For anyone witnessing the spectacle of hoards of passengers lugging trolleyfuls of alcohol off the return ferry from Tallinn, it might be easy to conclude that many Finns’ main interest in Estonia is as a place to pick up cheap booze.
But interest in Estonia’s culture, language and cuisine is on the rise in Finland, according to Estonian associations in the capital.
Five years ago the Estonian centre Eesti Maja opened its doors in Helsinki’s Suvilahti, bringing together the largest Estonian associations and institutions operating in Finland. These include the Estonian Institute, the Baltic Library, the Estonian Commercial Development Fund and the Estonian tourist office.
Maiju Juurik, who teaches Estonian and Finnish at the centre, says that Estonian language courses have seen a spike in demand recently.
Juurik says that her students are a mix of Estophiles, who are interested in language and culture, people with Estonian spouses, people who’ve bought property in the country, as well as professionals with Estonian clients, or students looking to study in the country’s universities.
Lively cultural exchange
Last year Eesti Maja had around 10,000 visitors, split evenly between Finns and Estonians.
“We have art exhibitions, book launches, concerts, as well as spaces for Finns and Estonians to come together, not to mention language courses and our library,” says Jaana Vasama, head of the Tuglas Society.
She says that the cultural exchange between Finland and Estonia is now livelier than ever before, in terms of music, theatre and literature, something Vasama puts down to increased visitor numbers between both countries. “Foodwise, too, more and more Estonian products are coming onto the Finnish market,” she says.
Demystifying Estonia
She also says her society is more and more being called upon to help demystify cultural differences between the two nations.
“One young man got in touch and said his Estonian workmate had invited him to his grandma’s birthday party in southern Estonia,” she recalls. “He wanted to know how he should dress, what sort of gift he should bring, and whether there’s anything he as a Finn should know about how to act.”
The interest is also increasing in the other direction too, claims language teacher Maiu Juurik. She says there’s now higher demand for her Finnish language courses from Estonians living in Helsinki. “There are up to 27 in our classes now, that’s more than before,” she says.
Around 70,000 Estonians live in Finland, half of whom in the capital. Many are here to work, in jobs ranging from builders and bus drivers to doctors and dentists. Many medical staff work in Estonia during the week and come to Finland to fill weekend duty shifts.