illumineerima

This past weekend I went blueberry picking in central Estonia. You can read about it and see photos on my other blog.

Something is screwed up with the coding on this site, which is why I haven’t been posting so much. It’s very frustrating.

And because of that problem, I’m not able to post photos or even embed a video, but at least I can still provide links!

Click here to see a few photos I took at the 10th Youth Song and Dance Celebration on 29 June 2007.

And click here to see a 1.5 minute video from the Celebration that I posted on YouTube.

This weekend (June 29 - July 1 2007) is Estonia’s 10th Youth Song and Dance Celebration. Just like the song festivals that take place here every five years, this event draws quite a crowd. Tickets are still available, though, so if you’re in Estonia you really should go.

I actually live next to Kalevi stadium, where most of the events will take place. I’ve been hearing noises coming from that direction all day, and couldn’t help but notice the large groups of people walking along Juhkentali and Liivalaia (not to mention the police patrol). It’s raining at the moment, but oh how I’m hoping the weather clears up by tomorrow evening!

Oh, and I’ll pass along this tip: Buy the standing tickets. They’re less expensive and usually it’s so crowded that those who paid for seats have to stand anyway.

For those of you in Chicago (anyone?), I encourage you to check out a new exhibit called The Space Between at C33 Gallery. It features the work of Estonian photographer, Terttu Uibopuu. Though you wouldn’t know if from the exhibit, Terttu also teaches bookbinding to her fellow photographers. Her work will also be part of two upcoming group exhibitions (one in Chicago and one in Germany), so check out her website for more details.

THE SPACE BETWEEN
Photographs by 2006 Kodak Scholarship Recipient
Terttu Uibopuu

June 28 – July 27, 2007
Reception: Friday, June 29, 5 - 7 pm

The Space Between represents the work of Terttu Uibopuu, this year’s recipient of the Kodak Scholarship. The photographs in The Space Between depict dusty laundry rooms, dirty factories and otherwise overlooked corners of living spaces. Terttu’s work combines natural and artificial light, and transforms these simple spaces into appealing and inviting environments. The appearance of abandoned objects further engages the viewer to experience places seen and passed by every day. In these disregarded settings, the viewer may reconsider the beauty in the mundane.

Image: Bicycle, 2006, Terttu Uibopuu

As many of you know, this weekend is the midsummer holiday. Basically it’s the summer solstice holiday, but in Estonia it has several layers. The first layer is Victory Day (Võidupüha), the celebration of the victory of Estonia over the Germans in the Battle of Vonnu on June 23, 1919. The second layer is Midsummer Eve (Jaaniõhtu), a pagan festival, which begins on the night of the 23rd.

According to one website:

Ancient Pagans celebrated Midsummer with bonfires. “It was the night of fire festivals and of love magic, of love oracles and divination. It had to do with lovers and predictions, when pairs of lovers would jump through the luck-bringing flames…” It was believed that the crops would grow as high as the couples were able to jump. Through the fire’s power, “…maidens would find out about their future husband, and spirits and demons were banished.” Another function of bonfires was to generate sympathetic magic: giving a boost to the sun’s energy so that it would remain potent throughout the rest of the growing season and guarantee a plentiful harvest.

Today, Estonians celebrate Midsummer Eve and Midsummer (Jaanik) in a similar manner to ancient Estonians. They travel to the country, light bonfires, stay up all night drinking, singing, dancing, and jumping over the bonfires. Hey, if it ain’t broke…

Estonia was one of the last of the northern countries to be converted to Christianity, and even then many people continued to practice pagan rituals. Today, Estonia has no official religion, with about 60% of the population claiming a religious affiliation. Mixed in with the Midsummer holiday is St. John’s Day (Jaanipäev). This is the Christian holiday celebrating the birth of St. John the Baptist. This is a minor Christian holiday, and the name was basically just applied to a pagan holiday to “Christianize” it.

In 2005 we spent Jaanipäev in Haapsalu, but this year we’re heading east to the Avinurme pütilaat. Happy Jaanipäev, everyone!

Tech capitals of the world? Yup, Tallinn’s among them.

This post has nothing to do with Estonia, but it deals with a topic that is important to me, so I hope you will take the time to read it through!

I’ve loved the architecture of Antoni Gaudi since I first saw it… in a book. In fact, I still haven’t made it to Barcelona. But that doesn’t mean the fate of the Sagrada Familia (Gaudi’s temple-in-progress) isn’t important to me.

Gaudi’s architecture is whimsical and shows a generosity of vision that I adore. So, after reading Warning: Trains Coming. A Masterpiece Is at Risk. in yesterday’s New York Times, I immediately began looking a way to lend my voice in protest against the coming damage of the Sagrada Familia. And I found this petition: SOSSagradaFamilia.org

I hope that Gaudi, architecture, and the protection of a UNESCO World Heritage Site are important enough for you to also sign the petition and to encourage the same among your friends!

The BBC website has a photo essay called: The Seto people, A border people. It’s worth a look! (Thanks to reader Adrian Smith for sending.)

I wrote a little piece on Saaremaa for The Baltic Times last week: ‘Spaaremaa’: Estonia’s Island Getaway

For some reason they don’t include photos with the online version, so here ya go:

I’ve received a question in response to my emails to friends and family about the riots, and I’ve decided to answer it here: No, I am not making plans to return to the U.S. Things would have to get much, much worse for me to consider that.

Which is not to say I’m happy about the current situation. There are two issues (for me) that have been brought to the fore.

One: Americans don’t give a damn. Their media coverage of the situation is pathetic. After I sent out emails saying the riots where over, I received responses from people saying they were relieved everything had settled down. Just because the riots are over doesn’t mean things have settled down, people. Things have just been taken to a different level, with the government of one country trying to interfere in the operations of another government. As someone with an MA in Eastern European History and a European mother, perhaps I’m more sensitive to the world stage, but I cannot comprehend why people don’t make an effort to keep themselves informed.
Two: Russia hasn’t changed. And maybe it won’t ever change. Maybe it can’t change. The various political systems it has tried out are stymied by an underlying stream of cruelty (whether aimed at its own people or the peoples of other nations).

I suppose there’s a third issue, too: That there isn’t much I can do about it.