_Vėlinės/All Souls'Day
An elderly woman lights a candle on a grave in the village of Ivenets, Belarus,
CNS PHOTO/VASILY
November 1st - All Saints' Day (Vėlinės) - In Lithuania, remembrance of the dead took place during all annual feast days. When all work was done, Lithuanians carried out special rituals honoring the souls of their dead ancestors. Candles are lit at gravesite memorials and in churches on this day. The ritual traditions of commemorating the dead are directly related to people's belief that on that day the souls of the dead return to the earth, to their homes. Therefore, the souls of the dead are happy to receive some respect and to be treated according to the rituals of the ancestors.
At the beginning of the 19th century Lithuanians prepared twelve different dark foods. People gathered around the table quietly. It was believed that the souls of the dead partook of the meal together with the living members. Even at the beginning of the 20th century, in some parts of Lithuania, an assortment of foods was brought to cemeteries at the beginning of November and left there. Supper of seven different foods of meat, grains and eggs was prepared and the table was set in a room with windows and doors open wide. The oldest person picked up a candle, circled it around his head and three times around the food then lit it and set it on the table. Everyone spilled a portion of his drink, where no one sat at the corner of the table, saying, " this is for you, dear souls". An assortment of foods was also placed on that corner of the table and then everyone began to eat. After a short silence, father asks everyone to sit at the table and eat. Food was eaten in silence.
At the beginning of this century, on All Souls' Day (Vėlinės), special bread rolls were baked for the beggars. Giving the rolls to the beggars, each roll was assigned a name of a dead family member, with a request of prayers for the dead. Others would dispense the bread rolls to the dead souls, before putting the rolls into the oven. The first roll went to mother's soul, second to grandfather's and so on. A special roll was baked for a soul which no one remembered. In other regions a cross was scratched on the top of the roll.
In Lithuania, the belief that souls of the dead came for a visit during All Souls' Day, lasted a long time. Some said that the souls visited their family homes; others said that they came to cemeteries and even others that the souls congregated in churches.
Traditions of honoring the dead took shape in the middle of 19th century: joint visits to cemeteries, decorating of graves, lighting of candles, prayers and support of beggars. In the region of Varėna, it is known that candles were burning in churchyards around 1880 – a symbolic grave was laid and covered with burning candles. After the parish priest blessed all the candles, people carried them away, placing a candle on their family grave. It was thought that those souls who did not ascend to heaven, roam about in perpetual darkness and for this reason lighted candles were placed on grave sites to light the way for them. On All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, year after year, Lithuanian gravesites are decorated with most beautiful flowers and burning candles.
The beliefs of All Souls' and All Saints' Days are:
1- on the day of All Souls, the souls of the dead come to visit the living, asking that the living pray for them.
2 - one time before All Saints' Day, a homemaker swept the house and sprinkled with sand. In the morning sees the floor covered with small footprints, but there are no small children in the house. Therefore she understood that souls of dead children had come into the house.
3 - if mother went to the cemetery at midnight on All Souls' Day, she would see her dead children.
4 - on All Souls' Day, churches are filled with souls of the dead. That day, the souls are not burning in hell. They are happy. However some, whose mothers are wailing, these souls arrive wet, soaked by earthly tears. No need to cry for the dead.
5 - on the Eve of All Saints' Day, one does not go visiting or walking through villages because all roads and the country side are filled with souls of the dead. There can also be some mean souls.
6 - on All Souls' Day and in the evening no ashes or garbage should be taken out, because the souls can be witched by these items.
7 - if it rained on the night of All Souls' Day, there will be numerous deaths the following year.
8 - if the sun did not shine on All Saints' Day, the following year will be filled with misfortunes.
9 - if on All Saints' Day, trees are still fully covered with leaves, it will be a year of black death.
10 - if a child is born on the eve of All Souls' Day, when in life he attends a funeral meal, he will see evil souls.
Prepered by:
http://ausis.gf.vu.lt/eka/
http://www.efoto.lt/
At the beginning of the 19th century Lithuanians prepared twelve different dark foods. People gathered around the table quietly. It was believed that the souls of the dead partook of the meal together with the living members. Even at the beginning of the 20th century, in some parts of Lithuania, an assortment of foods was brought to cemeteries at the beginning of November and left there. Supper of seven different foods of meat, grains and eggs was prepared and the table was set in a room with windows and doors open wide. The oldest person picked up a candle, circled it around his head and three times around the food then lit it and set it on the table. Everyone spilled a portion of his drink, where no one sat at the corner of the table, saying, " this is for you, dear souls". An assortment of foods was also placed on that corner of the table and then everyone began to eat. After a short silence, father asks everyone to sit at the table and eat. Food was eaten in silence.
At the beginning of this century, on All Souls' Day (Vėlinės), special bread rolls were baked for the beggars. Giving the rolls to the beggars, each roll was assigned a name of a dead family member, with a request of prayers for the dead. Others would dispense the bread rolls to the dead souls, before putting the rolls into the oven. The first roll went to mother's soul, second to grandfather's and so on. A special roll was baked for a soul which no one remembered. In other regions a cross was scratched on the top of the roll.
In Lithuania, the belief that souls of the dead came for a visit during All Souls' Day, lasted a long time. Some said that the souls visited their family homes; others said that they came to cemeteries and even others that the souls congregated in churches.
Traditions of honoring the dead took shape in the middle of 19th century: joint visits to cemeteries, decorating of graves, lighting of candles, prayers and support of beggars. In the region of Varėna, it is known that candles were burning in churchyards around 1880 – a symbolic grave was laid and covered with burning candles. After the parish priest blessed all the candles, people carried them away, placing a candle on their family grave. It was thought that those souls who did not ascend to heaven, roam about in perpetual darkness and for this reason lighted candles were placed on grave sites to light the way for them. On All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, year after year, Lithuanian gravesites are decorated with most beautiful flowers and burning candles.
The beliefs of All Souls' and All Saints' Days are:
1- on the day of All Souls, the souls of the dead come to visit the living, asking that the living pray for them.
2 - one time before All Saints' Day, a homemaker swept the house and sprinkled with sand. In the morning sees the floor covered with small footprints, but there are no small children in the house. Therefore she understood that souls of dead children had come into the house.
3 - if mother went to the cemetery at midnight on All Souls' Day, she would see her dead children.
4 - on All Souls' Day, churches are filled with souls of the dead. That day, the souls are not burning in hell. They are happy. However some, whose mothers are wailing, these souls arrive wet, soaked by earthly tears. No need to cry for the dead.
5 - on the Eve of All Saints' Day, one does not go visiting or walking through villages because all roads and the country side are filled with souls of the dead. There can also be some mean souls.
6 - on All Souls' Day and in the evening no ashes or garbage should be taken out, because the souls can be witched by these items.
7 - if it rained on the night of All Souls' Day, there will be numerous deaths the following year.
8 - if the sun did not shine on All Saints' Day, the following year will be filled with misfortunes.
9 - if on All Saints' Day, trees are still fully covered with leaves, it will be a year of black death.
10 - if a child is born on the eve of All Souls' Day, when in life he attends a funeral meal, he will see evil souls.
Prepered by:
http://ausis.gf.vu.lt/eka/
http://www.efoto.lt/