The Day of Culture

On behalf of the Day of Culture Initiative Group in Lithuania we have the honour to inform you that on 19 July, 2006 the Seimas (Parliament) of the Republic of Lithuania declared the 15 April as the Day of Culture.

On 13 April 2007 the Conference Hall of the Seimas housed the conference Will Culture become a State Priority. The Resolution of the Conference addresses:

• State policy on culture should be based on education of the society about the fundamental values of culture. Special emphasis should be made on cultural education of the younger generation.
• Yearly festivities of the Day of Culture in Lithuania should embrace all educational and cultural institutions and organizations. A family status, its moral and material welfare should be of prime importance since culture is borne in a family.

On 24 November 2007 the Baltic Assembly expressing the importance of creating a special joint area of Baltic Culture adopted a Resolution on the Day of Culture in three Baltic states - Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia - 15 April.

The roots of the Day of Culture goes back to the events in Europe and American Continents. In 1904 a famous artist and scientist Nicholas Roerich initiated the idea about a special treaty on protection of monuments of culture. In 1929 he proposed the draft of that treaty and appealed to the nations and governments of all countries. The Pact with the Banner of Peace as its symbol (three red circles encircled in white) had to protect values of culture in times of peace as well as in times of war. It was like a Red Cross for Culture.

On 15 April 1935 in Washington 21 countries of the American continents signed the Treaty on Protection of Artistic and Scientific Institutions and Historic Monuments during both the times of war and peace - the Roerich Pact with the Banner of Peace as the symbol of the Pact.

At the time of extreme necessity for cooperation among all nations, we hope that the Day of Culture will be declared worldwide for the sake of Peace through Culture.