Lithuania's summer opens with two old traditions. On the shortest night, families gather herbs, weave wreaths and light bonfires for Rasos, the midsummer festival also called Joninės. Around Statehood Day on July 6, which marks King Mindaugas's crowning, the Kernavė hillforts fill with old crafts, battles and pony rides. Here's what we checked, from the Rasos bonfire to Live Archaeology Days.
Rasos is the Lithuanian midsummer festival, and Kernavė has celebrated it with old Baltic customs since 1967. Folk ensembles lead songs, circle dances and games on the Kernavė hillforts, and everyone is invited to take part.
Kids can gather herbs with a herbalist, weave wreaths, walk in the procession and watch the great bonfire. Older kids can stay up to float wreaths on the river and greet the sunrise.
An international experimental archaeology festival that brings the Kernavė hillforts back to life for a long weekend, with old crafts, archaic battles and historical music.
Kids get to see up close how their ancestors lived day to day. It suits families with school-age kids who like history, battles and watching things being made by hand.
Kernavė was one of the first centers of the Lithuanian state in the 13th century. Five hillforts rise over the Pajauta Valley on the Neris River, inside a 194-hectare reserve with 18 protected heritage sites.
In the valley, an open-air museum rebuilds three medieval craftsmen's homesteads, built using only an axe. The indoor museum shows what archaeologists have found here since 1979.
Lithuania's summer opens with two old traditions. On the shortest night, families gather herbs, weave wreaths and light bonfires for Rasos, the midsummer festival also called Joninės. Around Statehood Day on July 6, which marks King Mindaugas's crowning, the Kernavė hillforts fill with old crafts, battles and pony rides. Here's what we checked, from the Rasos bonfire to Live Archaeology Days.
Rasos is the Lithuanian midsummer festival, and Kernavė has celebrated it with old Baltic customs since 1967. Folk ensembles lead songs, circle dances and games on the Kernavė hillforts, and everyone is invited to take part.
Kids can gather herbs with a herbalist, weave wreaths, walk in the procession and watch the great bonfire. Older kids can stay up to float wreaths on the river and greet the sunrise.
An international experimental archaeology festival that brings the Kernavė hillforts back to life for a long weekend, with old crafts, archaic battles and historical music.
Kids get to see up close how their ancestors lived day to day. It suits families with school-age kids who like history, battles and watching things being made by hand.
Kernavė was one of the first centers of the Lithuanian state in the 13th century. Five hillforts rise over the Pajauta Valley on the Neris River, inside a 194-hectare reserve with 18 protected heritage sites.
In the valley, an open-air museum rebuilds three medieval craftsmen's homesteads, built using only an axe. The indoor museum shows what archaeologists have found here since 1979.
