FiDi – Physicist’s Day – Added to the Lithuanian Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage

On 5 May, at a ceremony held at Vilnius Town Hall, the traditions being added to the Lithuanian Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage were presented and certificates were awarded. This year, the list of traditions that have been passed down from one generation to the next was enriched by FiDi – Physicist’s Day – a celebration of students in the Faculty of Physics at Vilnius University.

FiDi – Physicist’s Day – has taken place every spring since 1969, with not only students, alumni and pupils, but also members of the public taking part in a week of entertaining, educational and scientific events. Lecturers, students, graduates of the Faculty of Physics, and members of the Alumni Society spoke about this tradition among the students in Vilnius.

The FiDi events not only bring the university community together in a variety of events throughout the week, but also have a strong educational value. Students and teachers regularly take part in this festival to raise awareness of global environmental issues.

Traditions that are protected and cherished as part of the national identity are submitted each year to the Lithuanian Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage. This year, the list was enriched by the Jurginės Festival in Palanga, the Lithuanian ritinis team sport, the fiddling tradition in Dzūkija, FiDi – Physicist’s Day, the hammer dulcimer playing tradition in the Ignalina and Švenčionys Regions, drumming with a kūlelė in Eastern Aukštaitija, the cemetery celebration in Kisiniai, the stone carving tradition in Kelmė, and the home-brewed beer tradition in the Biržai and Kupiškis Region.

At the ceremony, Vice-Minister of Culture Albinas Vilčinskas, Director of the Lithuanian National Centre for Culture Saulius Liausa, Chairperson of the Committee of the Lithuanian Inventory of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Professor Daiva Vyčinienė, and the members of the Committee congratulated the tradition bearers and awarded the certificates.

The Lithuanian Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage, introduced in 2017, already includes 48 heritage items related to various performing arts, folklore, crafts, festivals, culinary heritage and other traditions. Three of them are listed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity: cross-crafting and its symbolism in Lithuania; Baltic Song and Dance Celebrations; and sutartinės – Lithuanian multipart songs.