Klėtis, Tvartas ir Pirtis - Granary, Barn and Bathhouse

The sodyba did not exist, that did not include at least one klėtis or svirnas (granary), and occasionally one could see two of these useful

buildings. Written sources first mentioned the klėtis in the 10th century, describing it as a space for storing a variety of things. Quantities of seed were safely stored here, and unused furniture, large and small vats or other containers, dismantled looms, out-of-season

clothing, woven fabrics, and dowry chests.

A klėtis was carefully built, incorporating measures to safeguard the family‘s possessions stored there, and prevent access by thieves. The door was heavy, built in layers, often in decorative geometric patterns.

A porch (prieklėtis) stretched across one side, supported by several wooden posts, often with ornamental fencing in between. The floor of

a klėtis was of wood, and raised from the earth by a layer of rocks and

stones; large rocks and broken grindstones were fitted into the corners

and near the steps. The roof was strongly-built, even possibly of two

layers. There were usually no more than one or two very small windows, with interior shutters.

But the klėtis also served another purpose. In addition to this storage

function, it held one or two beds, where the daughters of the house

slept, especially during warm summer nights. Even in the cold

winter, the eldest might often sleep in her accustomed place in the

klėtis. A brick heated in the oven or a just-baked loaf of bread,

wrapped in a towel, would help in warming the patalas (feather quilt).

The klėtis porch was a favorite place for young folk to congregate, and is often mentioned in folk-song, especially with reference to the girl

whose door remains shut while her admirer keeps knocking. It was from the klėtis that a bride was taken and driven to her new home,

and with her new husband, locked into the new klėtis for their first night as a married couple, then wakened with noise and ceremony the following sunrise.

The tvartas (barn) stood a bit further away from the troba, and while it was first mentioned in the 16th century, there is no doubt that it would have existed well before that. In Žemaityja or Northern Lithuania, the barn would have been a U-shaped building, with space for livestock in three sides of the building, and a fenced-off space on the fourth side, where chickens and other animals were kept outdoors during the warm seasons. But in Suvalkyja, the barn would most likely have been one long building, with separate spaces, each with its own door, for various kinds of livestock: horses, pigs, a cow, chickens, etc. And if one was

looking for kittens or puppies, they could be found hiding in the straw piled against an interior barn wall.

The tvartas usually did not have an actual ceiling, but there were strong floorboards laid over rafters, where hay and straw were piled. During summer, the men of the family often slept up there, guarding against horse-thieves. Larger sodybas and manors, having many horses, often built a permanent room in the stable, for this purpose.

It would be roomy enough to hold a bed, chair, and a chest to house an employee‘s (samdinio) possessions, and a few hooks on a wall to hang his clothing, etc.

A feature that has remained until this day, and very useful indeed, is the vasaros virtuvė (summer kitchen). In Suvalkija, it is attached to one end of the barn, with its own door, a sink, stove and oven, table and chairs, and various and sundry pots and pans. During the hot summer months, the family‘s meals are prepared in this kitchen rather than in the troba. If it‘s big enough, this is where the šeimininkė and her assistant “gaspadinės” work when large parties of guests are expected.

The pirtis is not often seen now, as Russians and Prussians both, with their boot-heels on the neck of Lithuania, for their own reasons, prohibited the use of the pirtis, and the custom gradually diminished.

Those remaining in the deep countryside are typically small buildings whose front room has a wood-burning stove, and a metal box holding large and small rocks and boulders, which are heated to raise the temperature. Several benches carry pitchers, basins and tubs, as well as washcloths, towels, etc. A large selection of birch branches is available, useful when wet, in beating the bathers‘ backs -- the primary activity in the pirtis, besides sweating in the heat. The šeimininkas (householder) is responsible for the management of the pirtis, and will fire up the stove when he is ready. The men will use the facility first, while it is hottest. The women and children will use it later, when the intense heat has had a chance to dissipate somewhat. It is always useful to have a nice running stream nearby, or to be close to a branch of a river, as many bathers like to run and dunk into cold water after a session in the pirtis. The pirtis is now reviving, as a community or for-profit enterprise, in many towns and cities, and commercial advertisements are found in newspapers and the Internet.

This article was printed in Bridges, 2011