On a rainy Wednesday afternoon, LRT English went to the Vilnius Christmas market in Cathedral Square to find out what foreigners think about the festive spirit of the Lithuanian capital.
“It's beautiful. I love the decorations all around the city,” one sightseer said.
The visitors raved about traditional food, the Christmas decorations, and the friendly vibe of the Christmas market.
“Everyone’s filming, smiling, drinking mulled wine, the mood is very good. We can barely keep up with the demand for drinks,” one merchant commented.
For some, this was the first seeing such Christmas celebrations.
“It’s my first Christmas experience, because I live in Turkey and we don’t celebrate Christmas there,” said one man, adding “I liked it so much. The music, the lights, everything was well organised.”
Vilnius’s Christmas festivities reminded some people of different celebrations in their own countries.
Abdullah, a 22-year-old undergraduate student from Pakistan, noted that Lithuanian Christmas celebrations reminded him of Eid traditions in his homeland.
“We have Eid, a Muslim festival, a feast after Ramadan and Hajj. I think it’s similar to Christmas because we also decorate stuff, and it’s also the day of birth of our prophet.”
Vilnius has been named the European Christmas Capital of 2025, and in the eyes of the foreigners the city lives up to the title.
A few tourists said they had visited other Lithuanian cities, adding that the other cities were no match for Vilnius.
“I’ve been to Kaunas’s fair, and I think Vilnius tops it,” one woman said.
People were telling us about their Christmas experiences in European capitals like Tallinn or Budapest, and even cities such as Ottawa or Tokyo.
“Ottawa does have festivities, but they’re just not the same”, said Eric, a Canadian tourist.
