For the 28th time, we gathered across Australia to celebrate everything that is Estonian – the Festival Eesti Päevad 2022 took place in Melbourne.
Over the four Easter days, we celebrated as follows – the Forest Day, Culture Day, Party Day, Folk Day.
On April 15, we gathered at Kilmore Forest near Melbourne. Opening of the festival ceremony was held. There was singing, dancing, games, competitions, a marketplace was open and children’s activities took place. We enjoyed seljanka soup, meat pirukad, drinks from eesti bar, we enjoyed the performance of the Estonian musician as well as took in the smell of burning fire from the campfire site.
On the morning of April 16, Melbourne opened the doors of the Estonian House for a tour. Chess tournament also started. Then an exhibition of handicrafts opened, followed by literature event. The café was open throughout the day so as not to go hungry for evening events – stand up comedy and concerts of three Estonian bands, including nublu & Gameboy Tetris – the number one performer in Estonia.
On the 17th of April, no matter how long we spent the previous night in the bar of the Estonian House, we gathered for business – the passion mission, the future of Estonian houses, language discussions, the meeting of the board of AESL. An axe competition took place at a different venue, followed by a restaurant night at the Melbourne Zoo.
On April 18, a folk festival with performing groups from all over Australia, took place over the four hours, at a BBQ table, and last purchases were made from eesti bar, from eesti handicraft exhibition. Folk costumes were photographed to create a digital archive. The closing ceremony handed over the Eesti Päevad flag to Adelaide.
A total of twenty plus events or activities took place. There was a choice for every age group, for every taste. All cities, many talanted people, kind sponsors took part in the organization of the Eesti Päevad Festival. Even when you read about the Kilmore Forest day – there were around ten different teams leading the various events. There was great interest, participation and high energy charge in every venture!
Eesti Päevad board says big thank you to all who assisted in making the festival happen and who participated! The THANK YOU letter is for all!
AITÄH & THANK YOU!
Dear friends!
We made it! The XXVVIII Eesti Päevad 2022 Festival in Melbourne was a success and we hope you all enjoyed the four days as much as we did!
We would like to thank everyone who made this festival possible and who have been supporting us every step of the way!
With the financial support of our sponsors and funding bodies, we were able to offer a variety of events, include a number of performances and lower the ticket prices to make the festival accessible for a larger audience. With the wonderful contribution of all the artists and creators, musicians and performers, dance groups and choirs, we were able to witness so much talent, creativity and joy and tell our stories through a range of creative arts forms. The amount of diverse skills, knowledge and expertise that we can find amongst the community members is positively overwhelming and encouraging.
It is of great importance for our community to be recognised and valued in a multicultural Australia and to see that so many organisations, businesses and individuals are continuously willing to offer their support to the ongoing traditions of the Estonian diaspora in Australia. We would like to say our thank you, once again, to the Victorian Government, Embassy of Estonia in Canberra, Estonian World Council, Estonian Cultural Foundation in Australia and Aero Travel for your support and extend our gratitude to the Estonian House Co-operative for providing us a wonderful venue to gather at and to Siiri Metsar for working day and night behind the sound equipment to offer us a professional and enjoyable experience for each event.
Most importantly, we would like to thank everyone who took their time to get involved in one way or another, whether on stage or behind the scenes, in person or online. We wouldn’t have been able to do this without the help of each individual who invested their energy and resources to travel to Melbourne or supported our small organising team prior to the festival.
A community can only exist and stay alive with a passionate mindset, ambition and commitment.
We believe that during the four days, we were able to remind ourselves of what it means to be Estonian, experienced the rich culture that we share and were able to offer an insight into the beauty of the long lived and loved tradition to our family and friends.
Let us now start working together to support Adelaide in their adventure to organise the 2024 Eesti Päevad! Let us stay strong as a community, keep motivated and inspired and we will be able to look forward to another wonderful reunion and an enjoyable time together in Adelaide in two years’ time!
With our deepest gratitude,
XXVIII Eesti Päevad Organising Committee
Sirje, Ingrid, Eric, Brigitta
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28ndat korda tulime kokku üle Austraalia, et tähistada kõike, mis on eestilik ja eestlaslik – toimus Eesti Päevad festival 2022 Melbourne’is.
Festival toimus neljal lihavõtte päeval, nimede all – Metsa päev, Kultuuripäev, Pidupäev, Rahvapidu.
15ndal Aprillil saabuti Kilmore metsa Melbourne lähistel. Istuti mättale mängimaie nii nagu kuldsetel aegadel. Toimus Festivali avatseremoonia. Üle varjulise metsaplatsi kõlas eesti muusika, laul, tants, võistlused, mängud, avatud oli turuplats ning toimusid laste tegevused. Sõime seljanka suppi, lihapirukaid, jooke ostsime eesti baarist, eesti muusiku esinemist nautisime, põleva lõkkehalu lõhna lõkkeplatsil kuni hommikuni.
16ndal Aprilli hommikul avas Melbourne Eesti Maja uksed ekskurssiooniks. Ringkäik majas lõppes baaris vestluseks, küsimusteks-vastusteks, või mindi kohe maleruumi avatud turniirile. Seejärel avanes käsitöö näitus, järgnes kirjanduse pärastlõuna. Kohvik oli avatud läbi päeva et mitte näljaselt vastu minna õhtustele üritustele – stand up comedy ning kolme eesti grupi kontserdid, kaasa arvatud nublu & Gameboy Tetris – Eestis populaarsuselt number üks tegijad.
17ndal Aprillil, ükskõik kui kaua kestis pidu eelmisel õhtul, kogunesime asjalikuks – passimissioon, eesti majade tulevik, keeleõpe, AESL juhatuse koosviibimine. Majast väljas toimus Kirvevõistlus, järgnes Restoraniõhtu Melbourne loomaaias.
18ndal Aprillil toimus Rahvapidu – laulu ja tantsukirev, neljatunnine koosviibimine esinejatega üle Austraalia, rikkalikus BBQ lauas, jäädvustati ka rahvariideid digitaal arhiivi loomiseks. Viimaseid oste sai teha käsitöö näituselt. Järgnes Eesti Päevade lõpetamine ning lipu üleandmine Adelaide.
Kokku toimus paarkümmend eri üritust või ettevõtmist. Valikut oli igale vanusegrupile, igale maitsele. Igal üritusel oli oma korraldaja – isegi kui loed lühidalt, mis toimus Kilmore metsas – miski ei tekkinud iseenesest, vaid seal oli kümmekond tegevust oma meeskonnaga eest vedamas!
Eesti Päevade korralduses osalesid eri linnad, paljud inimesed, lahked sponsorid – infoks soovitame tutvuda Eesti Päevade albumiga. Osalemist saatis igal päeval, igal ettevõtmisel suur huvi ja kõrge energialaeng! Eesti Päevade juhatus tänab kõiki kaasaaitajaid, kaasalööjaid, kaasatulijaid! Juuresolev TÄNUKIRI on kõigile!