MANHATTAN — The Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania in New York marked Lithuania’s Independence Restoration Day with a Lithuanian and U.S. flag-raising ceremony on Saturday at Bowling Green Park.
The event marked the 36th anniversary of Lithuania’s restored independence and the 100th anniversary of the consulate’s founding. Independence Restoration Day on March 11 marks the day Lithuania declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1990.
The New York Lithuanian Mixed Choir and the New York Maironis School Youth Choir sing to a crowd at Bowling Green. Photo: Vytenis Jankūnas and Nina Jankauskas
Remarks were delivered by Lithuanian community leaders, New York City officials and Consul General Dovydas Špokauskas.
“This year, the Consulate General of Lithuania in New York marks its 100th anniversary,” said Špokauskas. “This wouldn’t be possible if there wasn’t the United States’ non-recognition policy towards Soviet occupation. This is precisely why the consulate was able to work uninterrupted during Soviet occupation and help Lithuania’s struggle towards independence.”
“The shared victory of Lithuania and the United States reflects enduring values of resilience, freedom and civil engagement. Together, we support every nation that stands for freedom. Together, we stand with Ukraine in its fight against the Russian aggressor. We recognize that their fight for freedom is our fight for freedom,” said Špokauskas.
The New York Lithuanian Mixed Choir and the New York Maironis School Youth Choir, conducted by Laura Vidžiūnaitė and Gediminas Keras, sang at the event. Both choirs rehearse weekly in Williamsburg at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, a longtime hub of the New York City Lithuanian community.
The choirs sang “Baltas Paukštis” by Vytautas Kernagis, “Mano Namai” by Eglė Sirvydytė, “Mūsų Žemė” by Saulius Petreikis, Donatas Petreikis and Rimvydas Stankevičius, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and Lithuania’s National Anthem, “Tautiška giesmė.”
The March 7 ceremony took place near the iconic Charging Bull statue, with attendees wearing Lithuania’s national colors in celebration of the Baltic nation’s independence.
People of Lithuanian descent decorated Bowling Green for the flag-raising ceremony. Photo: Vytenis Jankūnas and Nina Jankauskas
Lithuania’s independence was restored after decades of occupation. The Soviet Union occupied the country in 1940, and after a period of Nazi German control during World War II, Lithuania was again incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1944.
For decades, Lithuanians pursued independence through resistance at home and advocacy among diasporic communities abroad, while many Western nations declined to recognize the Soviet occupation.
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