THE TRAVEL BLOG OF BALTIC TOURS

This year, the summer celebrations in Lithuania are running wild, and it isn’t a coincidence at all! The year 2018 is truly special, as it commemorates a hundred years since the three Baltic countries became independent. Let’s take a look at how Lithuanians celebrate their most important events of the summer.

St. John’s Day, aka Midsummer

In your usual Lithuanian summer, the night of June 23 would be the one you’d patiently wait for! Believe us, Lithuanians take St. John’s day really seriously – the following day has even been declared a public holiday since 2003. However, this year, the celebrations have been taken to the next level because of the anniversary. All the Midsummer celebrations in Lithuania, regardless of their size, have a few things in common – bright bonfires of various sizes with heroic celebrators fearlessly jumping over them, people wandering in the forests and hoping to see some fireflies, and a massive search for a mystical natural wonder – a blossoming fern. These, along with some other Baltic traditions, create a really spectacular sight! If you’ve unfortunately missed them this year – you should prepare for the ones next year and go to the biggest sites of celebration in Trakai, Jonava, or Kernavė!

Dainų šventė - the Lithuanian Song Festival

The Song Festivals in the Baltic Countries have an especially rich history and are famous because of their sheer massiveness – usually, the event has about 30,000 participants singing and dancing their way through the celebration! When we’ve said that the Midsummer celebrations are taken to the next level – this is no exception for the Song Festival too. Branded as Lithuania’s Centenary Song Celebration, the festival has some ambitions to become the most massive one yet! Indeed, this ambition is more than just a bold claim – Lithuanians from all over the world have been flooding to their motherland to participate in this celebration. This year, the festival is celebrated from June 30th until July 6th, and, as it is held every 4 years, 2022 would be a good year to witness it, in case you’ve missed it this year.

The Coronation of King Mindaugas - the Statehood Day

Lithuanians are really proud of their history, and it shouldn’t be unusual that their statehood day is dedicated to an event that happened almost 800 years ago. July 6th, 1253, was the day the first and only king of Lithuania, Mindaugas, was crowned, and the state started gaining its reputation as one of the powerhouses of medieval Europe. Today, Statehood Day is widely celebrated throughout the country. Various concerts, medieval fight simulations, and traditional crafts fairs are held, making it perfect to get some unique souvenirs and get a taste of Baltic culture and gastronomy. Despite all the fun of these fairs – every year at 9 pm local time, Lithuanians get really serious and sentimental. The National Anthem is sung at this time, and what is utterly amazing, the singing is performed all over the world at the same time!

Let’s Celebrate Together!

Want to get an even larger picture of the Baltic lifestyle? There is only one way to do this – witness it yourself! Explore our featured tours and join the celebrations next year!