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Ethnologist Libertas Klimka told more about Lithuanian Pentecostal traditions, signs of nature and what kind of summer awaits on the tv3.lt news portal.
This celebration takes place at the most beautiful moment: when everything is green, nature is fully awake, various flowers of the field are blooming. The main focus is on plants, animals, and shepherds.
“The celebration of Pentecost has many traditional customs. Well, it is not only very important as a church holiday, but it is a very beautiful moment when the same spree of nature, when the smells and the snow bloom.
Of course, our peasant culture is wrapped in customs that express joy because the harvest is already growing. Together they are the care of the animals, the days of the shepherds. Therefore, there are many connections with our nature in that celebration ”, explained L. Klimka.
Respect expressed for rye
Previously, Pentecost was a three-day celebration. On the first day, Sunday, the people returning from church became involved in traditions and customs. One of them are birch branches to surround the house, which they did before Pentecost.
“Before Pentecost, birch twigs were decorated starting from the patio door, the front door of the house, inside the hut, a baptismal font. The birch greenery is so refreshing, so beautiful, that it expresses the essence of the celebration that nature is full of such greenery, the green wave has crossed Lithuania and made everyone happy. “
Farmers traveled to visit the rye field to see how it grew. Singing and special songs glorifying rye as future survivors.
There are even songs specific to wigs, mostly young people sing there. The rye is glorified there as the giver of the future bread, and it is hoped that calamities will not arise during growth, that the ice will not break down, and that the plagues will not be attacked.
Sometimes he was sitting by the rye field, that is, when the weather was nice and he was having fun. And yet the close neighbors were coming together somewhere. There was such a party, happy next summer, ”said the ethnologist.
The hosts paced the kitchen, preparing lunch. It is said that each member of the family should have eaten 7 dumplings, noting that Pentecost was 7 weeks from Passover.
Piemenflower traditions are exceptional
At the dawn of Pentecost, the shepherds rushed to get up as early as possible, rushing to graze the animals. Staying last meant a nickname for the whole year and not the nicest jobs.
“It was believed that every time Pentecost was played, here in the village, all the shepherds were invited in this way when the flock grazed together. The hand of Pentecost will sound and whoever joins all the shepherds will be called the Crackler all year long and all unpleasant obligations will fall on him, ”said L. Klimka.
When it was time to bring the animals home, the shepherds decorated the cows and sheep with wreaths of flowers, and the animals were groomed by singing special songs and demonstrations. Later, the bravest went through town to visit the hostesses.
“Some more courageous shepherds take a walk and go through the village to visit the hosts. And at the same time, when you come to each farm, you wish the village hosts have the best of luck in your farm work. The hosts are already anticipated that they will come and need to be pampered and have rewarded them with delicacies. Everything was put on that roll: eggs, cheese, and sausage. In recent times, in our centuries, and money has been put in, because it is a great feast for shepherds ”.
After collecting the dowry, receiving various delicacies, the shepherds chose a beautiful place near the forest and held a feast there. The most important accent is scrambled eggs. After preparing the feast, a shepherd climbed a tree and tried to reach an agreement with the inhabitants of the forest.
“It is very interesting that the older shepherd, who was climbing high in the tree, was shouting at the beasts of the forest to gather to eat. Those who caused trouble for the pack: wolves, lynxes. Three times in hell he screamed for the beasts to come with the shepherds.
Of course, they do not respond, then the pastor, as if angry, shouts “That does not come to us all year long.” It is a custom of seeking harmony with the beasts of the forest, dating back to the Stone Age to the present day. A very interesting ceremony, to come to terms with the beasts of the forest. We respect them, we invite them to a party together, but our flock is no longer touched ”, said the ethnologist about the traditions.
The second day is for the youth
At dawn on Monday morning, the shepherds were allowed to sleep more, rest and the animals were rescued to the fields by the girls of the family, who had previously found a beautiful place, an unsaved place, and then sang to each other. songs there.
“They sing the beautiful hornbill songs as they graze there. This whole custom of the second day when the girls are grazing is called tomorrow. These are probably the most lyrical, the most beautiful of our folklore. They also respond to such flowering, prosperity and human youth of nature. Very often, the life of a girl, a boy, her youth is compared to nature, how everything in nature has now turned green, blossomed, and this is how the feelings of young people converge ”.
Soon the boys joined in, bringing their instruments and accepting the singing. Later it was time for games. After choosing the most beautiful girl in town, the coolest boy for her, a fake wedding was held.
“It’s like a ceremonial part: young people played fake weddings. Which girl would suit which boy? Here, by mutual agreement, they choose the bride, the most beautiful girl in town, the coolest boy for her as a couple, and then the wedding escort is paired, whoever is left without a partner will wake up with the priest and appoint him.
Then such fake weddings are played out, during which it is possible to say a softer word to the viewer or what kind of confession, something else, promise to send matchmakers, ”the ethnologist taught about the traditions of fake weddings.
One of the most interesting and unique customs, the equivalent of which we can only find in the Far East: when the girls returned home, they were greeted by the hostess with a bucket of water with milk and sprinkled with it.
“Here you want the summer to be warm, rainy, that the grass grows well, that the cows give a lot of milk and that the girls are as if they had been swimming from milk – it would be beautiful to marry well in a good family. It is a very custom ancient, very archaic and very rare ”.
What do the signs of nature say about the coming summer?
On the third day of Pentecost, it is not appropriate to work hard, it is time to rest and relax. It was thought that with the start of more serious work, hail would enter, causing damage to the plants.
“The third day of Pentecost has been called the day of ice cream since ancient times, just as after Passover, the third day is called the day of laziness. On the third day of Pentecost, do not move the ground, otherwise the hail may damage the harvest. Here, the evil winter goddess Leda can take revenge in this way for not honoring her. What a rest day after the holidays, ”said L. Klimka.
And in the week before Pentecost, during the sixth century, people were exploring nature, looking for signs that would give away what summer awaits them. The owl, where its nest was twisted, was particularly important to farmers, helping them decide where to plant, for example, potatoes.
“It was important for the farmer to see where the nest turned, be it on a slope or a hill, it was important for the farmer that it rained a lot. If the owl turns its nest on the hill, then the summer will be dry, there will be little rain, and if on the hill, the owl also does not want the nest to be on the ball, then on the hill, it means that the summer is rainy ” .
The prophets were also other inhabitants of nature, especially ants. According to its anthill, it was possible to judge whether dry, hot was waiting for the summer.
“The field ants observed how they make their nests, either on the ground or in the grass. Summer rain depends on it again. If it lands, the summer will be dry, with little rain. Then they looked in which direction the opening towards the anthill, if towards the north it would be hot in summer, if towards the south it would be cold ”, explained the ethnologist.
When asked what kind of summer awaits him, L. Klimka sees the climate change so far. It will remind us of the last days: we will have sun and rain.
“As much as I was in the wild now, I tried to summarize those popular observations, it seems to me that the summer will be contrasting. Everything will be, and there will be no lack of rain or heat.
Especially the first half of summer can be so contrasting, it will rain, the sun will shine again and the heat will subside, it will be a gloomier day again. The other half, as we get closer to fall, it looks like there will be fewer contrasts. “
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