Žiema, žiema, bėk iš kiemo

This is the phrase people chant at the annual Užgavėnės (Shrove Tuesday) celebrations. It means "Winter, winter, get out of the yard" and aims to do just that, send winter away and welcome the spring.

Entrance to Rumšiškės Museum

Straw sculpture at museum entrance

I attended a celebration in Rumšiškės, a town between Kaunas and Vilnius where the ethnography and anthropology museum is located, on Sunday and again on Tuesday at the Teacher's House in the Old Town.

Here is a the description of the holiday:
Užgavėnės begins on the night before Ash Wednesday, when an effigy of winter (named Morė) is burned. A major element of the holiday, meant to symbolize the defeat of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, is a staged battle between Lašininis (personifying winter), and Kanapinis (personifying spring). Devils, witches, goats, the grim reaper, gypsies, and other joyful and frightening characters appear in costume during the celebrations. The participants and masqueraders dance and eat the traditional dish of the holiday - pancakes (blyneliai), a symbol of the returning sun. (Sounds quite Pagan, don't you think?)
There were several folk singing groups that performed traditional songs. And after the bonfire was lit, many people joined hands and danced in circles around the fire.

But when Kanapinis and Lašininis began their duel around the fire, we all stood and watched Lašininis accept defeat!

Here is the effigy of winter, Morė.

Morė Burning

The festivals were quite fun, but I don't think winter is ready to leave just yet!