All official holidays in Lithuania are established by acts of Seimas.
The following are official holidays in Lithuania, that mean days off: [1] [2]
| Date | English name | Local name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day | Naujųjų metų diena | |
| 16 February | Day of Restoration of State of Lithuania | Lietuvos valstybės atkūrimo diena | |
| 11 March | Day of Restoration of Independence of Lithuania | Lietuvos nepriklausomybės atkūrimo diena | |
| Moveable Sunday | Easter Sunday | Šv. Velykos | Commemorates resurrection of Jesus. The first Sunday after the full moon that occurs on or soonest after 21 March. |
| The day after Easter Sunday | Easter Monday | Antroji šv. Velykų diena | |
| 1 May | Labour Day | Tarptautinė darbo diena | |
| First Sunday in May | Mother's Day | Motinos diena | |
| First Sunday in June | Father's Day | Tėvo diena | |
| 24 June | St. John's Day | Joninės | Celebrated according to mostly pagan traditions (Midsummer Day, Saint Jonas Day). |
| 6 July | Statehood Day | Valstybės (Lietuvos karaliaus Mindaugo karūnavimo) ir Tautiškos giesmės diena | Celebrates the 1253 coronation of Mindaugas, the first King of Lithuania, and the national anthem of Lithuania. |
| 15 August | Assumption Day | Žolinė (Švč. Mergelės Marijos ėmimo į dangų diena) | Also marked according to pagan traditions, celebrating the goddess Žemyna and noting the mid-August as the middle between summer and autumn. [3] |
| 1 November | All Saints' Day | Visų šventųjų diena | Halloween is increasingly popular and is also informally celebrated on the eve (31 October). |
| 2 November | All Souls' Day | Mirusiųjų atminimo (Vėlinių) diena | |
| 24 December | Christmas Eve | Šv. Kūčios | |
| 25-26 December | Christmas Day | Šv. Kalėdos | Commemorates birth of Jesus. |
The list of other observances (atmintinos dienos) is set by law and includes a total of 71 days, [4] not including the public holidays above. [5]
Lithuania is a European country located on the south-eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. It is a member of the United Nations, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the World Trade Organisation. Currently, Lithuania maintains diplomatic relations with 186 states. It became a member of the United Nations on 18 September 1991, and is a signatory to a number of its organizations and other international agreements. It is also a member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, NATO and its adjunct North Atlantic Coordinating Council, the Council of Europe, and the European Union. Lithuania gained membership in the World Trade Organization on 31 May 2001.
The president of the Republic of Lithuania is the head of state of the Republic of Lithuania. The president directs and appoints the executive branch of the Government of Lithuania, represents the nation internationally and is the commander-in-chief of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. The president is directly elected by the citizens of Lithuania for a five-year term, with the office holder limited to serving two terms consecutively. The current president is Gitanas Nausėda who assumed office on July 12, 2019.
"Tautiška giesmė" is the national anthem of Lithuania, also known by its opening words, "Lietuva, Tėvyne mūsų", and as "Lietuvos himnas". The music and lyrics were written in 1898 by Vincas Kudirka, when Lithuania was still part of the Russian Empire. The fifty-word poem was a condensation of Kudirka's conceptions of the Lithuanian state, the Lithuanian people, and their past. Shortly before his death in 1899, the anthem was performed for Lithuanians living in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
The Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania defines the legal foundation for all laws passed in the Republic of Lithuania. The first constitution of the contemporary republic was enacted on 1 August 1922. The current constitution was adopted in a referendum on 25 October 1992.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Lithuania have evolved rapidly over the years, although LGBT people still face some legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female expressions of same-sex sexual activity are legal in Lithuania, but neither civil same-sex partnership nor same-sex marriages are available, meaning that there is no legal recognition of same-sex couples.
Parliamentary elections were held in Lithuania on 10 October 2004, with a second round on 24 October 2004 in the constituencies where no candidate won a majority in the first round of voting. All 141 seats in the Seimas were up for election; 71 in single-seat constituencies elected by majority vote and the remaining 70 in a nationwide constituency based on proportional representation.
The Lithuanian Nationalist and Republican Union, also known as the Nationalists, was a right-wing nationalist political party in Lithuania. It claimed to be the continuation of the Lithuanian Nationalist Union, the ruling party in 1926–1940. The party was re-established when Lithuania declared independence in 1990 and performed increasingly poorly in the elections. In 2008, it merged with the Homeland Union, but demerged in 2011. In 2017, it merged with the Republican Party. The party promotes traditional family values, advocates for Lithuania's independence from the European Union, opposes immigration.
Law enforcement in Lithuania is the responsibility of a national police under the jurisdiction of the Interior Ministry. The main institution is the Lithuanian Police Department led by the Police Commissar General.
Visa requirements for Lithuanian citizens are administrative entry restrictions imposed on citizens of Lithuania by the authorities of other states. As of 23 July 2024 Lithuanian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 185 countries and territories, ranking the Lithuanian passport 9th, tied with Estonian passport and Emirati passport in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index.
The Ministry of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania is a government department of the Republic of Lithuania. Its operations are authorized by the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, decrees issued by the President and Prime Minister, and laws passed by the Seimas (Parliament). Its mission is to prosecute state social security and labour branch ruling functions and realize state policy in these branches. The current head of the Ministry is Monika Navickienė.
The 2014 European Parliament election in Lithuania was an election of the delegation from Lithuania to the European Parliament in 2014. It was part of the wider 2014 European election.
The Second Brazauskas Cabinet was the 13th cabinet of Lithuania since 1990. It consisted of the Prime Minister and 13 government ministers.
Šleževičius Cabinet was the 6th cabinet of Lithuania since 1990. It consisted of the Prime Minister and, initially, 17 government ministers.
The Public Employment Service, is a government agency in Lithuania organized under the Ministry of Social Security and Labour and serving as the public employment service.
The Centennial of the Restored State of Lithuania marks the 100th anniversary of the Act of Independence of Lithuania which was signed on 16 February 1918.
Parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held in Lithuania by 13 October 2024, with a second round on 27 October 2024.
In Lithuania, a public election committee is an organized group of voters outside of political parties which participates in local or European Parliament elections.
