Paper short abstract:

The report deals with the category "close neighborhood", which is based on the free choice of common leisure time and celebrations. The result of this communication is ritual year of the neighbors, which I'll analyse in different types of areas (village, town, city) in the diachronic perspective.

Paper long abstract:

Analyzing the situation of the first half of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st centuries in Southeast Lithuania, I distinguished two types of neighborhood: the distant (formal) and the close (informal) neighborhood. One is due to territorial closeness, the other - reveals not only the territory, but also a group of common interests (not only economic) which is caused by the free choice of neighbors. The distant neighborhood is based only on the necessary social assistance and obligations to people living with them. In their shape, they change little in time and include mutual assistance in the supervision of children, animals, household goods, performing urgent housework, emotional and financial support in the cases of illness and death, lending and bees. The close neighborhood, in addition to social assistance and obligations to people living in the neighborhood, also maintains links within different daily and festive communication which is not related to work. The result of festive communication is the ritual year of the neighbors, covering the common neighbors celebrating of life cycle as well as year cycle festivals and holidays. For example, in the presence of children's christenings, weddings, escorts to the army, birthday, name day or New Year's party. Such neighbors' ritual year forms close spiritual ties. I will look at this process not only by analyzing different types of settlements (village, town, city), but also different historical periods. The report is based on fieldwork in Southeast Lithuania (Vilnius and Širvintos districts) in 2017 and 2018.