Pavasarininkai
Its motto was "For God and Fatherland" and it organized various events (conferences, lectures, spiritual exercises, concerts, song festivals, theater performances, sports competitions, etc.)
Pavasarininkai were supported by local clergy and the Catholic hierarchy but were frowned upon by the authoritarian regime of President Antanas Smetona.
[1] A year later this organization began publishing Pavasaris – the first Lithuanian-language periodical dedicated to Lithuanian youth.
[2] Pavasaris was a monthly illustrated magazine, first published in May 1912 at the printing press of Saliamonas Banaitis.
It also published articles on popular science (e.g. explaining solar eclipses), history of Lithuania, brief mentions of world events, jokes and riddles.
[2] It ceased publication in July 1914 due to World War I, but was reestablished in 1918 and continued to be published by pavasarininkai until 1940.
[3] By 1914, Pavasaris had groups in Marijampolė, Miroslavas [lt], Radviliškis, Sejny, Surviliškis, Šeduva, Šiauliai, Vabalninkas, Valkininkai, Varėna.
[5] In 1925, pavasarininkai's chairman Juozas Eretas travelled to the 28th International Eucharistic Congress in Chicago and established contacts with the Knights of Lithuania.
[6] The anniversary conference in July 1927 (15 years since establishment) was particularly large; it was opened by President Antanas Smetona and was attended by guests from the Knights of Lithuania.
The regime saw the Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party and various Catholic organizations as its opponents and limited their activities.
[6] Rumors had it that Pavasaris' chairman Juozas Eretas who was from Switzerland, resigned in 1928 to prevent complaints that pavasarininkai were led by a non-Lithuanian and not due to poor health as officially claimed.
[4] In 1933, it was reorganized into a federation that united separate societies of men, women, and youth (ages 13–16).
[5] A separate organization, Vyčiai (Knights) for urban Catholic youth was merged into Pavasaris in 1935.
[8] The 25th-anniversary conference in June 1938 (delayed a year due to issues obtaining permits) was attended by as many as 45,000 people, including about 7,000 sports competitors and 6,000 singers in 247 choirs.
[11] Members of Pavasaris organized various events, including local, regional, and national conferences, concerts, theater performances, song festivals, lectures (many on moral and Catholic virtues),[4] exhibitions of folk art, sport competitions.
[9][13] In Kaunas, Pavasaris established a folk high school (named after bishop Motiejus Valančius) and a gymnasium for adults.
[7] One of them, private Kostas Skinulis, was killed in August 1919 in the Lithuanian–Soviet War but his slogan Life does not matter if Fatherland is again enslaved by the enemies (Lithuanian: Niekai gyvybė, jeigu Tėvynė vėl būtų priešų pavergta) became a popular rallying cry among Lithuanian soldiers.
As an anthem, they used Lietuva brangi (Dear Lithuania) by Maironis and, since 1922, Sukruskime, broliai ir sesės, drauge (Let's Create, Brothers and Sisters, Together) by Kazimieras Žitkus [lt].
These pins were produced in Switzerland by Huguenin Frères & Co and in Lithuania by a workshop established to support disabled war veterans.
[3] In 1927, the regions were reorganized to match up with the newly established dioceses of Kaunas, Kaišiadorys, Panevėžys, Telšiai, and Vilkaviškis.
