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Estonia

From Bahaipedia
 Estonia
Location of Estonia
National AssemblyEstonia
Statistics:
Total Population
 -  UN 2021[1] 1,328,701
Bahá'í pop.
 -  Bahá'í source  
 -  Non-Bahá'í source 495
History:
Firsts
 -  Bahá'í to visit 1927, Martha Root 
 -  Local Bahá'í 1968, Johannes Palu
1968, Raia Palu 
 -  Local Assembly 1990, Tallin 
 -  National Assembly 1999 
Official Website http://www.bahai.ee/
Related media
Categories: Estonia • People

The Republic of Estonia is a European nation located next to the Baltic Sea. Its official language is Estonian and Christianity is the predominant religion with irreligion being more prevalent than any religion.

Estonia has been inhabited since prehistory. It was ruled by several European powers throughout the Middle Ages including Denmark, Sweden, and Russia and did not become an independent country until 1918. It was annexed by the Soviet Union following the Second World War and remained under Soviet rule until achieving independence in 1991.

The Bahá’í Faith was first taught in Estonia in 1927 but there were no Bahá’ís resident in the country until the late 1960's. When Soviet restrictions on religion were relaxed in the late 1980's a Bahá’í community began to be formally established with administrative bodies being established throughout the 1990's. The Bahá’í community of the country was officially registered with the Estonian government in 2002.

History[edit]

The Bahá’í Faith was first taught in Estonia by Martha Root who visited the country in 1927 during a teaching tour of the Baltic States.[2][3] She visited a second time in 1935 teaching in Tallin.[4]

At the opening of the Ten Year Crusade in 1953 Shoghi Effendi set the Bahá’í community the goal of establishing a community in Estonia and translating Bahá’í literature into Estonian,[5] assigning the responsibility for Estonia to the National Spiritual Assembly of Germany & Austria.[6] Brigitte Hasselblatt, a Bahá’í living in England, had been born in Estonia and volunteered to pioneer to the country in 1953 but was unable to do so due to Soviet restrictions.[7] As of 1957 Estonia remained unopened and Shoghi Effendi reiterated that having at least one Bahá’í pioneer to the country remained a goal of the community.[8]

In the early 1960's a National Spiritual Assembly of Finland was formed and assumed responsibility for pursuing the establishment of the Faith in Estonia,[9] and in 1968 Paris Talks was translated into Estonian and published.[10] American Bahá’í Alice Dudley visited Estonia in 1968 and introduced Johannes Palu to the Faith in Tallin who declared alongside his wife, Raia, shortly afterwards. The Palu's wanted to begin teaching work after declaring but ultimately decided to wait for Soviet restrictions to be relaxed before doing so.[11] Although they were unable to openly proclaim the Faith in Estonia they did share the religion with personal contacts which lead to Antonina Apollo becoming the third Estonian Bahá’í in 1977.[12]

During the 1980's restrictions on religion in the Soviet Union began to relax and in 1986 Brigitte Hasselblatt was able to make a teaching trip to Estonia, later pioneering to the country in 1989,[13] and in 1987 Vjaceslav Hromov declared becoming the fourth Bahá’í in Estonia.[14][15] In the late 1980's Bahá’í musician Red Grammer toured the Soviet Union including Estonia and copies of the Hidden Words translated into Russian were distributed during his tour including in Tallin, Estonia.[16] In January 1990 the Bahá’í musical group El Viento Canto toured Western Europe and Africa performing in Estonia during the tour.[17]

In 1990 a Local Spiritual Assembly of Tallin was formed with a membership of five women and four men, with four members being native Estonians, one being Russian and the others pioneers. After forming the Assembly began consultations with the Bahá’í Publishing Trust of Germany to begin producing and distributing Bahá’í publications in Russian.[16] On May 1, 1990, a teaching conference called the Baltic Bahá’í Rally was held in Riga, Estonia, at which consultation and deepening took place.[18]

In 1992 a National Spiritual Assembly of the Baltic States was formed to administrate the Bahá’í communities of countries in the Baltic region and its seat was in Tallin,[19] and due to development of Bahá’í communities in the area independent National Spiritual Assemblies for the constituent countries, including Estonia, were formed in 1999.[3]

In July 1999 Estonia held its first national Bahá’í summer school in Viljandi,[20] and on June 12, 2002, the Bahá’í communities of Parnu, Narva, and Tartu were legally registered with the Estonian government allowing for the national community to be legally registered on June 17 the same year.[21] As of 2004 Estonia had a national Bahá’í newsletter titled Valguskiir.[22]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ "World Population Prospects 2022". population.un.org. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  2. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 196. View as PDF.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2001). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 28 (1999-2000), Pg(s) 43. View as PDF.
  4. ↑ M. R. Garis, Martha Root: The Lioness at the Threshold, Baha'i Publishing Trust: Wilmette, 1983, p 412
  5. ↑ Baha'i News (1953). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 271, Pg(s) 5. View as PDF.
  6. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 197. View as PDF.
  7. ↑ Redman, E. The Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, George Ronald Press, London. p 326
  8. ↑ Baha'i News (1957). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 316, Pg(s) 2. View as PDF.
  9. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 198. View as PDF.
  10. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 210. View as PDF.
  11. ↑ Baha'i World: In Memoriam 1992-1997, p 76
  12. ↑ Paul Vreeland (ed.), Baha'i World: In Memoriam, 1992-1997, Baha'i World Centre, 2010, p 42
  13. ↑ Redman, E. The Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, George Ronald Press, London. p 327
  14. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 213. View as PDF.
  15. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 214. View as PDF.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Baha'i News (1990). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 711, Pg(s) 14. View as PDF.
  17. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 201. View as PDF.
  18. ↑ Baha'i News (1990). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 712, Pg(s) 11. View as PDF.
  19. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 213. View as PDF.
  20. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2001). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 28 (1999-2000), Pg(s) 90. View as PDF.
  21. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2004). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 31 (2002-2003), Pg(s) 76. View as PDF.
  22. ↑ https://news.bahai.org/story/327/slideshow/7/
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