A look at Estonia's Kihnu island

Viljandi Folk Music Festival 27 - 30 July 2023

The 30th Viljandi Folk Music Festival starts today and takes place in Viljandi Castle Hills and city centre. The festival strongly values tradition, heritage and local identity and tries to adapt the spiritual values that people have developed over hundreds and thousands of years to the contemporary way of life.

The festival consists of:
*4 days of folk music celebration
*5 outdoor stages, 4 indoor stages
*More than 75 concerts plus additional programme (playing, dancing and singing workshops)
*Almost 50 artists from Estonia and abroad
*200 volunteers
*20 000 visits 

With an excellent line-up of performers, Viljandi is definitely the place to be this weekend!

More information can be found on the official website: Viljandi Folk Music Festival

National Symbols of Estonia

Estonia is a nation fiercely protective of its language and culture. Its national symbols are heavily influenced by the country's natural environment.  These symbols, especially the national flag, are deeply beloved to all Estonians and instill strong feelings of national pride. Here are seven of Estonia's most notable national symbols.

National Flag

 

 

The blue, black and white flag is beloved to all Estonians. It can be found in every Estonian home, and more often they have more than one flag in their posession. The tri-colour flag represents the Estonian landscape: blue is the colour of the sky, black is the soil and white denotes snow and purity.

 

Estonian Coat of Arms

 

 

The coat of arms of Estonia depicts a golden shield including three slim blue lions surrounded by golden oak branches. The wreath of oak leaves stands for the perseverance and strength of Estonia and the enduring traditions of freedom.

Barn Swallow

The barn swallow is the national bird of Estonia. It is a regular guest in nearly every home. Like Estonians, male and female barn swallows both love to sing. 

Cornflower

The cornflower has grown on Estonian soil for more than 10,000 years. The ornamental blue cornflower has long been a favourite for Estonians and officially became the national flower of Estonia in 1968. 

Oak tree

The oak tree is a symbol of strength and resilience. Oak leaves are ever present in Estonian culture and reguarly used for decorative purposes during celebrations.

Limestone

Estonia's national stone is grey limestone. Estonia lies on a thick layer of limestone which is visible on the steep banks of the country's coastline. For centuries it has been used for the construction of churches, castles, farm buildings and countless stone fences. 

The Wolf

The wolf i one of the most popular animals found in Estonian folk tales. In 2018 the wolf was declared the national animal of Estonia as it is a symbol of wild and untouched nature. The wolf shares many traits with Estonians, for example wolves respect their parents and love their families, they appreciate privacy and like to be left alone. But most of all they are survivors.

Why Estonians find 'the term 'ex-Soviet state' so offensive

When Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians read the moniker 'ex-Soviet state' in the foreign press when referring to their countries, tempers often flare in great indignation. It is obvious that the writers of these articles have little or no knowledge of the history of the Baltic States. If they did, they would refrain from using it. As many critics have duly pointed out, we don't refer to Germany as a 'post-Nazi state', or India as the 'ex-British colony' or Ireland as 'former British dominion'. All these countries, like Estonia, have long been independent nations and require no such tags or "former" references. The Soviet Union no longer exists, it died in 1991. The terms 'ex-Soviet', 'post-Soviet' or 'former Soviet state' are in today's world entirely irrelevent, out-dated and highly offensive for three main reasons.

1. Estonia never joined the Soviet Union.  In 1940 the Soviet Union invaded Estonia, occupied it and forcibly annexed it into the USSR against its will.

2. The incorporation of Estonia into the Soviet Union was completely illegal. When Soviet troops first arrived in Estonia they systematically went after anyone who would oppose Soviet rule. Thousands of Estonian military personnel, politicans, police officers and other professional people were arrested and deported. Many of them later murdered.  Estonia was essentially robbed of its leaders and left helpless to repel the occupation. But people did resist in spite of the harsh repressions, jail sentences and deportations to Gulags. The Soviet occupation of Estonia lasted 50 years.

3. The Soviet Union was an evil empire that destroyed millions of people's lives. Up until 1940 Estonia was a thriving functional democracy with a high standard of living which dropped significantly when communism was forced up its people. Estonians had ownership of their homes taken away from them, they lost control of their farms, property and financial livelihood. Estonia lost 20 percent of its population due to the Soviet occupation. This lost population includes the thousands of people who were murdered, deported, or who managed to escape to the West to find safety abroad.

This year on August 20, Estonia will celebrate 32 years since it rid itself of Soviet rule. It took many years of hard work and dedication to get the country back on track after independence was restored in 1991. Estonia is once again a vibrant and functional democracy with a standard of living that is now even higher than the pre-occupation period. There is now a whole generation of young Estonians who have no experience of living under Soviet occupation, they have only ever known freedom. This is how it should be and will remain for generations to come.

My Ten Favourite Estonian Aromas

Many fantastic events have taken place in Estonia recently - Jaanipäev, Youth Song and Dance Festival and The Tallinn Maritime Days have been a few of the highlights. Summer is a wonderful time of year to be in Estonia to attend festivals, especially with the long nights and warm days. But if you are someone like me who lives abroad,  then it's likely you will miss out on many of these summertime events, or only attend a few of them. 

I love Estonia and often miss being there. From time to time there have moments when a certain scent or smell might remind me of Estonia. This often triggers me to think about my next trip back to the homeland. There are so many wonderful aromas that I  consider to be classic Estonian. They always being back fond memories or lead to cravings.

Here are ten of my favourite Estonian aromas.

1. Black Estonian bread - the darker the better!

2. Kaneelirullid / Cinnamon Rolls 

3. Freshly baked piparkoogid

4. Roast pork, sauerkraut and potatoes

5. Baltic sea air

6. The Estonian forest

7. Roast almonds. The scent of the Old Town!

8. Küüslauguleivad / Estonian garlic bread

9. Warm spiced glögi at Christmas time

10.  Dill

Have a fun filled time by the sea in Tallinn this weekend

The 15th Tallinn Maritime Days will take place this weekend from 14 - 16th July 2023. Tallinn Maritime Days is a diverse and exciting summer festival designed for the whole family to enjoy. All five of Tallinn's harbours will have children’s areas, street markets and live entertainment. Guest ships will arrive in the capital for exploration and bay trips, and sea taxi's can be taken to move between the ports. 

 

This year's theme is "Meri on, meri jääb", which pays homage to Kihnu Virve, who left a deep mark on Estonian folk music and maritime folklore with her sea songs.

More information can be found on the Tallinn Maritime Days website.

Support new Estonian book 'Literally Estonian'

Karel Polt, an Estonian currently living in the USA has recently launched a fundraising campaign to publish his new book Literally Estonian. The 132 page hardcover book is a quirky way to learn about Estonian customs, traditions, beliefs, and word meanings. The book features a lot of wordplay using humour and contains many fun facts. In total there are over 400 Estonian words, phrases and sayings that are explained for a native English speaker.

 

 

Fun fact: To an Estonian, animals and birds are considered two different classes of living things. Animals rule the land and birds rule the sky. If you call a bird an animal to an Estonian, they will be confused.

To learn more and or to contribute to this interesting fundraising campaign, please click on the link: Literally Estonia

Traditional Estonian Dance

24th Tallinn Medieval Days Festival

Starting tomorrow and running for the next four days, Tallinn's old town will transform into a blossoming Hanseatic town once again. From 6 - 9th July 2023 the 24th annual Medieval Days festival will take place in Tallinn where merchants, craftsmen, musicians and dancers will woo onlookers with their skills and wares.

The opening parade will start by the Viru gates tomorrow at 5:30pm and the knights' tournament on Saturday begins at noon. 

Festival goers can learn more about medieval medicine at the Town Hall Pharmacy (Raeapteek), it's the oldest continuously running pharmacy in Europe. Visitors can also explore Tallinn's Town Hall (Tallinna Raekoda), which is Northern Europe's only intact and best-preserved Gothic town hall. 

With so much to see and do, Tallinn is the place to be this weekend!

Estonia's favourite brand remains YouTube

According to a recent study by Kantar Emor, YouTube is the most liked brand in Estonia for the fourth consecutive year. Second place was awarded to Kalev who narrowly beat Swedbank in third place. YouTube firmly maintained its top ranking, it is highly popular among men aged 25-35 years whereas Kalev is preferred by people under the age of 25, and Swedbank is a favourite brand for consumers predominantly aged 50 and over.  

 

 

Looking at the top ten of brands, Estonians value digital and technology brands the most.

Estonians in their element at song and dance celebration

A very special weekend just passed in Estonia.  The 13th Youth Song and Dance Celebration took place in Tallinn and what a magnificent event it was.  Despite the rain on Sunday, the Estonian spirit shone bright for all to see. Estonians may be known for their reserved nature at times but during celebrations such as this, there were so  many happy smiling faces, glowing with happiness that it was clear they were all in their element.  

More than 30,000 performers took part in the procession to the song festival grounds in Tallinn yesterday where over 90,000 spectators gathered to watch. It was a spectacular sight and I regret not going,  but I've already taken a few trips this year. Thank goodness for the internet so I could watch it live in the comfort of my home.

The dance celebration at Kalev stadium.

 

 The beautiful national costume from the different regions of Estonia.

 

Procession to the song festival grounds.

 

To sing as one.

This is what it means to be a nation. 

To preserve language and culture as a community. 

A truly beautiful sight!

First performance of The Youth Dance Festival 'Bridges'

The 13th Estonian Youth Song and Dance Festival commenced last night and what a marvelous sight it was! The dance celebration stirs such strong feelings of unity and national pride. A true expression of the Estonian spirit!  Simple wonderful!