Revival of Mardi Gras and embracing in to heritage in interwar Lithuania

Užgavėnės yra vienas iš daugelio lietuvių etninės kultūros elementų, įpaveldintas tarpukariu kraštotyrininkų ir tautiškumo ideologų. Tyrėjai paprastai teigia, kad gaivinti ši šventė pradėta XX a. antrojoje pusėje - XX a. 6-ajame dešimtmetyje ar XX a. paskutiniais dešimtmečiais. Vis dėlto apžvelgus tarpukariu spaudą matyti, kad bandymų gaivinti Užgavėnes būta gerokai anksčiau. Straipsnyje, remiantis to meto spaudos publikacijomis, siekiama aptarti tarpukariu vykusį Užgavėnių įpaveldinimą ir gaivinimąFrom the second half of the 19th century a revival of various elements of ethnic culture was a form of expression of the Lithuanian national consciousness. Mardi Gras is one of many elements of Lithuanian ethnic culture, which has become the Lithuanian heritage by the efforts of interwar researchers of regional culture and ideologists of nationality. The article aims to discuss the revival of Mardi Gras and embracing it to Lithuanian heritage on the grounds of publications in the interwar press. Goals: to discuss the cultural and social context of Mardi Gras revival; to overview presentations of traditional Mardi Gras; to analyse descriptions of revived Mardi Gras and attitudes of revivalists. Object: the revival of Mardi Gras in the interwar period. Method: analysis of press discourse. Already in the interwar period Mardi Gras became a part of urban entertainment culture. In urban and village context the motivation of revivalists of this feast was associated both with enshrining of ethnic culture related with national ideals and with the search of cosmopolitan urban entertainment. In cosmopolitan urban environment Mardi Gras was a mark of period of active collective entertainment before Lent, and custom of masking was associated with European tradition of carnivals. Ethnographical descriptions of old Mardi Gras published in press presented plots and characters suitable to use in revived feasts and "fancy-balls". Presented explanations of customs and the most popular descriptions of Samogitian Mardi Gras could influence trends of this revival movement. Revivalists regarded Mardi Gras as a vanishing Lithuanian carnival, which had to be revived in a somewhat modernized form. Already in the interwar period Samogitian characters of this feast became popular in all Lithuania. The most active organizers of Mardi Gras feasts of this kind were patriotic youth organisations