Celebration
July 6th is the day of the State of Lithuania. On this day the Lithuanians celebrate the Coronation of King Mindaugas in 1253. The capital is decked out for the celebration and there is a lot of security since the event is always attended by the country's and neighbouring countries' superior authorities, including members of royalty. The event begins with a parade and flag-raising in the presidential building, with a speech by the president, then there is a civic procession to the cathedral, where there is a mass. When we went were visiting Vilnius, we didn't know that this celebration would be taking place during our stay, but the constant police presence, checkpoints, massive amount of military and the police controlling streets and hotels, plus national flag street decorations led us to guess that something was happening.
