20-year-old Niina Petrõkina made history on Friday at the ISU European Figure Skating Championship in Tallinn. Petrõkina won the gold medal in the women's free skate final, making her the first Estonian to win this European title. Her stunning performance wowed the audience and made Estonia so proud! Congratulations!
2025 marks the 500th anniversary of the first book written in the Estonian language. In honour of this historic event, Omniva has released a commemorative stamp and first day cover. The stamp was designed by Jaan Saar and depicts an old manuscript with printed texts showcasing the early writing styles in Estonia.
Once again Estonia tops the list as the cleanest country in the world. With an impressive score of 75.3 based on the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) 2024, Estonia outshines its peers in 11 categories. Clean water, pure air, and efficient handling of waste is a top priority for Estonia in maintaining the health and well-being of its citizens.
Artur Rehi, one of Estonia's most likeable and prolific YouTubers has created a new video for the Estonian folk song 'Kui mina ükskord noores eas' (once when I was young). In the video Rehi sings and plays his beloved accordian (a regular fixture in many of his videos). This is one of several songs Artur Rehi has available on spotify.
Twenty-three-year-old twin sisters Keidy and Kaidy Kaasiku have secured the top two winning places in the cross country skiing event at the 2025 FISU Winter World University Games in Turin, Italy.
Keidy won gold in the 20 km mass start classic technique race (1:03:49.4), beating her sister Kaidy by 17.8 seconds. This is Kaidy's second medal at the student winter games, she won another silver in the classic sprint event.
The twins were born in Tallinn in 2001 and have competing in skiing events since 2016.
I really like the Scandinavian concept of hygge - indulging in simple cosy comforts that creates a sense of well-being. There are many little rituals I enjoy doing on a daily basis - drinking a good cup of coffee in the morning, reading in the afternoon and illuminating my home with candles at night. They all bring small amounts of happiness. During a recent trip to IKEA I went in search of some new candles as bargains can always be found after the Christmas period. I purchased some really nice vanilla scented candles and also a packet of Swedish ginger biscuits and a bottle of mulled wine. Later when I tried the biscuits and wine at home, I was surprised to find they tasted remarkably similar to piparkoogid and glögi. As I was unable to visit Estonia last Christmas, to taste these familar flavours again, instantly brought a smile to my face. It also made me wonder what other Swedish foods resemble what I consider traditional Estonian food.
If there is one common food item that can be found everywhere in Estonia and in Sweden, it is undoubtedly cinnamon rolls (kaneelirullid in Estonian) and (kanelbullar in Swedish). All bakeries sell these delicious buns and they can even be found in IKEA stores all around the world. Estonians and Swedes share a passion for using cardamom, ginger, cinnamon and cloves in their baked goods.
Baltic herrings and black bread. Considered a national dish in Estonia, it is also very popular in neighbouring Sweden. Unfortunately over the centuries this species has been overfished and stocks in the Baltic Sea have dwindled markedly.
Open sandwiches. These are equally popular in both Swedish and Estonian cultures and are known as võileib in Estonian and smörgås in Swedish. They are typically served as appetisers at parties and gatherings, often as part of a buffet / smörgåsbord.
Easter Buns. While a lot of countries celebrate Shrove Tuesday by eating
pancakes, people in Estonia and Sweden prefer to eat cream buns. Known
as vastlakuklid in Estonian and Semla in Swedish, these buns are soft and fluffy and filled with whipped cream and various other toppings.
It is interesting to note that many Estonians have Swedish ancestry and it's quite possible that some of those old family recipes passed down from generation to generation, might have originated from across the Baltic Sea.
The funeral service for former President Arnold Rüütel took place today at the Estonia Theater and he will be laid to rest in Tallinn's Forest Cemetery. Arnold Rüütel was Estonia's second president after the restoration of independence. He was in office from 2001-2006 during the pivotal time when Estonia joined NATO and the EU. Arnold Rüütel passed away on December 31 at the age of 96. Puhka rahus.
The countdown has begun to the biggest and most marvellous event of the year - the XXVIII Song Festival and XXI Dance Festival. Held every five years since 1869, the Song and Dance Festival unites Estonians from all over the world. This year's festival is titled "Iseoma" (Kinship) and will take place in Tallinn from 3 - 6 July 2025 at the Song Festival Grounds, Kalev Stadium, and Freedom Square.
The parade and opening concert will take place on Saturday 5th of July
and the final concert will be held on Sunday. There will be three
performances of the dance festival from the 3–4 July at Kalev Stadium
and a free folk musicians' concert will also take place at
Freedom Square on July 4.
This marvellous event is not to be missed! Tickets are now on sale from the Laulupidu website.
From today, train operators in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have synchronised their timetables making it much easier to travel by train between the three Baltic countries. The new Tallinn-Vilnius passenger train connection that was launched today will also improve connections to Tartu and Southern Estonia. This is part of the Rail Baltica Project that will eventually connect the Baltic countries to Poland and Central Europe by 2030.
Narva was once a beautiful Estonian city before the Russians bombed it and levelled it to the ground during World War Two. Old photographs remind us of what life used to be like in Narva. According to the 1934 census, Narva's population was 65% ethnic Estonian, today it is only 5%.
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Today we celebrate the 105th anniversary of the armistice between Estonia and Soviet Russia, that marked victory for Estonia in the War of Independence. 6000 volunteers lost their lives during the Estonian War of Independence that took place between 28 November 1918 – 2 February 1920. Today we honour all those brave men who fought to secure Estonia's freedom.
I hope everyone had a great time celebrating the end of 2024 last night. May the new year bring many new opportunties, adventures, joy and prosperity. Head uut aastat!
