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The road to the Hill of Crosses is the mirror of Lithuanian history, culture, religion, philosophy of life.
A small but a very vivid relic of our past rests on a tiny hill and reminds us of our cruel and glorious history - uprisings, wars, revolutions, occupations. You have seen so much blood and cruelty! Little and big crosses surrounded with sun-rays are links and ties nourished by the memories and love for our motherland, Lithuania, which has suffered a lot but has brought up many reserved, peaceful and strong - willed people.
We go to the Hill of Crosses.
The forest of crosses! It is a symbol of everlasting peasantry not touched by civilization. It is a spontaneous, slightly primitive creativeness, expressing the mysteries of our legends, traditions and pre-Chistian symbols. It reminds You of some primitive temple where people worship wood as a personification of a cosmic energy and have a naive belief that the souls of our ancestors live somewhere in the neighbourhood any may land on the crosses and chapels from time to time.
The Hill of Crosses is a Lithuanian Golgota. Again and again our memory goes back to the period of bolshevik occupation. Lithuanian emigrants and deportees, dispersed in the West and in the East, like outcasts from Heaven with tears in their eyes, great pain in their hearts took with them their songs, customs and handiwork, the traces of which can be found in many places of the world. Some of then were deported, tortured and persecuted for their firm beliefs of the Cristian church. Their piety far from the homeland and in the communist Lithuania was a spontaneous form, of spiritual resistance: carrying Christian crosses on their shoulders and putting them on the Hill of Crosses, strong faith in Lord's sacrifice, prayers, solemn pledges and painful sighs... But the miracle came truel Rebirth, Freedom and Independence were the Lord's grace.
We thin our sad eyes to the crosses. I myself feel so lonely and tired. Solemn peace, swift creative energy, specific spiritual atmosphere penetrates you on the Hill of Crosses.
Gracious and noble eternity of beauty opens in front of you. The blue sky, marwellous olive flavour, lonely bee flying in the air - all of them sing miraculous psalm of existence. Voices of our nature, the Cristian prayer "We praise Thee, we bless Thee" elements of philosophical lyrics from Jurgis Baltrusaitis poetry, national ethics and Lithuanian mystery make this psalm unigue. But at the same time the wisdom of this sophisticated and holy psalm can be easily comprehended both by intellectuals and common people. Suffering is the inevitable part of the earthy existence. It adds the real meaning to our lives. Put a cross when you suffer! Build and create! Give and God will repay Your kindness.
