Flag raising ceremony to mark Estonian tricolor 135th anniversary
Tuesday is Flag Day in Estonia, the 135th anniversary of the consecration of the original blue, black and white flag that was later adopted as Estonia's national flag.
The event is to be marked by the traditional raising of the national flag at 7 a.m., in the Governor's Garden at Toompea and in the shadow of Pikk Hermann Tower.
The ceremony is free to the public, with Pikk Hermann also open, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. (tickets are to be allocated specific times), according to a Riigikogu press release.
The flag raising will be carried out by representatives of the Estonian Song and Dance Celebration Foundation, the Institute of the Estonian Language, and Gustav Adolf Grammar School.
President of the Riigikogu Henn Põlluaas (EKRE), and Chairman of the Estonian Flag Association Jüri Trei, are to speak at the ceremony. Head of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (EELK) Archbishop Urmas Viilma will say the words of blessing.
The anniversary coincides with the 800th anniversary of the national flag of Denmark. According to legend, that country's flag, the Dannebrog fell from the sky after the Battle of Lyndanisse. The battle was fought on June 15, 1219, near Tallinn, during the Livonian Crusade, between the Kingdom of Denmark and its German allies, and local Estonian tribes.
Head of the Danish Flag Society Erik Fage-Pedersen is also partaking in the ceremony.
Honor guards from the volunteer Defence League (Kaitseliit) and its affiliated bodies, the Women's Home Defence (Naiskodukaitse ), the Young Eagles (Noored Kotkad) and the Home Daughters (Kodutütred) are also attending, together with representatives from the Scouts, Guides, and various academic organizations, societies and schools.
The Estonian Defence Forces (EDF) orchestra is performing, together with choirs from the Estonian Female Song Society and various Tallinn schools.
The choirs are to sing "Hoia, Jumal, Eestit" ("God Save Estonia" - music by Juhan Aavik, words by Aleksander Leopold Raudkepp) and "Eesti lipp" ("Flag of Estonia" - music by Enn Võrk, words by Martin Lipp).
The Estonian flag was first made in spring 1884 by the Estonian Students' Society (EÜS), and was blessed and consecrated in Otepää on June 4.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
