THE BIGGEST PAINTING IN THE WORLD PAINTED AT THE CELEBRATION OF LITHUANIA’S INDEPENDENCE DAY
On 14th of February members of Lithuanian community in Japan and the personnel of the Embassy gathered to celebrate the 97-year anniversary of re-establishment of Lithuania’s Statehood on 16th of February 1918.
After everyone has sang the National anthem, Daiva Maekawa, the chairman of Lithuanian community in Japan, read the greeting letter from Linas Linkevičius, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, to all Lithuanians around the world. On the occasion everyone was wearing bracelets in colours of Lithuanian flag or had other accessories that reminded of Lithuania.
His Excellency Ambassador of Lithuania to Japan Egidijus Meilūnas wished for everyone to continue to treasure the value of Lithuania’s Independence, strengthen Lithuanian identity and unity as well as to work for continued well-being of Lithuania. Japan was one of the first states to recognize Lithuania’s Independence in 1918 and the restoration of Independence in 1990.
The rapidly growing number of Japanese tourists coming to Lithuania every year, growing number of exchange students and the strengthening of cooperation in science and economy shows the deepening of mutually beneficial bilateral relations between two states.
Children had their fun in the event by participating in painting “The Biggest Painting in the World”. A part of this painting was already done by children from four different cities in Lithuania last year. This time Lithuanian and Japanese children living in Tokyo were painting symbols of Lithuania. This painting will be added to the ones already painted by more than 13000 children from around the world and in the end of the project will form one big painting of 10 thousand square meters in size.
Hiroko Kawahara, the chairman of the nongovernmental organization “Earth identity project”, who is in charge of the Biggest Painting project and also was participating in the event, was very happy that people of Japan would be able to see Lithuania through the eyes of Lithuanian children. The Biggest Painting in the World will be displayed both in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo during the Olympic Games in 2016 and 2020.
