Book Smugglers Day is observed in Lithuania every March 16, honoring individuals who defied a ban on Lithuanian language publications printed in the Latin alphabet during the Russian Empire. Following the Third Partition of Poland, Lithuania was under Russian control, and in 1864, a press ban was enacted that prohibited Latin-alphabet publications while promoting those in Cyrillic. In response, people began printing and smuggling banned Lithuanian-language books and periodicals from Prussian Lithuania into Lithuania, earning the title of book smugglers. Notably, Motiejus Valančius, a Catholic bishop, was the first to organize these efforts, and Jurgis Bielinis later established a secret distribution network for the smuggled materials. Bielinis's contributions to the Lithuanian National Revival are commemorated through this observance, which celebrates the resilience and cultural identity of the Lithuanian people.