Life in the ruby. A town where the death of bees was reported

A town of extinct crabs

The place where I suspected the border guards is unusual. Now here are flat meadows. But a hundred years ago, the lake was roaring. The current road to Rakus runs along its shore. But probably no official knew. Like me, he didn’t suspect driving there.

Ivan, an illustrator from the village, told about the missing Motoro Lake a little later. According to Iván, this lake is also associated with the origin of the town’s name. The word “rak” in Russian means “cancer”. Now it would be difficult to understand why the village is called like this: there is only a small stream near the village. Now it is more like a drainage ditch.

However, for another century there were at least two large lakes near the settlement: the aforementioned Motor and Pelesa. And both disappeared. Therefore, it is very likely that Ivan is right. Launched a century ago, the town may have been a great town for fishermen and crayfish fishermen. Later, with the disappearance of the lakes, the meaning of fishing also disappeared, but the name remained, and after a time it was lithuanized, like other surrounding place names.

Half of the bottom of Lake Motoro now belongs to Belarus and the other half to Lithuania.

The cemetery and the chapel are shared amicably between Orthodox and Catholics.

Rakai is one of the few border villages in the region, which due to its identity and suffocation belongs to neighboring Belarus, but not to the country to which it is territorially assigned. According to Ivan, the entire country, from Belarus to Merky, once belonged to Belarus. And that is proven by the place names.

Orthodox and Catholics find their place side by side in Rak. They share a cemetery and even a house of prayer.

The cemetery appeared recently, after Lithuania gained independence. In the past, Orthodox peoples buried their relatives in Belarusian cemeteries. With the advent of state borders, the late were transported in secret for some time. With the strengthening of protection, that possibility has disappeared. New cemeteries had to be installed. A place near Rakai was chosen for this. Just a few hundred meters from the border with Belarus. The Catholics are buried on one side of the cemetery and the Orthodox on the other. The dead are now transported here by residents of various surrounding villages.

The history of Rakai Chapel deserves no less respect for friendship. Houses of prayer have been established on the premises of the old school. The chapel is shared by both denominations: Orthodox and Catholic.

The recently extinguished customs of death

Just a few years ago, burial customs that had existed for centuries in Rakai were broken. But they are still alive in people’s memory. Ivano too. He buried his father still according to the old traditions. Now you won’t see that anymore.

Now all the people shield the deceased at the funeral home, and his staff take care of him. In the past, everything was done in the home of the deceased. The death of a villager was first reported to his relatives, relatives and neighbors. The community then participated in the preparation of the funeral. There was a lot of work. It was necessary to fix the deceased, prepare the purchase, slaughter the pig, prepare the food.

The deceased was prepared for the farewell and the funeral by those closest to him. What now seems like something terrible and shocking used to be completely normal.

They covered mirrors at home and took out cats

The first job for a man to die before stopping is to lie down, tie his hands on his stomach, and tie his jaw. This is done so that the body is frozen in the usual way in a coffin. It would be a considerable challenge if the body was already frozen. Then the work got more complicated.

In the house where the deceased was, the mirrors were covered and the clocks were stopped. According to Ivan, the mirror was believed to be like a gateway to that world. And while the deceased was feeding at home, it was possible to see things there that were better not to see. Because they can cause irreversible damage to the person who saw them.

Ivan could not explain why the clocks stopped. How and why the body tried to keep the cat out of the house. Although he says he has heard something that cats show aggression to a fed up deceased.

The deceased had to be prepared before arming himself. They took off all of her clothes. The underwear was burned and the blouses were left behind. When people lived in poverty, they were left to continue with the children or, if they were not suitable for them, they were distributed.

The ancient inhabitants prepared for his funeral in advance.

After stripping the deceased, his relatives washed him. Not printed, but washed. Ivan emphasizes this. Wash the living and wash the dead.

The ancients were preparing for death beforehand. They saved money for the funeral, bought a suit or dress, shoes, and left everything ready in the closet. Everyone was told that these clothes were for a funeral. Some even prepared the tomb in advance and ordered the monument. Or even made his own.

He put a cross or an image of a saint and a candle in the hands of the deceased. It is true that they were not burned.

The coffin was made of pine boards. It was thought that the last house should be made of the same wood as the previous one. The locals call the coffin “domavina”, which comes from the word “dom” – house.

The coffin was placed in the promotion at home. If it was a hot summer, aromatic plants or twigs were placed in the room. After a while, an unpleasant smell appeared, so this tradition appeared only for practical reasons.

Deaths were also reported

If the deceased raise bees, they had to be properly informed. When his father died, Ivan went to each hive, silently tapping and saying the words to the bees orally or in his mind, “Bees, your master is dead. A new owner has arrived. “It was thought that if he did not, the bee colonies would fly away or die.

The deceased was never alone in the room. People were constantly on guard at the coffin and said goodbye to the dead. Usually they went in families or in groups. During the night, someone close to him stayed by the coffin. He could not sleep. Although everything happened.

On the second day, usually in the evening, relatives gather to say goodbye. In the past, those who came to say goodbye did not bring flower crowns. The most important thing was to come, remember the deceased and thus pay homage to him.

According to tradition, it was mandatory to invite singers. These were 5-6 men and women from Rakai and the surrounding villages. Because they know the Polish lament. And here all the Catholics called themselves Poles.

The assembled singers sang hymns all day. And in the evening they set the table for themselves and the others.

He was carried to the cross in an open coffin

He buried the deceased on the third day. He also asked for a priest that day. The audience sang holy hymns. And the whole tribe joined. Ivan says it was an unbreakable tradition. Even if they communicated little, they still came to say goodbye. “You can’t invite a wedding, but it’s a must,” says Ivan.

The deceased was carried out of the house with his feet forward. In the open casket, the men are led to the people’s cross. It is then loaded into a carriage or car and transported to the cemetery. While the funeral is taking place, the house is not empty. There is at least one person in them, although not the closest.

Before burying the deceased, he opened his hands, then covered the coffin with a lid and nailed it with four nails. The last point to note is that when the coffin is lowered into the well, the relatives throw three groups and only then are they buried.

Village mark on the ruby

We said goodbye to Ivan in the evening. I don’t want to bother a person for long. And the road is still long. The forest roads will have to go through the middle of the Gudai forest.

There are many more undescribed stories for the future. Ivan knows many of them. He is the illuminator of the people. About the rebels’ cross, about the Jews shot in the nearby village of Kalviai and then about their traitors, about the bending in Polish times, the forced driving to collective farms and the nationalization of the land.

Many stories. Most of them are painful. Like many rural souvenirs. Some of them will probably be forgotten by the dead villagers. The part will remain unknown to anyone.

Villages in the rubies of the states often have a more painful history than those in the depths of the country. They are constantly as between two mills. Rakai is one of them. And this is perfectly evidenced by the fact that this town has been ruled by 4 different states for the last hundred years.