All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day in Lithuania

THE DAY FOR CELEBRATING THE DEAD in LITHUANIA – November 1st

In Lithuania, remembrance of the dead took place during all annual feast days. Come autumn, when all work was done, Lithuanians carried out special rituals honoring the souls of their dead ancestors.
The ritual traditions of the dead were directly related to peoples' belief that on that day the souls of the dead return to earth, to their homes. All 16th and 19th century writings single out hospitality shown to the souls of the dead. According to M.Strijovskis, during this feast people gathered in cemeteries, where women sobbed and lamented over their men, remembering their valor, honesty and good habits. Afterwards the women prepared plentiful suppers. The Kuronians, Ziemgals, Prussians, remembering their dead would go straight from church to a tavern, where they brewed beer, women brought baskets filled with cold, cooked and baked fish, which was eaten without knives. Portions of food and drink were poured under the table.
M.Pretorijus writing about traditions of Westernmost Lithuania said: " the soul of the dead cannot rest if the table is not set". Historian T.Narbutas, writes in the 19th century that on the eve of the Day of the Dead, father gathered the family around the table and recited this prayer: " dear souls of the dead, you are still remembered by the members of my family, you are most worthy of our perpetual remembrance, especially you, my grandparents, my parents, also our relatives, children and everyone whom death took away from our home. I invite you to this annual feast. We wish that this feast is agreeable to you, just like memory of all of you, is to us ''. After a short silence, father asks everyone to sit at the table and eat. Food was eaten in silence.
At the beginning of the 19th century, in the district of Noèia, county of Lyda, Lithuanians prepared twelve different dark foods. People gathered around the table quietly. It was believed that the souls of the dead partook of the meal together with the living members. Even at the beginning of the 20th century, in some parts of Lithuania, an assortment of foods was brought to cemeteries at the beginning of November and left there. Upon returning home from the cemetery, all family members went to wash in the bathhouse. Supper of seven different foods of meat, grains and eggs was prepared and the table was set in a room with windows and doors open wide. The oldest person picked up a candle, circled it around his head and three times around the food then lit it and set it on the table. Everyone spilled a portion of his drink, where no one sat at the corner of the table, saying, " this is for you, dear souls". An assortment of foods was also placed on that corner of the table and then everyone began to eat.
On All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, year after year, Lithuanian gravesites are decorated with most beautiful flowers and burning candles.

Rima Stongviliene,

Velzys gymnasium