Lithuania State Day is a national holiday observed on July 6.
On this day, Lithuanians honor the coronation of Mindaugas, who became the first and
only king of a unified Lithuania in 1253, bringing the Baltic people together under his
leadership.
In 2003 Lithuanians celebrated the 750th anniversary of his crowning with a series of
cultural activities, including operas, folk music concerts, folk dance performances,
parades, and festivals.
Mindaugas founded the first independent Lithuanian state in 1240.
Fearing that Lithuania would be unable to withstand attacks from neighboring groups,
Mindaugas sought help from the Teutonic Knights, a religious military order that had
established power in the southeastern Baltic region.
In gratitude for their support, Mindaugas became a Roman Catholic in 1251. He is
generally credited with bringing Christianity to the country for the first time, although
the people of the Baltic region eventually rebelled against their compulsory Christian
conversion, and many returned to pagan beliefs following his assassination in 1263.
Full story:
https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Lithuania+State+Day
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v7.0
* Origin: The Hobby Line! BBS - hobbylinebbs.com (954:895/1)