Celebrating

September 25, 2011

From Lithuanian Heritage March/April 2007

In Ignalina, Lithuanian Independence Day, Vasario 16-ają, is celebrated with a festival of winter sport called Sportas Visiems at the Lithuanian Winter Sports Center. I went for the alpine ski races, but there was also cross-country skiing, ski orienteering, biathlon, target shooting, ice skating, and a very impressive winter triathlon which consists of cross-country skiing, running and mountain biking through the ice and snow.

The winter triathlon may sound tough, but it was nothing compared to the conditions in which we ran the giant slalom ski race. Ignalina has snow guns, but they don’t have any slope preparation. It was like trying to make high-speed turns on skis through a boulder field covered in snow. When the lift broke down just before the first run and all the racers had to climb the hill, we were glad that it was only 150ft high. I was the only girl in the race so I was starting first. As soon as I arrived at the top, I had to go directly to the start. Still breathing hard, I lifted my poles over the timing wand as they counted, “Trys, du, vienas, Važiuok!” I was at the bottom in less than 20 seconds, and had to do it all over again 10 minutes later. At least, being the only woman in the race, all I had to do was finish and I was guaranteed the gold medal. Half way through the second run, we had to stop the race so the cross-country skiers could cross the bottom of our course to get to their finish across the lake. Later, as we made our way back towards the kavinė for hot tea and koldūnai, we were instructed to ski quietly so as not to disturb the ice-fishing competition taking place near the frozen boat docks. Shortly before the awards for alpine skiing were given, the ice-fishing venue turned into a pick-up hockey game. We watched as a shot on goal went wide and disappeared into the icy water through one of the fishing holes.

Since it was the weekend of Vasario 16-ają, and we were in Lithuania, Saturday night required a party. The wives of the racers put out a spread of sandwiches, meat, herring, fruit and fried bread and everyone gathered around a small television to watch a basketball game between Vilnius Lietuvos Rytas and Kaunas Zalgiris. With the group split down the middle of Vilnius and Kaunas fans, the noise level was pretty high. It was a close game, but Kaunas won by one point at the buzzer! To unwind after the game, everyone went to a traditional dry sauna. It was well below zero at night so I watched from afar bundled into my down ski jacket as the men ran from the hot sauna into the icy cold air.

Užgavėnės, or Shrove Tuesday, followed our weekend in Ignalina. In Vilnius it is celebrated with a loosely organized festival of masks and costumes. Children and adults alike dress as devils, witches, skeletons, goats, bears, and Gypsies, and parade around the Senamiestas (Old Town) to scare off the winter and invite back the spring. After dark, a large straw doll in the shape of Morė, the symbol of winter in Lithuania, is burned near the river. I was mostly interested in the free pancakes they were serving in Rotusės aikštė (town hall square) on my way home from work. Wednesday was significantly calmer and the churches were full of little old ladies in black coats and colorful scarves at morning mass to celebrate Pelenų diena (Ash Wednesday).

Despite being in the middle of Lent, there are still plenty of celebrations on the calendar for March. The 4^th of March is the Feast of St. Casimir, the patron saint of Lithuania. Some countries, like Sweden, don’t have an independence day, but in Lithuania, we have two! March 11^th is the day of Restoration of Independence. A recent advertisement on television announced a concert to commemorate the day with performances by all the most famous contemporary singers in Lithuania—otherwise known as reality show participants. The concert will be loud and flashy, but the easily pleased crowd will love it, and it will be followed by several thousand litai worth of fireworks set off over Gedimino Pilis. As a recently repatriated Lithuanian-American, Kovo 11-ają is more significant to me than Vasario 16-ają, and I always make it a point celebrate our independence by watching the fireworks in Cathedral Square.

Filed under: Daily Life,Festivals and Occasions,Lithuania,Skiing

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