How Estonians fooled the occupying Soviets

The Estonian Cultural Garden was dedicated June 19, 1966. Each year, the Estonian community and friends gather to celebrate Estonian Victory Day (Võidupüha) and St John's Day (Jaanipäev).

Toomas Tubalkain served as MC and introduced speakers including Lithuanian Honorary Consul Ingrida Bublys, Congressman Dennis Kucinich and Estonian Garden delegate Erika Puussaar.

Erika Puussaar and Toomas Tubalkain

Estonian Garden Group

Estonian Garden Monument

Here’s how they fooled the occupying Soviets. (from our Ambassador Toomas Tubalkain).

Victory Day is the day Estonia won its final battle in the war of independence on June 21, 1919.  St. John's Day is always celebrated as midsummer on June 24th.  Victory Day and midsummer are linked through history.  But during the Soviet occupation, Victory Day was banned, but midsummer (a pagan holiday) was allowed.  Estonians decided to celebrate the two together, without informing anyone that Victory Day was being combined with midsummer celebrations.  

See the Estonian Victory Day celebration

Estonia became Digital Society in last 2 decades

The Honorable Mrs. Marki Tehhonova-Kreek, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Estonian Embassy, Washington DC as keynote speaker at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Estonian Cultural Garden in Cleveland Ohio.

This part of her speech was about how Estonia has emerged as a digital society with the highest number of tech startups in Europe.

She said that they rely on and trust information technology more than any other nation. They have the highest number of tech startups in Europe. 2 decades ago, ½ of the population didn't even have a phone line.

See more of Cleveland Estonians