National symbols of Lithuania

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National symbols of Lithuania are the symbols that are used in Lithuania and abroad to represent the country, its people, culture, and nature. These symbols are seen in official capacities, such as flags, coats of arms, postage stamps, and currency, and in URLs. They appear less formally as recurring themes in literature, art and folk art, heraldry, monuments, clothing, personal decoration, and as the names of parks, bridges, streets, and clubs. The less formal manifestations may be classified as national emblems.

Some of the symbols are more heavily freighted with meaning than others. For instance, during the Soviet occupation of Lithuania, the Lithuanian flag and the national anthem were replaced; the Lithuanian Coat of Arms was not shown in official capacities. On the other hand, in keeping with the Soviet policy of encouraging what were seen as harmless expressions of ethnic identity, Lithuanian national costumes were often featured on postal stamps and elsewhere.

1 Official symbols
- 1.1 Flag
- 1.2 Coat of arms
2 Unofficial symbols
3 References
4 External Links

[edit] Official symbols

[edit] Flag

The Flag of Lithuania

Main article: Flag of Lithuania

The flag was officially designated in 1918, and was re-instituted in 1988. Yellow represents the sun, light, and goodness, green symbolizes the beauty of nature, freedom, and hope, and red stands for the land, courage, and the blood spilled for Lithuania.

Lithuanian law states that the flag should be hoisted on historical holidays such as February 16 (marking the re-establishment of the State of Lithuania in 1918), March 11 (commemorating the re-establishment of Lithuania's independence in 1990), July 6 (marking the coronation of Mindaugas as King of Lithuania), July 15 (marking the Battle of Grunwald), October 25 (Constitution Day), and near historically significant buildings such as the Presidential Palace.

[edit] Coat of arms

The coat of arms of Lithuania

Main article: Coat of arms of Lithuania

The state emblem of the Republic of Lithuania is Vytis (the White Knight). The heraldic shield features a red field with an armoured knight on a white horse holding a silver sword aloft in his right hand.

The charging knight is known to have been first used as the state emblem in 1366 on the seal of Algirdas, Grand Duke of Lithuania. The earliest coins featuring Vytis date from the second half of the 14th century. The Vytis is engraved on all current Lithuanian coins.

Vytis is displayed on many postage stamps and official documents, and is part of the URL of official Lithuanian websites.

[edit] Unofficial symbols

[edit] Founding fathers

Gediminas and Mindaugas are generally regarded as the founding fathers of Lithuania. Gediminas was said to have had a dream which led to the founding of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania; in this dream, an iron wolf ... "What is destined for the ruler and the state of Lithuania, let it be: the iron wolf means a castle and a town which will be established by the ruler on this site. The town will be the capital of the Lithuanian lands and the dwelling of rulers and the glory of their deeds shall echo throughout the world".

The Columns of Gediminas were often drawn on walls and fences as protest against the Soviet occupation. Gediminas appears as the name of many streets, most notably Gediminas Avenue in Vilnius, monuments

The Columns of Gediminas

Gediminas

The Tower of Gediminas in Vilnius

Mindaugas

[edit] Christian symbols

Traditional Lithuanian crosses represent original structures that combine the elements of architecture, sculpture, blacksmith art, and sometimes even primitive painting. Vegetative ornaments, the motives of the sun or the bird – the tree of life – which extend to the archaic times and represent the approach of the sacral space, are often apparent on the crosses. To plead for grace or to express gratitude, the crosses are built as memorials to the dead or as the signs of spiritual protection at certain places.

Hill of Crosses and sacred wayside folk shrines, crests and roadside poles, Lietvos Kryzius is a stylized folk art cross commonly found in Lithuania, used for funerals and as votive offerings.

Rūpintojėlis is often seen at crossroads and in cemeteries.

Rūpintojėlis at a gravesite

Crosses in Žemaitija, by M.K. Čiurlionis

[edit] Patron saint

Saint Casimir

The patron saint of Lithuania and Poland is Saint Casimir, who is held to have a special affinity for young people; he died in his twenties. His image often appears in stained glass in Lithuanian churches, often holding a lily. Saint Casimir's Day is celebrated on March 4th. He was said to have appeared as an apparition in 1518 at the Dauguva River during a battle with the Russian Army, encouraging the Lithuanians.

After his death, his relics in Vilnius became a frequent destination of pilgrims; St. Casimir's Fair developed around these pilgrimages, became an annual event, and is still held today.

Other saints who may be seen in coats of arms and elsewhere include Saint George and Saint Christopher.

[edit] National dress

still looking for picture!

use of linen weavings

worn as belts, ties, other accessories for special occasions

[edit] Birds and animals

Birds are a recurring motif in Lithuanian folk art. Lithuanians believe that storks bring harmony to a family on whose property they nest; they have also kept up the quaint tradition of saying that storks bring babies. Stork Day is celebrated on March 25 with various archaic rituals. Other birds of note are the cuckoo (Geguzis) - its call is said to sweep away the last traces of winter, and the month of May (Geguzes meneis) is named for this bird; the dove (Balandis), is commemorated in the month of April (Balandzio menesis).

Lithuania's special animals include the wolf (vilkas) and the bear (lokyz). According to a popular legend, an iron wolf in Gediminas' dream encouraged the Grand Duke to establish Vilnius and make the city his capital. The bear is an ancient symbol of Samogitia, one of the regions of Lithuania, and appears in the coat of arms of Siauliai district as well. Elks are shown in the Lazdijai district municipality coat of arms.

The white stork, usually felt to be the national bird of Lithuania

The Coat of Arms of Samogitia

The Coat of Arms of Siauliai District

The Coat of Arms of Lazdijai

[edit] Trees and plants

The national plant is rue, a symbol of maidenhood. A bride traditionally wears a little crown made of rue. During the wedding the crown is burned, symbolizing the loss of careless childhood and entrance into the world of adulthood.

Trees of special significance include oak (ažuolas), ash ( ), birch (beržas), linden (liepa), and spruce (eglė). The month of June is, in Lithuanian, "birch" (Birželio menesis), and the month of July is "linden" (Liepos menesis).

[edit] Other symbols

Amber, nicknamed "Lithuanian gold", is

Basketball, Lithuanian’s most popular sport, could be also considered a national symbol. During the 1980s basketball was an important venue to express national feelings; the national team, BC Žalgiris play against PBC CSKA Moscow in the finals of the Soviet Union league. The Lithuanian basketball medals in the 1990 Olympics, the, have encouraged this symbolism.