Estonia is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the
north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia (343
km), and to the east by Lake Peipus and Russia (338.6 km). Across the Baltic Sea lies
Sweden in the west and Finland in the north. The territory of Estonia consists of a
mainland and 2,222 islands and islets in the Baltic Sea, covering 45,339 km2 (17,505 sq
mi) of land, and is influenced by a humid continental climate.
The four biggest cities in Estonia are Tallinn(the capital),Tartu(the city of
wisdom) ,Pärnu(the capital of summer),Narva(located at the Russian border).
We are very fond of the Estonian Song Festival (in Estonian: laulupidu) its one of the
largest amateur choral events in the world, a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible
Heritage of Humanity. It is held every five years in July on the Tallinn Song Festival
Grounds (Lauluväljak) simultaneously with the Estonian Dance Festival. The joint choir
has comprised more than 30,000 singers performing to an audience of 80,000.
The tradition of the song festival was born along with Estonian national awakening.
The first national song festival was held in Tartu in the summer of 1869. One of the
organisers of the first song festival was Johann Voldemar Jannsen. In the first three
festivals only men's choirs and brass orchestras participated. 822 singers and 56 brass
players participated in the first festival. Starting with the fourth festival, mixed choirs
were also participating. Starting with the sixth festival in 1896, the festival tradition
moved to Tallinn.
Starting from 1947, the Soviet authorities forced foreign songs into the repertoire.
Every event was to include the State Anthem of the Estonian SSR,
The Internationale, and the National Anthem of the Soviet
Union. Because of the inclusion of children's and boys' choirs
the total number of participants rose to 25,000 – 30,000 people.
The Dance and Gymnastic Festival of the First Estonian
Games started in 1934 became predecessors of later National.
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