Press release, 13 September 2014
Loreta Graužinienė, Speaker of the Seimas, took part in the festivities in Rucava, Latvia, to mark the Unity Day of the Balts, a celebration held in both countries for the 13th time. The Speaker of the Seimas said that historical experience had repeatedly related our nations –– we created independent states, lost and regained our freedoms.
“The Unity Day of the Balts has become a beautiful symbol of our kinship and unity. It inspires us to celebrate Baltic roots, it brings together Lithuanian and Latvian historians, researchers, artists, and communities of cities and towns for various projects, and it encourages connecting spaces of diverse cultural activities. I sincerely thank everyone, who contributes to the development and strengthening of ties between our nations,” said the Speaker of the Seimas.
Welcome speeches were also delivered by Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia, and Dace Melbārde and Šarūnas Birutis, ministers of culture, on the open-air stage of Rucava House of Culture.
Besides, the festivities were attended by Saulius Bucevičius, Vitalijus Gailius and Povilas Urbšys, Members of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania.
The guests had an opportunity to learn about the projects funded by the Latvian-Lithuanian Cross Border Cooperation Programme and their results. Firefighters from both countries displayed the diving equipment acquired through the project and presented their routine tasks.
Furthermore, the participants could visit the touring exhibition dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Baltic Way and the exhibition devoted to the 95th anniversary of the National Armed Forces of Latvia.
The Unity Day of the Balts is associated with the Battle of Saule. In 1236, the Baltic tribes united in the battle and inflicted a defeat upon the Livonian Order. It was a battle of Grunwald of the 13th century and it stopped the foreign aggression against the Baltic lands. Today, the Battle of Saule symbolizes not so much a fight, but more the idea of a common origin and destiny of the Baltic nations. The symbol of the Balts’ unity is fire, which had been used as smoke signals by the Baltic tribes to alert each other. Therefore, every year, when celebrating the Unity Day of the Balts, Lithuanians and Latvians light a unity bonfire.
Last year saw the celebration of the Unity Day of the Balts in Šiauliai.
Secretariat of the Speaker of the Seimas, tel. +370 5 239 6002
Dalia Valentienė, Adviser to the Speaker of the Seimas, tel. +370 5 239 6030, mob. +370 698 42 786
