We are all the face of Estonia

Comment: According to the 2021 census, an estimated 76% of Estonians speak at least one foreign language. Half of Estonians who speak a foreign language know one (48%) while about a third know two (35%). 13% speak three foreign languages and 3% speak at least four. (Statistics Estonia: rahvaloendus.ee)

Comment: The most widely spoken languages in the world are English, Chinese, Hindi, Spanish and French. According to the census, 3879 people in Estonia speak English as their native language, 419 Chinese, 630 Hindi, 1378 Spanish and 1424 French. (Statistics Estonia: rahvaloendus.ee)

Source: wikipedia.org

Source: killukemarokot.wordpress.com

Source: wikipedia.org

Comment: The Moroccan geographer Al-Idrisi was the first to put Estonia on the world map, naming it Astlanda. Source: ohtuleht.ee

Comment: A nulk is a traditional Setomaa region, representing a community of villages. There are 12 nulks in Setomaa, such as the Koolina nulk, the Luhamaa nulk, the Saurova nulk and the Keerä-Luga-Seeridsä nulk. The names of the nulks are usually derived from a central settlement or a geographical feature. Each nulk typically consists of 10-12 villages.

Comment: The Roma community in Estonia is quite small, estimated to be around 1000-1200 people. Nearly a third of them are concentrated in the Valga municipality.

Source: vm.ee

Source: sirp.ee

Source: wikipedia.org

Comment: The largest groups after Estonians (69.4%) are Russians (22.5%), Ukrainians (4.1%), Belarusians (0.8%) and Finns (0.6%).

Comment: The largest numbers of foreign university students are from Finland (749), Ukraine (497), Russia (295), India (187) and Nigeria (183).

Comment: See the Murdekiiker: eki.ee

Comment: Nigerian peoples: Hausas and Fulbes, Yorubas, Ibos and Ijaws.

Comment: Iranian, Niger-Kordofanian, Sindhi and Mandarin are the languages that have gained the most new native speakers in Estonia.

Lithuanian language: The Indo-European language family includes dozens of languages, including German, Italian and English. Over time, they have lost many of their common features. Lithuanian has retained most of its original linguistic heritage. The language from which Lithuanian originated was spoken as early as 3500 BC, and since much of its old grammar and sound has been preserved in Lithuania, it can be considered one of the oldest languages in the world, but it is not the oldest.

Tamil is spoken by around 78 million people and is the official language of both Sri Lanka and Singapore. It is the only classical language that has remained fully intact to this day. Traces of the Tamil language have been found as early as the 3rd century BC and it has been in continuous use ever since. Tamil is now the 20th most widely spoken language in the world.

The Hebrew language has withstood great challenges. This language was not used much from 400 AD onwards and remained in use only as a liturgical language. Around the 19th and 20th centuries, Hebrew underwent a revival and became the official language of Israel. Even though the modern language is different from the ancient one, native Hebrew speakers have no difficulty understanding texts from the Old Testament. Additionally, modern Hebrew has been influenced by another Jewish language, Yiddish.

Farsi is spoken in countries such as Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Most people will probably have heard of Persian, which is a different name for the same language. Farsi is derived from the ancient Persian language spoken in the Persian Empire. The modern Persian language dates back to the year 800. Over the centuries, it has changed very little. Farsi speakers can read a centuries-old text with little difficulty.

Comment: Estonia ranks 83rd in terms of cultural diversity and is among the top ten countries in Europe. The only European countries head of Estonia are Luxembourg, Switzerland, Moldova, Belgium, Liechtenstein, Latvia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Monaco and Andorra.

Comment: There are more than 300 cultural societies of national minorities in Estonia. Nearly 290 societies are grouped into 17 associations. At the initiative of these cultural societies, there are 32 hobby schools in Estonia that help preserve the language, customs and handicraft skills of their people. For example: National Association of Armenians in Southern Estonia (Armenians), ‘Elbrus’ Kabardian Cultural Society (Kabardians), ‘Ljos’ Belarusian Cultural Association (Belarusians), ‘Idel’ Tatar Cultural Association in Estonia (Tatars), ‘Ir’ National Culture Association of Ossetia (Ossetians), ‘Läte’ Slavic Association (Russians), Korean Cultural Association of Estonia (Koreans), ‘Nargiza’ Estonian-Uzbek Cultural Association (Uzbeks), Lezgin Cultural Association in Estonia (Lezgins), Narva National Minorities Coordination Council (Germans), Polish Society of Narva (Poles), ‘Narspi’ Chuvash Society of Narva (Chuvashs), Narva Tatar Cultural Society (Tatars), ‘Ariran’ folk dance ensemble (Koreans).

Comment: In Estonia, the Day of Nationalities is celebrated on 24 September, which commemorates the first gathering of the Estonian Nationalities Forum in 1988 and is dedicated to all ethnic groups living in Estonia.

The first Estonian Nationalities Forum held on 24 September 1988 declared the readiness of the different ethnic groups living in Estonia to support the indigenous people's efforts to restore Estonia's independence and democratic way of life. The day dedicated to the ethnic minorities living in Estonia was established in 2005, when the then Minister of Population and Ethnic Affairs, Paul-Eerik Rummo, proclaimed 24 September as Estonia’s Day of Nationalities.

On 24 September, as well as on other days in September, concerts, exhibitions, lectures and workshops dedicated to the Day of Nationalities will take place across different parts of Estonia, showcasing the cultural heritage of various ethnic groups. On 14-15 September 2024, the Estonian Nationalities Forum is held in Tallinn. An Ethno Market takes place at the Town Hall Square, where visitors can get acquainted with the handicrafts and cuisine of the ethnic groups living in Estonia and enjoy concerts of folk groups. On 21 September, the National Cultures Creative Pot festival, dedicated to the Day of Nationalities, takes place in Jõhvi, Ida-Viru County.

Comment: More than 190,000 people from Estonia live abroad. This means that more than 15% of people with Estonian roots live abroad. Around 7000 people return to live in Estonia each year.