5. Lithuanian Traditional Holidays

7/27/2019 5. Lithuanian Traditional Holidays

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Lithuanian traditional

holidays

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Christmas Eve

Preparations for Christmas Evetake all day. The house is

cleaned, the food is prepared.

People fast and dont eat meat.Christmas Eve supper is the

sacred family ritual which drawsthe family members closer,

banding everyone and

strengthening warm family ties.

Twelve different dishes areserved on the table because

Jesus had twelve apostles. All

the dishes are strictly meatless.


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When everyone is assembled at the table, a prayer is

said. The father then takes a wafer and offers it to themother wishing her a Happy Christmas. She offersthe father her wafer in return. The father then offershis wafer to every family member or a guest at thetable. After that everybody eats Christmas Eve

supper.

Christmas Eve


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Christmas

Christmas, the ancient festival of the return of

the Sun, was known in most pre-Christian

European nations. It celebrates victory over

the winters darkness, the virtual start of thenew year.

Beginning with Christmas, the day begin tolengthen in Lithuania. The dark gloomy days

of November and December, begin to end.

When the festival of the Suns return was

changed to the feast of Christs Nativity,Lithuanians adopted it with enthusiasm and

celebrated it with equal Solemnity

In todays Christmas we still find many old customs, especially

charms and predictions.


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Feast of St. John the baptist

This is a midsummer feast celebrated since the earliest

unrecorded times not only in Lithuania but in many other

European countries.
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The Wedding Day

Certain nationalities believe the groom cannot see hisbride on the wedding day until they meet at the

church altar. Otherwise, their married life will be

unhappy. The Lithuanians do not have this custom.

On the day of the wedding, the groom and his

attendants arrive at the brides home, bring her awedding bouquet and she in turn pins a flower to his

lapel. Before leaving for church, the brides parentsbless them both together. They enter the church

together walking arm in arm to the alter. There is nocustom of the father leading the bride and giving heraway to the young man at the altar.


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The last day before the start of Lent is called

shrove Tuesday. The following day, Ash

Wednesday, starts the long, solemn and lean

period of Lent. In the past, abstinence was very

strict: no meat at all could be eaten for seven

weeks and milk could only be used occasionally;adults ate only three times a day and only once a

full meal.

SHROVE TUESDAY

Parties, dances, songs and

entertainment were forbidden moreby tradition than by the Church. As a

result, people tried to be merry and

noisy on Shrove Tuesday and to eat

much rich food to sustain them

throughout Lent.


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At least nine meals ( in some

places- twelve) with meat and richfoods were prepared. All the

eating and merriment had to end

before the midnight because that

marked the beginning of the

Lenten fast. To keep the festivities

from running over, certain places

in Lithuania rang the church bellsat eleven oclock at night soeveryone would know it was time

to end the partying and go home.

SHROVE TUESDAY


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THE WEDDINGAn old-fashioned Lithuanian wedding lasted about a

week. Many old customs were closely tied to the

lifestyle and beliefs of the Lithuanian of that time.

Many old customs once performed on the weddingday, have now been transferred to the wedding eve

ceremonies. This is a special pre-nuptial celebration

for the bridal couple, and should not be confused with

American bridal shower of gifts for the bride. TheLithuanian wedding eve is much more significant andits meaning is more profound.


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The Wedding Eve

In early times, gifts consistedof articles necessary for dailylife. Today it is moreaccepted to bring to thereception a beautifullyengraved card containing amonetary gift.

The wedding eve for thebride is planned either on the

eve of ceremony or one totwo weeks earlier. Itspurpose is to bid farewell tothe male or female friendabout to wed.


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The bride invites the bridesmaids. From among thebridesmaids the bride selects one witch is called the

maid of honor. The bride also selects the svoia. Thesvoia looks after the bride and sees to it that theguests are properly served and lack nothing. Svoiadoes provide the wedding cake. The Lithuanian

wedding cake is a raguolis decorated with flowers

and greens.

The groom selects as many groomsmen as there are

bridesmaids. He also chooses the svotas. This is his

guardian and helper at the wedding. He looks after

the guests, starts the singing, propose toasts to the

newlyweds health and happiness.


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The groom selects his best man from among the

other groomsmen. So, the groom, bride, ushers,

bridesmaids, svotas and svoia comprise the basicstructure of a modern Lithuanian wedding. Then

come the parents of the bride and groom. The

parents are like important wedding guests who

raised the bride and groom and therefore earned theright to enjoy their childrens wedding without care.


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The Wedding Day

On the morning of the wedding, the groom and hisattendants arrive at the brides home, bring her weddingbouquet and she in turn pins s flower to his lapel. Before

leaving for church, the brides parents bless them bothtogether.

The bride rides to church with her bridesmaids, brother,

close relatives and svoia. The groom travels with hisgroomsmen and svotas.

All the attendants walk in pairs behind the bridal couple,

starting with the maid of honor and the best man.


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A gate is made for the wedding party on the wayto the reception. A gate can be fashioned by

stretching a rope, a pole, a string of colored

ribbons or balloons: just so the wedding party isforced to stop.

Svotas or best man ransoms the way for the

wedding party by handing out candies, chocolates

or bottles of refreshments to those who built the

barrier.


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At the entrance to the reception, the couple is met

by all four parents. On a plate they hold a slice of

bread, a pinch of salt and a glass of winedecorated with rue. The parents welcome the

newlyweds, who break off a morsel of bread, dip it

in the salt and eat it. They then take a sip of wine.

Both drink from one glass because they will share

everything in life, everything from then on will be

done together.

Once inside, the newlyweds are greeted with

march. They walk to their table accompanied bythe groomsmen and bridesmaids.


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The matchmakers trial and hanging toward theend of the reception enlivened the proceedings

at a time when the guests had already eaten,

drunk and sung their fill and were somewhattired.

When the svotas hears the courts verdict, hebecomes very upset. He runs to hide among the

guests . The men bring a rope made of straw,

chase the culprit as he tries to hide and prepare

to hang him. Svotas runs to the bride, falls to his

knees and plead. The bride takes pity on him,

throws a sash or towel over his shoulder andwaves away the pursuers. Svotas thanks her,

gives the musicians a signal and leads the bride

to the dance floor.


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Soon after this entertainment, the newlyweds

prepare to leave. The parents of the couple sit at

the table occupied by the newlyweds and the

bridal party all evening. Svoia takes the bride bythe hand, svotas lead the groom by the arm and all

four approach the parents. The parents give their

blessing and wish them a happy married life.

The newlyweds cross the length of the hall towardthe door. The musicians play a march and the

groomsmen and bridesmaids form an arch nearthe door through witch the couple must pass. The

arch is made of sashes held overhead.

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5. Lithuanian Traditional Holidays