(Seedrioru articles: EE # 19 16.05.2025; EE # 20 23.05.2025; EE # 23 13.06.2025; EE # 24 20.06.2025)
Practically since its founding in 1974, the Estonian Foundation of Canada has been the major financial sponsor of Seedrioru. This support has been, and continues to be, crucial to the operation of camp, for which anyone ever associated with Seedrioru is immensely grateful. Prior to that, the major source of fundraising for the operation of this wonderful place was the mother of all summer cultural activities, Suvihari.
From the start, Suvihari has made Seedrioru more than deserving of the descriptor “cultural centre”, or kultuurikodu in the history book. The name for the annual festival was not officially adopted until 1970. Prior to that, it was simply known as a pidupäev (festival) in non-songday years. In 1967 though, the Vikerlased song and folkdance group from Montreal gave a memorable evening performance in the open-air theatre which they called Suvihari. I have no doubt that influenced the choice of name since 1970.
Suvihari, for many years, consisted of an afternoon formal ceremony with the lighting of the Victory Flame, greetings, a religious component, a guest speaker and some form of musical entertainment. In the evening, people gathered at the open air theatre to view a production, after which many walked together to the sail-shaped memorial with flashlights, where a speaker quietly directed one’s thoughts to the homeland. This last activity was called Mõttesild Kodumaale, or a bridge of thoughts to the homeland. While Suvihari’s program has evolved over the years, many of these features have been kept throughout Seedrioru’s 70 year history.
Aside from being a time and place to meet old friends and make new ones, especially in 1972 when a record-breaking 8,000 people poured through the entrance gates for the unofficial start of ESTO 72, Suvihari has offered some incredible cultural programming over the years. The evening productions, called valguspeod (or roughly festival with lights as they traditionally started at dusk) at the open-air theatre, were nothing short of extraordinary. The Eesti Rahvusteater, or Estonian National Theatre Company from Toronto, staged no less than 19 plays, from well-known Estonian authors to Shakespeare. The costumes and sets were elaborate and the practices were long and grueling. Often, local choirs and dance groups participated when needed for the productions. In the early days, some of the parts were even played by actors who were professionals in the theatre scene in Estonia prior to 1944.
The evening productions consisted of many other performances by rhythmic gymnasts, folkdancers, guest theatre groups, various vocal soloists, ensembles and bands, and even giant fireworks displays. They have always been a pleasure to watch and been an opportunity to showcase the wonderful talents of Estonians.
Programming has expanded over the years to include a giant bonfire (jaanituli), marketplace, bazaar, volleyball and beach volleyball tournaments, chess tournament, kids’ zone, crafting and for a few years, even wife-carrying! While the era of elaborate theatrical productions has come to an end, Suvihari is still an important cultural (and fund-raising) event to be enjoyed.
The open-air theatre was last used some 10 or so years ago for such shows. In the viewing area, the bench posts were crumbling and ultimately removed due to safety concerns. Performances have shifted to the hill, the basketball court, the main hall and of course the area by the sail shaped monument. There is still lots and lots of music to enjoy. Since the 90s, some fantastic bands and soloists from Estonia have performed as well. Programming has expanded over the years to include a giant bonfire (jaanituli), marketplace, bazaar, volleyball and beach volleyball tournaments, chess tournament, kids’ zone, crafting and for a few years, even wife-carrying! While the era of elaborate theatrical productions has come to an end, Suvihari is still an important cultural (and fund-raising) event to be enjoyed.
I struggled to sum up all that Seedrioru has been during the past 70 years to conclude this article until I recalled the visit of the Estonian National Opera Boys’ Choir, or Rahvusooper Estonia Poistekoor, in 2016. The boys were able to take a break from their hectic Ontario concert schedule to visit Seedrioru for a day and a half, mostly for relaxation. After enjoying a day of swimming, sports, hiking through the woods and all the food they could eat, the evening was capped off with a bonfire by the pond, where numerous fireflies made an appearance, as if on cue. Estonia only has glow worms which live on the ground so you can imagine the boys’ wonder. Afterwards, as we were all making our way towards the cabins, a young boy stopped me along the way. He must have been around nine years old and said, in perfect English, “This is a magical place, isn’t it?“ I couldn’t agree with him more.
Long live Seedrioru! Elagu Seedrioru!
