It is then that the holidays will be much more meaningful and colorful.
More about this in TV3 news.
Taking in her hands the ancient rolling pin and rumba made by her father in 1937, Ina from Suvalki started cleaning on the eve of Maundy Thursday and told how she was preparing for the Easter holiday: “I clean the sheets, I don’t need an iron.”
Cleaning work before the holidays
On Maundy, or in other words – Clean Thursday, more cleaning is waiting – traditional cleaning of windows, washing of curtains.
“And how sweet it is when you open those windows, take off the curtains, how you hang them up again after washing them. Really, as they say, very cute”, says Ina Kereišienė, a resident of Šunski.
The woman says that she has followed the traditions of Holy Week, or Passion Week, since she was a child, so every day before the dawn of the holy Easter morning is dedicated to a different pre-holiday activity.
In ancient times, people believed that performing this rite would bring good health throughout the year. Ethnographers say that even young girls used to dance on Thursday.
“If a gypsy crosses your path, know that you will get a good and rich husband,” says ethnographer Jonas Mardosa.
Confession before Easter
But it was important to cleanse not only the body, but also the soul. Before Easter, Easter confession was very important. Clergy even distributed Easter confession cards at the beginning of the twentieth century.
“Those cards have a number, and based on that, it is known how many must go to confession, and when it comes to Easter confession, such a card is left, and it is known who from that family came to confession, and then at some moments in life, a decision is made, whether during the funeral or not something else, if a person does not fulfill his duty as a Christian”, says J. Mardosa.
Now the clergy do not force people to make confession, they encourage people to focus more on the beginning of the Holy Trinity from Thursday evening.
There is no mass on Good Friday
“Good Friday is the only day of the year when there is no mass offered. From Thursday until Easter morning, neither baptisms nor marriages take place,” says St. Ričardas Doveika, parish priest of Joseph.
And already in the afternoon hours, other Good Friday ceremonies are organized in churches. Tuesday is crowned by the customs of Holy Saturday.
“Here in Lithuania, in other countries, there is a beautiful custom of bringing food to the shrine for consecration. Throughout the day, a food consecration ceremony takes place every hour in the city’s sanctuaries. In this way, it is an invitation for people to spend time, to be at the tomb of Christ”, says R. Doveika.
Fasting box for the poor
In the evening, Easter begins, believers pray, fire consecration ceremonies are performed in churches. During Holy Week, it is important not only to reflect on our deeds, but also to share kindness. Clergymen notice that such people increase every year before the holidays.
This is also shown by the fasting box that operated throughout Lent, when believers could donate food to the poor. Viktorija from Vilnius says that she is not happy about people’s kindness, because before Easter she received a package that was so important to her: “You can see, I got oil, cookies for the kids, tea.”
The woman is struggling to make ends meet, and recently a tragedy struck the family, so she has to take care of more than herself.
“I have grandchildren who were orphaned, I buried my son recently in Germany,” says Victoria from Vilnius.
As pastor Doveika says, there are about several hundred of them in Pilaitė parish alone. And this year, more than ever, the citizens of Pilaitški are extremely generous to those in need. Schools also joined the campaign. People put groats, preserves, and other delicacies in special bags.
The initiators of the campaign, who have been urging people to share kindness in churches for ten years before Easter, say that the number of poor people is increasing, but the number of people sharing is also increasing, especially during Holy Week.
“During this time, during Lent, for example, one parish collects about eight hundred products. You can imagine that they then hand out about ten in a bag,” says Ieva Kuzmaitė, representative of Vilnius Archdiocese “Carito”.
Products will still be accepted in some churches and distributed to the needy until Easter.
Learn more in the video report at the top of the article.
