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The ethnologist Eglė Valentė told the tv3.lt news portal what the significance of this celebration is, what the tradition of antiquity means and what activities should be avoided.
St. John’s or Rasa is a celebration of the solstice, when the night is the shortest and the day is the longest. The origins of this festival date back to ancient times, but the traditions and customs are still known and applied even today, and it was not until Christianity that the name of San Juan was called.
“The dew is a celebration when the sun is highest in the sky, it is the summer solstice. And it is as old as old, probably humanity itself, because man has always lived to the rhythm of the sun. But for us who feed on what the sun gives us with its light and heat, its journey through our land is extremely important. This celebration is the greatest, fullest, growing, flourishing, disseminating everything that grows ”, said the ethnologist.
It is necessary to weave a crown
And in fact, there are so many different rituals and customs that come from ancient times and are still prevalent in these times. One of the most important accents is the weaving of a wreath of flowering plants in the meadows.
“We know that the saints have a nimba, the king has a crown, and behold, the nimba, the crown and our crown are identical things. What crowns we weave, what wonderful flowers, such is our nymph, the crown. It symbolizes our strength, power, dispersion, it is committed to us, like everything else in nature, unfolding, blooming and being very wide, wide and, of course, ready to go to harvest. At the moment, our openness is extremely high, ”explained E. Valentė the importance of weaving crowns.
When the crown is braided and placed on the cross, a lighted candle is placed inside and the crown is thrown. In our mythology, what is under water is the place of the dead, so we spread the message by floating the crown.
“It is done so that we send a message about our propagation and a special desire to be more, to be more, to be better, that we are sending this message to our ancestors who are in the water, beyond the waters. By sending that message, we want your favor, your participation, because we are like a continuum of the wave ”.
It is customary to lift the axle through Jonines, a wagon wheel attached to a log of wood. Accompanying the sun, a fire was lit over it, giving meaning to the light that lasts the shortest night.
“What else do we do that day? We accompany the sun and give it a special meaning, raising the shaft and lighting the fire in the shaft as if to make sense that the shortest night is light.” The sun is inside us, we know that we have a solar plexus, it is that inner sun that turns on the axis that shows that we, even at night, are shining and the shortest night we are with the sun, which is known to come. the morning is coming back, it is flowing, ”said E. Valentė.
The search for the magic ring
Of course, what kind of St. John’s wort without finding a fern ring at midnight? It is true that this ring is more symbolic: the fern does not bloom, but, according to the ethnologist, it symbolizes self-knowledge.
“Of course, you can think of a wide variety of games with that, but the very real and sacred meaning of the symbol is that it is a sign of self-knowledge, knowledge, discovery and opening of your inner door. That is why those who go in search of a fern ring say in our folklore that we have to go to the fern, the rowan branch to define the circle, sit down and put a silk scarf on our knees. That’s when it comes to how black a dark cloud is. And if you are not afraid of it, it is pliumpt and descends to the mantle. Then tie a scarf and go home. If you have not talked to anyone and do not turn back, surely you will know the secret of the land, you will hear the language of birds and beasts. In other words, you will have omniscience. Then there can be a sage, a popular sage, and a healer. “
During the festival, the girls and boys went to the undergrowth and the dome. The dome is a meadow of yellowish and violet color, symbolizing the feminine and masculine beginnings. You should choose 9 or 12 herbs, every 9 or 12 steps. Then it is thrown into the fire to make reality what we have nurtured and prophesied.
“The dome is important because we compile a horoscope for the future for ourselves, in a modern way, but it will be a completely personal horoscope for us. Once assembled the dome can be inflated, usually during the celebration there are handlers who explain what these grasslands mean for each of us. Of course, each person has completely different grasslands, and this is what awaits us or what we expect from the period, which will be from the summer solstice to the winter solstice, that is, until Christmas ”, explained E. Valentė.
Wish you all the best
The dew that falls during the Running Festival is special: it cleans, illuminates, gives health, therefore, as soon as the dew falls, girls and women, as well as men, rushed to make a difference.
St. John’s wort does not do without burning bonfires, so it is necessary to dance between bonfires during this festival. Fire is believed to cleanse, purify, and protect man from evil spirits. Don’t forget to choose the herbs – they have the most healing powers during Rasa. It is also customary to spend this vacation with loved ones, friends, so speak up and wish only good things.
“There is a depth and beauty of endless communication, mutual relationships during this celebration, so let’s communicate and wish each other the best, because this celebration is – we are the most revealed. What we wish for each other, we hope, will be fulfilled to the fullest. “.
Avoid barns, anger, and disagreements on this day. The ethnologist also advises avoiding alcohol, because this party is not alcohol-friendly, because it is a party of dew, special water, so let’s enjoy together a cheerful and luminous presence.
E. Valentė says that it usually rains during Rasa, so this year it probably will. The interlocutor also says that this summer should be a little different than what we are used to.
“What summer will be like and what the weather will be like, we can look back to winter, because there is more guesswork in the winter months. From what I can remember, this summer should be rainier, a little colder than usual. On the other hand. hand, Lithuania is always great because where the sand is best, when it rains, where the clay is best, when it is dry. Whether we get a big harvest in one country or another, we will take care of that now, because this holiday is the unfolding of the ring and this period ends with the fact that now will be the moment of ripening, of going to harvest. “
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