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Estonia 100 – the party has started

Apr 21, 2017 Estonian Life No. 16 2017


The map on the poster shows the now imaginary borderline between what was Eestimaa and Liivimaa. This is why, when you use the word "Eestimaa" instead of "Eesti", you are actually referring to the one-time Governorate or Duchy of Estonia, "which was a governorate of the Russian Empire in what is now northern Estonia. The Governorate was gained by the Russian Empire from Sweden during the Great Northern War in 1721. Until the late 19th century, the governorate was administered independently by the local Baltic German nobility through a Landtag or feudal Regional Council." (Wikipedia) So "Eestimaa" is actually a historical term, yet is often still used today when referring poetically and sweepingly to "the land that is Eesti"...
Posters on bus shelters proclaim: "The nation-wide opening event of Estonia's centenary is on April 16, 2017.” The celebrations will kick off with a huge public hike in 18 different sections along the former border between the Eestimaa kubermang (Governorate of Estonia, in the north) and the Liivimaa kubermang (Governorate of Livonia, what is now southern Estonia and extending into what is now Latvia). Estonia's current territory was divided as such from the 16th century until 100 years ago this past week. Hiking en mass and symbolically erasing this imaginary border revealed the contour of Eesti as we now know it and where we have lived for thousands of years. Photo: Riina Kindlam (2017)

The last line on the poster suggests: “Download (laadi alla) the EV100 app and watch ETV live on April 16!” The actual wording here is “Sea end lainele” = tune in, literally “set yourself atop the wave” or catch the wave (that will transport you closer to us)! ETV and ETV2 can be watched live anytime via the internet at otse.err.ee or by searching for “ETV otse”.

More about the “ÄPP” or nuti/rakendus in Estonian (nuti/telefon is a smartphone, nutikas = clever) – In order to enable everyone to follow and participate in the jubilee events, telecommunications provider Telia has prepared a smart application as a birthday present to Estonia. The app helps to create digital links between people all over the world who carry Estonia in their hearts. On 16.04 for instance, the EV100 application enabled people to watch the immaginary border between the former provinces of Estonia and Livonia disappear from the map during the opening event of Estonia 100. By pressing the heart icon on the app, people's location is marked by a little glowing dot on the map. In this way, everyone in Estonia and abroad can let others know where they are and that they hold Estonia in their hearts. (As of 18.04 over 25 200 people worldwide had done this.) If you do not have a nutitelefon, you can notify of your whereabouts by calling the free number 800 8100 or by clicking the heart on the webpage (ev100.telia.ee) The world map of locations of people loving Estonia can also be found on the website.

The app provides you with an overview of the events dedicated to the celebration of the centenary of the Republic of Estonia. You can make your own list of events and follow news and media coverage of all things related to Estonia 100 celebrations.

Events can also be easily followed on the official web page EV100.ee, on Facebook in Estonian (Eesti Vabariik 100) or English (Estonia 100), as well as on Instagram and Twitter. Join in the celebrations, no matter where you are!

Riina Kindlam, Tallinn

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