St. The indulgences of Mary Magdalene in Veiviržėnai stay an vital aspect of the native identification

St. Veiviržėnai This yr, the indulgences of Mary Magdalene had been included within the compendium of intangible cultural heritage values ​​of Lithuania. This glad information was vital not just for St. Veiviržėnai, who submitted the appliance to the listing. to the parish of St. Matthew the Apostle, but in addition to the whole group of Klaipėda district, which is within the traditions of our area.
Dwelling traditions change
For a very long time, little was stated in regards to the Catholic custom, it lives on, so the query arises, what else is there to guard? Nevertheless, many individuals level out that though these traditions are nonetheless alive, they’re altering. Related processes are happening all around the world. Lithuania in 2004 ratified the Conference on the Preservation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage printed by UNESCO. It supplies the next definition of intangible cultural heritage: it’s “types of apply, transmission and expression, information, abilities, in addition to associated instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural areas, which communities, teams and in some circumstances people acknowledge as a part of their cultural heritage . This intangible cultural heritage, handed down from technology to technology, is consistently recreated by communities and teams in response to their atmosphere, interplay with nature and their historical past, and it supplies them with a way of identification and continuity, thus selling respect for cultural variety and human creativity.” to say that the custom has a particular, clearly outlined kind, it’s practiced by no less than a number of generations, and the area people perceives it as one of many types of its identification. All these standards are met by St. Veiviržėnai. The custom of indulgences of Mary Magdalene.
Indulgences are a liturgical vacation
St. The Indulgence of Mary Magdalene is a liturgical feast of the Roman Catholic Church. Within the church calendar St. Mary Magdalene is commemorated on July 22, and indulgences are moved to the subsequent Sunday. These indulgences have been celebrated in Veiviržėnai since 1785.
Preparations for indulgences start upfront, the church is totally cleaned, and the cemetery is tidied up. The local people of believers gathers to weave wreaths, which embellish the presbytery of the church and crown St. The portray of Mary Magdalene within the facet altar of the presbytery. All church altars are adorned with flower preparations.
On the day of indulgences, St. Initially of the mass, the Kantian hymn “Mary Magdalene, That Jesus sought” is sung. The mass is led by a visitor priest. On the fruits of the Holy Mass, a solemn procession takes place via the streets of the city of Veivirženiai. Believers of all ages take part within the procession, from kids to the aged. A choir sings a conventional processional tune, accompanied by a brass band, whose taking part in emphasizes the significance of the festivities.
After the church celebrations, the trustworthy, invited by the pastor, collect on the historic rectory constructing, the place a festive program awaits the indulgent individuals. Chamber music works are carried out in it, consideration is paid to some historic occasion or persona of Veiviržėnai church, parish or city.
On the day of indulgences, retailers and artisans arrange store close to the cemetery, inviting you to strive numerous crafts and purchase ready-made gadgets.
For almost all of residents of Veiviržėnai St. The indulgences of Mary Magdalene are related to the time of household and kinship conferences. Though the habits of the area people are altering, Magdalena indulgences stay an vital aspect of the native identification.
In at this time’s context of indulgence custom, St. The indulgences of Mary Magdalene in Veiviržėnai parish are distinguished by the truth that the church celebrations remained on the middle of the celebration, whereas different actions (jomark, live performance, different cultural actions) solely complement, however don’t compete with, the important a part of the indulgence celebration. This testifies to the deep Catholic piety traditions of the Veiviržėnai area and the ever-increasing want to keep up them.
The Soviet period modified loads
A lot of the households residing in Veiviržėnai and the territory of Veiviržėnai parish have their very own household reminiscences associated to this vacation.
The fragmentary story of St. The indulgences of Mary Magdalene might be learn by interwar poet, cultural employee Fr. Within the reminiscences of Mykolas Vaitkaus. His description dates again to 1904-1907. M. Vaitkus remembers how, after the indulgence celebrations, a bunch of invited monks had lunch, after which, standing within the group, they sang numerous songs. Though fragmentary, M. Vaitkaus’ story characteristically describes the priesthood at the moment.
The Soviet period strongly modified the habits of the group, so it additionally affected St. For the custom of celebrating the indulgences of Mary Magdalene in Veiviržėnai. Initially, indulgences could possibly be celebrated solely inside the boundaries of the churchyard, processions via the streets of the city had been prohibited. Preparation of processions was revived solely in 2017. No cultural actions after St. Mass was additionally not doable. The native authorities, to be able to preserve individuals away from the celebration of indulgences, specifically began organizing live shows on St. Mass within the Veivirž river valley close to the church. This lovely place particularly attracted these collaborating in indulgences, so based on the previous customized, many most well-liked to increase the celebration within the valley. Many individuals keep in mind how complete households used to take a seat down and talk “on the dekiuks” within the valley.
Through the Soviet period, there have been now not any nice indulgences. The submitters keep in mind how sweets (“pipes”) and freshly ripe berries (cherries, cherries) had been traded, however this was the enterprise of particular person merchants. In the meantime, in lots of locations in Žemaitia, the participation of brass bands (often known as “troubles”) throughout church holidays remained in the course of the Soviet period.
After 1990, when participation in church providers was now not restricted or prohibited, individuals gathered in giant numbers to St. Indulgences of Mary Magdalene, held in Veiviržėnai. Later, the variety of individuals decreased, many selected to take part within the leisure pageant held the evening earlier than within the Veiviržs valley, and on Sundays they now not attended church celebrations. It turned an increasing number of troublesome to draw kids and particularly younger individuals to take part within the procession.
On the similar time, they revived the custom
The scenario started to vary in 2017, when a newly appointed pastor, Fr. Vidmantas Gricius started to revive St. the custom of indulgences of Mary Magdalene. He himself took cost of the work of adorning the church earlier than indulgences, taking care that the native singers, whose quantity is lowering yearly, had been assisted by visitor choristers, to be able to keep the custom of “tribes” collaborating within the mass and procession. On his initiative, the procession of indulgences started to move via the streets of Veiviržėnai once more, cultural applications had been organized within the church after the celebrations, and the parish group was agape. Pastor V. Gricius led the renovation works of the historic rectory constructing, so from 2019 after St. All of the individuals of the indulgences collect within the new area – in entrance of the historic Veiviržėnai rectory.
Such lively exercise of the pastor led to constructive adjustments within the apply of the custom of indulgences and inspired the members of the area people to return to the previous custom of indulgences and contribute to its upkeep.
in 2023 Valė Krauleidienė, the librarian of the Veivirženiai part of the Jonas Lankutis Public Library of the Klaipėda district, ready and carried out a challenge financed by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania, aimed toward supporting native traditions and strengthening group spirit. Within the challenge actions, it was deliberate to concentrate to St. Mary Magdalene Indulgences in Veiviržėnai, presenting the lengthy historical past of this vacation to the group and holding workshops for weaving indulgence wreaths.
Workers of the Klaipėda District Crafts Heart, Valdonija Karaliūnienė, museum curator of the Jurgis Šaulis Gymnasium in Veiviržėnai, and a substantial variety of lively members of the parish group actively participated in these actions. Along with this challenge, one other one was carried out, financed below this system for the cultivation and improvement of ethnic tradition within the Klaipėda area (applicant: St. Matthew the Evangelist Parish of Veivirženia). Throughout his time, the historian Egidijus Miltakis collected materials in regards to the historical past of the Veivirženia parish within the Veiviržėnai church and different Lithuanian archives, in search of details and about St. Indulgence of Mary Magdalene. Along with the historic analysis, ethnological materials on the subject of indulgences was collected, and interviews had been filmed throughout it. Each tasks performed an vital function within the native individuals’s “rediscovery” of St. Indulgences of Mary Magdalene in Veiviržėnai, encouraging them to rethink their households’ relationship with this custom and assist it. After their profitable implementation, new concepts of the group appeared, that are anticipated to be carried out.
Communalism is strengthened
St. Through the Feast of the Indulgences of Mary Magdalene in Veiviržėnai, one can really feel the shut interweaving of the custom of the Roman Catholic Church and the historical past of the city and parish. The consolidation of confessional and nationwide identification in indulgences is consistently restored and re-consolidated in household tales and shared reminiscences. This custom matures the cultural and historic identification of the area people, encourages sustaining and strengthening the custom. St. The indulgences of Mary Magdalene for the individuals of Veiviržės are essentially the most distinguished custom of the city group, which mixes the spiritual and cultural heritage of native traditions. Many issues have modified and are nonetheless altering within the lifetime of the area people, new areas for cultural actions of the city seem, numerous tasks are carried out, however indulgences are the axis of native traditions, a sure reference level that marks everlasting values. Totally different establishments of the city are concerned within the preparation of indulgences: Klaipėda district craft middle, library, Jurgios Šaulis highschool.
Each time after the top of the indulgences, locals share their impressions, the indulgences are offered within the regional media, an increasing number of indulgence individuals are acquired from different components of the Klaipėda area. Come to see and really feel the distinctive St. Maria Magdalena’s indulgent spirit, and the native individuals’s want to keep up and strengthen the custom is getting stronger.

Could 25 11 o’clock the historic Veiviržėnai rectory (Laisvės st. 24, Veiviržėnai) will host the convention “St. The appeal of Mary Magdalene”.
Displays can be learn by Regina Šiurytė-Šimulienė, supervisor of cultural tasks of the Gargžda Area Museum; Egidijus Miltakis, historian, worker of the Lithuanian Cultural Analysis Institute. This system can be enriched by a quintet of wind devices.

Regina ŠIURYTĖ-SIMULIENĖ
Supervisor of cultural tasks of the Gargžda Area Museum
Vilias BUTKUVIENĖS picture.