Elderly people's day in Šiauliai: from educational activities to an evening of dancing

In October 1 of 2023 in Šiauliai, the International Day of the Elderly and the World Music Day were celebrated. To make these days meaningful, the city organized a large number of festive concerts, a dance evening with a live band, an afternoon of romance, educational activities and other events that not only gave the seniors a good mood, but also gave them the joy of communication. Also, on the main day of the holiday - October 1st - from early morning the people of Šiauliai of respectable age were served coffee and tea in cafes, teahouses and restaurants of the city, so they had a fun time relaxing with a cup of hot drink and sharing the day's impressions and discoveries with each other.
Organizer - Šiauliai City Municipality, organizer - Šiauliai Culture Center.

The events dedicated to the International Day of the Elderly began in Šiauliai in the last week of September. Here, the seniors participated in a battle of wits, in the presentation of Dalia Stasaitytė-Griškevičienė's poetry book "Half of Berries". On September 30, lovers of classical music gathered at the Šiauliai Cultural Center for the concert "Autumn Dreams" organized by the concert institution "Saulė" of the city of Šiauliai and the partner Šiauliai Cultural Center. The Šiauliai wind orchestra (artistic director and conductor Sigitas Vaičiulionis, conductor Gediminas Brūzga), soloists: Ieva Barbora Juozapaitytė, Marija Kacilevičiūtė, Juozas Janužas, Romualdas Juzukonis and Gediminas Brūzga (saxophone) gave the gathered citizens a good mood. The event was hosted by Raimonda Sližienė.

On the main holiday day - October 1 - the institutions and organizations of the city of Šiauliai awarded the seniors with a very diverse program of events. From early in the morning, citizens of respectable age were invited to participate in creative-educational activities, during which they made book tabs and soap. In the crafts workshop of the Šiauliai Cultural Center, seniors were given freedom of expression, so they themselves could mix oils and natural herbs filled with various autumn scents, which turned into a real hand-made one-of-a-kind soap when it hardened.

A little later, the active day for seniors continued with the concert of the group "Nerija" in the Great Concert Hall of the Šiauliai Cultural Center. After hearing the first chords of the songs, the hearts of the seniors were taken over by nostalgia and memories, which, intertwined with the songs performed by the legendary band, allowed them to go back to the days of their youth. The International Day of the Elderly ended with a dance evening where, after finding a suitable partner and playing live music of the band "Northern Lights", the seniors twirled on the dance floor as if the energy of youth had visited them again.

On October 1st, other interesting activities took place in Šiauliai - residents of Šiauliai of respectable age could take photos for free in a professionally equipped photography studio, go to the Hill of Crosses, where the Šiauliai Tourism Information Center organized an excursion, visit museums with exhibitions for free, or just spend a quiet time in an afternoon of romance. Throughout the festive day, citizens of respectable age were treated to a cup of coffee or tea in cafes, teahouses and restaurants of Šiauliai city.

The information is provided by Asta Vaitkienė, Head of the Event Organization Department of the Šiauliai Cultural Center, mobile. +370 671 42 901, e-mail asta.vaitkiene@siauliukc.lt.

Liubov Yarmoshenko's photo.