Baltic Heritage Nerwork Newsletter 2018, No.1 is now available. Read more: https://www.balther.net/wp-cont…/…/2018/03/BHN_1_22_2018.pdf

On February 7, Paul Lillakas gave an exciting and long-awaited lecture on life as a food editor to a hall full of interested listeners at Tartu College. Paul is an award-winning Canadian-Estonian chef, who won Chopped Canada in 2014 and has since worked in a number of interesting places. One such place, was Canadian Living where he was the food editor for just over a year. At the lecture he gave the audience a taste of “Secrets From the Test Kitchen: A Month in the Life of a Food Editor.” The lecture was followed by a question-answer period and a chance to discuss the lecture over coffee.

The most recent issue of the Estonian National Museum Yearbook (nr. 60, 2017) focuses on Estonian food heritage. Two out of five articles discuss the food culture of Estonians who have built new homes far from their homeland. Aivar Jürgenson’s article “On Estonian Food Culture Abroad” focuses on the food traditions of Estonians in Siberia, the far east of Russia, Caucasus, and South America (Argentina and Brazil). Jürgenson also discusses how these Estonians adapted to their new circumstances, which inevitably changed their diets. Riina Reinvelt’s article “Our Food and Their Food: Food Experiences of 1944 Refugees According to ERM Resources” based on surveys and memories collected at the museum, analyses the initial experiences refugees had with foreign flavours in their first stopping points in Sweden and Germany, as well as in their final countries of residence in Canada, Australia, and the USA. While the first generation of refugees typically continued eating Estonian foods, for the generations born abroad, typical everyday Estonian foods were not abandoned, but became foods served primarily on special occasions.

On January 17 at Tartu College, Eerik Purje released his new novel “Aja puudutus” based on true events. A number of interested readers gathered for the event. Piret Noorhani greeted the guests and introduced the author, who graciously thanked all of his supporters. The evening naturally included some reading from the book, which was done by Laas Leivat, Tamara Norheim-Lehela, and Eerik himself. The evening concluded with a book signing. This is only the first of two books dedicated to the Republic of Estonia’s Centennial, the second “Puudutuse aeg” is set to be released by the end of the year.

On November 10th the 36th session of the Baltic Assembly and the 23rd Baltic Council gathered in Tallinn. Representatives of the Baltic countries’ parliament, speakers, and foreign ministers were present at the session. The Baltic Assembly was established in 1991 with the goal to promote the activities and collaboration of the Baltic parliaments. This time, the discussions considered questions regarding education, healthcare, security, and the protection of the European Union across borders.

On Saturday, November 11th at Tartu College, the Baltic Canadian Imprints partnership hosted a symposium titled Sharing Our Stories: Born in Canada. Members from all four Baltic communities, Baltic German, Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian, discussed the challenges and advantages of being first generation Canadian Balts. Three panels of first generation representatives from each of the communities shared their experiences with the audience. Special guest Dr. Jaak Rakfeldt (PhD, LCSW), Professor of Social Work at Southern Connecticut State University moderated the discussion and provided insight on the various topics the panelists touched on. This symposium was a continuation of the group’s work together and was open to all interested. The hall was full!

In October the exhibit “From the Village Road to the Red Carpet: A Hundred Years of National Fashion” was opened at the Estonian National Museum in Tartu. The exhibit focuses on patterns and elements borrowed from Estonian folk costumes that have been used in contemporary fashion beginning in the 1920s until today.