The Republic of Estonia will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2018, in anticipation to the anniversary, the dedicated web page EV100 has now been launched by the Estonian government.
The website is published in Estonian, Russian and English and it is aimed to keep people up to date about the upcoming events and preparations.
It has now also sent out an “invitation” on its platform, asking people to “give presents“ for the 100th birthday of Estonia.
“The 100th birthday of the Republic of Estonia is such an important event that the organising of it can’t be put solely on the shoulders of public authorities. For this reason, the government is handing the reigns of celebrating the 100th birthday of Estonia over to the people. This means that everyone has the possibility to contribute to it, by organising an event or doing something important for the community,” the government office said.
“With every birthday, the main question is always, “what should the birthday present be?” What would be an honourable gift for Estonia?” Jaanus Rohumaa, the head of the organising committee of Estonia 100, said.
“Making gifts for Estonia actually means making gifts for ourselves. We have an excellent opportunity to give presents and pleasant surprises for each other, because the birthday of the Republic of Estonia is a celebration for the people of Estonia. The 100th birthday is an opportunity to meet new people and for working together. Everyone should see this as an opportunity for self-development and a chance to show what they can do and what they love. We live in Estonia, we are closely connected to this land and there are people here who we love and congratulate – so let’s make gifts for them,” Rohumaa added.
The 100th birthday will be celebrated over longer period, not in a single day. Major celebrations are expected to start in April 2017, to mark the centralising of Estonian land into one province. The anniversary’s culmination will be 24 February 2018, but the celebrations will continue up until 2 February 2020, the anniversary of the Tartu Peace Treaty.
Many preparations have already started. For example, the Union of Estonian Architects has launched the architectural programme “Good Public Space” involving the centres of many towns in Estonia; Estonian people have been encouraged to plant oaks in designated parks all over the country.
In 2018, Estonia will also hold the presidency of the European Union.
How about they give a birthday present of Estonian citizenship to all stateless citizens who have lived in Estonia for 20 years or more?
Or they could not do that. How about people living in Estonia for the past 20 years learn Estonian (level B1) and than gain citizenship. Come on, B1 is manageable, even though it´s Estonian.
How many 80 year olds are able to learn a new language? A lot of the stateless citizens are pensioners. The young stateless people are taught Estonian is school and can indeed pass the tests without a problem.
Worst idea ever. Citizenship shouldn’t be sth just handed to you. If people didn’t bother make a test within past 20 years, then well, maybe they don’t really want it.
And as for the 80-year-olds, pretty sure they have other things to worry about than that.
Hi I am publishing a book, entirely in Estonian about the period 1909-1949