On the first Wednesday of every month, AESL holds “AESL Conversations” – an open virtual meeting in which individuals and organisations can come along for a chat.
Facilitator Marissa Pikkat reports:
Esto 2025: A Journey of Estonian Heritage and Culture
Preparations for Esto 2025 are well underway, promising a vibrant celebration of Estonian heritage and culture. The festival will kick off in Stockholm, followed by a boat journey to Silame, and then a bus trip to Narva, where a youth congress will be held, then to Tallinn. The organizers are actively seeking young participants to help build the program and engage in the conversations at Esto 2025. These discussions will also extend to the Esto 2025 youth camps, with a special focus on involving Estonian Australian camps in the dialogue and presentations. The festival will culminate in a grand gala in Tallinn.
Advertising and Linguistic Trends
Advertising efforts for Esto 2025 have begun, though they are still in the early stages. Meanwhile, there have been conversations about the prevalence of the Russian language in Estonia and a growing preference for English among Russian Estonians.
Perth Community Developments
In Perth, significant progress is being made in developing a new website and rewriting the association’s constitution. This process aims to enhance member engagement and clarify the benefits of association membership. The community is also preparing for Christmas and Jaanipäev celebrations next year. The constitution revision has highlighted the importance of official roles in making operations smoother and fostering community connections.
Jaanipäev Celebrations
There is ongoing planning for Jaanipäev in Sydney, potentially set for May 2025. A sub-committee has already been formed, and the annual celebration in Adelaide, featuring fire, dancing, treasure hunts, and dinner, will continue. Jaanipäev holds significant cultural importance for Estonians and remains a vital part of our heritage.
Eesti Päevad Program and Activities
The draft program for Eesti Päevad has been released, showcasing a variety of events and activities despite challenges in its preparation. Highlights include:
- A potential chess competition, gauged by a survey
- Merchandising with pins and carry bags, etc
- Entertainment from artists in Estonia, with potentially a special performance by a hearing-impaired singing and dancing group practicing for Tantsupidu 2025
- Diverse activities such as a winery tour, walking tour, 10-pin bowling, laser tag, and a tour of the wildlife park
- Performances on the opening day at the farm from various states
- An evening with Kristiina Ehin and Selver Sepp, including a poetry reading
- A photo costume library for attendees to take memorable photographs
- A handicraft exhibition
- There is also a possibility that performers from Eesti Päevad may also perform at Sorve and Perth
Intercity Connections and Commemorations
Estonians in Sydney are interested in visiting Perth to connect through events like Jaanipäev or other early-year festivities. Additionally, the annual commemoration of the mass deportation of Baltic people will take place on June 16th at Latvian House Sydney, involving Latvians, Lithuanians, Estonians, and Ukrainians.
Handicraft and Social Media
There is keen interest in handicraft pages and discussions on how to effectively use different Facebook pages for Estonian Australians to access information. Fundraising efforts for the mass deportation commemoration are also underway, with Australia optimistic about meeting its targets, as we inspire similar efforts in other countries.
Next Session
That wrapped up June’s Conversation session! Join AESL for their next meet up on July 3rd at 7:30pm AEST.