Šiauliai Invites You to Celebrate Statehood Day: From a Solemn Ceremony to a Carillon for Queen Morta

On 6 July 2026, Šiauliai will solemnly commemorate Statehood (Coronation of King Mindaugas of Lithuania) and National Anthem Day. Residents and visitors are invited to come together to honour one of the most important dates in Lithuanian history – to attend Holy Mass, a solemn procession, the Lithuanian national flag-raising ceremony, concerts, cultural initiatives, educational activities, and in the evening to sing the “National Anthem” together with Lithuanians around the world. This year’s festive programme will also feature the exceptional Šiauliai Culture Centre project “Carillon for Queen Morta: The Light of the Crown”, funded by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania.
Presented by Šiauliai City Municipality. Organised by Šiauliai Culture Centre. Events are free of charge.

6 July is a special day in Lithuanian history, marking the beginning of statehood and the development of national identity. Crowned in 1253, Mindaugas, the first and only King of Lithuania, established Lithuania’s place in the European political landscape of the time and laid the foundations for the further development of the state. This day reminds us of the origins of our state, historical memory and the responsibility to foster freedom and independence.

In Šiauliai, the Statehood Day commemoration will begin at 11 a.m. with Holy Mass at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. Afterwards, at 11.45 a.m., a festive procession will proceed from the cathedral to Resurrection Square. The Lithuanian tricolour will be accompanied by the Šiauliai Wind Orchestra (conductor Gediminas Brūzga), the Šiauliai Culture Centre folk dance group “Vajaunas” (artistic director Romualdas Laugalis), and the folk dance ensemble “Šėltinis” of Šiauliai Jovaras Progymnasium and Didždvaris Gymnasium (directors Violeta and Romualdas Laugaliai, Germanas Urbonavičius, Greta Petrauskė). The solemn procession will symbolically unite history, traditions and the community, inviting everyone to celebrate the birthday of the state together.

At 12 noon, a solemn Lithuanian national flag-raising ceremony and festive concert will take place in Resurrection Square. This year, the honour of raising our country’s tricolour has been entrusted to Lithuanian economist, public figure and Honorary Citizen of Šiauliai Vilius Antanas Kazanavičius, who has contributed greatly to the growth and development of the city.

As the Lithuanian national flag is raised, the “National Anthem” will be performed by tenor Juozas Janužas, the Šiauliai Wind Orchestra (conductor Gediminas Brūzga), and the folk music ensemble “Jovarėlis” of Šiauliai Saulius Sondeckis Gymnasium of Arts (artistic director Regina Vaišnorienė, vocal group director Daina Kavaliauskienė). The festive concert will also feature the Šiauliai Culture Centre folk dance group “Vajaunas” (artistic director Romualdas Laugalis) and the folk dance ensemble “Šėltinis” of Šiauliai Jovaras Progymnasium and Didždvaris Gymnasium (directors Violeta and Romualdas Laugaliai, Germanas Urbonavičius, Greta Petrauskė).

This year’s Statehood Day programme in Šiauliai also stands out for a new cultural initiative. Seeking to foster historical memory and civic awareness and to encourage the commemoration of dates important to Lithuanian statehood, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania has allocated funding to 20 projects in Lithuania and abroad. Among them is the Šiauliai Culture Centre project “Carillon for Queen Morta: The Light of the Crown”.

“As we celebrate the 790th anniversary year of the city of Šiauliai, we aim to give the most important national holidays new meanings and to make them not only solemn commemorations but also living cultural experiences. Therefore, this year’s Statehood Day programme is complemented by the cultural initiative ‘Carillon for Queen Morta: The Light of the Crown’, which will invite people to discover history through art and music. We believe that projects like this help bring historical memory into the present and allow us to take a fresh look at the origins of the Lithuanian state,” says Deimantė Bačiulė, Director of Šiauliai Culture Centre.

The project highlights the connections between Queen Morta and the Šiauliai region within the history of the formation of the Lithuanian state, combining professional carillon music, contemporary art and historical memory. One of its most striking highlights will be a mobile carillon arriving from the Museum of Gdańsk (Poland) – a musical instrument consisting of tuned bells, whose sound has long been associated with solemn state occasions in Europe.

From 4 p.m., the cultural initiative “Carillon for Queen Morta: The Light of the Crown” will begin in the square next to Šiauliai City Municipality. The programme will feature a concert on the Museum of Gdańsk’s mobile carillon, performed by carillonneurs Dr Monika Kaźmierczak and Witold Maciak from Poland and Ignas Vydeika from Lithuania. On the same day, visitors will be able to see the art installation “The Light of the Crown”, which until 26 July will invite them to discover the story of Queen Morta, the origins of Lithuanian statehood and the symbolic significance of the crown through a contemporary art experience.

The Statehood Day commemoration will continue at the Šiauliai Culture Centre Rėkyva Culture House. From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., the event “Lithuanian Identity and Resilience” will take place here, where visitors will be invited to take part in the educational graphic arts workshop “My Royal Symbol”, meet racing driver Rokas Baciuška, and attend a concert by Justina Žukauskaitė. At 9 p.m., event participants, together with Lithuanians around the world, will join in the traditional singing of the “National Anthem”. Since 2009, this initiative has become a meaningful symbol uniting Lithuanians around the world, reminding us that the strength of the state is born first and foremost from community, historical memory and love for one’s country.

On 6 July, festive events will also take place at other cultural institutions in the city. At 2.30 p.m., a Statehood and National Anthem Day concert will take place at the Šiauliai City Concert Institution “Saulė”, featuring pianist Anastasija Šumskaitė, violinist Deimantė Laurinaitytė and the Šiauliai City Symphony Orchestra “Camerata Solaris”, conducted by Vilhelmas Čepinskis.

In the evening, at 7.30 p.m., performer Anyanya and the ensemble “Vilnius Funk Collective will give a concert in the park of the Chaim Frenkel Villa-Museum as part of the 23rd International Chaim Frenkel Villa Summer Festival. At 9 p.m., everyone gathered will be invited to join together in the nationwide singing of the “National Anthem”, symbolically crowning the Statehood Day commemoration. The festive day will also be complemented by exhibitions, educational activities, guided tours and other cultural activities inviting people to discover Lithuanian history, culture and traditions of statehood in various ways.

The full programme of events can be found on the websites of Šiauliai City Municipality (www.siauliai.lt) and Šiauliai Culture Centre (www.siauliukc.lt).

Information is provided by Rita Šimkienė, Event Organiser at the Events Organisation Department of Šiauliai Culture Centre, mob. +370 655 25 527, e-mail +370 672 59 987, rita.simkiene@siauliukc.lt.

Photo by Liubov Yarmoshenko.