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Shrove Tuesday to be celebrated in Lithuania

BC, Vilnius, 03.03.2011.Print version

The Shrove Tuesday to be marked in Lithuania on March 6, 2011, as Vilnius Tourism Information Center reports.

 

A calendar holiday during which Shrove Tuesday mummers flood the Old Town to "drive out winter", and pancakes are cooked.

 

As the old belief says, if one eats many pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, the whole year will be a success. As the final of festivities, More (a symbol of winter disasters), is usually burned on a bonfire and people await the arrival of spring, writes LETA/ELTA.

 

Shrovetide events will be organized in Vilnius, Trakai and Rumsiskes on March 6, 2011. In Rumsiskes, Uzgavenes – as Shrovetide is called in Lithuania – will be celebrated with a carnival.

 

This holiday is not associated with any church rituals. Its traditions clearly unify elements of culture before Christianity and during Christianity. Fortune-telling occurs during this evening. For example, it is believed that all the witches can be seen if during Uzgavenes you scrape out all the leftovers from your teeth and tie them up in a handkerchief and wear it under your bosom until Easter.

 

From early morning, on the second day of Uzgavenes people in costumes begin roaming. They usually visit homes, sometimes businesses as well, play pranks, act, sing, try to snatch something and then demand payment, throw water or if they catch someone, they bathe them in snow. After the pranks, the ones in costume ask for pancakes or money.

 

In the evening people yell "winter, winter get out of my yard", the More which is usually made from straw – is burned as the symbol of winter. Then two men get changed, one – fat – Lasininis, the other – a thin one – Kanapinis and they fight. Usually the thin one wins, while the fat one is chased away until Easter.

 

The ticket for the festive events costs for adults 11 litas, and six litas for schoolchildren, students, seniors.

 

In Trakai, a joyful festival of Shrovetide will be marked with an open market, competitions, games, traditional games and symbols of the festival.





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