Another Independence Day

Today, February 16, 2013, is the ninety-fifth anniversary of Lithuanian Independence. Although modern Lithuanians also celebrate January 13 as the anniversary of the country's uprising against Soviet occupation, people of the Displaced-Persons generation still commemorate February 16 as the date Lithuania first shook off the Russian yoke in 1918.

Here's footage of the tenth anniversary celebration of Lithuanian independence, in 1928:

The goateed man in civilian dress is Lithuania's President, Antanas Smetona. Smetona's name again is in the news because authorities seek to rebury his body in Lithuania.

("Smetona" is also the Lithuanian word for "sour cream." During Smetona's tenure, the government discouraged people from using the President's name to refer to a dairy product. The preferred word for "sour cream" became "grietine.")