Statehood Day in Lithuania Date in the current year: July 6, 2024

There is little information about Mindaugas, his early life and rise to power. It's known, that he was born circa 1203. He was the first known Grand Duke of Lithuania. During the 1230s and 1240s he strengthened and established his power in Slavic and Baltic lands. In 1251 he received baptism and relinquished control over some areas of present-day Lithuania in return for an acknowledgment by Pope Innocent IV as king. Pope Innocent IV signed two papal bulls, one of which ordered Mindaugas to be crowned as King of Lithuania. The exact date of his coronation is unknown, but it's considered to be July 6, according to the hypothesis of Edvardas Gudavičius, a historian of modern Lithuania.

Statehood Day is officially celebrated in Lithuania since 1991. Traditional ceremony of ascending of the state flag takes place on the square near the Presidential Palace in Vilnius, later it's followed by the mass and official dinner.