The Connecticut Estonian Society held its celebration of the 105th anniversary of the Declaration of Estonian Independence. The event occurred at the Baltic Restaurant, a replica of an actual Baltic manor, and featured Baltic Sea regional cuisine for dinner. The dinner was topped off by an Estonian kringel (sweetbread dessert), baked by Peeter Müürsepp.
This year’s keynote speaker was the Estonian Ambassador to the United States, Mr. Kristjan Prikk (first photo, center), who provided a fact-filled, rousing, and powerful speech dealing with the Russian attack on Ukraine and its connection to Estonia. He stressed that, per capita, Estonia has provided the most aid to Ukraine and has sheltered the most Ukrainian refugees of any country in the world. Under the direction of Leelo Linask, the young Connecticut Dance Ensemble (third photo) performed traditional folk dances and a beautifully choreographed modern piece.
A highlight of the evening was the highly acclaimed and rising star, young Estonian multifaceted musician Ingmar Erik Kiviloo (second photo). He sang a broad repertoire of songs, accompanying himself on the piano, including Tõnis Mägi’s “Palve,” which brought the audience to its feet in applause. He dazzled the audience with a classical violin piece. He brought the crowd to its feet again, swaying and singing along to the iconic song “Eestlane olen ja eestlaseks jään” (An Estonian I am and an Estonian I’ll be), which was a protest song fueling the singing revolution that led to the restoration of freedom in 1991. The evening was capped off by DJ Kristjan Karu spinning tunes that filled the dance floor with lively, exuberant dancers.
Jaak Rakfeldt
