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A Lithuanian Christmas in America
| Article
# : |
15398 |
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Section : |
CULTURE
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| Issue
Date : |
12 / 1989 |
2,511 Words |
| Author
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Margrit Riesen
Margrit Riesen, a native of Switzerland, general manager of
The Other Americas Radio, is also a journalist and free-lance
writer. She is currently working on a book on children's
fiction. |
On Christmas Eve, Kuclos, the first star in the sky signals the end of Advent and the beginning of the Lithuanian Christmas celebration. The traditional Lithuanian Christmas, named Kaleos, is celebrated for several days and is the most important religious celebration after Easter.
Although Lithuanians living in the United States no longer adhere to all of the old customs, many folk-peasant traditions still shape the character of the Christmas celebration among Lithuanian Americans.
Like other traditions, the celebration of Christmas has evolved over time and is believed to be a combination of at least two separate events. On the one hand, Christmas is the religious festival celebrating the birth of Christ, the "Christ Mass." It also retains many of the characteristics of Yule, the mid-winter festival of the pre-Christian northern people rejoicing in the return of the sun with winter solstice.
Lithuanian traditions are rooted in Lithuanian peasant society, many dating back to pre-Christian times. In order to understand and manage the world they live in, people living off the land celebrate and ritualize nature's cycles, insuring the return of abundance. The Christmas celebration is no exception, and some background on the beliefs and structure of that peasant society will help shed light on today's customs.
Lithuanians were among the last Europeans to embrace Christianity--partly because of their geographical isolation from the rest of Europe--and their Christmas tradition, although steeped in Catholicism, retains some of its pre-Christian
... (1995 of 15122 Characters)
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