Vilnius, Kaziuko Muge 2013

Vilnius, Kaziuko Muge 2013 

Kazimeras Fair

Kazuiko muge is the largest market of hand made crafts in Eastern Europe and people come from all over to shop till you drop. Wood carvings, iron crosses, woven textiles of all kinds, smoked meats,fish, eels and cheese. For Lithuanians, it is seen as a place to buy something to show national pride in the crafts.

Kazuiko Muge marks the official beginning of Spring and is named after Lithuanias only saint, Kazimeras.

The Vilnius verbas were very pretty and wish I could take a few home but I doubt that they would get through customs.

There was some interesting metal works. This was a barbecue with it's own smoker.

There were lots of stalls selling smoked Eels and other meats.

There were quite a few jewelers who made reproductions from jewelry found in archaeological digs. I had to buy some, I mean, lots.

There were a few funny woodwork and ceramic pieces.

Wood carvings were amazingly well done

Some of the ladies in our group for the parade.

The Iron Wolf is always a big hit because of the tale.

Even the Hare Krishnas came out to sing and dance

I was honoured to help carry Kalvelis, the Smith God, who forged the Sun and threw her into the sky according to Lithuanian mythology.

I was wearing a reproduction of a 6th century outfit worn by my Samogitian ancestors. It was a very proud day for me!

You can see me briefy on this youtube clip around 3 minutes in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2xzdr3w4E0

Romuvos wedding in Lithuania

Family gathers in 2 rows and holds sashes above their heads so the bride and groom can pass under.

-The bride and groom were led to the altar and the Fire rite was performed.

The bride and groom were led to the altar and the Fire rite was performed.

There was a round metal dish in legs that had lit tea candles in it as it was held indoors.

Everyone stands in a circle.

Gabija was honoured with offerings,(of grains), and asked to bless the couple.

The Mothers and Grand mothers made an offering to Gabija, wishing blessings on the couple.

Perkunas was honoured and asked to strengthen the couple.

The Ancestors were asked to guide the couple

Songs were sung to Gabija and Perkunas.

The sash is passed lengthways amongst all the attending family and friends where everyone imbues it with blessings and well wishes as they feel the texture of the sash in it’s entirety,(full length).

-They held hands and a, ”Stone of Perkunas”, was placed in their palms.

-It was at this time that the sash had done the full circle and so were bound with the sash and led 3 times around the fire altar.

-Previous to this, grains of wheat were handed out to all and threw them on the passing couple as they went round.

-A blessing of Austeja was made to the couple.

-The couple were then handed a double cup where they drank mead simultaneously.

-A bowl of honey was handed to the couple where they fed each other a spoon of the honey.

-Kausas with mead, was passed around clockwise and each person in turn wishes the couple, good tidings, before they take a sip and pass it to the next person, who does the same.

-Songs were sung to Perkunas to wish strength and might to the couples bond.

-Wedding ceremony is over and the family and guests continue on with the reception.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfdv6v6lPnU

This is a very nice clip of the traditional Lithuanian wedding which is an ancient form of Handfasting.
The opening caption reads,
Lithuanian wedding:Summer in Naisiu
Singer: Veronika Povilioniene
Photographer:Ramunas Karbauskis
Songs, "I sit at the Window",
"growing in the yard dulele", "golden hills", and,"golden Mansions"
folk activity developper: Aras Zvirblys
Kankles player: Ingrid Spalinskaite

Alphabet of Romuva from Lithuanian Indigenous faith by Steve Kryzius

A is for,  

 Aitvaras, demon falling Star, Rooster with a fiery tail. He will return all things if he makes your home, his.

 Austeja, Goddess of Bees, who teaches us to live as a working hive like community.

Akmuo the Rock of ages who gives us strength as hard as stone,when we are in need.

__________________________________________________________

B is for,

Boba, magical Hag of Winter

  

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C is for, 

Choras, the choir in which we love to sing 

the Cepeleniai which we love to eat

  __________________________________________________

D is for,

Dievas, Shining Sky God, comes as an old beggar, to check on your Dora, morality of hospitality to those less fortunate, 

Laima Dalia , Goddess of Fate who gives a better allotment and share in life,

Daina, the name of our songs to the Gods and Goddesses of Nature.

___________________________________________________________

E is for,

Egle, the whispering Fir Tree who tells the tale, the King of Serpents,

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F is for, 

the sacred Fire, Ugnis, who we give our offerings to the Gods, Goddesses and Ancestors by performing the Fire Rite. We offer songs, dances, grain, mead, beer, tea, wood, flowers. Apples are roasted and eaten afterwards after being imbued with the energies raised during the Rite.

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G is for,

Gediminas, the last Pagan King who worshiped 

Perkunas and Medeina. Still remembered by all Lithuanians.

Our most sacred Gabija, Goddess of the home hearth, grains and bakery, holy Guardian Goddess of Fire.

 Through the Fire of dear Gabija, we transform ourselves from grain to bread in order to nourish humankind and the Earth. On the 2nd of Feburary, here in Australia, we celebrate the day of Gabija. 

Giltine, Goddess of Fate and comes for you when your time is up. She cuts the thread and will light the way to paradise.

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H is for,

Harmony, to which we all aspire, and 

sweet Honey, gift of the Gods,

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I is for,

when you experience being Interconnected within yourself, with your human community and the community of Nature. Interconnected with Gods and Goddesses of the celestial and terrestrial realms, their cycles and Nature. Sky father, Earth Mother, all life in what seems sometimes, a precarious balance, constantly changing, constantly moving but if we strive to be Interconnected, when the Earth moves, so will we, in harmony, will adapt more easily. This is the path of Romuva.

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J is for, 

Jurate, folktale of the Mermaid Goddess of the sea, living in an amber palace, falls in love with the handsome fisherman, Kestytis and meets the wrath of Perkunas, the Thunderer.

Jore, Important celebration of the flourishing of Nature and the name of our God of the Spring Thunder who shakes the roots in the ground to wake up all nature after Winter slumber

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K is for,

the beautiful Kupole, Spirit of blossoming vegetation, celebrated at Rasa, Summer Solstice,

Kaukas, a Spirit of Dwarves, who steal our potatoes, but bring us good fortune and luck.

Kūčios and Kalėdos, Eve of Winter Solstice and day of Winter Solstice, now called Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Feasting with the Ancestors, divinations and celebrating the return of the dear Sun with lots of candles to give Her more strength.

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L is for,

Laima, Goddess of Fate and Fortune, she weaves for us such a beautifully woven sash of many colours. For every twist and curve in life, we give thanks to her, 

Lietuva, the name of our life blood, our land, our country,

Lygiadienis, Equinox of the Spring and Autumn, the whole world in balance.

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M is for,

Medeina, Protector Goddess of the Forest and all who live in her,

Menulis, Shining prince God of the heavens, dear Moon, Fullness to you and health and beauty to me, 

Milda, Goddess of Love, and a festival in her honour

Motule, Mamyte, Mociute, Motinele, just a few of the 80 names for Mother in Lithuanian language, we love our Mothers that much! We have many Mothers all of which care for us as a Mother does.

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N is for 

Nijole mistress of the Underworld, 

Nykstukas are the Gnomes who are house spirits of the realm of the dead in the Underworld 

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O is represents,

the endless circle, no beginning and no end. Like a compass, the love of our Ancestors and Deities draws our circle just. 

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P is for

 Perkunas of Oak, our greatest God, the mighty Thunderer, crossing the dark skies on his chariot led by Goats. Once fell in love with the Rainbow Fairy and was to marry on a Thursday long ago. Velnias, devil, God of the Underworld who kidnapped her, and to this day, Perkunas is still chasing him to punish him. 

On the 5th of Feburary, here in Australia, we celebrate the Day of Perkunas.

Praamžius, God who comes from before eternity, during eternity and beyond eternity,

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Q 

isn't used in Lithuanian language so we'll just say Q is for the peace and Quiet we enjoy when we are in Nature. Our hearts do sigh and sometimes moves us to tears.

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R is for 

 Rimo, the Lithuanian chant equivalent to the "Aum" and brings much peace to your Soul.

Rimo, rimo, tuto, rimo rimo, tuto, sutarjella, sutarjella. repeat

meaning: 

Peace, peace, strength, peace, peace, strength, 

in harmony/in agreeance. in harmony/in agreeance.

and could also be translated as:

Feminine, feminine, male, feminine, feminine, masculine,

in harmony/in agreeance. in harmony/in agreeance

Ragana, Goddess of Witchcraft, Regeneratrix of nature causing the decline of nature in the cycles of the seasons, Spellcaster.

Rasa, meaning, Morning Dew, Goddess of Summers abundant foliage and flowers. Celebrated the night of the Summer Solstice, we call this time after Her, Rasa. With fires, divination songs and dances, we ward off Ragana from causing her impending demise of nature, for another year.

Romuva, the path of peace, the path of harmony, the path of my Ancestors.

Rugiu, glorious plant Rye, to make our daily bread. Miracle plant who survives the long Winter to rise up to the Sun. We celebrate the harvest, in Australia on the 26th of January. Yes Australia day! A great day to be thankful for the harvest that feeds us.

Ragutis, God of Beer, vodka and mead fermentation and also fermented foods. Married to Ragutiene, Goddess of the same and both celebrated on the Autumn Equinox.

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S is for 

Sielos, the other half of our Spirit that remains in nature to help everything to blossom and bloom, 

Saule, our dear Mother Sun who warms and comforts us after a cold night, rising every day, reliably, like a Mother, to greet my smiling face, and with her setting, such beautiful vistas of red and gold, which leave me speechless.

Saule helps Mother Earth to grow our crops, which sustain and nourish us, throughout all of our days,

Svente, the name of our celebrations, for festivals and Holydays.

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T is for 

Tevialis, Tevas,  our timeless Father whom we hold dear.

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U is for 

Užgavenes, also known as Mardi Gras, Pancake Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday. A Pagan celebration to escort Winter away and welcome Spring,

 Undines, Nymphs and Sprites of the watery realm.

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V is for,

Velines, the name of the celebration of our Ancestors (Proteviu Veles) and fallen Heroes, on ANZAC Day here in Australia, we gather in the cemetery to brighten every grave with candlelight, we remember them well, sing and chant then feast with the Veles. 

May your memory of us be as sweet for you, as it is for us.

Velykos, Springtime remembrance of the Dead, (Veles). A time to celebrate the new life of Nature with painted eggs and swings. Christians, now call this time Easter.

Veliouna, to whom we give thanks for being caretaker of our much loved Deceased in the Underworld, far away,

 Velnias, Devil from the Underworld, one of many, not too bright and easily fooled but still prefer not to mess with them.

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W 

is another letter not used in Lithuanian language,

so W is for Wisdom of our Ancestors and Guides which leads us well throughout our life.

They protect us, unite us, sustain, nourish and comfort us.

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X 

is for the ancient Pagan Cross, Fire Cross, Thunder Cross, Sun Cross, Snake Cross and Fairy Cross, just to name a few. Whirling forces of creation and my own proud name of Kryžius.

  

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Y 

is the shape that I make when I pray to the Deities and Ancestors, with love, gratitude and joy, I give my offerings.

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Z is for,

Žemyna, Mother Earth, Mother to us all, from Her we were born, in which we live and are sustained by her great harvest, and to Her, we shall return,

Žempatis God of the homestead and its land,

Žiburinis, twinkling light in the dark times, 

Žvaigždė, our Sister Stars who guide us at night in life and lead us along the Milky Way in death, to the glass mountain which we must climb so we can get to Paradise called Dausos. Our true selves, our Spirit, in 2 parts, is made up of Star dust and Earth dust. Stars, you are our Sisters. Earth, Žemyna, you are our Mother and to you both, we shall return.

Science, knowledge and Spirituality. An oxymoron?

A recent thread on naturalistic Pagans yahoo group got me thinking and questioning my own thought processes concerning Science, Knowledge and Spirituality. Does an understanding of Science preclude you from Spirituality? In short ,my answer is an emphatic "no", and the following is a reflection of my own reflections.
What it all boils down to is that the Ancestors didn't have the privilege of modern science but they had something quite different and in many cases have been lost in the mists of time. eg Ancient humankind were master Astronomers and aster Mathematicians who were able to build Stonehenge of England, the pyramids of Cairo and the temples of Angkor Wat. The best of Human kinds engineers, could not build such elaborate buildings today given the same tools.
The goal of Science is simply, how do we live as better human beings within the world of Nature. I believe that today science has been over convoluted.  I believe that the old ways have much to teach us today in this overcomplicated world. Science, sociology and psychology have been elaborated upon until the true goal has been lost. I believe that goal is simply, how do we live as better human beings within the world of Nature. 

The Science of our Ancestors was rudimentary but it guided people in how to tread lightly on this Earth, understanding that we need her more than she needs us. This may have been a superstition of the past but now proven as truth by science.  I believe that goal is 
  Right and wrong, good and bad within the minds of humankind is never static but constantly changing/evolving throughout the ages,at times moving toward, and at times moving away from, the Cosmic right and wrong, which isn't as fickle as the sense of humankind.

For example, our Ancestors from long ago, lived with nature as a sacred expression of the Divine. All of Nature was considered as sacred and the belief that Nature looks after humankind if humankind looks after Nature was common among so many races.

Compare that description of common Pagan mentality to the modern idea that it is ok to deforest and rape the Earth for minerals for financial gain, causing loss of habitat for the animals that we rely on for balance of our own ecosystem. 

Some may say that I am a romanticist of the Ancestors but I do understand that not ALL the Ancestors had these ideals. Some races did hunt numerous animals into extinction and some like the Australian Aboriginals used middens to observe which shellfish had been collected most recently and avoid fishing for them.  

Humankind is constantly evolving and I am grateful for the sciences that help us to tread lightly on this Earth, understanding that we need her more than she needs us. This may have been a superstition of the past but now proven as truth by science. 

I don't mean to stir up controversy, I am just advocating for healthy superstition. In Lithuania there are literally thousands of superstitions that defy logic and I have been constantly surprised how these have power within the psyche of the people. It does require more investigation and I would say that academics like Ethnographers,Psychologists and Sociologists would be more equipped to do this.

This is my first post in this group. I am an Australian Lithuanian reconstructionist.

I am an adherent of Romuva, an educated and ,(I believe), a rational person, I have chosen to learn how my ancestors thought and rationalised their world, so that I may have a glimpse into what caused such wholesome living with each other, and the natural world around them.

I believe that I can  incorporate the Baltic worldview into my own life so I may learn to live in the same harmony. I am still rational and know that a shooting Star is space dust falling through our atmosphere but I like to see it as an Aitvaras as did my ancestors. I know the Sun is a celestial burning ball of gases but I choose to see it as the mother Goddess Saule (Sun). You see, it's not easy to explain, but having a personal connectedness to the sacred world of nature, one is able to truly connect into the universal web of life. Harmony,within and without, is possible by learning the old ways and worldview.

Now what has this got to do with superstition you might be asking? Superstition within a culture alludes to the worldview of that race of people. Superstition can be limiting or liberating and many come with remedies to reverse bad luck which keep people positive about their future. Some may argue that superstition comes from unscientific ignorance but I have found that superstition of my ancestors have allowed me to see the world as simply magical in all her cycles. Superstition has allowed me to see that all nature is sacred and allowed me a unique personal connectedness with it.

Harmony is ever changing and never static, it can be like a moon bean glowing on a mossy rock. It may be brief and fleeting at times, but I believe that if we constantly strive for connectedness then harmony will never be lost for long.

Three parts of the Lithuanian Cosmic Tree

The Lithuanian Cosmic Tree is a culturally unique representation of the worldveiw of the ancient Lithuanians and even Baltic peoples. Although the Cosmic/world Tree is a global phenomenum in so many religions of such cultures including the Indo Europeans, Siberian and North American Indian. You might think that these cultures are few in our huge world. The Indo Europeans were a very large tribe who developped into the nations we know today as:

*Baltic, 

*Slavic, 

*Celtic, 

*Germanic, 

*Anatolian, 

*Indic, 

*Indo Iranian, 

*Hellenic

The following clip explains quite well the diversity of nations that grew from the Proto Indo European peoples (PIE)          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74_3i53u8so

The World or Cosmic Tree features in the mythology of so many cultures that it really is evident of the importance of this motif in the way peoples lived day to day, worshipped, and rationalised the world and universe around them. The variations on the description and theme of the World Tree is very diverse and too numerous to state the differences. The differences are really inconsequential to the over all ideal of the World Tree. The basics are still the same:

1. The tree is a symbol representing the 3 realms of the cosmos,the upper worlds of the Gods, Goddesses and heroes in the branches, the middle world of the living in the trunk and the lower world of the past,deceased Ancestors and earthly deities in the roots. This symbol of the Tree, transcends time and space. The Cosmic Tree not only represents the cosmic order of the universe but also is superimposed in our psyche and being. It is for this reason we could also refer to the Cosmic Tree as a heirogyph.
2. The Tree remminds us of the continual harmony between these 3 realms of the cosmos. The Tree inspires us to strive for/nurture and maintain this same harmony, in our own personal lives.
3. The Tree is a gateway to the other realms through which we can communicate with our ancestors, the Deities above and below, and all Spirits in between.
4. The tree is also symbolic of nature's nurture of all life including humankind. Trees produce oxygen vital to all animate life, Trees are natural ecosystems and homes to all manner of life, from insects to mammals. Trees provided for early humans in a very practical earthly way, provides for us the wood to build our homes, wood to cook our food, wood to keep us warm and light the way in the night.