Many elements of a nations’s culture are intangible, including song, music, dance, drama, skills, cuisine, crafts and festivals. They are forms of culture that can be recorded but cannot be touched or stored in physical form. The Lithuanian inventory of intangible cultural heritage is curated by the National Cultural Centre, which welcomed eleven new items to the list this year.
Its purpose is to ensure the preservation of various aspects of culture and to promote unique customs and their practice. Newly listed are amber gathering at the seashore, barn theatre, heraldry customs, Yiddish language usage, Hodgepodge or “šiupinys” in Lithuania Minor, May Masses (Šukioniai), forest bonds, St. Mary Magdalen Church festivals (Veiviržėnai), horse ploughing (Lazdijai), chicory or acorn coffee drinking in Lithuania Minor, and the sweat-bath (Finnish sauna).
Since ancient times, people used a multitude of methods to gather amber. They excavated the seabed, dived for it, and dragged it with nets between boats, but long-handled baskets or nets were used the most. There are families in places such as Palanga, Nida and Karklė where generations of families continue amber gathering.
The barn theatre tradition developed in Lithuanian rural communities at the end of the 19th century, and is still popular. The barn theatre “Gegnė” in Taukaičiai is one of the most active, with a community of relatives who have sustained it through many generations. The plays are adapted for rural communities, and feature old songs, music, dances, games and oral folk traditions.
Lithuanian heraldry, the creation and designated use of coats of arms to distinguish families, municipalities, institutions or corporations is governed by certain rules. It became known in the 14th century when Lithuanian rulers, dukes and nobles used distinctive stamps and dynastic coats of arms. Heraldry is currently experiencing a renaissance in Lithuania. Coats of arms and heraldic images are a form of communication, displaying and giving meaning to the history, status, and customs of a nation, institution or family.
The Lithuanian Yiddish dialect came into usage throughout the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in about the 15th century, with the advent of Ashkenazi Jews from Western and Central Europe. Called “Litviš”, it is a non-Hebrew dialect rich in vocabulary and grammatical forms, and is a significant cultural phenomenon in the Jewish diaspora.
Written sources reveal that “šiupinys” has been a ritual meal in Lithuania Minor since the 18th century. It is a stew of pig’s head, hocks and tails, with peas, groats, and potatoes. The name comes from the German schuppnis, and was a popular, easily made pub food for travellers in Eastern Prussia. After 1990, the organization “Mažoji Lietuva” (Lithuania Minor), whose members (and traditionally, residents of former Lithuania Minor, called “lietuvninkai”) renewed the Šiupinys dinner tradition in Klaipėda. The event is held commonly on Shrove Tuesday in various communities in the Klaipėda area and in Lutheran parishes, and includes music, hymns and songs.
Mojavos are Masses held daily during the month of May to honour the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a community custom, which began in 1898 when poet Rev. Antanas Baranauskas adapted the liturgy and established a hymn-list for these Masses. Exclusively in the village of Šukionys in northeastern Lithuania, the tradition of May prayers and hymns, called mojavojimas, has been practiced by villagers in their homes for more than 115 years.
The St. Mary Magdalen Festival in Veiviržėnai (northwestern Lithuania) has been celebrated since 1785 on the Sunday closest to July 22. High Mass is followed by a procession of the congregation through the village streets, and a market, concert and other events.
The concept of forest bonds involves the entirety of personal, community and national worldviews, knowledge, skills and activities, and living in forested areas. It is often thought of as an inherent characteristic of Lithuanians. Forest conservation is the responsibility of municipalities, organizations, communities and individuals, and includes education to promote awareness and sustainable living.
In the southern region of Lazdijai, near Poland, the custom of horse-ploughing is being revived. In some families the tradition has been handed down through generations, with all the necessary skills, equipment and rituals, such as the first row being ploughed after St. George’s Day, once the weather is warmer and thunder has rumbled. The plough must first circle a handful of Easter eggs or a slice of bread placed on the ground to ensure a good crop. The prepared field is sown with rye, and at dinner the farmer is presented with a loaf of bread, while eldest and youngest ploughmen are honoured with wreaths of oak leaves.
“Kafija” is coffee in the dialect of Lithuania Minor. It can be made of coffee beans or acorns, chicory, carrots, barley, wheat or rye. Lithuanians of that region (lietuvininkai) began drinking coffee from Germany in the second half of the 18th century. The meeting of friends, family or relatives to drink “kafija” together is called “palaunagė” (a refreshment between lunch and dinner). The custom has been revived at community gatherings, and an annual Coffee Day (Kafijos diena) has been organized since 2019.
Since ancient times sweat-baths (or saunas) have been popular throughout Lithuania. Although the custom had almost disappeared by 1990, about 20 years ago an organization called the “Lithuanian Sweatbath Academy” began courses and other events to renew this practice.
The new entries in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritiage will be presented at an event at Vilnius City Hall on March 28.
