Estonian Restoration of Independence Day
August 20 · Level 9 · #288 of 2238
Estonia's Restoration of Independence Day commemorates the decision taken on 20 August 1991 during the attempted coup in Moscow. It celebrates the recovery of national independence and remembers the people who pursued that goal through peaceful public action.
How it is celebrated: blue, black and white flags are raised, and communities hold ceremonies, concerts and gatherings. Speeches and museum programmes revisit the events of 1991 and the movement that helped make them possible.
Estonia has two distinct independence celebrations. February marks the republic's declaration in 1918; August marks the restoration of its independence, reflecting the principle that the state continued to exist.