Funeral songs the diocese of Telšiai: between tradition and innovation.

Funeral chantings, prayers and ceremonies play very important role in all catholic folk piety practices. During funeral there are lots of various chantings, prayers and ceremonies in all ethnographical regions of Lithuania. For example in Dzūkija (the southern part of Lithuania) aside from lamentations people use to chant Officium defunctorum (psalms for the dead) and pathetical mournings, remembering the Passion of Christ; in Suvalkija (south western part of Lithuania) is chanted the Rosary of The Name of Jesus; in Aukštaitija (the eastern part of Lithuania) is chanted the Way of the Cross (with 14 stations) and in Žemaitija (the western part of Lithuania) are chanted 20 stations of Calvary, called Samogitian Calvary way. In areas that border with protestant or orthodox traditions, there are performed Officium defunctorum quite often. And all the regions of Lithuania are unified by the ceremonies of funeral and funeral chantings