Mardi Gras (Uzgavenes) celebration in Lithuania

Today Lithuania celebrates Mardi Gras or Uzgavenes (in Lithuanian). It is a festival celebrated 7 weeks before Eastern and before the beginning of the Lent. Uzgavenes represents the end of winter and the beginning of spring. The festival has deep pagan roots. People make and put on scary masks and carnival costumes. The most popular characters are witches, devils, goats, beggars, horses, cranes, gypsies. The masks in Lithuania are very different from those in other countries.

Pictures are made in celebration of Uzgavenes in Vilnius, 2011.

People celebrate Uzgavenes dancing, singing, playing games and competing in various competitions. The celebration must be loud to scare off the winter. The defeat of winter is also represented by a theatrical battle between Lasininis (Porker) and Kanapinis (Hempen man). The fat Lasininis represent winter and his opposite Kanapinis represent spring. Of course Kanapinis always wins :) The celebration also includes the burning of the effigy of winter, named More.

Uzgavenes dancing

Singing

Lasininis and Kanapinis

The traditional Uzgavenes food is pancakes. They symbolize the returning sun because of their round shape. You have to eat a lot on Uzgavenes day to stay strong and healthy all year.

For me Uzgavenes was a special day when I was a kid. In Lithuania we have tradition for children to put on masks and go from door to door asking for sweets, pancakes or money on Mardi Gras. It’s like children in America do on Halloween. I used to walk and ask for sweets too and I remember how fun it was. Sadly now this tradition is not so popular any more. Every year less children ring my door bell.

Uzgavenes are celebrated in cities’ squares. But the most interesting celebration takes place in Rumsiskes – an ethnographic village-museum.