Healthy, Happy, Mind: Hill of Crosses, Latvia

Perhaps a rather random post for a Friday, but something that has struck a chord with me that I wanted to share with you all.

My parents are currently off spending my inheritance in Europe, and the first stop on their trip was to Lithuania.

One morning, they set off on a city tour, and came across the Hill of Crosses. Really, this was a site that you couldn’t miss even if you tried.

The Hill of Crosses is in Latvia, and is a witness to the religious devotion of the Lithuanian people and its continual fight for independence. The site was first mentioned as early as the 14^th Century. During 1831 and 1863, when anti-Soviet uprisings occurred, and then again during the 50 year Soviet occupation of Lithuania, the Soviet’s bulldozed the hill three times, dug a ditch around the hill to stop anyone from entering the site, and yet people continued to plant crosses.

Planting a cross was considered a punishable crime, yet they continued to appear.

The crosses were placed when loved ones were taken by the Russians and executed, or put into work camps. Some never returned.

In 1991, the Hill of Crosses became a national symbol of the fight for Independence. At the time, an estimated 35,000 crosses were already laid, varying in size from a few centimetres to 4 metres.

Today, they number in the hundreds of thousands. Although no longer occupied by Russia, tourists and locals alike, head to the Hill of Crosses and plant a cross to bring luck, make a wish, and to remember a loved one, in a pretty unique way.

While the cross is a symbol of the people’s faith, the idea itself really resonated with me. Against resistance and uprisings, the people continued to get back up, rebuild, and continue with what they stood for and believed in.