1. Tradition and Youth in Estonia Taavi Rõivas Kristi Jeenas Liisi Bucht

2. Tradition and Youth Swizerland, 13.-20.08 General data Population 1 439 197 (01.01.2000) Total area 45 227 km 2 Currency Estonian kroon (EEK) 1 DEM = 8 EEK 1 EUR = 15,6466 EEK PolityParliamentary Republic Head of statePresident - Lennart Meri Official language Estonian Ethnic minoritiesRussians 28% Ukrains 2,5% Belorussians1,5 % Finns0,9%

3. Tradition and Youth Swizerland, 13.-20.08

4. Tradition and Youth Swizerland, 13.-20.08 Colleagues or competitors?

5. Tradition and Youth Swizerland, 13.-20.08 Cultural events that represent more or less traditions:  National singing and dancing festivals  First held in 1869  Approx. 35 000 singers  Approx. 10 000 dancers  Folk music festivals in Viljandi  Folk music festivals in Võru  Beersummer

6. Tradition and Youth Swizerland, 13.-20.08 National holidays celebrated by most young people:  Independence Day (24.02)  Estonia´s firstgained independence (1918) is celebrated all over the country  People go to parades and churces  Shrove Tuesday (varies)  People eat pea soup and pig´s legs  If possible, people compete in sledging  The night of volber (30.04)  Celebration of winter turning to summer  People get very drunk

7. Tradition and Youth Swizerland, 13.-20.08 National holidays celebrated by most young people:  St John´s Day (24.06)  Celebration of the year´s longest day  Fires are lit all over the country, people party till dawn  St. Cathrine´s Day (25.11)  Young people (mostly kids) run from house to house to perform acts (songs and dances) in order to get candies and stuff  Kids are dressed up (as women, mostly in white)  Christmas Eve (24.12)  International holiday with some additional (local) traditions  Very special food: sauerkraut, special kind of sausage (made of blood etc)

8. Tradition and Youth Swizerland, 13.-20.08 Tradition and Youth – threats and possibilities:  The United States of Europe – what are the chances of Estonia´s traditions to survive?  Young people are more into changes and new possibilities  Computerizing world  No one imagines MS Windows in Estonian – kids speak “copy and paste language” in everyday life

9. Tradition and Youth Swizerland, 13.-20.08 Thank you for your attention! This presentation is also available for downloading via Internet: www.local.ee/tr/iynf.html