It was a cold, snowy night in Salt Lake City, Utah, but Estonians from Provo to Park City gathered at our house to celebrate Estonian Independence Day.

This group of twenty-five Estonians, ages 3–73, have come to Utah for many different reasons – jobs, skiing, college, and even some for the Mormon faith.

While we come from diverse backgrounds that might not otherwise cross paths, the one common bond we all share is our connection to Estonia.

The evening started with a few words from Dr. Kalev Ehin, Emeritus Professor of Management and former Dean of the Gore School of Business at Westminster College.

After singing the anthem, the group shared in a potluck feast featuring traditional favorites including 3 kinds of sauerkraut, ham, potato salad and herring.

After we emptied all 3 pots of sauerkraut, we dug into the desserts, which included mannavaht, kringel, kohupiimakook and kama.

This is our 10th year celebrating together, and we intend to keep going.

If you are ever visiting Salt Lake during Independence Day, make sure you come to our party!

Ingrid Deklau Zaba

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