Kaziuko mug?
or
Saint Casimir's Fair
[1]
is a large annual
folk arts
and crafts
fair
in
Lithuania
, dating to the beginning of the 17th century. The fair is traditionally held in city's markets and streets on the Sunday nearest to 4 March (Feast of St. Casimir), the anniversary of
Saint Casimir's
death. In
Lithuanian
,
Kaziukas
is a
diminutive
of
Casimir
. Today, Saint Casimir's fair also features music, dance, theater performances; it attracts tens of thousands of visitors and many craftsmen from across Lithuania as well as from neighbouring countries such as
Latvia
,
Russia
, and
Poland
.
[2]
In recent years, the fair has expanded into other cities in Lithuania, Belarus, Poland.
History and location
[
edit
]
St. Casimir, son of King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania
Casimir IV
, was canonized in 1602.
[2]
In conjunction with his
feast day
celebrations, merchants established a fair. In 1827, they received a privilege to hold the fair in the
Cathedral Square
. In 1901, after a monument to
Catherine the Great
was unveiled in the Cathedral Square, the fair was moved to
Luki?k?s Square
.
[3]
During the
Soviet era
, the fair was held in
Kalvarijos Market
. In 1991, it returned to the
Old Town of Vilnius
.
[2]
It was first held in
Pilies Street
but has since grown to span
Gediminas Avenue
, traverse the Cathedral Square, and branch out into Pilies Street,
B. Radvilait?s
Street, passing
St. Anne's Church
, and the
Orthodox
Cathedral of the Theotokos
, and into the Tymas' Quarter on the left bank of
Vilnia River
near
U?upis
.
[4]
It is estimated that as of 2013, the fair attracted 2,000 merchants and half a million visitors over three days (Friday to Sunday).
[5]
In 2021, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
, the fair was held online. Previously, the fair did not take place only during World War II.
[6]
In recent years the fair has expanded into other cities in Lithuania, including
Kaunas
(in
Laisv?s al?ja
and
Town Hall Square
),
Alytus
,
Klaip?da
.
[2]
Similar festivals called
Kaziuki
are also held in several cities in Poland, e.g. in
Lidzbark Warmi?ski
,
Olsztyn
,
[7]
Szczecin
,
Gda?sk
and
Pozna?
,
[8]
[9]
[10]
as well as in
Hrodna
,
Belarus
,
[11]
the city where St. Casimir died. A smaller version of the fair is also held by Lithuanian communities abroad, including inside the Lithuanian World Center in
Lemont, Illinois
.
Features
[
edit
]
The arts and crafts at the fair include hand-made goods from local craftsmen, such as woven and
knitted
clothes, footwear, toys,
utensils
, pots and jugs, jewelry, souvenirs, and paintings. Traditional foodstuffs include
rye bread
,
bubliks
,
gingerbread
, natural honey, beer,
gira
, and colorfully wrapped
hard candy
. Crafts represented include wood carvers,
blacksmiths
, potters, weavers and knitters,
wicker
weavers.
[12]
Easter palms
(
Lithuanian
:
verbos
, singular:
verba
) are one of the fair's specialties. They are made of colourful dried wild flowers and herbs (about 150 different varieties of plants are used) tied around a wooden stick.
[3]
Traditionally, they were taken to churches on
Palm Sunday
. Verba has become a traditional symbol of spring and Easter. However, it is an endangered craft.
[3]
Making
verba
is difficult and time-consuming process. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find flowers and herbs or special dies to color them. The buyers are wary that the dried plants would cause allergic reactions.
[3]
Another signature product at the fair is the Casimir's Heart, a heart-shaped
gingerbread
decorated with sugar patterns and figures (flowers, zigzags, birds, etc.) or popular given names. People buy them to give to their loved ones. It is customary to bring back some these to those who could not attend.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Note:
Kaziukas is a Lithuanian diminutive for the name
Kazimieras
, or
Casimir
- ^
a
b
c
d
Manelis, Eugenijus; Ra?is, Antanas, eds. (2011). "K?sgail? ba?ny?ios gynimas".
Lietuvos istorija. Enciklopedinis ?inynas
(in Lithuanian). Vol. I.
Mokslo ir enciklopedij? leidybos centras
. p. 818.
ISBN
978-5-420-01689-3
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Dumalakas, Ar?nas (2015-03-07).
"Verb? ri??j? li?desys: Kaziuko mug?s ?enklas tampa retenybe"
(in Lithuanian). Lietuvos rytas. Archived from
the original
on 2015-05-18
. Retrieved
2015-04-26
.
- ^
Savickien?, Daiva (2008-02-21).
"Kaziuko mug?s naujov?s, amatinink? eisena, prekeivi? gausa i?judins vilnie?ius ir sostin?s sve?ius"
(in Lithuanian). Vilnius City Municipality. Archived from
the original
on 2011-06-04.
- ^
"Specialiai Balsas.lt: ? Kaziuko mug? ? klumpi? ir pasiva?in?ti su mal?nu"
. TV3. 2013-02-08
. Retrieved
2015-04-26
.
- ^
Andrukaityt?, Milena (21 February 2021).
"Vilniaus Kaziuko mug? ?iemet vyks internete Roko Luko?evi?iaus"
(in Lithuanian). 15min
. Retrieved
21 February
2021
.
- ^
Lewandowska, Izabela (2007). "The tradition and the contemporary of multiculturalism in Warmia and Masuria".
Region and Regionalism
.
2
(8). University of Łod?, Silesian Institute of Opole: 101.
- ^
Frymus, Małgorzata (4 March 2013).
"Kiermasz i koncert, czyli Kaziuki po szczeci?sku"
(in Polish). Polskie Radio Szczecin.
- ^
Polejowski, Karol.
"Wile?skie Kaziuki w Gda?sku"
(in Polish). Gdansk.pl. Archived from
the original
on 10 November 2013.
- ^
"Kaziuk Wile?ski w niedziel? w Poznaniu"
(in Polish).
Gazeta Wyborcza
. 29 February 2008.
- ^
"W Grodnie rozpocz?ły si? Kaziuki"
.
polskieradio.pl
(in Polish). IAR
. Retrieved
15 February
2017
.
- ^
"Saint Casimir's Fair"
. Lithuanian State Department of Tourism
. Retrieved
2015-04-26
.
External links
[
edit
]
54°41′7″N
25°17′12″E
/
54.68528°N 25.28667°E
/
54.68528; 25.28667