Feasts
Romuva feasts are based on traditional archaic Lithuanian customs preserved in authenthic form, folklore. All these feasts are based on rhythms of nature and containing ancient agrarian rituals. Year is a circle marked by two sun solstices and two equinoxes and in such way divided into 4 periods. During these periods intermediate feasts are celebrated.
- Pusiaužiemis (celebrated in January) is change of nature (cosmos) in winter. All the hibernating creatures wake up and declare about possible climatic conditions. Grass-snake is important mythological creature which crawls on festive table and hallows food. This means a good yield and luck coming new year. Romuva officiates rites to thank Gods and dances traditional grass-snake dance preserved in folklore.
- In February Romuva celebrates The day of Gabija (family and household goddess), The day of Perkūnas (Thunder-god), Užgavėnės and The day of Pilėnai.
Užgavėnės is one of the most ancient Lithuanian folk feastes celebrated since prehistoric times containing worship of totem animals and ancestors.
Ancient Užgavėnės rituals:
- Eat of festive fat food and masquerade.
- Horse race
- Destruction of feminine or masculine kind of idol symbolizing bad winter spirits
- Fight of two spirits Lašininis and Kanapinis simbolizing fight of winter and spring. Kanapinis always wins.
- Play of funeral and wedding.
- Various folk magic practices
Important mythological figures in Užgavėnės are Bear, Heron, mythical deities and spirits of underworld or connected with death and spells: Ragana and Velnias (deities of underworld), witches, demons, animals-spirits, ethnic minorities symbolizing strangers from the other side.
The day of Pilėnai symbolizes old Lithuanian faith against Christianity and crusaders.
- In March Spring equinox is celebrated.
- In April Jorė is celebrated. Jore is festival of spring Thundergod Perkūnas who awakes nature and fertility.
- In May Milda festival is celebrated. Milda is probably in 19th century invented Lithuanian love goddess, anyway traditional may feasts are connected with love, delight and youth. In villages Gegužines are celebrated during the whole month. Important mythological creature during May feasts and Milda is Cuckoo. She is zoomorphic shape or symbol of Laima, goddess of birth and destiny. She is one of the most important deities in Lithuanian folklore, similar to ancient Greek Ananke (mythology) and Moirai when Laima appears in trinity.
- In June Summer solstice (Rasos, Kupolinės) is celebrated.
- In July The day of Mindaugas crown is celebrated.
- In August Žolinė (The day of Grass) is celebrated. This feast was adopted in Christianity and marked as Mary assumption. In Lithuanian tradition Žolinė was the day of natural vegetation and Mother Earth – Žemyna.
- In September the autumn equinox and The day of Perkūnas is celebrated. In Lithuania the autumn equinox is marked as day of Baltic solidarity.
- In October the day of Krivis (Lithuanian pagan supreme priest) is celebrated.
- In November the Day of all souls is celebrated. Its ancient Lithuanian winter feast containing worship of the ancestors' spirits.
- In December Kūčios and Kalėdos is celebrated, also The day of Praamžius (God Of The Beginning) during the winter solstice.
Read more about this topic: Romuva (religion)