compiled by Brigita and Karolina (8b)

1. Christmas in Lithuania

2. The actual date of the birth of Jesus is not known and during the first few centuries of Christianity it was celebrated at various times of the year. The modern date of December 25th was first adopted by Liberius, Bishop of Rome, in the year 354. This date was also adopted by the Patriarch of Constantinople in 379, and in 506 the Law Book of Alarich designated it as a public holiday.

3. The older Lithuanian Christmas customs and traditions reflect the rural lifestyle of most Lithuanians of that time. Lithuanians lived on small family farms, grew their own crops, raised their own livestock. What they did, what they ate, etc., was intimately tied to the cycle of the seasons and to the products of their own labor. It is also well to remember that Lithuania is situated in northern Europe and during Christmas is in a grip of a cold winter. The ground is covered with snow, lakes and rivers are frozen. All nature seems to be in a deep sleep except for the evergreen fir and pine trees. There are no fresh flowers, no fresh fruit, no fresh vegetables.

4. Easter in Lithuania

5. Lithuania’s open countryside ensures the ongoing strength of traditional values and doing things the old fashioned way (i.e. the corrrect way) and slowly, best witnessed during the family festival celebrations of Easter.

6. Traditional Lithuanian Easter is not only related to their Christian beliefs, but also strongly signifies the rejuvenation of nature and return of life (after the death-like quThe traditional Easter family food includes eggs, roast piglet and baked lamb, all blessed with three prayers asking for peace. The egg with the strongest cell, chosen on the basis of having cracked the shells of others in competition, signifies strength for the owner. (This tradition is not unique to Lithuania, it is also found elsewhere, e.g. in Greece)alitiesof Easter.

7. Remembrance Day in Lithuania

8. Remembrance Day – also known as Poppy Day, Armistice Day (the event it commemorates) or Veterans Day – is a Commonwealth holiday to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War. It is observed on 11 November to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918 (major hostilities of World War I were formally ended "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice). The day was specifically dedicated by King George V. , on 7 November 1919, to the observance of members of the armed forces who were killed during war; this was possibly done upon the suggestion of Edward George Honey to Wellesley Tudor Pole , who established two ceremonial periods of remembrance based on events in 1917.

9. All Saints' Day (in the Catholic Church officially the Solemnity of All Saints and also called All Hallows or Hallowmas), often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November in Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity , in honour of all the saints , known and unknown.