Book of Mormon Fiesta This year, 2020, marks the 20th anniversary of the translation of the Book of Mormon to Estonian. The District Presidency thought that for our Super Saturday this month (Super Saturday is like a stake youth activity for Seminary and Institute age youth) we might plan something around that anniversary. Since the geography of the Book of Mormon is mostly in Central and South America, we thought that we could introduce a little of those cultures with what we call a Book of Mormon Fiesta. This is the poster we created to advertise the event.
So we were thinking that no exploration of Latin America is complete unless there is a piñata. So using my best You Tube research, I set about to make a first class piñata.
How it all started
With cones, it is ready to decorate
Russian-speaking Sisters came to help
One side completed
I finished the other side and added extras
How it looked at our Fiesta
The program started in the chapel and after the talks and video presentation, our CES coordinator from Lithuania ran a quiz game on the Book of Mormon with the students using their smart phones to answer the questions The quickest and most correct in their responses won chocolate.
We divided up into three groups and told them to create a scene from the Book of Mormon based any of the many pictures on the walls.
One of two walls with Book of Mormon scenes
At the appointed time, the groups presented their skits, based on the scene they chose. It was a lot of fun to see their creativity.
Nephi "shocking" his brothers
Final destruction of the Nephites and Mormon handing off the plates to Moroni
Fate of Moroni after hiding up the plates
Scramble for the piñata candy
Taco soup and chalupas for lunch
Studying the Book of Mormon should be a fiesta where we can come and enjoy the spiritual nutrition we all need in our lives.
(This will be long) I Know, I know. Iam way behind. In July the Estonian Song and Dance Festival was held (laulu ja tantsupidu). It was massive. It was the BIG one. The one that only happens every 5 years. For a week, the streets near our apartment are filled with many performers, often in their costumes, walking to and from their rehearsals. It's a fun time for us to watch from our window.
So, I took so many videos and pictures of the dancing and singing and marching in parades that I was just overcome with the enormity of the task to prepare them for publishing in the blog. In essence, I just stopped, thinking that I would pick it up again soon. So, I will include a small portion of what I captured and try to catch up with what is happening now. First, there was the dance festival. Groups from all over Estonia had been rehearsing for many months for this event. Cultural costumes for Estonia are many and they vary from region to region. They are all represented in the various dance sets. Every part of the costume is authentic, from the shoes to the bonnets and hats. The opening ceremony includes a recognition of esteemed dance instructors and other dignitaries and then the lighting of the "flame" (think Olympics). Then the dances begin. Here are a few clips.
Lighting the Flame
Boy lost his shoe
The Grand Finale
If you are interested in watching the whole thing from a bird's eye view, click on this link here.
On Saturday, the first day of the song festival, there is a big parade from Vabaduse väljak (Freedom Square) all through the center of Tallinn and ends up at the Lauluväljak (song festival grounds), a distance of just over 4 km. The parade goes on all afternoon until the festival starts in the evening. All performers of both the dance and song festivals march with their schools/groups. As the groups arrive in the parade, they take their place in the shell which was designed to hold 15,000 performers. When all are seated, the show begins. There is also a "flame" that is to be lighted and once that is done, the singing begins in earnest with guest conductors leading each one. Performers for this event are selected by audition and come from all over Estonia and from other countries with Estonian connections as well. Take a look at all the different costumes. There is a lot of handwork in many of them and they can be quite expensive to make.
They are all making their way to this:
Lighting the flame to get things started
If you are interested in watching the whole thing, click on this link here.
There is an interesting dynamic going on here. Estonians have a reputation of being a people of few words, especially when it comes to emotional things. Unless . . . it comes to speaking about their homeland and their roots and the richness of the culture that has seen them through many hard and challenging times throughout history. Get them to sing about the land and those who went before, and they can become quite talkative and sometimes very emotional. As you watch them sing of their homeland, every so often you will see tears in their eyes. It is so touching. I know I am touched because tears form in my eyes as well and I'm not even from this treasured land. But I have come to love this people and their musical devotion to their Fatherland (Isamaa). Although the world thinks of Estonia as the most unreligious country in Europe, there is something here that is overlooked. The heart of the people is one that is yearning to belong and to be unified. In a coming day, when the conditions are right, the gospel message will resonate in their hearts. Not by ones or twos, but in large numbers will they come - answering an internal longing to return to their spiritual roots.
