Can you bring up the dialect, who is Šyvis, what does the harp of Little Lithuania sound like – these and other answers about phenomena reflecting cultural identity are provided by the supplemented Compendium of Intangible Cultural Heritage Values.
This year, in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Preservation of Intangible Cultural Heritage, 7 new phenomena are added to the compendium of Lithuanian intangible cultural heritage values. Six values of living heritage are included in the Code: Little Lithuania’s traditions of music making, shingled roofing, balans, breaking barrels (shankies), tradition of singing from Kalvarija region in the village of Brukai, tradition of dancing Šyvis in Gražiškiai, washing on the second day of Easter in the village of Užupė and, for the first time, intangible cultural heritage preservation activities (good practice) – revitalization of the Lithuanian (Šišioniškės) dialect: school and other activities.
This year even two phenomena important to Little Lithuania entered the national list. One of them is the 20th century. At the end of the 20th century, the tradition of instrumental music in Lithuania Minor was revived and is still being nurtured by the regional folklore ensembles, musicians and masters of musical instruments. In Little Lithuania, songs, evangelical religious hymns are accompanied by musical instruments, songs, dances, wheel melodies are played from East Prussian German ethnochoreography publications and recorded in the 20th century. in expeditions in Klaipėda region. The active search for historical knowledge, the reconstruction of musical instruments, the experience of traditional music making and the professionalism of the band leaders contribute to the preservation of traditional music making and new forms of expression of the tradition.
Having assessed that not only living traditions deserve public awareness and attention, but also significant activities that can become examples, revive values, continue or otherwise contribute to their preservation, the following practice is included in the Code for the first time – revitalization of the Lithuanian (Šišioniškės) dialect: school and other activities. This is a rich set of tools for learning, teaching and disseminating the dying dialect of the inhabitants of Šilutė and Klaipėda districts. The most prominent initiative among many dialect preservation activities is the 2013-2019 A Saturday Lithuanian dialect school was held at the Hugo Šojaus Museum in Šilutė, encouraging local people to learn the dialect of their country and proving that the dialect can be learned. Its active use in cultural tourism activities, communication of events, programs of folklore ensembles, and publishing activities contributes to the preservation of the Šišioniški dialect.
This year, Sūduviai is giving Sąvadus the singing tradition of the Kalvarija region in the village of Brukai. Ancient monophonic songs, polyphonic songs of literary origin, romances, which were once widely heard in many villages of the Kalvarija region, are today preserved by the communities of Brukai and Sūsninkai villages, the folklore ensemble “Bruknyčia” is taken over by the folklore collectives of Kalvarija and Marijampole municipalities. The songs are characterized by a variety of musical, rhythmic, poetic and performance means of expression and reveal the peculiarity of the Suduvian musical dialect. When singing, the melodiousness, modest expression of emotions, unique articulation of the text, and the sense of musical thought and form are conveyed.
The list of customs and rites boasting in the summary will be supplemented by the washing of the second day of Easter in the village of Užupė. The custom of sacred washing and watering with water, which is used to wish for a good harvest, happiness and health, has been recorded since the 19th century, but over time, the hundred-year-old tradition cherished in many areas of Lithuania faded away. The village of Užupės in the Kėdainiai district is probably the only known place in Lithuania where the custom of Easter watering, preserved by the efforts of the local people, lives on continuously and is passed down from generation to generation.
The tradition of Śyvis dancing in Gražiškii is a mid-holiday ritual reminiscent of the Shrovetide carnival, practiced only in the town of Gražiškii, Vilkaviškii district. Here, every year, a character dressed in horseman’s clothes and a live horse mask attached to his waist, accompanied by a large group of disguises, visits the courtyards of the townspeople, wishing the owners health, happiness and a fruitful year. In every yard, a test of modesty is prepared for Śyvi – he has to jump over a bench, a chair or another step. Customs are the pride of the people of Gräšiška and an important part of their identity – this is also evidenced by the šyv depicted on the town’s coat of arms.
Two archaic crafts related to woodworking will also be included in the Compendium. One of them is shingle roofing, a disappearing craft, whose masters cover the roofs of residential houses, chapel pillars, roof pillars, mills, churches and bell towers with shingles carved with special machines. The craft of tile roofing was taken over from the old roofers and nurtured by the certified craftsman Gintas Čekauskas from Lekėčiai, Šakių district. and other members of the Čekauskas Museum of Ethnography, who regularly prepare craft educations, carry out the non-formal education training program, advise roofing masters and others interested in the craft.
On the initiative of the Musteika village community, the tradition of breaking balans (barrels) comes to Sąvadas from Dzūkija hills. Splitting is one of the most archaic methods of wood processing, when boards, roofing, fence structures and other wood products are prepared by splitting and tearing pine wood. When wood is split, it splits along the grain and becomes resistant to weathering, so the products made in this way are strong and durable. Using this technology, fences of broken pickets are also cut, and light, strong baskets made of wood chips are woven – an irreplaceable tool of the heather for picking mushrooms and berries.
Public presentation of new intangible cultural heritage values and presentation of certificates – May 15. During the celebrations in the Vilnius Town Hall.
Since 2017 the Compendium of Intangible Cultural Heritage Values is being created – a list of various performing arts, folk art, crafts, holidays, culinary heritage and other traditions, knowledge, skills, preservation activities, which currently contains 55 values.
The manager of the compendium is the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, the manager is the Lithuanian National Cultural Center, which is assisted by a commission of competent experts in the field of culture, a network of specialists, cultural, scientific and study institutions, non-governmental organizations, custodian communities and individuals. Everyone can contribute to the process of preserving the intangible cultural heritage and creating a compendium, so every year in the spring we are invited to submit value propositions, consultations, and in the autumn – to submit applications.
More information – on the Compendium website www.savadas.lnkc.lt.
More information:
Damilė Bagdonavičienė, tel. (8 5) 210 76 69
LNKC Cultural Information Sub-Department, Eglė Ladigienė, tel. (8 5) 261 2553
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– 2024-04-06 11:22:21
