Lisad
SUMMARY
In the Gold of the Nordic Sun: The Role of Tuudur Vettik and Roland Laasmäe in the Process of Estonian Song Celebrations in the Period of 1938–1980 Estonia’s Song Celebration Tradition
In the memory of our people, Estonia’s top event of the past decades – the regaining of independence – is closely related to the Singing Revolution. One needn’t be a rocket scientist to gather that knowing the revolution theory is not enough to understand this phenomenon. It is essential to have a deeper understanding of singing, the song celebrations movement and the Estonian choral tradition in general. The tradition of Estonia’s song celebrations has continued uninterrupted for over 140 years and all those milestones have become part of our self-identity. The role of song celebrations cannot be seen separately from its foundation – the Estonian choral tradition. Bearing this in mind, this paper will analyze Estonian Song Celebration Tradition – a cultural civic movement with a long history that stemmed from the movement of fellowships. The song celebration tradition plays an important role in Estonian national identity: before the first Nationwide Song Celebration, the Estonians used to refer to themselves as the country folk, whereas contemporary Estonians of the 21st century now like to call themselves as the singing nation, often making an extra reference to the song celebrations. Historians agree that throughout centuries, Estonian song celebrations have played a crucial role in the involvement of masses, therefore appearing as a powerful 291
