Miami Herald: Estonians sing to lift spirits amid slump - by Jari Tanner
Estonians sing to lift spirits amid slump - by Jari Tanner
More than 20,000 choir singers gathered Sunday to fill the air with positive vibes as Estonians took their minds off a crippling recession in a mass celebration of folk songs. The power of music has lifted the Baltic country's spirits before. During five decades of Soviet occupation, Estonians found a rare outlet for celebrating their national heritage by gathering by the thousands to sing patriotic songs. The independence movement of the late 1980s was even dubbed the Singing Revolution. Now, Estonia again is hoping its Song and Dance Celebration - a four-day event held every five years - will unite the nation of 1.3 million people, which has been severely battered by the economic downturn.
