
Europe Day Celebrations in Tallinn
17.05.2018 / 11:05 | Aktualizováno: 17.02.2020 / 15:48
On the 9 May 2018, annual celebrations of Europe Day were held at Freedom Square in Tallinn. The main organizer behind the celebrations was European Commission Representation in Tallinn, in cooperation with Estonian Ministry of Finance, platform for the European Year for Cultural Heritage and others. Due to the 100th anniversary of Estonian independence, this year´s celebrations were even more ceremonial than before. The main celebrations held both in Tallinn and Tartu on 9th of May were preceded by celebrations held in other Estonian cities, such as Türi, Võru, Valga, Narva, Rakvere, Haapsalu, Pärnu, Põlva which were taking place already from the 1st of May.
Stands of different embassies, that were located directly in Freedom Square or embassies that decided to open their doors to public were an essential part of the celebrations. Employees of the Czech Embassy in Tallinn presented Czech Republic in the square with the help of various promo materials from CzechTourism agency. A quiz for those who wanted to try out their luck in order to win a small prize was prepared as well. Materials for the youngest ones, such as colouring books of famous Czech fairy tales or balloons with a heart in the colours of Czech flag were also prepared. The possibilities of studying in the Czech Republic was also promoted, via materials provided by projects Study in Prague and Study in the Czech Republic. Employees of the Czech Embassy also represented Slovakia, as employees of the The Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Helsinki were not able to participate in this year´s celebrations. Huge amount of visitors came to Freedom Square (15,000) and Czech stand that was full of various promo materials at the beginning was literally pretty much empty by the end. The quiz was also very popular. In general, Czech representation was very successful.
Same as last year, there were many activities prepared for the visitors, such as Passport game, in which visitors collected stamps from different countries and could also win a trip to Brussels or Strasbourg after the final draw. This year, two questions for each country were prepared, and people could participate using an app in their phone. The quiz was also screened live on a big screen located in Freedom Square. This competition, as well as the whole event was moderated by Anna Gavronski and Martin Veisman and representatives from different embassies were also invited to come up to the stage to comment the questions related to their country. The person who clicked on the right answer first was the winner. A couple of famous Estonian artists, such as Stig Rästa, Liis Lemsalu, Ivo Linna, Antti Kammiste, Lepatriinu or Frankie Animal performed at the event. It was also possible to attend various outdoor exhibitions, listen to artists from countries which celebrate their 100th anniversary this year, watch a livestream from embassies which opened their doors to the public and so on. An importance of the whole event was emphasized by a visit from Estonian president, Kersti Kaljulaid, which held a speech, or the presence of Estonian Prime Minister Jüri Ratas, who personally greeted all the embassy representatives.