Lithuanian Land Forces Day marked with new flag ceremony at Trakai Castle

The Lithuanian Armed Forces will mark Land Forces Day on Thursday with a ceremony at Trakai Island Castle, where a new marching flag will be officially introduced into service, reports BNS.

The current Land Forces flag, featuring the Columns of Gediminas on a red background, will become the flag of the entire Lithuanian Armed Forces. The new flag, bearing the Land Forces insignia, will now be used in military formations.

Soldiers from various units carried the old and new flags in a six-day relay from Klaipėda to Trakai Castle, symbolising continuity, responsibility, and unity. The march proceeded without interruption, day and night, with troops passing the flags from one unit to another.

According to the military, the Land Forces previously lacked a dedicated ceremonial marching flag. After nearly a year of evaluation, consultations with historians, and heraldry experts, it was decided to transfer the current Land Forces marching flag to the entire Armed Forces to unify military symbolism.

The Columns of Gediminas are a key symbol of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, used in service badges, unit insignia, and flags. The military noted that it is standard practice for a unit’s service badge and marching flag to share the same symbolism. Until now, the Land Forces’ service badge and marching flag differed, but this decision aligns them.