Celebrations in Lithuania

COMENIUS MULTILATERAL PARTNERSHIP PROJECT

LET ME KNOW YOU: UNITED IN DIVERSITY

Made by Guoda Dobilaitė and Milda Bernickytė, Guoda Romaitė

New Year

New year in Lithuania, as in all other countries, is celebrated on the 31st of December .

Although we haven`t got very deep traditions, but still it is one of the most popular celebrations in Lithuania.

Unlikely Christmas, this day is more celebrated with friends than family.

February 16

This day is a national holiday. That is a celebration of signing The Act of Independence of Lithuania,  proclaiming the restoration of an independent State of Lithuania.

The Act of the16th of February was signed in 1918.

The Act formulated the basic constitutional principles that were and still are followed.

However, the immediate effects of the announcement of Lithuania's establishment of independence were limited.

Publication of the Act was prohibited by the German authorities, and the text was printed illegally. The work of the Council was hindered, and Germans remained in control over Lithuania. On the 15th of June in 1940 is the day when Lithuania received an ultimatum from the Soviet Union and lost its independence

March 11

It is one more National holiday to commemorate the Day of Independence.

On the 11th of March in 1990 the Highest Council of Lithuania signed the act of re-establishment of independence. Lithuania broke away from the Soviet Union. It stresses that it was simply re-establishing the independent state that existed between the world wars and that the Act never lost its legal power.

Easter is a Christian festival and a holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Easter is also nature‘s awakening from winter‘s sleep

Easter

In Lithuania on Easter morning everybody goes to church to listen to the Mass-Resurrection services.

After it everybody hurries home for lunch All family sits at a table and has lunch together After lunch Easter games are played. They are

called Egg-breaking contest, Egg-Rolling game as there are a lot of beautifully decorated eggs in every house.

Egg-breaking contest

Egg-Rolling game

Children hunt for hidden Easter eggs left to them by the Velykų Senelė (Easter Granny) or

Velykėlė.

The Easter Granny travels around the country and leaves beautifully decorated Easter Eggs for

good children and white eggs for bad ones.

Easter granny

Mother`s Day

Mother`s Day is cellebrated on the first Sunday of May.

This celebration for Lithuanians is known for a long time.

Celebration of Mother`s Day is chosen in spring, as at this time of the year the earth is identified as mother - mother grows and takes care of her children while earth grows plants and cares about them.

Father`s Day

In Lithuania this day is celebrated on the first Sunday of June.

This celebration was introduced by Louisa Dodd in 1910 to honour all fathers. Her mother died while she was giving birth to her sixth child and then her father raised six children all alone.

Though it is not as popular as Mother`s Day, but still we all try to honour our fathers on that day.

„Joninės“ (The Feast of St John)

It is celebrated on the 24th of June , when in Lithuania the day is the longest and the night is the shortest.

These are customs brought from pagan culture and beliefs.

The traditions include telling tales, singing songs and dancing until the sun sets

Searching to find the magic fern blossom at midnight

Jumping over bonfires

Greeting the rising midsummer sun and washing the face with a morning dew;

Young girls float flower wreaths on the water of a river or a lake

the 1st of November is one of the most solemn holidays in Lithuania.

This day is to honor the souls of family members that have passed away

On this day people visit grave yard, decorate graves, light candles on the graves and attend Church to pray for the dead

All Saints’ Day

People believe that on this day the souls of the dead return to earth: to churches, cemeteries or

their homes

Kūčios (Christmas Eve) is one of the most important celebrations for Lithuanians.

The whole family gathers together to strengthen warm family ties

Kūčios dinner consists of 12 different meatless dishes. They symbolise the 12 months of the year, and according to the Christian traditions the 12 Apostles of Jesus

Christmas Eve

All dishes are prepared using no meat

The most popular dishes are:

Herring

Kūčiukai with poppy milk

kisielius (a drink popular in Lithuania)

Vegetable salad

Mushrooms

Boiled potatoes

Bread

Fish

Kūčiukai with poppy milk

The dinner starts sharing Christmas wafer with all the members of the family

Kūčios has magical meaning, with different magical rituals

People predict their future, whether younger girls will get married next year, and if farmers will have a good harvest

Straws of various lengths are placed under the tablecloth and drawn to predict the length of one’s life or the length of one’s single life.

A clear and starry sky on Christmas Eve is thought to portend a good year

Even the animals begin to speak in the cattle shed at night

Lithuanian Christmas traditions are a combination of old and new as well as Christian and pagan,it celebrates victory over the winter’s darkness

It is typical to exchange presents on Christmas day, Children normally find them under the Christmas tree and believe that they are brought by Santa Claus

Christmas

The most typical Christmas dish is a roasted goose or turkey with vegetables

Christmas desserts are chocolate, candies or cakes

Lithuanians also love tangerines