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On Vyshyvanka Day, which is celebrated annually on the third Thursday of May, the
streets of
Vilnius was transformed into a kaleidoscope of Ukrainian colours. Thousands of people - Ukrainians and Lithuanians, politicians and citizens, adults and children - donned embroidered shirts to demonstrate their unity with Ukraine and support for its struggle for freedom.
This year's celebration was particularly touching against the backdrop of the brutal war that Russia has waged against Ukraine. The embroidered shirt, which was once a forbidden element of Ukrainian culture, has become a symbol of the resilience and indomitability of the Ukrainian people.
The President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, and the First Lady, Dalia Nausėdienė, sent greetings on the occasion of Vyshyvanka Day.
Diana Simonenko
"It's not just clothes, it's our genetic code, and for many people, it's even more than that. Vyshyvanka is not just patterns, it is the language our ancestors used to tell us about their lives, their faith, their love. It is our connection with the past, with our roots," says Diana Symonenko, a Ukrainian woman who came to Lithuania on an exchange programme.
The holiday was preceded by the World Vyshyvanka Day campaign, which was
proposed in 2006 by Lesya Voronina, a student of the Faculty of History, Political Science and International Relations at Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University. Since then, Vyshyvanka Day has become a real celebration of unity among Ukrainians around the world.
Lithuanians enthusiastically joined the celebration. Many of them wore embroidered
shirts, to express their solidarity with Ukraine.
"These are very nice clothes," says Jonas, a resident of Vilnius.
The festivities in Vilnius featured Ukrainian songs, Ukrainian folk dances and folk dances, and exhibitions of Ukrainian embroidery.
The Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas, Victoria Čmilite-Nielsen, congratulated Ukrainians on her Facebook page and on her X social media page:
Vyshyvanka Day in Vilnius was not just a cultural event, but a powerful demonstration
of solidarity with Ukraine. It was a day when Ukrainians and Lithuanians came together to celebrate common values - freedom, democracy and
Vyshyvanka Day in Vilnius demonstrated that Ukraine is not alone in its struggle. The
world is with it, and Lithuanians have once again confirmed this with their sincere show of support.