Teachers of Estonian Abroad Met in Tõstamaa
During the last days of July, over 60 Estonian language teachers from all over the globe met in the village of Tõstamaa near Pärnu to share ideas and best practises on teaching the Estonian language abroad.
Estonian World Council National Congress at ESTO
The main theme of this year’s Estonian World Council (ÜEKN) National Congress, held during ESTO 2019 in Tallinn was “Global Estonians” and the theme of the entire ESTO festival was “Our Future”, focusing on the needs of young people. President Kersti Kaljulaid greeted the public and many ministers took part. A new cooperative work commission has been created in the government, which will begin creating a new program scheduled to replace the current Compatriots Programme in 2020. A separate Young Peoples Congress was also held at ESTO with 66 youth from 27 different countries taking part.
Important deadline for Those Owning Real Estate in Estonia
By January 1, 2020, all changes that have been made to buildings on real estate properties must be entered in the building register (Ehitisregister, www.ehr.ee). These include anything that has been reconstructed, alterations to the heating system, etc. Without such notification, problems obtaining a bank loan or insurance may result.
200 Years Ago Since the First Letter Õ Went to Print
The Õ phoneme is common all over of Estonia, with the exception of the majority of Saaremaa island. 200 years ago, Otto Wilhelm Masing, an early local estophile and major advocate of peasant rights, especially regarding education, is credited with creating the letter “Õ” to denote an Estonian phoneme not found in other nearby languages.
Church on Vormsi Island Celebrated 800 Years
On July 29, St Olaf’s Day, Vormsi’s Püha Olavi Church, dedicated to Norway’s patron saint King Olaf II, celebrated 800 since its founding by Danish King Valdemar II.
