Šiauliai Invites You to Commemorate the Day of Mourning and Hope
Organizer – Šiauliai City Municipality; Main organizer – Šiauliai Cultural Center. All events are free of charge.
June 14 is one of the most painful dates in Lithuanian history, marking the beginning of the mass deportations in 1941. The Day of Mourning and Hope calls everyone to pause, remember the fate of the deportees and political prisoners, honor their memory, and take pride in the strength that helped them survive even under the harshest conditions. It is a day when grief intertwines with hope, when silence echoes with historical memory, urging us not only to remember but also to protect this legacy.
“June 14 is a day of remembrance for all of us. It must be commemorated to ensure we remember what happened and to prevent history from repeating itself. Only by remembering and sharing this historical experience can we foster a civic-minded, responsible society that cherishes the values of our state,” says Daina Kinčinaitienė, Head of the Culture Division of Šiauliai City Municipality.
In Šiauliai, various events to commemorate this day will be held from June 9 onward: exhibitions, guided tours, and commemorations. The main event will take place on June 14. At 11:59 a.m. in the square next to Šiauliai City Municipality, the commemorative campaign “Memory Cannot Be Exiled” will be held to honor deportees and political prisoners. The event is organized by the Šiauliai Cultural Center, the Lithuanian Youth Council, and the Šiauliai Division of Lithuanian Scouting.
At 2:00 p.m., Šiauliai residents and guests are invited to take part in the guided tour “Train to the Unknown: Stories of Deportation in Šiauliai”, organized by the Šiauliai Tourism Information Center. The tour will begin at the water tower (Vytauto St. 103), and pre-registration is required.
The traditional commemoration for the Day of Mourning and Hope will be held at 3:30 p.m. at the railway ramp. Participants will include the “Tremtinys” choir of the Šiauliai Cultural Center (artistic director Ginta Palujanskienė) and soloist Liudas Mikalauskas.
The evening will conclude with sacred music:
At 5:00 p.m., a Holy Mass will be celebrated at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul for the deportees, followed at 6:00 p.m. by a concert dedicated to the Day of Mourning and Hope. The concert will feature the string section of the Šiauliai Symphony Orchestra Camerata Solaris (artistic director and conductor Vilhelmas Čepinskis), soloists Eglė Biveinytė (soprano) and Gabija Kušleikaitė (mezzo-soprano), and young musicians Marija Čepinskytė (piano, teacher Neringa Kriščiūnė), Kornelija Morkevičiūtė (cello, prof. Rimantas Armonas’ class), and Deividas Lagūnas (violin, teachers Sigita Grodzenskienė and Nijolė Prascevičienė).
Organizers inform that a dedicated bus will be available to transport attendees between event locations. It will depart from Šiauliai City Municipality to the railway ramp and then to the Cathedral.
The Day of Mourning and Hope is not only a day of sorrow but also one of strength, dignity, and the light of faith. The organizers invite all residents of Šiauliai and visitors to join together in remembering and honoring those whose lives were sacrificed for Lithuania’s freedom.
More events will be held in Šiauliai to commemorate the Day of Mourning and Hope. The full program is available at www.siauliai.lt and www.siauliukc.lt.
For more information, please contact Asta Vaitkienė, Head of the Event Organization Division at the Šiauliai Cultural Center. Mob. +370 671 42 901 | Email: asta.vaitkiene@siauliukc.lt
Photos by Liubov Yarmoshenko and Rolandas Parafinavičius
Atnaujinta: 2025-06-26 14:50