Dainu Svente 2010-Folksong Festival 2010
Location: Vilnius, capital of Lithuania. Katedros Aikste,(Cathedral square), located at the base of King Gediminas' castle hill.
Background: Grand Duke Gediminas was the last Pagan King of Lithuania who ruled the Baltic lands from 1295 to 1316. His history is very interesting and can be read about in the historical chronicles and all I will say here is that he was a very smart man in diplomatic negotiations and strategies which maintained the freedoms of Lithuanian Pagans to resist Christian conversion, united Baltic tribes and iwas the founder of Vilnius. Some say that he was the champion of Lithuanian Paganism.
In the basement, underneath the cathedral and underneath the pulpit of Cathedral, still lies Gediminas' altar. On this Fire altar, sacrifices and offerings were made to Perkunas, who was the mightiest and greatest Lithuanian God, the Thunderer, and various Gods and Goddesses, including Zemyna(Earth Goddess) and Medeina Zvoruna, Hare God/Goddess of the beasts of the forest. This sacred altar was located in a royal and ancient Oak grove, which grew at the base of Gediminas' hill fort, now the site of the Cathedral.
This place has much accumulated energy from those medieval times, hundreds of years ago and so is a magnet for Romuvai people in Vilnius. Even though the Cathedral is a Christian building there are many features of the old pagan customs. The location of the Cathedral not only preserved King Gediminas altar but also located the pulpit to be right above the pulpit. The relief at the front of the Cathedral depicts the old custom of giving thanks, sacrifices and offerings to the Gods and Goddesses through the Fire Rite!
This clip, which starts in Cathedral Square, is very poignant to the discovery of Romuva because it shows the Lithuanian Pagan/Folk custom of raising energy through song, sound and movement. I will explain the activities, to the best of my knowledge and understanding to searchers of Romuva, a better understanding themselves. I will apologise in advance as the camera man was a bit shaky in places.
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0.13 minutes: Drums are instruments of Perkunas, the Thunder God. The sound of drums recalls one to remember the sound of thunder. The drummers here are clearly expressing peels of rolling Thunder.
1.39 mins: "People/Earthlings! Lift up your voices so that it may cross over!" People assemble in circular groups and sing a traditional song. I don't know this particular song so i can't explain it, sorry. Perhaps one of my readers can elucidate on this one.
2.21 mins: Prayer-
"Oak!, originally from the beginning of beginnings, OAK!,lift our hearts to be free!"
Followed by rythmic beat.4.15 mins: Prayer-
"Zemele, dear Earth! Whom we come from!"
Followed by the "Bear dance". People growl like Bears as they sing,"Bear dancing song", and dancing like a Bear. When the music stops, people turn and grab the next person by the shoulders or hands and jump up and down, growling loudly. It's quite alot of fun too!6.00 mins:Prayer-"visos Perkunai",(all to Perkunas, the Thunderer.)
Followed by an activity that in which I haven't personally participated. It looks fun and great for back cracking! It could also be a display of strength, alluding to the quality of mighty Perkunas as being strong. Only men are seen to do this activity.
6.30 mins:prayer-
"We lift up our feet and when we dance we will lift up our joyfulness also" .
Followed by several unfamiliar songs and dances. I can really see the energy being raised with these dances, as it inter weaves among all the participants with their songs, dances and unified intent. Binding them together with this beautiful and unique form of cohesion. This is a truly ancient form of magic which is has been described by Sir George Frazer as Sypathetic magic in his book titled, "The Golden Bough". He believes that Sympathetic magic had the aim to benefit the whole community and not a select few. I believe that his research on this topic is well founded and this old and profound form of spirituality can be seen in this whole clip of Lithuanian Romuvai and other Lithuanian folk groups.9.14 mins: You can see footage of Krivis Jonas Trinkunas and his lovely wife,Inija.
9.48 mins:Prayer-
"If you are the Earth, do you hear us?. whether we live or die, whether we prosper or have hunger, it is because of you.
You feed us and make the path of our spirit clear! free your voice to her!"10.12 mins: People then touch and kiss the Earth whispering a short prayer of thanks and listening for her reply. A chant to Zemyna, the Earth Goddess follows. Priestess Inija Trinkuniene leads the chant.
11.19 mins:prayer-translation to come.
Followed by a song that includes the words,
"Strength/addition to dear Father, strength/addition to dear Mother, strength/addition to dear brother, strength/addition to dear Sister"
14.50 mins: Song titled "Dobila"(Clover) is sung as all the participants exit the square and walk to Bernadine park where the songs continue.
20.30 mins:Inija Trinkuniene leads Kulgrinda singing group who strive to restore of the the old ways and promote Romuva with the traditional songs, dances and music.
27.10 mins: Kulgrinda sing, "Zemynele ziedkele",(Blossoming of Dear Zemyna)
29.10 mins: Kulgrinda sing a song about linen. This song is accompanied by actions of sowing, growing, harvesting, processing spinning, and weaving linen. Can you see the actions?. This song is a typical example of an old Lithuanian style of songs called sutartines.
33.27 mins: Krivis Jonas Trinkunas leads a song of the might, strength and pride of Vilnius city. This song has been recorded from the time of King Gediminas.
25.05 mins: Lithuanian horns are blown it the fashion of sutartines.
35.20 mins: From this point in the clip till the end, you will see various folk choirs singing traditional songs.
36.56 mins: Representatives of different areas carry flags of their area. This flag of area of Electrenai features the King of snakes which is not only a reverred Lithuanian pagan animal, but also referring back to the famous folktale called, "Egle".
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I hope this clip and my explanations have been able to reveal the Lithuanian pagan custom of raising energy through song and movement. I was very privileged to take part in many of these customs when I was in Lithuania last year. The experience was life changing for me as I felt that my eternal internal Fire was stoked into a blaze. Taking part in these customs, not only raises energy for a common celebration of nature but also raises energy within each person. Participating in these customs, really stirred genuinely cathartic revelations that served to enrich the depth and breadth of my faith, spirituality and my personal convictions in a very real and even palpable way. My understanding of energy and the purpose for raising energy has expanded. I wish all searchers of the Pagan ways could experience such ancient customs because I am sure that their own path will be enriched also. I am not advocating for some form of Christian conversion to Romuva, but instead want to offer the wider Pagans a sense of community and oneness in intent which can really raise much power to expand our awareness and help our Mother Earth in so many ways.
I see much disharmony in the Pagan community which is too complex to discuss in any detail but I believe that Mother Earth is the one unifying force of most, if not all Pagans in the world. So, my insight has lead me to see that the Pagan community will unite under Her banner, and with songs, dance and art, we can find harmony and cohesion to work together to raise awareness of the Mother and Her needs and how we can nurture Her in a better way so that we will survive as a species. Mother Earth and Her Nature will continue until eternity and long after humans become extinct. Humans need the Earth Mother more than She needs us but with the right care and nurture of the Earth, She will care, nurture, nourish and sustain us to the point that our species and many countless other species will survive to flourish and bloom.
I believe that the sooner we reach this awareness, globally, the sooner we can evolve to the next level of spiritual enlightenment. I will always try to maintain and preserve the ancient wisdom of the Lithuanian Balts in it's pure form so that the Pagan world can hopefully benefit from our unique perspectives of the Earth, the world and their own path. Let there be Harmony!
