ALMANTAS SAMALAVICIUS
Letter from Lithuania
As
the eminent Czeslaw Milosz re cently noted, the tradition of singing is
of special importance to the Baltic people, going way back in history.
Even the Soviet power, crushing all possible forms of national awareness,
never managed to conquer this "sacred domain," evocative of those pa–
gan rites of the Balti c tribes that have survived long after the adoption
of Christianity . The Baits have managed to sustain a peculiar phe–
nomenon of self-expression, one which has captivated many Romanticists
as the living soul of the Old World. Reconciling themselves with this
strong and durable passion, Soviet authorities tried to tame tradition by
allowing the BaIts to express their excess emotion in forms suitable for
the glorification of the " people 's power," designing and supporting
huge dance and song festivals that were regularly held in each country.
Despite the f.olct that these festivals often turned into silent manifestations
against the ruling power itself, heightening the national spirit of these
suppressed states, they were nevertheless to lerated under the authorities'
supervision. It was these "legalized" forms of common existence that al–
lowed the Baits to share expectations of restored independence, though
the prospect during those gloomy years was lost somewhere on the hori–
zon. Denied any form of national existence, as well as deprived of their
statehood, Lithuanians and the other two Baltic peoples sang out their
history and turned it into a glorified myth of the past. Looking back at
those discouraging years, it is surprising to what extent the oppressed na–
tion was able to stimulate the consciousness of self- identification and
strengthen the general national spirit.
Following this ongoing tradition, an ambitious festival was planned
to be held in 1994. It was to have been a gathering of Lithuanian com–
munities scattered all around the world, the first festival to take place af–
ter the restoration of independence. However, as the arrangements for
the event were getting into full swing, a shadow fell. It was rumored
that the festival plans might collapse since the state had announced an in–
ability to provide funds. Such responses from the state authorities are no
longer a rarity, though after the overthrow of the Soviet power many
international celebrations were held on Lithuanian land.
The 1994 festival did take place after all, but the singing in Lithuania
