Lithuanian Holidays in Australia

Lithuanian Holidays

Many Lithuanian holidays have merged with Christian holidays, sometimes changing the date of the holiday. The dates of some the Lithuanian holidays have become very confusing due to the Julian and Gregorian calendars that were simultaneously used in different parts of Lithuania during Czarist Russian occupation (1772/1792/1795-1918). This problem especially affects the movable Spring holidays, calculated based on the Spring Equinox day.

Lithuanian Ethnic Religion Calendar Holidays, with Australian references by Steve Kryzius

Date	Holiday	Brief Description
21/25 December LT 21-25 June AU	Kalėdos  (Winter Solstice and New Year’s Day)	Homage to the Sun and blessings for the new solar year.
21 Dec-2 Jan/       25 Dec-6 Jan LT 21 June-2 July/    25 June-6 July AU	Tarpukalėdis  (Intra-Solstice)	Days of rest. Traditional women’s and men’s work is forbidden.
25 January LT (in older practice: the first new moon, called the foal, after the Winter Solstice) 25 July AU	Pusiaužiemis  (Mid-winter)	Synonymous with lunar new year baptism and new year celebration. Badgers, porcupines, and bears leave their caves or turn on their sides. This determines what winter will be like.
2 Feb LT 2 August AU	Perkūno diena  (Perkūnas Day)	Blessing of candles, linen and ever green trees. Death candles are made to protect the home from lightning strike and ward off illness
5 Feb LT 5 August AU	Gabijos diena  (Gabija day)	Blessing of bread and people. Honour given to Goddess Gabija, guardian of Fire, the hearth and grains.
Varies in Feb LT Varies in August AU	Užgavėnės  (Escort of Winter/Mardi Gras/Pancake Tues/Shrove Tues)	Pagan rite to usher out winter.
Varies in March LT Varies in Sept. AU	Verba  (Flower and herb lance)	Preparation for Spring
20-21 March 1 April Same in Australia	Pavasario lygė  (Spring Equinox) Melų diena (Lie day,April Fool Day)	Welcomes Spring. Blessing renewal of life. A successful lie will bring success for the coming year. Common pagan superstition.
Varies in April LT Varies in October AU	Velykos  (The Great Day,Easter)	Springtime remembrance of the dead and celebration of new life in nature. People exchange coloured and decorated eggs.Egg games played.Blessing of certain foods to ensure you have food all year.People whipped with Verbos and sprinkling with blessed water. Magic of green branch.
23 April LT 23 September AU 11 May LT 11 Oct AU	Jorė Deivės Mildos Šventė Gegužinės	Celebrates new growth of Spring. Animals are herded for the first time. The earth cannot be moved on this day. Rituals of bread making Bread was buried in the fields and gardens. After placing a bread roll on the ground a farmer would put one ear to the ground, farmers would listen to the Rye to find out if it will be a good harvest. The God of the Spring Thunder was called Jore or Joris.He evoked the forces of Life. Jore owned the key to the Land, when Earth is unlocked, Jore sends rain and resurrectes all vegetation.Flowers and Herbs were offered to Zemyna Goddess Earth Goddess,Pergubis God of all plants along with 15 other vegetation Gods were honored.
27 May LT 27 October AU	Sambarės	Celebrates new growth of crops
9-20/12-24 June LT  9-20/12-24 December AU	Pre Solstice Days. Preparation for the Solstice.
21-24 June LT 21-24 Dec AU	Rasa a.k.a. Kupolinė (Dew, Herb Pole Day)	Homage to the Sun Mother and medicinal herbs. Summer solstice. Mostly celebrated by young people. Bon fires are kept during the night, wreaths are woven and set adrift, the fern blossom is sought. The hay harvest begins after this holiday.
21 June-2 July/                  25 June-6 July  LT 21 Dec-2 Jan               25 Dec-6 Jan AU	Post Solstice Days.
25 July LT 25 Jan AU (Australia Day) 26 July LT 26 Jan AU	Rugių šventė       (Rye holiday) often combined with: Prinokimo šventė (Ripe holiday)	Blessing of rye and other grain crops at the harvest. End of the rye harvest. The first new bread is baked. Berries are ripe.
15 August LT 15 Feb AU	Žolinė             (Meadow Grass Day) Deivės Žemynos šventė (Earth Goddess festival)	Coming of autumn. People gathered grass from their fields and gardens and brought it to churches to be blessed. Rye, wheat and oat ears were tucked into these grass bundles. In the spring, these ears were crushed and sprinkled on the seeds to be planted. Other bundles of blessed grasses were used as medicine, as protection from lightning strikes and to be sewn into coffin pillows. Families always tried to gather together on this day to ensure the coming year would be a productive one. The spring crop harvest begins Goddess of Bees and honey honoured.
20-21 Sept. LT 20-21 March AU	Dagotuvės, Rudens Lygė   (Autumnal Equinox)	Harvest celebration. Festival of Fire and water. Beginning of customs to remember the dead.
28 October LT 25 April AU             ANZAC Day	Rudens Samborės	Autumn remembrance of the dead
1 November LT            2 November LT Usually commemorated on: 25 April AU       ANZAC Day	Visi šventi                     (All Saints) and Ilgės a.k.a. Vėlinės  (Lengthening, Day of Shades)	Public holiday so people can visit the graves of their ancestors. Time of Remembrance. Donations given to elgetos.Old and ill people,who can’t make enough to eat, become elgetos.
9-20/12-24 December LT 9-20/12-24 June AU	Prieškalėdis      (Pre-Solstice)	Preparation for the solstice
20/24 Dec LT 20-24 June AU	Kūčios              (Winter Solstice Eve)	Family holiday. After reconciliation and forgiveness, everyone sits together at the holiday table. Some of the 13 dishes,(representing the 13 Lunar months), must be eaten by all if a prosperous year is to be had. Many divinations and prognostications are performed.

Sources: Jonas Trinkūnas, ed. Of Gods and Holidays. [ Vilnius ]: Tvermė, 1999. 110-111.

Jonas Trinkūnas.  Baltų tikėjimas: Lietuvių pasaulėjauta, papročiai, apeigos, ženklai. Vilnius : Diemedžio leidykla, 2000. 45. Pranė Dundulienė. Lietuvių šventės: Tradicijos, papročiai, apeigos. Vilnius: Mintis, 1981.(15 Sventes and 4 Solstice work/rest periods)