Day of Mourning and Hope Commemorated in Šiauliai

On June 14, 2025, the Day of Mourning and Hope was commemorated in Šiauliai with heartfelt and meaningful events. Residents and visitors of the city were invited to attend exhibitions, lectures, excursions, Holy Mass, and concerts held across various locations. In the square near the Šiauliai City Municipality, the names of deportees were solemnly read aloud, while the main commemoration took place at the railway ramp—a symbolic location from which the painful journeys of exile began more than seventy years ago. Organizers hope this year’s commemoration served not only as an expression of historical respect but also as a living symbol of hope, unity, and togetherness for all generations.
Organizer – Šiauliai City Municipality; event organized by Šiauliai Cultural Center.

The commemoration began in the city square, near the Municipality, with a moment of silence honoring the victims of mass deportations. This was followed by the remembrance and tribute initiative Memory Cannot Be Exiled. Organizations, institutions, and individual citizens of Šiauliai took turns reading aloud the names of deportees—each name a solemn reminder of a painful yet indelible page in the history of the nation.

Later, the event moved to the railway ramp, a place from which innocent people, packed into cattle cars, were sent into exile. As every year, the ceremony began with the singing of the National Anthem, followed by another moment of silence in honor of the victims of occupation.

Šiauliai City Mayor Artūras Visockas attended the event and shared heartfelt reflections, emphasizing the importance of preserving historical memory and passing it on to future generations. Former deportees also took part in the commemoration, sharing memories filled with pain and loss, but also spiritual strength, faith, and hope—touching the hearts of many attendees.

“For more than thirty years we’ve gathered here, by the railway ramp, to commemorate those tragic days when hundreds of thousands of Lithuanians were mercilessly torn from their homeland and sent to the harsh lands of Siberia for slavery and death. Naively, the perpetrators thought they could take Lithuania from us—but we took it with us: our language, customs, faith, prayers and songs, our work ethic, decency, ingenuity, and perseverance,” shared Valentinas Kemėšis, a member of the Council of the Lithuanian Union of Political Prisoners and Deportees in Šiauliai.

“I wasn’t deported myself, but I returned from exile because I was born there. My family was torn apart—some were deported to the Siberian wilderness, others emigrated westward. Recently, I had the chance to visit the United States and explored the situation of Lithuanian communities there. Although their numbers are declining, the spirit of Lithuanian identity remains strong,” said Alfredas Lankauskas, representing the Šiauliai deportee community and Lithuanian Americans from Chicago.

The commemoration concluded with a touching and heartfelt concert program performed by the Šiauliai Cultural Center choir Tremtinys (artistic director Ginta Palujanskienė) and soloist Liudas Mikalauskas. Their music became a living symbol of remembrance and hope.

The day concluded with a solemn Holy Mass and concert at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Šiauliai. Songs and compositions dedicated to the memory of exile victims were performed by the Šiauliai city concert institution Saulė. The emotional music became a gentle farewell and a quiet promise to never forget our history.

Information provided by Asta Vaitkienė, Head of the Event Organization Department of Šiauliai Cultural Center,
Mob. +370 671 42 901, Email: asta.vaitkiene@siauliukc.lt

Photos by Liubov Yarmoshenko and Rolandas Parafinavičius.