Even though Covid-19 restrictions are in place until April 25th at least, there are several online events and exhibitions to visit during the spring month.
In Folk calendar:
1 April – Day for Turning out the Cattle. It could have snowed or hailed on this day, but cattle had to be brought outside even if for a while to guarantee that it would remain in good health.
14 April – Ploughing Day. On Ploughing Day one had to wake up as early as possible and start checking that all the farming equipment was in working order and ready for use. Then a load of manure was taken to the field to ensure soil fertility and the first furrow of the spring was ploughed.
23 April – Saint George’s Day. Saint George’s Day is the most important holiday related to farming and cattle herding. In the times past, Estonians would perform various rituals on this day to ensure cattle’s good health. To repel wild animals, especially wolves, bonfires were lit during the night.
25 April – Mark the Evangelist’s day. The Estonian name for this day refers to church calendar: it is the holiday commemorating Mark the Evangelist. He was the saint people prayed to when they wanted protection from sudden death. On this day our ancestors foretold weather and crop yield. Farm animals were given some rest, and people watched the nature to set the timeframe for various farm works.
Source: Estonian Open Air Museum.
Events in April:
Whole month: History Museum’s online exhibitions
“Right to be cultured. Videos about Estonian culture in the 1990s”.
Estonian writers, musicians, designers, theatre directors and filmmakers talk about the changes in the cultural field after regaining the independence in 1991.
How do bagpipe, reedpipe, bow-zither and bladder fiddle sound like?
The exhibition “Dancing Free: Free Dance in Estonia 1913–1944” takes visitors to the times when professional theatre dance was born, and introduces dancers whose endeavors form the foundation for present achievements in the field.
This online exhibition shows some examples of Estonian great theatre and music personas from the sculpture collection of Theatre and Music Museum.
On 23 August 2014, it was 25 years since the events of the Baltic Way, which was the largest known mass demonstration in the history of Estonia, and one of the largest in world history. The Estonian History Museum celebrates the 25th anniversary of this monumental demonstration with the online exhibition “The Baltic Way 25”.
Where: online
Tickets: free
Whole month: Tallinn City Museum’s Google Arts & Culture Online exhibits
Tallinn City Museum encompasses 10 sites around Tallinn that give insight into the history of the town from the earliest times to the present. It includes museums for children, a photography museum, and extensive parts of the town fortifications, both medieval and modern. The mains site is located in a medieval merchant’s house in Tallinn’s historic Old Town.
Online there are 5 exhibitions available:
The oldest painting of a view of Tallinn dates from 1561. This collection includes different paintings, drawings and artefacts with historic views of Tallinn.
Tallinn City Museum’s archeological collection holds over 27000 artefacts dating from the Stone Age up to the 20th century. Most have been found in Tallinn and Harju county.
The Brotherhood of Blackheads in Tallinn was an association of unmarried merchants and foreign traders living in Tallinn. It was first mentioned in written sources in 1400 AD.
“St. Canute’s Guild in Tallinn”
St. Canute’s Guild was established in the 13th century. The guild encompassed a number of associations of finer craftsmen, mostly German by origin.
Fick’s faience represents the so-called Baltic rococo style that was widely spread in the countries surrounding the Baltic Sea in mid to late 18th century with its embossed décor and floral paintings, whilst remaining distinct from the output of other manufactures.
Where: online
Tickets: free
Whole month: Art University’s exhibition “110m apart”
From the 31st of March, the exhibition “110m apart” of the 1st-year students of the Department of Photography of Estonian Academy of Arts can be viewed in two showcases of Tallinn Old Town (locations: Vanaturu kael 7 ja Suur-Karja 7). The exhibition is open for five weeks. Every week, new works are to be exhibited in the showcases.
Where: Vanaturu kael 7, Suur-Karja 7, Tallinn
Tickets: free
Whole month: Vincent Tremeau’s virtual exhibition at Juhan Kuus Documentary Photo Centre
The virtual version of Vincent Tremeau’s exhibition “One Day I Will” was created in cooperation with NGO Mondo, The Juhan Kuus Documentary Photo Centre and the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Where: online
Tickets: free
April 10 at 7 p.m. online concert “Et hing sees”, soprano Kädy Plaas with Imbi Tarum on haprischord
The next online concert presented by Glasperlenspiel bears a title „Living and Breathing“. The keywords in the song lyrics are Life and Love – though possibly sounding very much like a literary work by Tammsaare, in this context, instead of psychological drama, they rather refer to the more sensual side of life and love. The programme: Jean-Henri d’Anglebert, François Couperin (“Couperin le Grandˮ), Joseph Haydn
When: April 10 at 7 p.m.
Where: online
Tickets: 5.90 € at Piletilevi
April 22 – May 2 “Baltic Music Days. Estonian Music Days”. Online festival
Estonian Music Days, a festival with 42 years of history, will bring together the first edition of Baltic Music Days 2021 which will take place in Estonia. The following festivals are planned in Kaunas (2022), in Riga (2023), and again in Tallinn (2024).
Where: online
Programme: https://www.eestimuusikapaevad.ee/en/programme/
Tickets: support the festival
