March Kaziukas Fair
2009-01-23 08:58

The beginning of spring is a particular time in Lithuania. Its remarkable feature, besides the melting snow and the first sunshine, is a great number of tourists flooding Vilnius streets and squares. On the first Sunday of spring, the atmosphere of joy and celebration reigns Vilnius. The reason for this is the famous Kaziukas fair, the annual folk crafts and arts festival, attracting visitors from all over the world to the capital of Lithuania.

No doubt, this day is a real triumph of traditional crafts and arts. Lithuanian craftsmen gather for the Kaziukas fair from the whole country to sell their craftworks prepared during the long and cold winter. A rich diversity of articles by weavers, wood carvers, potters, smiths and other craft artists are presented at the fair. Simplistic and unpretentious at first sight, these artefacts are real masterpieces, displaying a subtle beauty and having a deep symbolic meaning. Made by applying ancient technologies, half-forgotten, but nevertheless alive, Lithuanian traditional crafts reveal the distinctive character, uniqueness and originality of the Lithuanian nation. Hand-made articles can add a particular style to any house, which makes them especially popular with foreign tourists.

In the sheer multitude of craftworks, there is one thing that will definitely catch your eye as soon as you find yourself here. This is verbos – traditional palms made of colourful dried flowers and grasses tied into typical Lithuanian designs. Verbos are commonly taken to church on Easter, so most people take care of buying them at the Kaziukas fair.Another trademark of the fair is ‘muginukas’ – a honey cookie decorated with sugar figures. There are usually male and female names

What are the origins of the name given to the fair and why is it held at this particular time of the year? There are historical reasons for this. “Kaziukas” is a diminutive name from “Kazimeras” (Casimir), the patron saint of Lithuania. Prince of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Casimir lived in the 15th century and died on March 4, 1484. Since his canonization in 1602, March 4, the day of his death, was marked by a feast lasting for several days. Thousands of people would arrive in Vilnius to honour st Casimir. The commemoration gave rise to the fair: as the feast was quite lengthy, street vendors started selling their products to people participating in the event. Stalls with food, drinks and folk craft-ware became an integral part of the annual commemoration of st Casimir. As time went by, the commercial side overshadowed the religious aspect of the holiday, though for many the latter still remained dominating. Today, while, of course, being aware of the true reasons of the celebration, most people also perceive this day as a perfect opportunity to purchase hand-made artefacts, verbos, as well as to try delicious food and drinks.What makes Kaziukas fair different from other events of such kind is a special atmosphere, typical for the beginning of spring. Nature is awakening and so is a human soul. A lot of music, dances, joy and lively entertainment - that is what most visitors of the fair expect to find at the Kaziukas fair.