Independance day (16th of February) in Vilnius

Independance day (16th of February) in Vilnius

Laba dienaaaaaaa, I came back from Vilnius where I stayed for all the week-end with some other volunteers, but it was not like every week-end, it was a longer week-end because we celebrate the Independant Day on Monday (16th February).

For this day, there were a lot of events. Here is the program :

8.30 Tribute to Signatories of the Independence Act of 16 February 1918 in Rasos Cemetery

12.00 The three Baltic States flag hoisting ceremony in Daukantas Square, Vilnius. Speech of the President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė

12.30 St. Mass at the Vilnius Cathedral Basilica

14.00 Commemoration of 16 February by the House of the Signatories of the Lithuanian independence

15.00 Premiere and presentation of the documentary "Give what you must to the Motherland" reminding of the circumstances of signing of the Declaration of the Lithuanian Liberation Movement of 16 February 1949 in cinema Pasaka

18.00 - 22.00 In Gedimino Avenue - 16 symbolic bonfires (from Cathedral Square to Vincas Kudirka Square)

19.00 Gala concert of the 16th of February at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall (concert charges apply). Patroness of the concert - President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė

19.00 Civic concert The Brothers of the group Skylė at the Concert Hall Compensa, Kernavės St. 84 (concert charges apply)

20.30 Celebratory civic event Yellow. Green. Red in the Cathedral Square

Unfortunately we couldn‘t see the speech of the President at 12 ;_; However, we went to the Signatarų Namai to see the exposition of the different signatures appened for Lithuania Independance.

In the end we participated to the lighting up of the 16 bonfires with the actual Mayor of Vilnius, Artūras Zuokas (French people know very well this man for his famous way to get out people in Vilnius who don‘t respect the parking time XD).

The 16 bombas the Mayor lighting up was those sort of wood/camp fire in Gedimino gatvė.

 

 

That was really interesting because we went to the last one before the Mayor reached it but someone else was already starting to make a fire, who was he? One of the candidate for the new Mayor election next month and a lot of the supporters were there to claim the future Mayor

There is also a new Mayor election in Panevėžys in March when we are invite to go to vote as we are in the Lithuanian register, but we don't understand the different Mayor programs haha ._. 

I was a bit disappinted because we couldn't see as much as I expected to see about the Independant Day events... Anyway it was a long great week-end :)



Emily