Photo of Karin at the Ceremony
Today is Estonia’s Independence Day and today we celebrate one hundred and five years since declaring independence. Independence from Russia and the German overlords wasn’t achieved on this day in 1918, but the declaration of independence known as the Manifesto to the Peoples of Estonia (Estonian: Manifest Eestimaa rahvastele) was first read in the town of Pärnu on the 23rd of February, then printed and read in Tallinn on the 24th of February 1918.
From the Manifesto:
Never in the course of centuries have the Estonian people lost their ardent desire for independence. From generation to generation the secret hope has endured in Estonians that despite the dark night of servitude and violent rule by foreign peoples the time will come in Estonia “when all splinters, at both end, will burst forth into flames” and when “Kalev will reach home to bring his children happiness.”
While Estonian counts 105 years of independence, the country was occupied for almost half this time by the Russians, Germans, Nazis and Soviets. The restoration of independence only happened on August 20, 1991 a mere 32 years ago. As you can imagine, many of the people who brought about the current era of independence are still alive. The blue/black/white flag predates the first period of independence and was born out of student organizations in the 1800s. According to one of my teachers, even dressing in blue/black/white colors during the Soviet Occupation was grounds for arrest and being sent to the gulags. Yet people still kept their flags!
Today, I joined in celebrations at Tähetorn (the legendary observatory), a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
I am disoriented as in the USA I don’t celebrate Independence Day in the rah rah barbequing beer drinking fireworks way common in the USA. Instead, I go to the woods to pray for world peace and celebrating Interdependence Day.
Today is new to me, but as my father was born during the period of the first independence struggles and named after an Estonian hero, I am embracing the holiday and sitting with the conflicting emotions and sadness because my father was never able to return to his homeland. When you are a very small nation, independence is not given and for most of recorded history Estonians were the peasants and serfs, ruled over by Danes, Swedes, Germans, and Russians – although in the Swedes favor, they abolished serfdom when they ruled the country.
Enjoy my photos from today and my greatest wish is that all peoples in every nation no matter how small be free to live peacefully as they wish.
As Doctor Seuss’ Horton said:
Do you see what I mean?… They’ve proved they ARE persons, not matter how small. And their whole world was saved by the Smallest of ALL!
Estonians at the ceremony