A minute of silence tomorrow will mark the anniversary of the armistice in the War of Independence and honour those who fought for Estonia’s freedom.
The ceremony, set to start at 10:30am at the Cross of Liberty monument in downtown Tallinn, will mark the armistice reached between Estonia and Soviet Russia that took effect on 3 January 1920 and signified Estonia’s emergence as the victor in the conflict.
“I call on everyone to stop what they are doing at that moment and remember our forebears who fought in the War of Independence, endured tribulations and risked their lives, some making the ultimate sacrifice,” said Minister of Defence Urmas Reinsalu.
At the ceremony, Minister of Defence Urmas Reinsalu and Tallinn Secondary Science School student Karl Erik Lillo will speak, with a benediction delivered by Andres Põder, archbishop of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church.
The anniversary will also be commemorated with the ringing of church bells countrywide, a minute of silence on radio programming and the sounding of ship horns in ports. Defence Forces units and home guard districts will lay wreaths at War of Independence monuments all over the country.
On 31 December 1919, talks between the Republic of Estonia and Soviet Russia culminated in the signing of an armistice according to which hostilities between the countries would end on 3 January 1920 at 10:30am. It was followed a month later with the signing of the Peace of Tartu, which sealed Estonia’s victory in the War of Independence.
Approximately 5,000 people were killed in combat in the war.
In the 1920s, it became a tradition to observe a minute of silence on the morning of each 3 January to honour both the Estonians and foreign nationals who fought in the conflict.
Ministry of Defence
Johan Laidoner Society
Estonian Flag Association