Lithuanians are always known for being over the top, and Uzgavenes is something that shows just how crazy we can get. To translate to my readers, Uzgavenes is the day before lent starts, also known as Fat Tuesday. The whole day is dedicated to stuffing yourself silly and preparing for the intense spiritual period of lent. Although it has its pagan traditions, its religiously rooted and always signifies the last time we can celebrate before going into a period of deep concentration.
All day, we eat pancakes. But not the fluffy buttermilk pancakes you’re imagining. Nor the fancy French crepes. Lithuanian pancakes are made from yeast, and they are fattening as hell. breakfast . lunch, dinner, and everything in between is spent stuffing ourselves with these delicious, pillowy pieces of dough.
When I was a kid, we would go to church and celebrate this holiday. There was a whole day of festivities arranged and we would wait all year to attend. In the center of the hall would be a giant, stuffed, hideous dummy. She was called the More, and she is responsible for keeping winter. We would shout at the grandmother, dressed in masks and scary costumes, in an attempt to scare her and winter away. The tradition is to burn the More, but in church we never actually did that. We would scream “ Ziema Ziema bek is kiemo”, which translates to “winter winter leave our backyard!”. Eventually winter gets scared away and spring is allowed to come in.
Another tradition is the war between “Lasininis” and “Kanapinis”. Lasininis translates to “porky” and Kanapinis… i don’t really know how to translate it but it’s like the weaker, frailer twig. Porky resembles winter, and is fat and huge from eating too much, while kanapinis represents spring, who is weak, cold, and poor. The two battle to the death, and eventually kanapinis wins, which allows spring to come. My dad has played both parts in the battle over the years, and it’s always been very fun to watch.
These traditions might seem weird but they are the ones I’ve always grown up with. I love them to death and I hope I’ll get to see many more of these battles one day.
(Kanapinis and Lasininis in battle)
There are so many unique traditions that Lithuanians seem to have and I absolutely love it. I find it funny that the pancakes you eat are intended to be thick and very fattening. As someone who is Christian, I try my best to follow lent traditions as well, so I definitely can relate to wanting to stuff yourself with your favorite foods before you give them up for lent!
Wow, what a tradition! This one seems fun and silly which I think adds a certain character to it. I would love to dress up and “stuff” myself! I like this memory has been with you for a long time and think that the church service is also something special and important in this culture. Great read, have a great day.