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1. LITHUANIAN FOLK
SONGS, DANCES AND
GAMES
Inga Sabutytė and Kotryna Rudelytė
Klaipėda Gedminai Main School
2012

2. Lithuanian folk songs
Lithuanian folk songs is a part of Lithuanian
folk music culture. Songs represents the majority
of Lithuanian folklore alongside instrumental
music and dance.

3. Lithuanian folk songs are characterized by
tenderness, lyrical and sometimes sadness.
Songs’ storyline reflect images of nature, animals
and birds’ life. It is also sung about the tragic fate of
orphans, the hard life of farmers, and gentle feelings of
the young. There are a lot of comparisons in the
songs: human life is compared with the life of plants,
especially trees, birds and beasts asking for help.

4. Lithuanian folk dances
Lithuanian traditional choreographic heritage
consists of dances, round dances and games. Most
of them are for entertainment, but there are some
interesting ritual roundelays and dances, which are
related with the calendar, work and wedding
ceremonies. Many of them are common in
Lithuania, but some ethnographic regions have its
own characteristics.

5. Many Lithuanian dances consists of two
parts: the first one is slower and the second
one is faster. The first is characterized by a
sophisticated and unique choreography,
often associated with the name of the dance,
the second has mostly polka or waltz’s
steps.

7. Lithuanian folk games
Lithuanian folk games, roundelays and
dances are the part of the Lithuanian folklore. In
ancient villages the newborn child was thrown
into the world of folklore as the using of
traditional songs, fairy tales and games was very
common in these days.

8. Lithuanian folk games
1. Didactic games, developing child's
senses.
2. Mobile folk games.
3. Traditional games - popular
Lithuanian games, which are linked
to the national traditions, customs,
rites, calendar holidays and etc.

10. „Jurgelis meistrelis“
Players go round in a circle, and one of them
(Jurgelis) stands in the middle. While walking
round players sing:
„Jurgeli, meistreli, mokyk savo vaikus,
Jurgeli, meistreli, mokyk savo vaikus.“
Jurgelis shows some actions and all players in
the circle repeat his actions singing the words:
„O jūs, vaikai, taip darykit kaip Jurgelis daro.
O jūs, vaikai, taip darykit kaip Jurgelis daro“.
After that Jurgelis is replaced by another player.

12. While playing Lithuanian folk games,
children develop their personality,
physical, intellectual, and social skills.