Lithuanian Collector Coins

Coins dedicated to Užgavėnės from the series Lithuanian Collector “Traditional Lithuanian Celebrations” Coins TRADITIONAL LITHUANIAN CELEBRATIONS

Užgavėnės

On the edge of the coin: Information at the Bank of Lithuania: Lithuanian Collector Coins Denomination: €5 JEI NEBĖGSI, IŠVARYSIM, SU BOTAGAIS IŠBAIDYSIM! Denomination: €1.5 Edge of the coin: rimmed (If you stay, we will oust you, whipping you away!) +370 5 �268 0316 © Lietuvos bankas, 2019 [email protected] Silver Ag 925 Quality: proof Cu/Ni alloy Quality: unc www.lb.lt Coins photographed by Purchase at: www.coins.lb.lt Arūnas Baltėnas Designed by Liudas Parulskis Diameter: 28.70 mm Weight: 12.44 g Diameter: 27.50 mm Weight: 11.10 g Photo credits: Vytautas Daraškevičius

Mintage: 3,000 pcs Coin designed by Giedrius Paulauskis Mintage: 30,000 pcs Coin designed by Giedrius Paulauskis Printed by INDIGO print Coins minted at www.indigoprint.lt Issued in 2019 Issued in 2019 the Lithuanian Mint Published by the Bank of Lithuania www.lithuanian-mint.lt Gedimino pr. 6, LT-01103 Vilnius The Curiosities masqueraders would walk around dressed the world of the living. That mythical world fortune-tellers and herbalists were then features the character of the ‘Hungarian’, the stake. Samogitians would drag Morė to as beggars, disguised with carved or leather is overseas, therefore, the visitors arrive wet referred to as witches. The image acquired a yet through time it evolved from a ‘soldier’ the execution tightly secured on a wheel of the Lithuanian masks imitating wretched, furrowed faces and cold while wading through water. Time negative connotation during the Middle Ages, to a ‘doctor’. People would frequently with a sleigh runner. This is how they would with deep wrinkles and toothless mouths. It does not exist in the world of the dead, so when witch hunts were spreading further say ‘Hungarian’ to refer to incomers from playfully show the way spring shoves winter Užgavėnės seems likely that, back in the day, these masks the masqueraders playfully mix the past and across Europe. The crowd of masqueraders European lands who had trouble learning away. Yet one could hardly draw near the would also be used to imitate the ghosts of the future in their speech. For example, the ‘Jew’ would be complemented by the big-head Lithuanian. They would often include scarecrow – it is angry, flinging around with Užgavėnės (also known as Mardi Gras, ancestors. This impression is further reinforced would offer to buy what seems to be a hen or the dwarf called Tiliukas. In Samogitia, it tradesmen, merchants (kromininkai) offering rolling-pins or flails in its hands. The fight Shrove Tuesday) is most likely the merriest by the figure of the Grim Reaper that would but is merely a dead crow that “used to lay is referred to as kaukas, elsewhere it could villagers to buy not only lots of odds and of Lašininis and Kanapinis is an echo of the of all Lithuanian celebrations. This day is follow the beggars, foreboding them with eggs well on the morrow.” be pagirnis or naminukas. It is also known as ends, but also salt, spices, as well as some contest between the ‘Bear’ and the ‘Moose’ – traditionally full of cheer, mischief, and all its scythe. Likewise the Samogitian Jewish During the Užgavėnės festivities, the malpa. medicines. This is where the Doctor of Ash summer and winter rulers – that took place forms of self-expression. The festivities have ličyna (Jewish masks) – with huge schmoozes, masqueraders would also often dress Alongside the images of ‘Strangers’, Wednesday descended from, together with in very old times. also found their place in urban culture, as prominent features, shaggy. Yet why are these themselves as the ‘Devil’ and the ‘Witch’. historical characters, too, were implanted his bitter medicines for stomach-ache and Before Lent, one would make sure to they are organised by local communities and masqueraders called the Jews? This has surely These two characters are also part of the into the crowd of masqueraders. Take, for yesterday’s gluttony. eat plenty and heartily from what was left ethnic centres. Užgavėnės remains authentic nothing to do with sneering at ethnic minorities. heritage of the historical past. The Devil example, the ‘Horse with a Rider’. The rider At Užgavėnės, ancestor spirits visit of food reserves: three times on Sunday, and spontaneous in nature – there is no Quite the opposite, these characters of derives from the image of Velinas, one of the is a young boy, pretending to be riding a people in a bid to help them find harmony six times on Monday and as many as nine divider between the theatrical festivities of the the Užgavėnės festivities – both by their most important gods of the proto-nation’s horse – made of two sieves, a bed sheet, within the natural elements, and lift times on Tuesday. To put food on the merrymakers and the spectators as everyone appearance and behaviour – emphasise that religion. It was a livestock guardian, and hence and a wooden carved head with a mane the burden of all predicaments in the festive table of Užgavėnės, Samogitians knows what is happening and how to fit in. After they are strangers, outlandish, otherworldly. its features: horns, hooves, and the tail. In the of coarse fibre – with his boots tied on the community. For example, they would mock would be cooking a hotchpotch with all, each of the Užgavėnės rituals promotes: For a ploughman, “strangers” meant the Jews Baltic mythology, the Witch was a goddess sides. This character presumably serves bachelors who could not find themselves barley, peas and a pig’s tail. Other “winter, winter go away, let spring out to play!” who would live in a village nearby and sell of the forest. The character’s name speaks as a reminder of the times when the state a wife: a ragged, unfortunate Sidaras with a traditional dishes of the celebration would In the calendar, the Užgavėnės holiday their goods in the marketplace, as well as the of its abilities of clairvoyance, prophesy, and military forces consisted of cavalry. To this straw rope around his waist would be thrust include meat jelly, doughnuts, goose separates the after-Christmas period from Gypsies who would occasionally turn up by healing. Thus, it is likely that the village’s very day, the Lithuanian Užgavėnės still closer to the girls. Meanwhile the ‘Crane’ – a necks stuffed with grits, eggs. A housewife, the pre-Easter one. The following day – Ash sorts of utensils and causing mischief, they agricultural magic – the connection between their farmstead. The Gypsy characters that bird of love – would pinch and tickle ripe who was lying down on the job lazy to Wednesday – marks the beginning of Lent, a fill the streets of various towns or villages, the living and the spirits of the ancestors, the would wander around during the Užgavėnės girls so that next year they would no longer make some tastier meals, would serve forty-day period of fasting in preparation for rallying to the yards of different homesteads. manifestation of the so-called necrocult. The festivities in Aukštaitija would offer trading, stay “on last year’s straw”, and would bid pancakes to the masqueraders. the celebration of the death and resurrection of Traditionally, they portray wild animals, such masks of the masqueraders are in essence a fortune-telling with cards, meanwhile attempting farewell by dropping one of its feathers as an At Užgavėnės, across most of Lithuania, Jesus Christ on Holy Easter. as wolves and bears, large birds – cranes and portrayal of the images of distant ancestors to sneak something. There was a time when invitation to flee the parents’ nest. The ‘Jews’, one would also ride around in sleighs. As What makes the traditional Lithuanian storks, domestic animals – goats and sheep, that were once created by the mythological they would travel around trade fairs with trained too, would bargain to buy elder maidens one saying has it, the further one goes, the Užgavėnės special? It is the old beliefs that are as well as outlanders – Hungarians, Jews, consciousness. In wintertime, the spirits bears – and look, a shaggy ‘Bear’ from the flock for whom it is time to marry (bergždenikės). longer the flax grows. What fun it was to intertwined with customs and mostly relate to and Gypsies. Amongst them are mythological were said to lurk in the homesteads of the of masqueraders – with its fur turned inside Together with the crowd of masqueraders plunk from the sleigh into a pile of snow agricultural magic – the wakening of the earth creatures, like the Witch, the Devil, Kaukas, living, in barns sheltering the harvest. With out – invites onlookers for wrestling. The fact that come the ‘Newlyweds’ followed by a train and roll in it. And if one happened to whisk to the yearly circle of life. Many of the customs and the Grim Reaper. the breath of warmer air comes the time to the masks would also represent those arriving of music players. The couple is comical: the some curvier lady in his arms, he would of the festivities are witness to the archaic The host of a homestead would let the bid them a final farewell, for the spirits will from the otherworldly, metaphysical realm ‘Bride’ would be a stout lad in a white dress, rejoice in good yields. The sleigh would also nature of our Užgavėnės, which, by some of its masqueraders in only if they cheered him up have to depart to the fields to watch over manifests in their behaviour when entering a hiding his face behind a veil, and the ‘Groom’ carry a swarm of bees – a flock of buzzing characteristics, even goes back to the Stone with wit and creativity. This is when the true the crops. The masks of wild animals and house as well. The masqueraders would add a would be a small fellow with a flower on his children one behoves to splatter with water. Age. One might also trace relics of the natural folk theatre performance would start. The birds most likely owe their origin to the past variety of onomatopoeic, foreign words to their lapel. Yet one could not approach them easily – Baltic religion. In general, this rural pastime is a themes of the oratories were traditional: the worshipping of totemic guardians. Ancestor speech. They would often present themselves But what was the most important was to the whip of the driver reaches far! Another very interesting phenomenon of ethnic culture hosts would be praised to the skies just so spirits, once aiding in hunting, later extended as arriving from a country where everything is oust the tiresome, evil spirit of winter called pastime of the Užgavėnės festivities that formed by a variety of historical circumstances. they would open the doors to the seemingly a helping hand in farming, too. The spirits of reversed – the day starts with a sunset and ends by many names – Morė, Kotrė, Barbora, Senė was greatly fancied amongst the youth was What makes Užgavėnės the most weary and soaked comers from faraway the harvest and fertility became associated with a sunrise. They might even be wearing their Kūniškė (in Samogitia) or Gavėnas, Diedelis, the swing. Here again, the higher the swing, fascinating is the parade of masqueraders: lands. This is already where the mythological with domestic animals, hence the masks of boots backwards: the left boot on the right foot, Čiučela (in Aukštaitija). The end of them was the longer the flax. These obviously attest revelling, playing different kinds of musical nature of masks is becoming evident, the Goat and the Ram. In some places across and the right boot on the left. The “upside-down” sad – in midnight, they would be ostracised to the characteristics of simile, the magic of instruments, making rattling noises with all as they carry a very essential feature of Žemaitija (also known as Samogitia), the world is the reflection of the mythical spirits in from the village, pushed down the mountain, similarity. drowned in an ice-hole or even burned at Prof. Dr. Libertas Klimka