Lithuania celebrates State Day with national anthem performances

Lithuania marks State Day on Monday, with the national anthem, “Tautiška giesmė,” traditionally sung across the country, reports LRT.

The holiday commemorates the 773rd anniversary of King Mindaugas’ coronation on July 6, 1253. A state awards ceremony will take place at the Presidential Palace, where the president will honor Lithuanian and foreign citizens for their contributions to the country.

In Vilnius, a flag-raising ceremony will be held at Simono Daukanto Square, followed by a mass at Vilnius Cathedral. The day will culminate with a youth song festival event in Vingis Park, where national leaders and attendees will sing the national anthem together.

Other cities will also host celebrations. In Kaunas, events at the Vytautas the Great War Museum will include the raising of the Order of the Cross of Vytis flag, wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Freedom Monument, a dedication salute by the Juozas Vitkaus Engineering Battalion, and a concert by the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra.

In Klaipėda, a large Lithuanian flag will be raised to a height of about 50 meters near the castle site, accompanied by performances from the Lithuanian Naval Forces Orchestra, choirs, and artists. In the evening, residents and visitors will gather at the northern pier of Melnragė to sing the national anthem.

Šiauliai will feature a cultural initiative, “Carillon for Queen Morta: The Light of the Crown,” with a mobile carillon brought from Gdańsk—one of only 18 functioning instruments of its kind in the world. The event will include concerts, art installations, and light and sound projects dedicated to Queen Morta and the origins of the Lithuanian state.

Panevėžys will begin with a mass for Lithuania at the Christ the King Cathedral, followed by a flag-raising ceremony. The day will also include a performance of the dance spectacle “Perdegimas” at the underground parking lot of “Stasys Museum,” a screening of Vytautas V. Landsbergis’ documentary “Debesies laivas” (Ship of Clouds), and an evening concert, “Laisvė šaukia” (Freedom Calls), at Freedom Square.

Palanga will host its first “Unity March” to actively celebrate Mindaugas’ coronation day, with a large Lithuanian tricolor flag carried along Jonas Basanavičius Street.

State Day was declared a national holiday in 1990, following Lithuania’s restoration of independence.