The Anniversary of the Coronation of King Mindaugas.

This public holiday in Lithuania is always celebrated on 6th July. This day celebrates the coronation of Mindaugas, who was considered to be the first Grand Duke of Lithuania and the first and only King of a unified Lithuania. Mindaugas founded the first independent Lithuanian state in 1240. To protect Lithuania from attacks, Mindaugas sought help from the Teutonic Knights, a religious military order that had established power in the southeastern Baltic region. He was crowned King of Lithuania during the summer of 1253 and ruled for ten years. In 2003 Lithuanians celebrated the 750th anniversary of his crowning with a series of cultural activities, including operas, folk music concerts, folk dance performances, parades, and festivals.