Paper Short Abstract:

This paper analyses how the tradition of the Shrove Tuesday carnival, which has remained relatively strong in one of Lithuania's ethnographic regions (Samogitia) until today, has changed from the late 20th century to the 21st century. The ritual-based tradition is now understood and described by contemporary people in the context of modern times. Which ritual elements have remained, and what new meanings, no longer connected to the original, have emerged? What factors have influenced their transformation?

Paper Abstract:

This paper analyses how the tradition of the Shrove Tuesday carnival, which has remained relatively strong in one of Lithuania's ethnographic regions (Samogitia) until today, has changed from the late 20th century to the 21st century. The ritual-based tradition is now understood and described by contemporary people in the context of modern times. Which ritual elements have remained, and what new meanings, no longer connected to the original, have emerged? What factors have influenced their transformation?

Over time, the Shrove Tuesday carnival tradition, influenced by various political regimes and globalization processes, has gradually changed, with different practices replacing the rituals. Some elements have remained, but their meanings have either faded or been understood in entirely different ways. People’s stories about Shrove Tuesday carnival celebrations and participant observations conducted from 2019 to 2024 reveal the society's understanding of the dressing-up tradition as a specific cultural phenomenon. The study included 70 semi-structured interviews with respondents from Samogitia, and four participatory observations in 2019, 2020, 2023, and 2024 in different Samogitian locations, which revealed a new perspective not only on the structural meanings of the dressing-up tradition, but also on its functions, expressions, and performative aspects, shaped by the contemporary issues and influences of the time.