What else have you learned today? she was asked as she stood in the joyfully crowded dining room with a plate full of food.
“I learned that I like blood sausage,” she said. “This is my second helping. My mom brings it to Christmas every year but I don't think she brings this type.”
Her mother laughed. “That's not true. This is exactly the blood sausage I bring every year. I buy it here!”
Before leaving the party, Helen asked her mom to put an order in for a few more sausages this year.
In addition to crafts and a playroom for the younger children, Santa joined in for the fun and had a special corner where children could whisper in his ear. In all, more than 100 children had the chance to tell Santa what they'd like for Christmas. They had their photos taken and were each given a little treat bag. A teen room was also available for young people to gather and sing karaoke (in Estonian, of course) and it seemed they were having fun taking turns with the mike.
Upstairs, on the top floors, there was more fun to be had. Walking through a tent as part of the entrance to the Scouts area, you found yourself not only learning about the Estonian Scouts club but also had the chance (if you were small enough . . . ) to use the rock climbing wall. Children — some as young as three years old — were strapped into safety harnesses and then, with all their might, climbed the wall. Some were very good at it too! Further up the stairs was the range, the “safest range in North America” according to Lembitu Ristsoo. Why is that? “Because we exemplify how a range should be run. We're focused on safety, and what's nice about our club is that our membership is growing and our average age is lowering. It's a good way to introduce people back into the Estonian community because we have a bit of camaraderie in the group. The more experienced people help the newcomers really ground themselves in safety while they improve their skills.”
In the main hall there were lots of stands where people either sold crafts, Estonian goods and books or where information was being shared about summer camps and the scouts and so on. Piret Komi was selling some crafts and even though she has retired from her day job, she still has her night job — teaching Estonian on Tuesday nights at 7:00 pm. It's something she's been doing for 22 years and she welcomes new students throughout the year. For those who wanted to learn a little bit of Estonian right away, a room was set aside where you could go learn a bit of the language.
One of the stands featured T-shirts and place mats and other items with “vintage Estonian” images that had been part of the landscape of Estonian advertising and magazine covers in the 1918 – 1940 period. These images were created by Anne Roosman's grandfather who made sure that he left the country during the war with his portfolio. Why is Anne selling her grandfather's artwork? “Well, I was unemployed and had a suitcase full of this stuff and so I started up a little company and started selling. There isn't much interest in Estonia,” she said, “But it's the people on the outside that seem to be interested, people from Australia, the U.S., Canada, the U.K. Those places.”
In the main hall there was lots of singing and, of course, folk dancing. Young children dressed in their Estonian costumes did a variety of wonderful dances, sometimes holding hands together, sometimes marching along with sticks. “It's amazing,” said Keltie Thomas. “To think that these children are thousands of miles and generations away from the Old Country and yet here they are with our Estonian traditions, dancing for us.”
Erik Holmberg's 4-year-old daughter was one of the dancers. He said that this Christmas party was a great way to “bring people together, connect, have some fun.” It's true, people seemed to be having lots of fun and you could tell because they didn't just come, grab some food and leave. No, they stayed for the whole party.
Anu Jõe, who came to sing, especially loved the fact that those gathered “ranged in age from 3 weeks to 90 years.”
Christina Tari agreed, saying that the party “felt like an extended Estonian family gathering.
It was a happy party that put everybody in the Christmas spirit!
Maret Jaks
Fotogalerii – Fotod Taavi Tamtik
Fotogalerii – Fotod Peeter Põldre
