 'Last Christmas' sung in Estonian

I enjoy listening to classic English songs sung in Estonian. This version of Last Christmas is known as Viimane Talv in Estonia and is performed by Jaagup Tuisk, Uku Suviste and Koit Toome.  

Ott Lepland: Jõulud rõõmsaks

Ott Lepland has released a new Christmas single for the festive season. 'Jõulud Rõõmsaks' has received positive reviews and the lyrics can be found on the YouTube page. Enjoy!