Language
The Lithuanian language is among the oldest in Europe and belongs to
the Baltic group of Indo-European languages. Lithuanian, among all the
living Indo-European languages has been the most successful in preserving
its ancient system of phonetics and most of its morphological features. Low Lithuanian is spoken in the west
and is a different dialect to High Lithuanian, which is spoken in the rest
of the country.
The history of the written Lithuanian language starts in Lithuania
Minor (East Prussia) in the middle of the 16th century. The very first
book written in Lithuania was the Catechismus of Martinas Mažvydas,
published in 1547. Also of great importance were the 1599 book Postile of
Mikalojus Daukša and Konstantinas Sirvydas' trilateral
(Polish-Latin-Lithuanian) dictionary in approximately 1620. The first
Lithuanian grammar was published in 1653.
Religion
The Catholic Church is a conservative force in Lithuanian society, and
its head is the Archbishop of Kaunas. Russian Orthodoxy is practised in
the country, and there are also Old Believers, a sect of the Russian
Orthodox church that has suffered intermittent persecution since the 17th
century. There are also pagans in Lithuania, highlighted by the Romuva
movement, which has congregations in Vilnius and Kaunas as well as among
Lithuanian communities overseas. The movement works towards rekindling
Lithuania's ancient spiritual and folklore traditions.
Literature
The first major fiction in Lithuanian was the poem Metai (The Seasons),
by Kristijonas Donelaitis, describing the life of serfs in the 18th
century. Jonas Maciulis, known as Maironis, is regarded as the founder of
modern Lithuanian literature thanks to the poetry he wrote around the
beginning of the 20th century. Lithuania is also the birthplace of several
major Polish writers, among them Czeslaw Milosz, winner of the 1980 Nobel
prize for literature.
Art
An interesting Lithuanian folk-art tradition is the carving of large
wooden crosses, suns, weathercocks or figures of saints on tall poles that
are placed at crossroads, in cemeteries, village squares or at the sites
of extraordinary events. In the Soviet period, such work was banned, but
it survived to amazing effect at the Hill of Crosses near Siauliai.
Food & Drinks
Dairy products and potatoes are mainstays of the Lithuanian diet, and
pancakes are particularly popular. A traditional (and unforgettable) meal
is cepelinai, a zeppelin-shaped parcel of a glutinous substance (allegedly
potato dough), with a wad of cheese, meat or mushrooms in the centre. It
comes topped with a sauce made from onions, butter, sour cream and bacon
bits. Sakotis is a tall, Christmas-tree shaped cake generally served at
weddings, while dinner on Christmas Eve consists of 12 different
vegetarian dishes. Utenos and Kalnapilis are the best local brands of
beer, perhaps preferable to midus (mead), which can be as much as 60%
proof. Those who prefer to make their own decision about when to lie down
should look out for stakliskes, a honey liqueur.
source: lonely planet
National Anthem
To listen the national anthem click
here.
UP