Festival Celebrations

U Gav N S

Shrove Tuesday in Lithuania

Užgavėnės is a traditional holiday celebrated in Lithuania on Shrove Tuesday. The name translates to 'the time before Lent'. This festival marks the end of winter and the beginning of springtime in Baltic (and Slavic) countries, with many rituals performed to ensure spring comes Different countries may have some different traditions, but these are specifically the Lithuanian ones. The three main traditions include; Burning Morė, Making costumes and Masks, The fight Between Winter and Spring.

Burning Morė

Morė is a human depiction of Mother Winter. Statues of a woman in folk clothing are built with the intent to be burnt down, as this represents basically burning away winter and welcoming the warm spring. While Morė burns, people throw all their frustrations at her to burn them away. This tradition is like a spiritual spring cleaning.

Making Costumes and Masks

Costumes and masks are home-made and resemble devils, demons, goats and witches It is believed that this type of attire scares away the cold

The Fight Between Winter and Spring

During the festival, a fight occurs between winter and spring This is a representation of the battle between the dark and light: referring to the days getting longer and nights getting shorter, and also, warmer weather over the cold

Changes Over Time

The food eaten during Shrove Tuesday has changed drastically Nowadays, people eat pancakes; like other western countries. Before (mainly during the Soviet Union era), people would eat meat jelly, soups containing crops and vegetables and also scrambled eggs. Masks and costumes have also changed. During the Soviet Union, attire was very restricted and so it was more so like Halloween where you dressed up as celebrities and characters Now however, since the USSR has been dissolved, people wear cultural costumes along with their masks, or else costumes that represent creatures within Lithuanian mythology These modern costumes represent individuality

Užgavėnės is linked with religion: Baltic (and Slavic) Paganism

Many communities celebrate it! Even within Lithuania, you can expect to see many events in small towns and villages.

By Ieva Simutyte, 2nd Year, Rang Ferdia