KŪČIOS AND KALĖDOS

English Translation by Gloria Kivytaitė O‘Brien

According to the ancient folk calendar, Kūčios and Kalėdos were celebrated to see off the old year and greet the new one. The night of December 24^th was the longest, and from December 25^th the sun returned, and the days grew longer.

Lithuanians celebrated Kūčias long before the establishment of Christianity. This holiday’s name arose from the name of a ritual dish. The food was so named - kūčios. It was prepared from wheat or barley grains, beans and poppyseed milk, and was also a treat for the souls of the forefathers.

The day of Kūčios was special; everyone tried to finish all of their most important jobs. Most work fell to the women - they had to prepare the food for Kūčių dinner and for Kalėdos, and to straighten up the house. All the foods for the Kūčios table were prepared from vegetables, plants and fish. Everyone made prėskučius (kūčiukus). These were hard cookies made from yeasty wheat-flour dough. They were eaten with poppyseed milk, which was poured over them. Kisielius, or cranberry pudding, was also eaten with prėskučius.

Cleanliness and purity were necessary when seated at the Kūčios table. One could not be angry, and had to forgive neighbors or relatives for any offences, and most important -- it was essential to repay all loans. During the day of Kūčios, very little was eaten, in anticipation of the ritual dinner. In olden times, people would sit at the table when the Evening Star appeared. The master of the house brought in an armful of hay and covered the table with it. The mistress would then spread her best white tablecloth over it, and begin serving the meal. There were usuallly twelve dishes - as many as the year has months. The eldest member of the family, or the master, greeted all assembled, gave thanks for the year’s good crop, then broke bread and passed it around. Everyone ate quietly, composed and serious.

When the meal was finished, the table was left as it was, uncleared, because they believed that the souls of departed family members would visit during the night. Special honor was felt and shown to the departed during Kūčios.

The master would bring some of each dish from the meal to the animals in the cattle-shed. This was meant to demonstrate the similarity between humans and animals. The hay beneath the tablecloth, as well, was to show that people and animals are worth the same. The next day, that hay is given to the animals. In Christian times, the spreading of the hay beneath the tablecloth became connected with Christ’s birth in the hay.

The night of Kūčios was interesting for its fortune-telling. During the meal each family member pulled a straw from beneath the cloth. Whoever pulled out the longest straw would live the longest. The young girls would run outside to hear the dogs barking: whatever direction dogs were heard barking, from that direction a girl would get a husband. They would grab an armful of wood from the yard and bring it into the house to measure the sticks: if there was a matching pair, the girl would be married in the coming year. But if there was no pair, she would have to wait. They tried to kick their shoes off, over the fence or the roof of the house: whatever direction the shoe’s toe would point, in that direction the girl would marry.

It was said that the night of Kūčios was full of curiosities: animals began to speak among themselves at midnight, but people were not allowed to listen to their talk -- if you heard them speak, you would die. It was said that water turned into wine, but for such a short time that it was impossible to get a taste.

Kalėdos morning, everyone rose early, and cleared off the table. The family usually stayed home on the first day of Kalėdos, and each told what they dreamed of that night, as it was believed that the dreams of Kalėdos eve would come true.

Lithuanians, from earliest times, believed in the magical power of salutations, compliments and greetings. For that reason, everyone impatiently waited for the Kalėdotojai. The most important purpose of the Kalėdotojai was to visit each homestead, greet the master and mistress, and wish them health and good harvest in the coming year.

Young men and ladies of the village were the Kalėdotojai, wearing odd costumes, and sometimes wearing masks. In thanks for their good wishes, the master and mistress treated them to food and drink, and sometimes gave them little gifts. Sometimes Kalėdų senis (“Kalėda”) went from house to house, bragging that he carried a bag full of wealth, good harvests and good fortune. When Christianity was introduced, the ceremonies of “kalėdavimas” were taken up by the parish priests.

Kalėdos were full of various beliefs, guesses and suppositions about weather, for example: “If Kalėdų morning is clear and bright, the flax will grow well”; “If it rains on Kalėdos, the cows will give lots of milk the coming year”; “One must not break anything on Kalėdų morning, otherwise that year, animals’ legs would break”.

The rebirth of nature begins during Kalėdos: the days grow longer, and the dark nights shorter. The old year ends and the new year begins.

Source:

“Lietuvi�kai Apie Lietuvą”

“In Lithuanian, About Lithuania”)

By Evalda Jakaitiene - Publ. - Alma Littera - Vilnius, Lithuania

This article was printed in Bridges Dec 2008

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