Monthly Archives: December 2024

On December 12, 2024, the Heritage Commission hosted an event and a roundtable discussion “Walking the Paths of Diaspora Artists: Significant Lithuanian Cultural Heritage in France” at the National Library of Lithuania. During the event, diplomats, artists and other prominent figures, such as Arbit Blatas, Michel Kikoïne, Marc Chagall and others, whose creative and public activities continued after leaving Lithuania were introduced, stories about cultural heritage objects and places of memory in France were shared.

The autumn edition of the Baltic Heritage Network quarterly newsletter is now available. In these pages, you will find information about our past and future events, new publications, and what is happening across the globe within the diaspora research and archive communities. We welcome your contributions. The submission deadline for the next issue is February 15, 2025. We welcome news articles, conference information, calls for papers, and new publication information. Please send articles in English with high-quality “.jpg” images to: piretnoorhani[at]gmail.com. IN THIS ISSUE:– “Free Winds” exhibition– EstoCast’s Upward Flight Continues!– VEMU Writers’ Club Turns One Year Old– Armas Maiste 95– The 105th Anniversary of the Estonian-language University of Tartu at Tartu College– High recognition to Estonian-Canadian turntablist Erik Laar– A Century of Lithuanian Artists in Chicago– Stanford University Welcomes Čekanauskas’s Book Collection– A Book Event at the National Library of Lithuania– Two Events Dedicated to Lithuanian Americans– New documentary about Estonian refugees in wartime and postwar Germany– Fighting Against Enemies of Ukraine Through Diaspora Estonian Music– The Stories of Diaspora Estonians on Vikerraadio– The family history sources of the 20th century– Book recommendations– VEMU Estonian Museum Canada’s exhibition “Our Tartu: 50 Years of Tartu College”– Bartusevičius’s Archive Arrived to the National Library of Lithuania Please click on the pdf link below to read more: https://www.balther.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/BHN_4_47_2024.pdf _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Baltic Heritage Newsletter is distributed quarterly, on-line.

The year during which the 80th anniversary of the Mass Flight of the Baltic peoples was commemorated worldwide is coming to a close. Our newsletter has documented many endeavours and projects which were dedicated to this dramatic historical event. Due to this event, out of a need for handling diaspora heritage in a better way, the Baltic Heritage Network founding group came together almost 20 years ago. The first brainstorming session, in which Estonian historical memory institutions that handle diaspora heritage participated, took place in Tartu on the spring of 2005. This was followed by an international conference in 2006 and the founding of the not-for-profit institution in 2008. Many of those who we started off with are sadly not with us anymore. Those who are still with us have grown older and hopefully wiser as well. New, young blood has joined us. Due to changes in the Baltic diaspora communities, BaltHerNet’s goals and activities must also change. What will remain is support among colleagues and a friendly spirit. We have always had plenty of that. Thank you for this, friends! Wishing you a peaceful holiday season and a happy as well as active new year! Piret Noorhani

The first of December is the birthday of the Estonian national university. As has become tradition, the Rector of the University of Tartu visits Toronto every five years to celebrate the anniversaries of the university. Since the 105th anniversary of the opening of the Estonian-language university is being celebrated this year, a delegation from the university was also present, which was led, in the first time in history, by the same Rector that visited here five years ago — Professor Toomas Asser. Due to the amount of activities that are taking place in Tartu at the beginning of December, the guests arrived in Canada exactly a month before the official celebrations.

Estonian Citizen’s Day is celebrated on November 26. Every year, the Foreign Ministry awards letters of appreciation to people and civic organizations who have promoted and upheld Estonia around the world. November 26 marks the day in 1918 that the Provincial Assembly issued an edict on Estonian citizenship. Citizen’s Day aims to bolster awareness of citizenship status and raise civic pride and is dedicated to the rights and responsibilities of Estonian citizens.

As the holiday season is approaching, the year is also quickly coming to a close. With the onset of colder weather, it’s the best time to sit indoors and listen to a podcast or watch your favourite tv series with a cup of tea.

The National Archives of Estonia is happy to announce that the family history sources of the 20th century – civil status records and family letters – will finally arrive in the online environment of the National Archives this autumn.

On November 14, 2024, over thirty Lithuanian books were gifted to Malahide Public Library of the Fingal Library Network in Dublin, Ireland. The Mayor of Malahide, Brian McDonagh, the Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to Ireland, Jonas Grinevičius, the Director of the Documentary Heritage Research Department of the National Library of Lithuania, Dr. Jolanta Budriūnienė, and the Chief Researcher of the National Library of Lithuania, Dr. Dalia Cidzikaitė attended the event, which is part of the Reading Promotion Program funded by the Lithuanian government and implemented by the National Library of Lithuania.