Lithuania 1,5 Euro 2018 Jonises Rasos

Lithuania started in the year 2017 with a tenfold series of coins that have the theme Folklore and Traditions of Lithuania. These traditions are often deep-rooted. The series began with the Sint Cazimirs Day coin in 2017 and the theme of the 2018 coin is Jonises (Rasos). Jonises is the festival of the Solstice. The sun has reached its highest position around 24 June, the night is the shortest night of the year. The date 24 June is also associated with the birthday of John the Baptist, hence the name Jonises. During this Solstice day joy fires are lit at different sites. This also used to happen in other places in Europe. On the face of this beautiful coin are a number of symbols that are characteristic of the Jonises: a flowering fern, the moon, the sun and a green wreath that turns into a whirlwind. Central is a stylized fern blossom. Furthermore, the words æRasos Svente JonisesÆ are shown. A large number of water droplets can be seen on the reverse of the coin. These water droplets are positioned in such a way that, in the centre, they form Vytys, the national Symbol of Lithuania. Vitys is the knight who sits on his horse with his sword in his hand. Furthermore, on the reverse of the coin, the country name LIETUVA (Lithuania), the value indication of 1.5 Euro and the year 2018 are shown.