Text and photos by JULIE SKURDENIS. THE CURONIAN SPIT (KURŠIŲ NERINGA) IS A 60 mile long narrow finger of forest and sand that separates the Curonian Lagoon (Kuršių Marios) from the Baltic Sea. The northern portion of the spit is Lithuanian. It’s called Neringa after a legendary giantess who supposedly …
Read More »Gliders on the Dunes: Gregorius Radvenis − Pilot and Instructor
by Mindaugas Sereičikas. The name of military and glider pilot Gregorius Radvenis and his contributions to the sport of gliding in Lithuania have been unjustly forgotten, since the word which best describes him and his accomplishments is “first.” He was the first Lithuanian to become professionally proficient in gliding. He …
Read More »The Story of Baltic University (1946-1949)
By Helga Merits. Who would imagine that refugees who had lost everything would create a university so soon after WW II in an almost totally devastated city? The story is not widely known, so I decided to make a documentary film about it: The Story of the Baltic University. At …
Read More »Mysteries of the Night Sky: the Northern Lights in Lithuania
by Tadas Janušonis. The sky – an open treasure chest whose riches have been a source of wonder for mankind. Once the sun sets and darkness clutches the earth, thousands of clear sparkling gems adorn the sky. The stars have helped man to orient himself not only in place but …
Read More »Winning the Silver and the Respect : Team LT, Eurobasket 2015
by Neal Maloney. This year Lithuania gave another strong showing at the Eurobasket, bringing home national pride with a silver medal for the second time in a row. At the last Eurobasket in 2013, Lithuania also took the silver medal. The team this year was a little different than it …
Read More »A Song Festival to Be Long-Remembered
by Rimas Cernius with photos by Jonas Kuprys and Arvydas Zabulionis Lithuanian song festivals in North America are special and rare events. The first one took place in Chicago’s Coliseum in 1956. This year the 10th Lithuanian Song Festival took place at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago on July 5th. …
Read More »The History of Lithuania ’ s National Anthem
by Zigmas Tamakauskas. The word himnas, which is what Lithuanians call their national anthem, comes from the Greek word hymnos, a holy and solemn song used to worship the gods in ancient times. Here we will focus on Lithuania’s current anthem, while mentioning songs that at one time or another were …
Read More »Birding the Wetlands of Kaunas
by Philip Spendley. It is late August 2014 and time to make our yearly pilgrimage to Lithuania to spend some quality time with my wife’s family in Kaunas. We have made the trip every year for the past seven years, ever since my wife and I met whilst studying at …
Read More »Balys Buračas —Ethnographic Photographer : Illuminating the spirit of Lithuania
by Stanislovas Žvirgždas. Balys Buračas (1897-1972) was a photographer who created a vast archive of visual memory of Lithuanian villages and ethnic culture. He was a chronicler, saving the remnants of a life that was fast disappearing from people’s memories. Many post-war Lithuanian art photographers have long acknowledged that they grew …
Read More »Lithuanians and the Vikings
by Algis Rukšėnas. The recent television series The Vikings has reawakened interest in the historical period in which they reigned, the accuracy of descriptions about them and their ways, and their relationship to groups with which they came into contact during their ascendancy from about 793 to 1066; the period …
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