On this special day, 60 children were born in Lithuania: Milda from Vilnius told about their unique birthday tradition

Milda Bartašytė, currently living and studying in the country’s capital, knew from the moment she was born that May 1 is not only her birthday, but also a special occasion for the entire state. Although she celebrates her birthday on this day with her family, the girl says that every year she also remembers Lithuania’s accession to the EU. The importance of this day and the creation of a unique festive mood were helped by a tradition born in 2004:

“Member of the European Parliament, former Lithuanian Minister of Culture Šarūnas Birutis, for a long time organized birthday parties for us, the children born on that day, during which we could not only get to know each other, but also remember what a great day it is for our country. I am grateful to him for this initiative, nurturing the tradition and reminding us what an important day we were born on.”

Bernardas Blekaitis, who hails from Šiauliai, also remembers this extraordinary birthday celebration with joy. He celebrated his 10th birthday, as he calls it, together with other “Eurekas”. Birthday celebrations took place in various spaces: Keistuolių theater, Vilnius TV tower, Lithuanian Ministry of Culture, Palace of the Lords.

“I always looked forward to these holidays, remembering the big cakes with the flag of the European Union. And now, on our birthdays, we remember this historic date with our parents,” admits the young man.

Although the interlocutors interviewed are currently in contact with each other less often than they were able to do at a younger age, some of them have been brought together by their joint holidays so much that they already count the years of friendship for more than one decade. M. Bartašytė is very happy about these established friendships and maintains contact with her peers to this day.

“Yes, I know, and I’m very happy about it. I have a few with whom it is always nice and pleasant to communicate,” she admits.

B. Blekaitis also agreed to tell about the long-term friendship. Although the communication with Žilvinus, who was born at the same time, continued for many years, the guy reveals that the connection is currently broken:

“I attended the Šiauliai city boys’ singing school “Dagilėlis” with Žilvin from Šiauliai for several years, but Žilvin stopped attending it and we parted ways, only our mothers used to talk. Well, this year at the premiere of the film I met several young people born on this day.”

The premiere of the film that the young man mentioned became an opportunity to meet and remember each other – it is the film “Karta.EU” (Generation.EU) initiated by the director Arūnas Matelis, who appeared in “Kino Pavasaris”.

This is an exceptional film, created to get to know the first generation of young people who grew up in European culture. Its creation process took almost 20 years!

In the film, Eimantas Belickas creates a picture of the first generation of the European Union in Lithuania. When we joined the EU in 2004, the camera recorded the first “Europeans” born here, then accompanied them and followed their lives, and this year these young people are already 20 years old, formerly spelled Delphi.

“I was interested to see whether this generation is already free, whether it has freed itself from the influence of its parents, whether the post-Soviet fears that plagued us have disappeared and whether one generation is enough to free itself,” said E. Belickas.

B. Blekaitis also became one of the people who appeared in the film.

“I’m glad there’s a movie made with me in it,” he adds.

These people were the first to grow up when Lithuania was already in the EU, and it seems to have become a matter of course for them – they simply have not seen a different life.

“I was already lucky enough to be born in Lithuania, which is part of the European Union, so this kind of life is my reality. I have not lived in and do not remember a different Lithuania, it has always been a free, international state that is part of the community. Only from the stories of my parents and grandparents I can find out what life was like before, but my memories are only of such Lithuania. Joining the European Union allows me to live freely, to live the way I want,” says M. Bartašytė.

The advantages of being a part of the European Union are also seen by other interviewed “eurikas”. They name the main advantages as the opportunity to travel freely throughout Europe, to study in universities of foreign countries, choosing promising study programs.

“I’m glad that we are not restricted from traveling to other EU countries. I have many friends who have gone to study abroad, I am very happy for them, I myself decided to stay in Lithuania and I do not plan to leave, but if that happens, the mere fact that we are part of the EU gives us privileges to pursue a career abroad”, says 20-year-old Gabija Poškevičiūtė. .

Although everyone is studying in Lithuania, they do not rule out the opportunity to use exchange programs and visit other EU countries.

“I chose to study in Lithuania, but I participated in Erasmus+ programs while still at school, we performed a lot in European countries at the singing school, I like to travel. I think that I will also participate in Erasmus+ programs while studying,” says B. Blekaitis.

He is seconded by M. Bartaškytė, who chose an international university for her studies:

“I am happy, having the opportunity to live in Vilnius and the capital of the country to study at an international university, to have friends and teachers from other foreign countries. It’s nice to know that I have the opportunity to go on exchange or to choose foreign universities for my studies.”

After the start of the war in Ukraine, many became even more aware of the importance of membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the EU. Although the issue of security is usually associated with NATO, B. Blekaitis stated that EU membership also allowed him to feel safer in case of war.

Today, as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of EU membership, we can hardly imagine a future without being a part of this organization. Human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights are the main values ​​of the European Union, which lay the foundation for a strong, solidary, values-based community of citizens of states and the whole of Europe, writes the official page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania. One of the main values ​​of the EU Union, which is fostered not only in the organization, but also in our country, is democracy. We also talked about it with representatives of the first EU generation in Lithuania. All of them agree that Lithuania’s membership in the EU helped strengthen the country’s democracy.

“We have become a full-fledged member of a large union, so more politically important issues have arisen. Representatives are being elected to the EU institutions, so there is an opportunity for Lithuania to be heard on a European scale. Just joining the EU has made us more democratic because it has given us another opportunity to celebrate democracy. This occasion happens every five years, when we elect representatives to the European Parliament”, said G. Poškevičiūtė.

Very soon, on June 6-9 this year, we will have the opportunity to elect new representatives of Lithuania in the European Parliament.

Young people wish Lithuania to remain a part of the EU for many more years and to foster close relations with member countries, while at the same time not forgetting to nurture their long-standing customs and traditions.

“In the future (Delphi – I wish) also maintain friendly relations with EU countries, attract as many investors as possible to Lithuania, use the received support funds purposefully, intelligently and honestly, cooperate with EU countries, but do not forget Lithuanian traditions, our language, do not become alienated and be responsible citizens”, he wished B. Blekaitis.

M. Bartašytė sees Lithuania’s EU membership as bright and long and wants to remember to celebrate it more often.