Monthly Archives: April 2023

First Lithuanian Footprints on Canadian Soil

Curiosity about the first recorded Lithuanians to reach Canadian shores led the Lithuanian Museum Archives of Canada to the War of 1812 in North America. Based on research conducted by Dr Kostas Jurgėla in 1964, Peg Perry, a volunteer at LMAC, curated “European Traces in the War of 1812”. It tells the story of 99 men born in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania before the 1795 partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. These men fought for the French in the Napoleonic Wars, deserted or were captured and then were contracted to fight for the British in the war with the United States of 1812-1814.

Read more April 21, 2023
Scintillating Cultural Days in New York

A long, dreary Toronto spring took a turn in the middle of April: we started to get 30-degree weather. We were greeted with the same pleasant weather when we arrived in The Big Apple with filmmaker Kaisa Pitsi for the 51st Estonian Cultural Days in New York, from April 14-16. Parks were full of greenery, cherries and magnolias were in full bloom, and people were enjoying outdoor cafés and patios. Yet, Estonians flocked to the Estonian House like bees to a beehive.

Read more April 20, 2023
A Diary of a Young Artist

A Diary 1944-1952 by Vytautas Osvaldas Virkau; compiled by Dalia Kuizinienė. Vilnius: Versus, 2023.

Read more April 15, 2023
Wingate University Dedicates Baltic Reading Room

Want to learn about the “Estonian character” by exploring the novels of A. H. Tammsaare? Are you interested in the Latvian Name Day tradition? Or are you simply looking to brush up on your Baltic history? The Ethel K. Smith Library has the place for you.

Read more April 5, 2023
Telling Your Story Through Art at VEMU: Reflections on Creative Expressions of Estonian-Canadian Identity and Community

My maternal grandmother, Helen Rammo (née Elena Haljaste (Grünberg)), was a storyteller, whether she knew it or not.

Read more April 3, 2023
BaltHerNet’s XI Summer School Taking Place in Setomaa

BaltHerNet’s summer school titled “Diaspora Estonian Cultural Heritage Abroad. XI. My Estonian Roots” takes place in Setomaa at Värska from June 26-29th. Since Setomaa is known for its knowledge of traditions and unique, strong identity, we chose the theme of this year’s summer school, identity, and roots, accordingly. Topics such as researching family genealogy and names, ways to preserve your family history, mapping of tombstones, and family, as well as regional heritage, will be discussed and explored. We will introduce collections related to the theme from Estonian and diaspora archives.

Read more April 2, 2023
Awaiting Tamer Times

It’s unclear whether the well-known saying “May you live in interesting times” istruly a curse that stems from the Chinese or whether it has been attributed to themby the British.

Read more