The country of Estonia is located in the northeastern part of Europe and belongs to the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania). There are approximately 1,500 islands in Estonia. The largest of them, Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, are on the western coast of the country. The country covers an area of 45.226 square kilometers with a national border length of 1,450.2 kilometers. It shares borders with Latvia and Russia and has a population of around 1,364 million. The official language of Estonia is Estonian, which is spoken by around 1.1 million people. The Finnish language is very similar to Estonian. The country’s highest geographical point is a mountain called Suur Munamägi (which translates to Egg Mountain). It has a height of 318 meters above sea level.

Furthermore, Estonia has a traditional folk dance, which is a fundamental part of their cultural asset. It is called “Tuljak” and is connected to “Tantsupidu,” which is a song and dance festival and basically the dance party of Estonia. It takes place every five years. Of course, it is a way to express the love that Estonian people have for their country. This festival carries important values for Estonian society and is well-known around the world as a typical Estonian custom and this nation’s important trait. It has its origins in the year 1869 in the city of Tartu. Johann Voldemar Jannsen was the leader of this traditional event. In the festival’s beginnings, only choirs with male members and wind orchestras with a total number of one thousand singers took part in the very first festival. As time passed, there were also choirs consisting of women, boys, and mixed participants.
The Tuljak dance, which is the opening dance of the Song and Dance Festival, has also been performed at the first Estonian Games, which took place in 1934. This traditional Estonian folk dance is also accompanied by music, which was composed by Miina Härma, and the lyrics were added by Karl Ferdinand Karlson.
The dance steps of the Tuljaak include steps of the jumping polka, some swinging steps, and also a sequence of walking steps. In later years, the dance got the addition of the female dancers raising their hands, which was suggested by Ullo Toomi in 1949. Tuljak was also, among others, the precursor of the so-called fire dance.

Of course, there are also other folk dances, for example, “Jämaja Flatfoot” is one of the oldest dances in Estonia’s folk dance history, since it was created in 1900. It includes a flat-footed, waltzing step, which does not include bounces. The dancers do not stand on their toes throughout the whole dance.

Other than that, there is also a dance called “Kosjatants” (which literally means “Wooing dance”), This dance, which was created in 1948 by Ulloo Toomi, has the background of a man trying to propose to a woman. Furthermore, this dance is a combination of other older Estonian folk dances, like the “Vana Voortants” (which can be translated to “old circle dance”), the “Viru valss” (a Waltz that originates from a town called Viru), and Jamaja labajalg (a dance that originated in the twon of Jamaja and is performed without lifting the heel).

Sources:
https://www.visitestonia.com/en/why-estonia/welcome-to-the-estonian-song-and-dance-celebration
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Estonian_Dance_Festival
https://www.tuljak.com/blog/tantsupidu-the-dance-party-of-estonia
https://www.britannica.com/place/Estonia
https://www.baltic-legal.com/general-facts-about-estonia-eng.htm
https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuljak_(tants)
https://sites.google.com/view/estonian-folk-dancers-of-wdc/pillerkaar-history/traditional-estonian-folk-dances