The Faith:
The old Gods in Kulautuva
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The ancient Baltic rituals - today:
Wedding:

2004year



Name-giving:
(Christening)
A newborn's birthday, community visitation and name-giving (christening) are are ancient rituals (predating Christianity), which assert the new-born child's ties with this world, his family and community.
The rituals are performed either at home or in nature at the time of a new or full moon. The room is decorated with plants and greenery. Birds made of straw are hung from the sceiling. In the middle of the room - the home hearth - a small fire altar, which is lit at the time fo the ritual. Other materials are readied - a bowl of water, a clean cloth, scisors. The room is well-lit with candles and other lights.
The participants are the mother, the child, the father, the name-givers, relatives, other children and the priestess of the ceremony - Pribuveja (midwife). Pribuveja guides the event and cares for the new-born child.
The child is dressed in a festive linen shirt. A sash woven with folk decorations is used as a waist-band.
The feast - the name-givers bring a cake. The food upon the table traditionally includes eggs, scrambled eggs, bread, cheese, beer, etc..
Gifts are brought to the new-born and the mother.
The Ceremony
Pribuveja (the midwife) invites the patents and name-givers to the feast table and announces:
"From the farthest, unknown reaches of the land - an unseen, unheard of, unknown guest has arrived. He claims to be your relative. Laima has sent you a helper ploughman/weaver. Will you accept him/her and name him/her your son/daughter?"
The mother and father receive the child, express their gratitude and pass him on to the name-givers. The father gives a cup of beer to the Pribuveja. She takes the cup and, after spilling some on the ground, says "Dear Zemyna, preserve in health and prosperity. Be kind to the new-born." At this time the child must be placed on the ground.
After blessing, the Pribuveja drinks, gives the cup to the mother, who then, after drinking passes it on to the father, he to the name-mother, she to the name-father. Then the other participants of the ceremony taste the beer, passing it around.
The priestess or priest adresses the gathered people "Dear name-givers, honored family! We celebrate a holiday, which is as ancient as our family, our people. This is a holiday of family-ties. Receiving this child, you will have to care for him and raise him in the best of our traditions and virtues. Educate the child to respect his parents, elders and the family."
Water Ritual
The newborn is washed, submerged or sprinkled with water. He is washed by the Pribuveja and the name-mother. In the water of the first washing, there must be juniper ashes and salt.
Fire Ritual
The fire, Ugnis, is fed salt. The mother, standing before the fire, facing East, strews grain upon the gathered family and into the fire.
The name-father, with the child in his hands, walks around the fire three times, and stops, facing East.
The priest or priestess asks "What name will you give to this child?"
The name-father answers "Vykintas (...)"
The priestess continues "Vykintas, that is what we shall call you from now on. Your name is beautiful and meaningful. You enter your family." She then recites a prayer to Gyvata "Hail thee, oh bringer of Gyvata (life force)..."
The father binds the child in a sash and blesses, kisses him. The mother follows to bless him as well.
The priestess says "Laima determined our forefathers' fate. May she watch over your little Vykintas as well. Dear Laima, edow this child with good lot, be kindful to him."
The dancers at the ritual perform a sutartine "Trepute."(SIS.1300)
Promotion into Grandparents
Guests and relatives symbolically raise the mothers of the child's parents in chiars to the level of grandmothers, and the fathers - to grandfathers. They are given new titles of relation. New titles are also assigned to the other relatives of the child (aunts, uncles, etc.).
Introduction of the child into the family: Every relativemust hold the child in their hands. Even teh older children must do this. Dancing is also an option. Every relative spins around - in one direction, and the other - then passes the child on. During the feast, stories are told about the greater family, the relatives, grandparents, other ancestors. Name-giving songs and sutartines are sung.
Visitation Ritual (Apgelai)
Such a ceremony is arranged when the child reaches one year of age. It is a women's ceremony.
The mother, Pribuveja and the name-mother take part.
The name-mother, holding the child's head over a bowl of water, covered with a dipped-in cloth, cuts a small tuft of the child's hair. Afterwards, the cloth is taken off the bowl and wrung out. The mother, the name-mother and Pribuveja all drink some of the water.
The cut hair is later burried in the earth when planting a tree.
"Putineli raudonasai" is sung.
A tree is planted: an oak for a son, a linded for a daughter. The tuft of hair is placed under the roots. Graves of the ancestors are visited. Candles are lit.
Ritual Details
Every region in Lithuania has its own traditional rituals for initiating the new-born into the family. The description given above could be adapted - simplified or expanded. However, the water and fire rituals are necessary.
Gediminas Berzanskis Klausutis performed a pagan name-giving ritual for his son. He waited for a young moon and a thunderstorm. He carried his nude child into the garden, under an oak, and let the rain soak him. At the flash of lightning, he spoke "Perkunas, oh god, bless our son; bring him hapiness. his first name - Laimingas (happy, lucky). He comes from Ziemgala - that will be his second name. May his soul never age, like this moon - that will be his third name." Thus he had three names - Laimingas Ziemgaliu Jaunutis.
Lietuviu Tautosaka [Lithuanian Folklore] (IV t.p.577) writes: "Grass-snakes protect, ladle the children, lay with them in the bed, play with them, protect them from misfortunes. It is told that a snake crawls up to a new-born and leaves a very beautiful flower upon or near him. A child who has this flower, after growing up will never perish in war or otherwise. This is how the snake repays a woman who was kind enough to feed the snake while she is in pregnancy."
Hail thee, oh bringer of gyvata, queen of the people alive!
We bow to you, giver of gyvata, protect this child from burdens.
To you we bow - the people of this land, as do the honorable gods.
You give to the gods too, endow them with honor, and at birth you give, endow them with fortune.
Behold this man, recently born, he has already beheld you, gyvata!
Let him, this new-born child, to live a long life.
So that death does not come quickly to take gyvata away.
(According to song recorded in the Panevezys district - Musu Tautosaka, II t.p.106)

2005m. Name - giving ritual.

2005m. Name-giving ritual. muzika