INFLUENCE OF PARTNER COUNTRIES ON LITHUANIAN CULTURE

Partner countries influence Lithuanian culture and daily living in numerous ways:

• Social life• Economics• Historic identity• Political life• Quisine

Polish minority is the largest ethnic minority in the country - 200,317(6.6%) of the total

population of Lithuania.

Poland became one of the first countries to recognise independent Lithuania.

Two politically and socially active Polish organizations in Lithuania:

• An ethnic minority-based political party formed in 1994 The Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania

( Polish: Akcja Wyborcza Polaków na Litwie) • The Association of Poles in Lithuania • (Polish: Związek Polaków na Litwie)

Lithuanians and Poles share many dishes and beverages. Thus there are similar Lithuanian, and Polish versions of dumplings (koldūnai or pierogi), doughnuts (spurgos or pączki ), and pancakes (blynai or blintzes).

POLISH DAY( May 3rd) is celebrated by Polish community. This is a celebration of Poland's constitution and the Feast of St. Mary - Queen of Poland.

The Republic of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Spain share an ancient common past : their traditional culture unites them as part of Christendom, as catholic and as brother nations.

Lithuania is a very good location for Spanish investment. The most attractive sectors for Spanish investors are IT, biotechnologies and electronics, the development of substructures and the building industry.

In the North-West corner of Spain lies the maritime region called Galicia. The naval axis between the Atlantic and the Baltic seas can help us form a regional alliance between Galicia and Klaipėda for shipping, fishing, sea transport and commerce.

InterNations network is widely enjoyed and used by the Spanish living in Lithuania. Using this network they can meet fellow expatriates at top InterNations events in Vilnius, Klaipėda and many other regions.

Restaurant ‘Barcelona‘ in Vilnius is well-konown for its Spanish cuisine.• passionate and hot interior with red tones reflects Spanish

temperament• different Spanish paintings also add to the feeling of being in

Spain.

The Greek Lithuanian community is small in number.

Despite this, Greek-Lithuanian Cultural Centre organizes a number of cultural events – within the framework of the sisterhood between the cities of Vilnius and Piraeus.

The Classical Philology Department at Vilnius University offers Greek Language classes.

Greek cuisine in Lithuania-restaurant ‘Liūtų vartai‘ in Vilnius. In Greek parties with the help of a Greek dance group ‘July-Veruz‘ and Lola Sakanis you can learn some Greek dancing to the rythms of Greek melodies.

The Hungarian community in Lithuania is small in number. It can be counted in tens. Despite this fact, in 1990 a Hungarian culture community of Stephen Báthory (Hungarian: Báthory István) was established.

One of the aims of this community is to reveal and actualize Lithuanian-Hungarian cultural historic ties. Though these two countries never had common borders, the interests and destinies of Lithuania and Hungary often interwined.

Some historic personalities of Hungarian origin made a huge influence on Lithuania and its society as well as on its cultural development.

These influential personalities were the Grand Duke of Lithuania and the King of Poland Stephen Báthory , his general Kasparas Bekešas , Valentinas Bakfartas, the lutenist of Sigismund Augustus.

The only Hungarian restaurant‚‘Csarda“ in Trakai offers authentic Hungarian cuisine and the best selection of Hungarian wines. The name of the restaurant ‘csarda‘ means ‘tavern‘ in Hungarian and Hungarian national dance čardaš.

A cultural association “ Dačija“ of Romanians living in Lithuania was established 1989, February. It has 44 members.

On Sundays there are lessons for Romanian children-they learn Romanian, get acquainted with traditions, customs and history of their ancestors.

Romanian National Day is celebrated December 1st by the members of this association.

The spring holiday of Mărțișor (March 1st), the Day of St. Stephen the Great (July 2nd), Christmas Day , New Year and Easter are also celebrated by this community.

There are several hundred people of Turkish origin living in Lithuania.70 percent of Turkish people live in Vilnius.

The first Turkish immigrants came to Lithuania 1991-1994 with the aim to learn Russian. After the collapse of USSR, new markets and perspectives appeared and they understood that it would be difficult to set up and develop their business without speaking this language.

The Turkish could learn Russian in Latvia, Estonia or Lithuania. Most Turkish wanted to learn the language and return to Turkey. However, some Turkish people married local people and became part of Lithuanian society.

The Turkish brought their culture to Lithuania. One of the most disctinctive Turkish cultural events in Lithuania-Vilnius Turkish Festival.

The mission of the Vilnius Turkish Festival is to promote Turkey and its rich and diverse culture in the nation’s capital, and to build a bridge of friendship between the Turks and Lithuanians through cultural education and understanding.

Turkish quisine is getting popular in Lithuania and you can taste traditional Turkish dishes in many cafes and restaurants of Lithuania.

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