BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

Rõõmsaid Jõule kõigile

Nüüd jäta päev ja jäta töö,
sest kätte jõudis jõuluöö.
Sa palju verivorsti söö
ja lase lõdvaks oma vöö,
et siga saaks su kõhtu täita,
sülti käega makku aita,
hapukapsas pole laita,
pärast sööki kõhtu paita.
Võta pihku topeltkringel,
anna puhkust aasta pingel.
Piparkoogid, vahukoor.
Saabub varsti aasta noor!!!

Tallinn's toppled tree to be trimmed

After twice toppling down over the weekend, Tallinn's Christmas tree will be going back up - albeit in a shorter form - on Tuesday morning, municipal officials have said.

High winds from the storm that lashed the Baltic coast on Sunday again brought down the tree, which stands at the center of the capital's busy Christmas market. Nobody was hurt in that incident either, and in both cases the falling tree also missed the nearby wooden sales huts.

Ivo Parbus of the Central Tallinn District Administration told uudised.err.ee that the tree would be remounted on the square with additional measures taken to ensure its stability. These include cutting an additional four meters from its base.

The tree, which originally stood at 24 meters, will now have the much more modest height of 17 meters.

The same storm, named Berit, also knocked over the municipal Christmas tree in the nearby town of Keila, in addition to causing power outages throughout the country.

Steve Roman

The Christmas market opened yesterday

According to the organizers, the Christmas Market has never been just a venue for vending, but rather a cultural experience that includes Father Christmas, the design of the market and a varied concert program on weekends that involves actors from VAT theatre, dozens of choirs and dance groups, writes LETA.

The cultural program of the Christmas Market began on November 26 with a concert by Luther's studio chamber choir; true arrival of Christmas season will be celebrated today, Sunday, when at 14:00 the first Advent light will be lit.

Several church choirs will be singing and the lights will be lit on the Christmas tree brought to the heart of Tallinn from Harju county Hirvli village. The Advent candles will be lit every Sunday at the same time. Together with closing program of the European Capital of Culture 'Happy End' on December 22, the Christmas Market will celebrate the beginning of winter; on December 24, the Mayor of Tallinn will declare Christmas peace there.

After the New Year different ethnic groups will present cultural programs. The Christmas Market will be open from 10:00-19:00 until January 8, 2012. Tallinn Christmas Market has been chosen as one of the most beautiful Christmas Markets of Europe.

Juhan Tere

Christmas trees to bring holiday joy

TALLINN - The Christmas tree, real or artificial, is a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. It’s hard to imagine Christmas without having a Christmas tree in your home. The debate about the environmental impact of artificial trees is ongoing. Generally, natural tree growers contend that artificial trees are more environmentally harmful than their natural counterpart.

Every year millions of families shop for and buy a ‘real’ cut Christmas trees from Christmas tree farms and local lots, which make buying a Christmas tree as trouble-free and simple as possible.
This year will not be an exception, when Estonian State Forest Management Center (RMK) is organizing guided Christmas tree trips to the state forests. Christmas-tree gurus will have a chance to select their own Christmas tree, chop it down, and bring it home from the forest on their own.

Guided forest trips are being organized at 15 locations across Estonia through the end of December, with a brief program on nature education preceding entry into the forest. Christmas tree trips for businesses were launched from Dec. 14-16, but trips for private individuals started on Dec. 17 and will last till Dec. 24.

According to RMK, suitable locations for finding a Christmas tree have been pre-selected by RMK’s specialists, so that participants will be left with just the joy of paying, choosing the right tree, sawing it down and hauling it off.

Latvia and Estonia joust over first Christmas tree title

RIGA — Latvia and its Baltic neighbour Estonia are exchanging friendly jabs over the claim that each was home to the first-ever town Christmas tree some five centuries ago.

As the Latvian capital Riga marks what it says is the 500th anniversary of its tree, its Estonian counterpart Tallinn has hit back.

"I received a present from the mayor of Tallinn, Edgar Savisaar, a short Christmas tree," Riga's mayor Nils Usakovs told AFP.

"He congratulated us on the 500th anniversary of the Riga Christmas tree and reminded us that Tallinn is celebrating the 569th anniversary," Usakovs said.

"It's good that the sole topic of disagreement between Riga and Tallinn is who has the oldest Christmas tree," he joked.

In the ongoing jousting, Latvia's tourist office rented billboard space in Tallinn inviting locals to see the home of the tree -- at Riga's festival.

According to researchers who back the Latvian side, the first tree wasn't actually the classic evergreen known today.

In 1510 a group of merchants built a pyramid-shaped wooden structure dubbed a "tree", decorated with dried flowers, fruit and vegetables, and even straw toys.

They are thought to have paraded it around their meeting hall before burning it to signify the end of the old year and the beginning of the new.

Estonians, meanwhile, insist that the world's first Christmas tree was erected in front of Tallinn town hall in 1441 as part of a winter ritual where merchants and single women danced around the tree and later set it on fire.

Vintage Estonia : Christmas ornaments

Vintage Estonia showcases the creative talent, graphic design and illustrations of Axel Roosman, produced when he was a young man living in Estonia between the years 1918 ~ 1940. These vintage ads are now available on T-shirts, hoodies, tank tops, mugs, aprons and other items, that make for a truly unique gift giving experience to share with friends and family.

NOW you can pick your own shirt styles and colours. Take note however, that dark colours like black, brown and navy will not always be the best colour choice for your apparel item as the images will not show up as well. Click on the Flag and Products Icon to see the product categories. Happy shopping!

Happy New Year !

A most prosperous New Year to everyone Shaan from Tallinn

Merry Xmas : Tiiu Kuik - Elle - Norway - January 2010

Wishing everyone a "Happy Xmas Day"

Estonian Christmas market offers anti-crisis cheer

Locked in one of Europe's deepest recessions, Estonians in dire need of some anti-crisis cheer are flocking to their capital's annual Christmas market, a magnet for locals and tourists alike.

Spread across the centre of Tallinn's picturesque Old Town, the market showcases the hugely popular handicraft traditions of this small Baltic nation of 1.3 million people.

"Despite the recession there are plenty of customers. But you can see times are hard because of the increase in the number of thieves, who act quickly, like rabbits," Mahe Jarmut, a grandmother from the island of Saaremaa, wearing traditional costume and a sheepskin jerkin to fight off the winter chill, told AFP.

The Estonian economy is forecast to contract a whopping 14 percent this year after a spectacular boom turned to bust. After growth of 10.4 percent in 2006 and 6.3 percent in 2007, the economy started shrinking in 2008 as a property and credit bubble burst and consumption withered.

From her small wooden stall, Jarmut sells objects carved by her family from boiled and stripped juniper wood, from honey spoons to tables, with price tags from two to 160 euros (three and 230 dollars).

Ottawa Eesti Seltsi jõulupuu/ Ottawa Estonian Society Christmas Party

Laupäeval, 19. detsembril kell 3 p.l./ Sat, Dec 19th at 3pm

German Lutheran Church on Preston St., Ottawa ON
Jõuluteenistus armulauaga toimub Laupäeval, 19. detsembril - kell 15.00 - Martin Lutheri (Saksa) kirikus, 499 Preston St. (Prestoni ja Carlingu nurgal). 

Jõulujutlus: Õpetaja Kalle Kadakas Torontost, Orelil: Carol Gurofsky.
Jõulupuu ja koosviibimine järgnevad vahetult (umb. kell 5 p.l.)
Ottawa Eesti Seltsi ja Pauluse Koguduse ühisel korraldusel kiriku suures saalis keldrikorral. 
Eeskava: Kõik Ottawa lapsed ja noored (vanusepiiri ei ole!) on teretulnud esinema.

Palume ühendust võtta Ülle Baumiga telefonil 613-747-8192 või epostiga

ullebaum@rogers.com
Jõulupakid lastele + tellimisi võtab vastu Helen Naarits telefonil 613-789-4222. 
Paki hinnaks on $9.
Annetused einelauale on teretulnud nagu ikka! 
Palume ka abi ruumide ja einelaua ettevalmistamisel ja hiljem korda seadmisel.

Mark your calenders – December 19th at 3 p.m.
Rev. Kadakas from Toronto will be holding our annual Christmas church service at the German Lutheran Church on Preston St.
To register children with Santa, please call Helen Naarits at 613-789-4222.
Cost for a present from Santa is $9.
The family gathering is a potluck.
For more information, follow this link:

Ottawa Estonian Society

Estonian President to send over 2,300 Christmas cards

Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves will send this year 2,320 Christmas cards, which will cost a total of 28,266 kroons, Õhtuleht/LETA reports.

The card was designed by Dan Mikkin whose work is titled “1,340,341 good wishes”, referring to the number of Estonian inhabitants.

Printing the cards cost 23,522 kroons plus VAT, said President’s chancellery adviser Kristel Peterson.

Last year, the Presidential couple and President’s chancellery sent over 3,200 Christmas cards.

The Christmas cards that the State Chancellery will order and of which Prime Minister Andrus Ansip will send 500, cost around 28,000 kroons. State Chancellery orders both e-card and paper card from OÜ Menu Kirjastus.

Father Christmas abandons traditional whip in Estonia

Father Christmas has abandoned his traditional birch whip in Estonia after a conference of holiday performers decided it was too frightening for children.

Estonia's Father Christmas has traditionally carried a bunch of twigs to keep naughty children in line - although the weapon remained an unused threat. He would remind children that they would not receive presents if they misbehaved.

But at the Baltic nation's annual Father Christmas congress, delegates decided to do away with the whip.

"Good children must grow up without the whip - or the fear of the whip - so we've called upon all Santas to leave them at home from now on," one Father Christmas attending the conference told Estonian television.

But other traditions proved more difficult to update, the Santa noted.

"On delegate asked for the freedom to choose the colour of Santa's coat, saying he feels allergic to red and wants to wear a yellow coat instead, but that request was turned down by the congress," he said.

Tallinn Christmas Market to be opened on Sunday, 29th of November

On November 29, the traditional Tallinn Christmas Market will be opened on the Town Hall Square.

The market will be open until January 7.

Jüri Lump, deputy elder of the Tallinn City Centre District, noted that the Christmas Market that is highly valued on the international arena has expanded this year and besides the Town Hall Square, the market also operates in the other focal points in the city centre.

"In addition to the market centre with 65 Christmas Shacks, trade and entertainment activities also take place on the Harju Street, on the Vabaduse Square, in Tammsaare Park, near the gates on the Viru Street and in the Rotermanni Quarter,” said Lump.

At 2 o’clock in the afternoon on Sunday, Mayor of Tallinn Edgar Savisaar and the Dean of Tallinn Jaan Tammsalu will light the first advent candle on the Christmas Tree on the Town Hall Square.

The Tallinn Christmas Market was recently included in the list of top Christmas markets in Europe compiled by the UK news portal Times Online.

Blood sausage party at the NY Estonian house

NY Eesti Maja Verivorstide Talgud/ Blood Sausage Party at the NY Estonian House
Laupäeval, 5. detsembril kell 2 pl - 6 pl/Saturday, Dec. 5th from 2pm to 6pm
New York Estonian House

If you want to make your own blood sausages, join us on Saturday, Dec 5th, at 2pm to 6pm.  We offer a good company and every participant will have the opportunity to take 2 ring-shaped sausages to go.  Cover: $15.00.  Please do confirm your participation before Dec 2nd, 2009. 
Info: eestisport@hotmail.com or info@estonianhousenewyork.com

Open Air Museum of Estonia opens a Christmas Village

Estonian Open Air Museum plans to offer a Christmas Village to all its visitors to tell of traditional clean-up before the Christmas day and preparations for the holiday season, cooking, and decorations, Visitestonia.com/LETA informs.

The museum hosts specific themes exhibitions like the 1930's, fisherman’s holiday and an Orthodox Christmas.

The Museum offer carol singing, playing games, and learning about candle making, herbal medicines, and having the fortune read.

The exhibition will take place from December 19 to December 20, 2009

Amazing Christmas market

Zürich – The picturesque Town Hall Square of the medieval city of Tallinn is once more hosting the annual Christmas Market with its 64 wooden stalls. During the 40 day period from 29th November until 7th January 2010, visitors may stroll through this amazing festive scene with colourful lights and at the same time enjoy true Swiss hospitality during their stay at the Swissôtel Tallinn.

Felt hats, buckwheat pillows, wooden bowls and artefacts, wickerwork, beautiful hand-sewn quilts, ceramics and glassware, sea-grass animals as well as home-made candles are offered among others at the Christmas Market as well as typical culinary Estonian delights like pork, sauerkraut, blood sausages, hot soups, gingerbread, marzipan, honey, nuts and sweets. Christmas performances with choirs, dance groups, poets and musicians round of the abundant programme.

Swissôtel Tallinn, only a 10 minute walk away from the Town Hall Square, offers a special Christmas market package which includes the following: A stay in a Swiss Advantage room overlooking the harbour and delicious breakfast at Café Swiss, a 10% discount voucher for the Kaubamaja department store, a voucher for a complimentary set of drinks when purchasing a meal at the legendary medieval Olde Hansa restaurant, complimentary gift wrapping service as well as a complimentary use of the hotel’s Amrita Spa & Wellness including a 20% discount on any Biodroga or Futuresse product purchased from the Amrita Boutique.

Tallinn Christmas market "aiming to be one of the best"

The Tallinn Christmas market may be one of the youngest in Europe but it aims to be one of the best in the world, Visit Estonia revealed.

People planning a festive break in Europe can head to the Estonian capital from 29 November to 7 January 2010 to experience its Christmas market.

The event will be taking place for the eighth time since it was revived following the break-up of the Soviet Union.

More than 60 wooden stalls are set up on Town Hall Square in Tallinn, selling everything from clothing and hand-sewn quilts to wooden bowls and wickerwork.

There will also be plenty of hearty eastern European fare served up and entertainment provided by choirs, dance groups and musicians.

Younger visitors will be able to head to Santa Claus' grotto to meet the man himself.

Travellers can catch flights to Tallinn with several carriers, including easyJet, Air Baltic, Finnair and Czech Airlines.

Estonian-Russian transport committee convenes after 3 years

Juhan Tere

On Monday, a joint transport committee consisting of Estonian and Russian experts started working in the economy ministry to discuss ways to improve flight connections and the renovations of the Narva bridge, Eesti Päevaleht/LETA reports.

Transport committee, which consists of Estonian and Russian experts, started working today after a three years long break.

Juhan Parts, the Minister of Economics of Estonia, said that he expects the commission to improve air link between the countries and long-term logistics and transportation cooperation between the two countries.

Economy and communications minister said that he expects the work of the committee to result in better flight connections with Russia and in relaunch of the long-term practical cooperation of the logistics and transport sector of the two countries.

The committee discusses on Monday and Tuesday possibilities of launching all-year-round regular flights between Tallinn and St Petersburg, repairs of the Narva and Ivangorod border checkpoint bridge, issues concerning international highway cargo transport and sea and railway transport.

Explore Europe’s authentic Christmas markets

If it’s a truly white Christmas you’re after, head to Hotel St. Petersbourg in Tallinn. Tucked away behind cobbled streets lined with medieval turrets, this opulent yet intimate hotel is the perfect retreat.

The Christmas package comprises a three-night stay in a deluxe double room, airport transfers, daily breakfast, a special holiday gift and daily use of the traditional Estonian sauna.

During your stay you can also take advantage of three hours in a chauffeur-driven car, a private guided walking tour in the medieval Old Town followed by a glass of hot mulled wine and gingerbread either at the hotel’s Estonian Kuldse Notsu Kõrts Restaurant or its booth at the Old Town square Christmas market.

Entrance to the city and art museums is included in the package. At the hotel’s Russian restaurant, Nevskij, a four course dinner for two including a bottle of wine will await you. Prices from £400 for two people, based on sharing a deluxe double room. Booking period 24th November 2008 – 11th January 2009.

Tallinn : A very Christmassy market

Christmas Market Breaks in Tallinn from £435 per person including flights.

Tallinn is a charming blend of medieval tranquillity and modern urban life. The Old Town is magical all year round, but perhaps is at its best in winter when Christmas spirit can be felt on every corner.

The price of £435 includes return flights with Estonia Air from LGW, taxes, airport transfers, 3 nights accommodation in The Merchants House, a four star boutique hotel in the Old Town, a city tour of Tallinn and a Tallinn City Card which enables you to free public transport within the city, discounts in restaurants, shops and free or reduced price entry to museums and tourist sights in Tallinn.