Lithuanian Shrovetide or the Ushering-out-of-Winter Festival in the Soviet period

The relationship between ethnographic calendars and public holidays based on them in the second half of the twentieth century in the context of Soviet ideology has so far not come under keener scrutiny by ethnologists. The modern research on expressions of ethnic culture, including Užgavėnės, or Shrovetide, conducted during the Soviet period, cites the ethnocultural processes, which took place, only episodically, listing negative factors which merged, leveled or otherwise distorted ethnic traditions. Although there may be objections to this statement, significant efforts were made during this complex historical period to resist this, or at least partially preserve the identity of the ethnic group. The article analyzes how public celebrations of Užgavėnės/Ushering-out-of-Winter Festival were organized and held during the Soviet period (ca. 1959–1989). It traces the evolution of the Soviet holiday and its relationship to the traditional/rural forms of celebrating Shrovetide