CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS IN LITHUANIA MINOR: HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT AND PROSPECTS OF MODERN RECONSTRUCTION

Abstract

This article examines the Christmas and pre-Christmas traditions of the Lithuanians of Lithuania Minor, analysing their historical development from the archaic models of the 15th–19th centuries to the transitional forms of the 19th–20th centuries and the contemporary reconstructions emerging after 1990. Particular attention is devoted to the interaction of ethnic tradition, confessional identity and modern cultural practices, as well as to regional specificities distinguishing Lithuania Minor within the broader Baltic context. The study employs an interdisciplinary approach combining ethnographic fieldwork conducted by the author in 2007–2015 (245 informants) with additional interviews collected in 2018–2023 in regional ethnoculture centres. Archival materials from Folklore and Manuscript Fund of Klaipėda University (KUTRF), The Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore (LLTI) and The Lithuanian Institute of History (LII) were analysed alongside historical texts from the 16th–19th centuries. Comparative, interpretive and content-analysis methods were applied. The author also continuously observes and participates in contemporary cultural activities organised by local institutions, thus providing longitudinal insight into the living tradition. This research for the first time provides a systematic reconstruction of three models of the Christmas tradition in Lithuania Minor (archaic, transitional and contemporary), based on an extensive corpus of unique field narratives. The study demonstrates that the region’s Lutheran religious background strongly influenced the structure and meaning of Kūčios and Christmas, while contemporary reconstructions often function as “invented traditions”, frequently mediated by cultural institutions. A new interpretation of ritual change is proposed through the lens of regional identity formation and cultural memory. The archaic model was marked by a syncretic fusion of pre-Christian beliefs and communal ritual practices. The 19th–20th centuries brought desacralisation, standardisation and fragmentation of customs, shaped by modernisation, urbanisation and political regimes. The contemporary model is characterised by active revival, institutional curation and creative reinterpretation of traditions, which significantly contribute to the strengthening of regional identity. Today, Christmas traditions serve as an important cultural resource and a marker of Lithuania Minor’s heritage.