Do you know Estonia? How old are 1 2 the song and dance In short, Estonia is a republic. Located in Northern Europe celebrations? by the Baltic Sea, Estonia stretches 350 km from east to west and 240 km from north to south. Sea islands form one tenth and lakes about one twentieth of the nation’s territory. All in all, Estonia’s territory comprises 0.03 per cent of the world’s land area. At the same time, with its population of 1.3 million, Estonia ranks among the small- est countries in the world. Compared to densely inhabited Central Europe, Estonians have plenty of space – the av- erage number of people per sq. km is 30, which is similar Of course nobody knows when to the United States and around twice as high as Finland. Estonians sang their first songs or danced their first dances. Never- theless, we can be certain that the lives of Estonians have always been interlaced with song and dance. Singing and dancing have helped us soothe sorrows, fortify the spir- it, prepare for battle, celebrate marriages, spark joy and create a sense of belonging. For over 150 years Estonians have been organising large-scale song and dance festivals that bring many guests to Tallinn, our capital. Even greater numbers watch the cele- brations on TV and other devices throughout the world. We have a saying that if the Esto- nian identity had a PIN, it would probably be 2479. Simply because the youth song and dance celebra- tions take place in years ending with 2 or 7, and the All-Estonian song and dance celebrations occur in years ending with 4 or 9. What was the What about dancing? very first song 3 4 celebration like? The very first All-Estonian song cele bration took place in 1869 in Tartu, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the abolishment of serfdom. The concept of organised collec- tive singing was borrowed from the Germans in the 19th The Estonian Games in 1934 could hesive dance routines takes years century. Such communal singing went a long way towards be considered the first official of work, but the result is well worth raising and reinforcing a young nation’s self-awareness. Dance Celebration in Estonia. The it. 1,000 singers and musicians took part in the first song cel- gymnastics event included 1,500 Nowadays the Dance Celebrations ebration, with the audience of 12,000. In comparison – dancers performing folk dances be- take place in Tallinn’s Kalev Stadi- the 2014 Song and Dance Celebration brought together tween the acrobatics. These days um. And in many homes and hearts 175,000 people. folk dancing can hold its own, and whenever the mood strikes. Song celebrations were originally organised and held in dance celebrations have become And, last but not least – folk danc- Tartu. The first song festival in Tallinn was hosted in Kadri- very popular with performers as ing has coupled up countless mod- org in 1896 (the third national song celebration). Since well as spectators. Anyone who est Estonians. 1928, all national song celebrations have taken place at has witnessed almost 8,000 people the Song Festival Grounds in Tallinn. The stage can accom- dressed in folk costumes create in- modate 15,000 people, and, at times, the grounds have tricate patterns will probably never held close to 300,000 people. forget it. An hour and a half of co- Did the Soviet occupation The Singing Revolution – 5 change Estonian song and what for? 6 dance celebrations? Possibly the most international- turning back. ly well-known song-related event The 23rd of August 1989, marked is the Singing Revolution. The the 50th anniversary of the signing non- violent revolution took place of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact between 1987-1991, and con- – a contract which included a se- cluded with the collapse of the cret protocol that divided various Soviet Union and the reinstatement European countries into “spheres of independence for the three of influence” between dictators, Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia and ignoring international law, and After World War II the Republic of Estonia was violently Lithuania. “leaving” the Baltic states to the annexed by the Soviet Union. Nationality was ostracised And it is pretty clear that without Soviet Union. That day, the three by Soviet authorities; in principle it was banned. the tradition of song celebrations Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia and So, over the years of occupation the song and dance that had lasted well over one hun- Lithuania, became united in the rev- celebrations had to be held for the glory of the Soviet dred years, there would have been olution, as the peoples of all three Union. However, the authorities actually never succeeded no ‘singing revolution’ that helped states jointly organised a peaceful in turning the festival into a tribute to themselves. After to restore the independence. Mass- protest demonstration. Men, wom- the ‘compulsory’ songs, people always sang the ones that es of people, who expressed their en and children stood side by side came straight from the heart. For example, the song “My will by singing, confused even the in a human chain from the capital Fatherland is My Love” (by Gustav Ernesaks and Lydia most dedicated military men. of Estonia, Tallinn, through the cap- Koidula) became an anthem where each word acquired Long story short – for Estonians it ital of Latvia, Riga, to the capital of special meaning that no alien power could suppress. all began in the summer of 1987, Lithuania, Vilnius, in, what became Just how much the authorities truly dreaded the song cel- during the Old Town Days in Tal- known as, the Baltic Way. A total ebrations was evident in the large number of guards, and linn, when a group of punks initi- of almost two million people took their eagerness to disperse people after the last perfor- ated a spontaneous sing-along part, and the length of the human mance. To prevent any outbreaks of spontaneous singing in Town Hall Square, which soon chain was about 620 kilometres. or dancing, the grounds were drowned in marching music. attracted a large number of peo- Lithuanian independence was de- Music is the coded portrait of society. The Song and ple and transferred to the Song clared on the 11th of March 1990, Dance Celebration is also such a portrait. In the course Festival Grounds. Emotions were Estonian independence on the 20th of history, this portrait has acquired special clarity and high, people started to remember of August 1991, and Latvian inde- significance, especially at difficult times: singing together the taste of freedom and many pendence on the 21st of August at song festivals helped this small nation, practically de- similar concerts followed over the 1991. clared non-existent, to feel united and strong. subsequent years. There was no What kinds of Location, location, song and dance 7 8 location… how to celebrations take get there? place in Estonia today? The Song Celebration takes place at the Tallinn Song Fes- tival Grounds, which are instantly recognisable by the imposing arch. A bus will take you from the city centre straight to the Grounds. If the weather is good, you might prefer to take the tram to Kadriorg and enjoy a scenic stroll to the Festival Grounds, either along the seashore (Pirita road), or through Kadriorg park. The first day of the Song Celebration is the day of the parade, which means that the singers and dancers will most certainly point spectators in The All-Estonian Song and Dance been closely associated with song the right direction. Celebrations take place every five festivals. Estonians often refer to The Dance Celebration takes place in Kalevi Keskstaadion years. Between the big events, themselves as “the singing people” (Kalev stadium), which is located in Tallinn city centre, right there often occur various smaller – this phrase is one of the markers between Hotel Olumpia and the Tallinn bus station. The song and dance festivals: the punk of our national identity, and it has stadium is located at Staadioni 8. You can take a bus there, song festival, the men’s song festi- united Estonians during struggles but it is easily reachable by foot. val, the women’s song festival, stu- for national sovereignty both in Of course, everything, even information, travels slower on dent song festivals in Tartu, the uni- the beginning of 20th century and Celebration days. The festival causes road closures and versity town, and so on, and so on. throughout the Soviet occupation. the re-routing of a few buses. Therefore, just in case, add There’s also the Baltic student song While Estonians participate in Lau- at least an hour to any of your travels on public transport. and dance festival Gaudeamus. lu- ja tantsupidu, the Latvains have The most accurate traffic information will be available right Local and regional festivals feed Latviešu Dziesmu un Deju Svētki, before the party. and sustain the main event. They and Lithuanians enjoy Lietuvos And once the buses or trams get moving during the festival, are not rehearsals for the big one, Dainų Šventė. These three tradi- these journeys tend to be merrier than usual. The buses they are part of the process, part tions, similar but different, were en- and trams might end up jam-packed full of cheerful singers of the culture. And the schedule is tered into the UNESCO Represen- and dancers, who are usually abuzz with excitement, ele- always full. The scene is lively. tative List of the Intangible Cultural vating everyone’s mood. Someone might start a singalong. It could be said that the Estonians’ Heritage of Humanity in 2003.