Send message to Author

Paper short abstract:

The paper will discuss the various transformations of the dressing of the Shrovetide effigy, which took place in the long perspective of the time. Starting with changes in the understanding of the meaning and ending with differences in the impact of science, local ethnography and public needs.

Paper long abstract:

Shrovetide (Lith. Užgavėnės) is one of the most important and popular festivals in Lithuania. Complex of the ritual structures of the festival were equal to or even more complex than those of the most important festivals of the calendar cycle. We have at least two traditions of this festivity today in Lithuania. They differ between himself in the scales of the preserving of the rural rites and new inventing. One of them we hardly but still can name as the living tradition. The next we will find in a big cities or Open-air museums. It is not hard to understand that the last is much more adopted to the consumer needs of nowadays society. But if to look from the long perspective of the time - both of them lost many from agricultural rites and gained a lot of new treats.

The transformations of the Shrovetide rites started much earlier than our written sources can to reach. And we can state that not only in XXI century could seem that rites of the agricultural festivals will disappear from our cultural map. From the other hand, historic transformations of the ritual tradition often show not degradation, but in contrary - its vitality and ability to adopt to the challenges of the time. So in this paper we will touch some points of the “uncertainty” and “constancy” of the one of the most transformed in time Shrovetide custom – The dressing and destroying of the effigy.