Užgavėnių šventės atgarsiai lietuviškoje XX a. pirmosios pusės periodikoje: kaip šventė miestiečiai?
Glimpses of the Shrovetide Holiday in the Early 20th Century Lithuanian Press: How Townspeople Celebrated It

Summary/Abstract: Information found in the Lithuanian periodicals from the first half of the 20th century (1905-1940) shows a diversity of Shrovetide celebratory traditions in cities and villages. Lithuanian ethnographers have only used a portion of this material in their studies, namely, the ethnographic descriptions of Shrovetide. Nevertheless, these periodicals also contain interesting reports on how Shrovetide or “the happy season” was celebrated by a diversity of townspeople, including youth, political organizations and student corporations. The periodical press also includes publications with descriptions of carnival celebrations abroad, which had a significant influence on the appearance of more diverse manners of celebration in Lithuania. This study looks at the manners and customs of Shrovetide celebrations in Lithuanian cities in the early 20th century and their relationship with Shrovetide customs in the villages and countryside. Written sources show that Shrovetide was universally celebrated by members of all social strata in Lithuania from the earliest recorded times. By the 20th century there were already two different, yet interacting traditions: the local-type celebration in rural locations and the imported European-type celebration in the noble estates and among city-dwellers. In the beginning of the 20th century urban dwellers in Lithuania mainly celebrated Shrovetide according to the European model enriched with certain local features. The basic form of celebration was entertaining games and events held behind closed doors, often called a “masquerade ball”, simply “evening,” “traditional pancakes” or “šiupinys” in the Klaipėda / Memel area (a dish made of meat, peas, grains and potatoes). A network of organizations spread throughout Lithuania and public eateries/entertainment establishments held such events in the interwar period. The organizers were furthering their own goals, primarily of uniting their members, raising cultural and patriotic consciousness and collecting donations for the poor, and secondarily, providing entertainment, which, in turn, provided them with profits. The basic program was comprised of mask and costume contests (mainly non-folkloric) and a varied program of concerts; provision of traditional food dishes, pancakes and “šiupinys”; and dancing. Not all of these elements were always present, and concert music varied from classical to folk. Although the urbanite celebrations of Shrovetide in the beginning of the 20th century marginally differed from rural celebrations, they were connected by identical motifs: fun, abundant food and treats together with others, performances and announcements of recent weddings. In order to promote ethnic and national ideology associated with rural and village culture, in the 1930s the rural and urban celebratory traditions were artificially combined. Eventually, due to intentional ideological efforts, rural traditions of Shrovetide celebrat

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