A few weeks ago, Eesti Elu introduced a fun and casual Valentine’s Day matchmaking service, EluMatch! On Friday, participants will have their top three matches emailed to them.
How it works
Over the course of a few weeks, participants looking for love or a platonic connection filled out a questionnaire inspired by the quirks and traditions known by those who have grown up in the Estonian community. Compatibility is determined by a point ranking system, where values are assigned to questions like “What is your favourite Estonian food?” and “Which Estonian proverb describes you best?” Depending on how participants answered, they received a total score. Age, gender preferences for romantic connections, and friendship-only pairing options were also considered, making the questionnaire a well-rounded compatibility test!
Surprising trends and what’s revealed about our community
From sauna preferences to what the best pirukas (savoury pie) flavour is, EluMatch helped local Estonians find connections. Twenty-one individuals filled out the questionnaire, revealing some fun insights.
… despite the general trend of declining Estonian language proficiency among younger North American-born generations, many still value the ability to speak Estonian in a partner.
Although the majority of participants were from younger generations, with about forty-three percent falling into the nineteen to twenty-two age bracket, many still responded positively to the question, “Do you speak Estonian? Is it important that your partner speaks it, too?” This suggests that, despite the general trend of declining Estonian language proficiency among younger North American-born generations, many still value the ability to speak Estonian in a partner. Those who are not fluent in Estonian say they would ideally like a partner they could practice with. Others are impartial all around.
Although the questionnaire allowed participants to seek any type of connection, most were open to both romance and friendship. It’s great to see such openness in the community—after all, you never know where a simple “hello” might lead!
After adjusting for age, gender, and relationship-type preferences, the most compatible matches were often those who had attended the same Estonian summer camps—proving that shared memories and experiences create strong connections! Other questions focused on personality compatibility, such as introversion vs. extroversion, one’s favourite weekend activities, and Estonian food preferences. While many highly compatible matches had similar responses, some had opposing answers due to the filtering criteria. Perhaps this will be a chance to see if opposites really do attract!
This year’s participants will have their top matches emailed to them on Valentine’s Day.
Overall, EluMatch had positive feedback—but there is still room for refinement and an even bigger participant base! Stay tuned to participate next year and find your match.
This article was written by Natalie Jenkins as part of the Local Journalism Initiative.
