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WELCOME TO THE 11TH YOUTH SONG AND DANCE CELEBRATION "WORLD TREE" AND WELCOME TO ESTONIA!
Come and join something extraordinary! You can sing in the world’s biggest joint youth choir at Kalevi Stadium, Tallinn meet friendly people in the culturally rich country of Estonia in the Baltic states of Europe.
Estonians come together every five years, sing ecstatically for a day or two, in an emotionally charged song festival, called LAULUPIDU. This festival is a heart warming event looked forward by all generations of the Estonian community.
Once upon a time there was an awakening in Estonia. At that time, in 1869 gathered 878 people, all men, in Tartu to sing together. Thus was the tradition of Estonian Nationwide Song Celebration born. The first Song Celebration was both a musical and political event. At the time this was seen as the first attempt at national self-determination, manifested before the Baltic-German rulers.
This year is the 136th anniversary of the Estonian Nationwide Song Celebrations, it was 24th in a row. The total number of performers in the last Song and Dance Celebration in 2004 was 34 000. They performed before an audience of 200 000 in one concert - 600 000 followed public broadcasts in radio and television.
The historical overview of Estonian Song Celebrations
The nationwide Song Festival tradition began with the first Song Festival in Tartu, June 18- 20, 1869.
This was mostly due to the growing hobby of singing and wind-instrument playing in the first half of the 18th century ( in Kanepi, Põlva, Laiuse, Torma, Põltsamaa and in other places of Estonia).
Common singing days were held- choirs gathered to sing in Anseküla (1863), in Jõhvi (1865), in Uulu (1867) etc.
In the 19th century, Estonia was a province of a Russian Empire where German upper class landlords ruled the Estonian lower class- the peasants.