JOHHNY‘S
CHRISTMAS
By Gloria
Kivytaitė O‘Brien
Jonęlis (Johnny)
Strimaitis is 5 yrs old. He is now old enough to know what Kalėdos is all
about: the birth of the Holy Child Jesus. At the same time, he is still young
enough to be excited and dazzled by all the customs and festivity of the
season. The date is December 24th, 1930, and Lithuanians, citizens of a free nation,
are celebrating Christmas according to their own national traditions and customs that had been
suppressed by the old czarist regime. The family‘s home is in Storūkų
kaimą, not far from the city of Vladislavovas, commonly known as Naumiestis (New town).
The long Advent season
has finally drawn to a close, and Jonęlis is heartily glad of that. Though
as a young child he has not been subject to dietary restrictions, he still
noticed the altered atmosphere in his mother‘s kitchen. All the fancy dishes
that smell so good during the year are missing during these weeks, and
Jonęlis anxiously awaited the return of his favorite pyragas (cake).
One benefit of
the season, in his opinion, was that singing and dancing was forbidden. -- Not
that he disliked either, but this meant that the usual weekend dance parties
were not held by the village youth. Instead, they would gather at someone‘s
house and pass the time telling spooky stories, legends, or jokes, or just
playing games. When his big brother Juozas invited his friends to their house,
Jonęlis was allowed to stay up late to
watch and listen, and this was his favorite time of the week.
Today, the
family celebrated Kūčios, a
traditional meal that consisted of 12 separate meatless dishes. The holiday‘s
name arose from the name of one ritual dish - a food named kūčia. It was prepared from wheat or barley grains, beans
and poppyseed milk. To tell the truth, Jonęlis didn‘t think it tasted very
good, but his mother, Adelė, said he had to eat at least some of it, so he
did.
The
Kūčios meal is a custom that began long before Lithuania was
baptized. The night of
December 24th was the longest, and from December 25th the
sun “returned”, and the days grew longer. Before
Christianity, Kūčios was held to see off the old year and greet the
new one. The 12 dishes symbolized the 12
months of the year. With the establishment of Christianity, the 12 dishes came
to represent the 12 Apostles of Christ.
The day of Kūčios was very
quiet, as his father, Mindaugas, and his
brother had gone out somewhere, and his mother, his great-aunt, his sister,
Rūta, and the housemaid, Onutė (a girl from the orphanage who was
being fostered with them), bustled about all day, cleaning and cooking. No one
had any time for him, so he busied himself with his toy soldiers, which had
been a gift from his uncle “Tony” in America. Uncle Tony was thinking about
coming back to live in Lithuania, now that it was an independent country, but
couldn’t make up his mind to leave his good job in the “sugar house” in
Brooklyn.
When his father and brother came back
later, the family began to get ready for Kūčios. His father was the
first to use the pirtis (bathhouse)
to bathe, then Jonęlis with his brother. His mother, great-aunt, sister
and the housemaid then bathed together. Everyone then dressed in their best
church-going clothes, and when his father looked at the sky and saw the Evening
Star, he announced it was time for all to sit at the table. There was one other
person, an invited guest, at the table -
old Mr. Barakaitis from down the road, who was all alone, since his wife died
last year.
Jonęlis‘
močiutė (grandmother) also died during the past year, and in her
memory, a place was set at the table, with a small candle on the plate, to be
lit throughout the meal. And the table, with all its dishes, wouldn‘t be
cleared off after the meal, but would be left overnight, so that the souls of
ancestors could visit and take part in the celebration. The Strimaitises knew
that the parish priests were trying to discourage this custom from pagan times,
but like many others, they took comfort from these old traditions, and liked to
feel that departed family members were near, at least for a short while. The
table had first been covered by a layer of hay, then a fine white tablecloth. A
plate placed in the middle of the table held paplotėlius, or kalėdaičus,
wafers stamped with Christmas scenes.
Once all were
seated, the meal began with a prayer by the šeimininkas
(host), who then offered his wafer to his wife, beginning a round of breaking a
piece off another‘s wafer, then offering yours to the next person. The rest of
the meal passed quietly and solemnly , as custom dictated. No one spoke unless
addressed by the host, and everyone ate at least a bit from each of the 12 dishes. These
included porridge; baked fish; herring; fruit compote; potatoes; hard cookies
called šližikai, eaten with poppyseed
milk; vegetable salads; mushrooms; sauerkraut; kisielius (cranberry pudding); and bread.
When the meal
was finished, and everyone had left the table, Rūta, Juozas and Onutė
went outside to listen for dogs barking. Jonęlis ran after them, curious
to know what was happening. He found the girls trying to throw their shoes up
over the roof. As it seemed that all the activity centered on fortune-telling
about marriage, Jonęlis soon lost interest and went to visit the animals
in the barn. He had heard that the animals would speak tonight, and thought
perhaps he might
His parents soon
were getting ready for their trip to the
Church of the Discovery of the Cross, in Naumiestis. They would be attending Bernęlių Mišias (Shepherd‘s
Mass at Midnight); Rūta and Juozas were going along with them.
Jonęlis
wants to go to Bernelių Mišias, but is left at home with his auklė (governess), who is really
his father‘s Teta (Aunt) Marcellė.
She is a bit smothering and very bossy, and Jonęlis complained to his
mother, who told him he must be very nice to Teta Marcellę, who has
suffered much. She is a widow whose only son died in the Russian Army, and
whose house and all her possessions were destroyed by fire. His father‘s aunt
has nowhere else to go, and depends on the family‘s kindness. So Jonęlis
does his best to obey his mother, but he is still very disappointed to be left
behind at home.
Jonęlis is
impatiently waiting for the appearance of Kalėdų Senis, “Kalėda”, who travels
around the village, from farmstead to farmstead, visiting with the families and
their children. “Kalėda” is dressed in a
long, richly embroidered robe, wears a
fur cap sewn with tinkling bells, and
carries a long staff and a large bag, which he says is filled with wealth, good
harvests, and good fortune. And little gifts for good children are part of that
wealth; Jonelis hopes to get a small carving and perhaps an orange. His cousin
Tadas, a big boy (8 years old!), and therefore an unquestioned authority, told
him that he was foolish to believe in “Kalėda”, that he was not a benevolent spirit, but a man from the
village, all dressed up. Jonęlis is determined to find out the truth of
the matter.
By the time the family returns from
Mass, the sun is already up, and no-one even thinks about going to bed. A
hearty breakfast is prepared and eaten. Jonelis runs around singing a Christmas
hymn, hoping to be noticed and included in the day’s many activities. His father
sits him on his knee, and tells him all about the Bernelių Mišias,
promising that Jonęlis will be one of the party attending next year. He
takes him into the parlor, a more formal room that is usually used when they
have company, and shows him the big tree, decorated with ribbons, straw
ornaments, and garlands. The Strimaitis family is unusual in having a
“Christmas tree”, although the custom is making its way into the country. They
heard about it from relatives living in America, England and Germany, and liked
the idea. Mindaugas sits his son down at a side table with a pile of straws and
other necessary items, and sets him to the job of making some more ornaments
for the tree.
After a while, the job loses its
charm, as Jonęlis‘s little fingers do not have the required
dexterity, and his masterpieces didn‘t resemble the good-looking things that
were already on the tree, but his father hung them prominently. Jonęlis
was pleased, but just as pleased to be
released from that job.
He sought out
his sister, Rūta, who often allowed him to “help” her in the
kitchen. She set him to shelling a bowl of peas. This was a good job, because
he liked to chew on the shells, but this didn‘t last long, either.
Finally, his
aunt Marijona Vasaitienė and her husband, Jurgis, arrived with their
family, bringing gifts and a pleasant bustle to the day. Their son, Kestutis,
was about the same age as Jonęlis, and the two of them retired to
Jonęlis‘s corner and concentrated on a new jigsaw puzzle.
The extended family later sat down to
a fine meal, at the large table in their formal parlor. The atmosphere was different from that of the Kūčios
meal, with eager conversation, jokes and laughter. (Uncle Jurgis was known as a
jokester.) Mother served some delicious cherry wine; Jonęlis and the other children were
allowed a sip, liberally diluted with water.
Gifts were
exchanged after the meal, when dishes
had been cleared away. Most of the gifts were hand-made items, as was
appropriate for a rural, agrarian populace. Mindaugas received a woven necktie,
Adelė a beautifully-woven apron. Juozas was given a fine pair of woolen
gloves, Rūta a woolen hat, Teta Marcellė a crocheted pocketbook,
Onutė a shawl, and Jonęlis received a large picture book with photos
and drawings of various historical places. The Vasaitis family all received
similar items. Everyone declared themselves pleased with all the gifts.
Uncle Jurgis was
sitting in the soft chair in the corner, and was already gently snoring, when
the Kalėdotojai (Christmas
visitors) approached the house, making lots of noise and hoping to spread
merriment. “We greet
you with this fine holiday, wish you good health and good harvest this coming
year!”
The Kalėdotojai
were young men and ladies of the village, who had decided to revive an old
tradition of visiting all the houses in the village, to spread good will at
Christmastime. In truth, the parish priests had taken over this tradition a
long time ago, but the young people wanted to continue, as well. The Strimaitis
family thanked them for their good wishes and asked them in for a bit of food
and a glass of wine.
By this time,
Jonęlis was about to give up hope for a visit from Kalėdų Senis,
but just at that moment, the old gentleman arrived. He was dressed in a long
embroidered red robe with white fur trim, long, heavy boots, and a red wool hat
with tinkling bells on it. He had the longest, whitest beard Jonelis had ever
seen. He greeted all the children, and gave each one a little gift and a piece of fruit. And the greatest
surprise was for Jonęlis, when Kalėda handed him another gift, one
that he was delivering from Uncle Tony.
A red fire truck, with ladders, hoses, and other equipment, with a
fully-dressed driver riding on top! Jonęlis was so impressed and engrossed
by this treasure, that he completely forgot about his plan to uncover the “real identity” of Kalėda.
The Spirit quickly waved his farewell, and moved off to the next homestead,
leaving four happy children at the Strimaitis house.
Soon after, the
Vasaitis family got ready to leave; all the children are by now sleepy and
yawning, including Jonęlis.
It is of course a production to dress
everyone, with boots, sweaters and heavy coats, hats, scarves and gloves. But
soon enough they make their way outside, to the waiting wagon with two sturdy
horses.
As they pile in, a loud noise is
heard from the direction of the main road -- a crowd of people are running and
shouting, singing and laughing, the leaders dragging a heavy log with ropes,
striking the tabalas (a folk
instrument made of wooden slats of different width and thickness, struck with a
mallet). They are dressed in odd old clothing and rags, and some wear grotesque
masks. They will burn the log to signify the end of the old year, and they
demonstrate their impatience by attempting to light the log then and there.
Only a bit of bark begins to burn, sending out a lot of sparks, and delighting
the onlookers. They move off, heading for the village square, eager for their
bonfire.
Jonęlis gets ready for bed, says
his prayers, and lies down with his fire truck. Sweet dreams await him, and
next morning, he will happily describe the
wonderful things he saw in his dreamland. He will remember this
Christmas all his life, and will live to tell his children and his grandchildren
all about it.
© Gloria O’Brien 2008
This article was printed in
Lithuanian Heritage Nov 2008