Independence Day (Estonia)

Independence Day, formally the Anniversary of the Republic of Estonia (Eesti Vabariigi aastapäev), is a national holiday in Estonia commemorating the Estonian Declaration of Independence which was published in the capital city Tallinn on 24 February 1918, establishing the Republic of Estonia. Since then, it has been the national day of Estonia.

Background
The Estonian Declaration of Independence, also known as the Manifesto to the Peoples of Estonia was drafted in Tallinn by the Salvation Committee which had been elected by the elders of the Estonian Provincial Assembly. Originally intended to be proclaimed on 21 February 1918, the proclamation was delayed until the evening of 23 February, when the manifesto was printed and announced publicly during a political demonstration in the city of Pärnu. On the next day, 24 February 1918, the manifesto was printed and distributed in the capital, Tallinn. At the time, during World War I, as the declaration of independence occurred between retreating Bolshevik Russian and advancing German troops, Tallinn remained free of foreign military presence for only one day, the 24 February 1918. During the occupation by the German Empire that followed from the next day, the German Empire did not recognise the newly declared Republic of Estonia. However, after the defeat of the Central Powers in World War I, Germany withdrew its troops from Estonia, and formally handed power in Estonia over to the Estonian Provisional Government in November 1918.



The Estonian Provisional Government decided already on 12 February 1919 to commemorate 24 February as the date of the anniversary of the declaration of independence. In the 1930s, the government discussed whether the national day should be moved to another date at a "better time of the year" (in terms of weather), such as 15 June, to mark the date when the Estonian Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution in 1920. The date of the national day was never changed. <!--Hugo Kuusner requested on 21 February 1937 that the anniversary of the Republic of Estonia should be 23 February, not 24 February. Gottlieb Ney, the director of the National Archives of Estonia said that "… one must reach the conclusion that the 24 February 1918 should be considered the date when the republic began; it is the day when the declaration of independence reached the capital city and actually went to the supreme powers of elected bodies (at that time the Estonian Salvation Committee and the provisional government)."

On 28 November 1917 the Estonian Provincial Assembly met in Toompea Castle and proclaimed itself "Estonia's sole bearer of a higher power." The decision not to use the word "state" was adopted by 48 members of the Provincial Assembly present, with 9 abstentions (who were mostly socialist revolutionaries, along with a couple of Mensheviks). The Estonian Provincial Assembly called for Estonian soldiers to immediately and quickly come from all over Estonia. Some sources have referred this date to as "The Real Estonian Independence Day".

23 June 1919=== On 23 June 1919 in the Estonian War of Independence, troops during the Battle of Võnnu defeated a German division. This event is celebrated in Estonia as Victory Day.

2 February 1920
On 2 February 1920, Estonia and Soviet Russia signed the Tartu Peace Treaty which made Estonia a de jure independent state.

16 November 1988
On 16 November 1988, the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR adopted the Estonian Sovereignty Declaration, which asserted Estonia's sovereignty and the supremacy of the Estonian laws over the laws of the Soviet Union.

30 March 1990
On 30 March 1990, the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR adopted the resolution "On The State Status of Estonia", whereby it declared Soviet rule in occupied Estonia to have been illegal since the start and declared a period of transition to restore the Republic of Estonia.

8 May 1990
On 8 May 1990, the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR, during the last day of its existence, declared the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic invalid and re-established the Republic of Estonia. The government adopted a law on "the symbolism of Estonia" according to which Estonia's national colors are blue, black and white. Paragraphs 1,2,4,5 and 6 of the Constitution of Estonia stated that "Estonia – separate and independent state, the rule of power which is its people." Attempts to preserve the Soviet Union on the basis of a confederal agreement proposed by Moscow were rejected by the Estonian leadership.

20 August 1991
On 20 August 1991, during the attempted coup in Moscow by the hardline Communist Party members, the Soviet 76th Guards Air Assault Division arrived in Tallinn. Volunteers organized protection of Toompea and the television broadcast tower. The Popular Front of Estonia organized a rally in Freedom Square which called for the independence of Estonia. On the same day, late in the evening at 23:02, the Supreme Council of Estonia, along with the leadership of the Estonian Committee agreed on “the independence of the Estonian state and the establishment of the Constitutional Assembly", thus proclaiming the restoration of Estonian independence. -->

Celebrations


The day begins with the national flag raising ceremony at the Pikk Hermann Tower early in the morning. The President of Estonia organises a festive Independence Day reception at which state decorations are awarded to recipients whose names are published in advance. Since the restoration of Estonian independence in 1991, a new tradition of parades by the Estonia Defence Forces has been established, with the first parade held in Tallinn in 1993 marking the diamond jubilee year since the events of 1918. Both the parade and the reception is held in different years in different cities; in 2014 they were held in Pärnu, and in 2015 in Narva, with that year's parade featuring contingents from fellow NATO member nations. The military parade, the reception and a concert that precedes the reception are broadcast live on television. This coverage includes a speech by the President. As the President's reception is always organized on 24 February, similar receptions by local governments are often held on the previous day, 23 February. Schools and other institutions sometimes hold commemorative Independence Day events even earlier.

Independence Day military parade
Held every year 1919–1940, and again since 1993, the annual military parade of the Estonian armed forces is held on Tallinn's Freedom Square. In recent years, typically on the morning of the holiday, the ground column consisting of infantry and armoured formations marching through the square from the Land Forces, Navy, Air Force, and the Defence League form part of the parade. Outside of the military, the police and other cadet and paramilitary youth organizations are represented.

The following organizations send units and formations to the parade:


 * Estonian Military Academy (KVÜÕA)
 * Baltic Defence College
 * Guard Battalion
 * Headquarters Support and Signal Battalion of the Küberkaitseliit
 * 1st Infantry Brigade
 * 2nd Infantry Brigade
 * Support Command
 * Special Operations Force
 * Tallinn Volunteer District of the Estonian Defence League
 * Naiskodukaitse (Women's Home Defence)
 * Colour guards from NATO and European Union countries

It is often broadcast on major public television station. The parade is traditionally led by the Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces who reports to the President on the status of the parade upon his/her arrival at noon and gives the keynote address after the inspection. Attendees include the Minister of Defence and the Prime Minister of Estonia, as well as members of parliament (Riigikogu).

The Conservative People's Party of Estonia Blue Awakening is the main organizer of the annual torchlight procession through Tallinn on 24 February to commemorate the Independence Day of Estonia. The first Independence Day demonstration was held in 2014. According to Blue Awakening, the event is meant to honor those who have fallen for the nation of Estonia and to signify that Estonian youth have not abandoned the nationalist principles.