Calendar holidays in Lithuania Minor: reconstruction of traditions

Straipsnyje nagrinėjamos Mažosios Lietuvos nykstančios kalendorinių švenčių (Kūčių/Kalėdų, Užgavėnių, Velykų) papročių reikšmės, aptariamos etninės tradicijos ir tęstinumo, rekonstruojant papročius, galimybės šių dienų švenčių modelyje. Išskiriami ir aprašomi žinomi lietuvininkų kalendorinių švenčių modelių elementai, nagrinėjamos jų turinio reikšmės ir šiuolaikinės transformacijos. Skirtini trys lietuvininkų švenčių modeliai: archajiškasis (XV–XIX a.), XX a. ir šiuolaikinis (po 1991 m. iki šių dienų).Lithuanians living in Lithuania Minor were influenced by various, sometimes conflicting factors: the old Prussian religion, Christianity brought by the Crusaders, Swedish and Russian occupations, Germanization, Samogitian and Lithuanian customs, but the calendar holiday traditions were and is one of the slowest-changing cultural events in this region. It should be noted that in Lithuania Minor in the early 20th century was widespread entertainment and splendor denying Pietism. During World War II, German culture spread rapidly. The article deals with meaning of Lithuania Minor vanishing calendar holiday (Christmas Eve/Christmas, Mardi Gras, Easter) customs and describes ethnic traditions and possibilities of continuity while reconstructing the customs according to the model of modern holidays. There are given the known elements of Lithuanians calendar holiday models and analyzed the meanings of their content and modern transformations. Many of the first half of the 20th century in Lithuania Minor prevailing calendar customs belonged to the usual custom groups of that period or at least the end of the 19th century in Eastern, Western and Central Europe. They were ritual actions with protection (birch or juniper branches, performing the function of palms, eggs, etc.), celebratory fires, winter and summer holiday marriage spells, carnivals, weather predictions, and so on. However, the analysis of individual calendar holiday structure shows that the structure and local significance of the same ethnos and of the same holiday at the same time may be different. Data written down at different times do not allow rigorous conclusions, but the continuity of them show, that in every family major holidays could be celebrated differently