Lithuanians celebrate Christmas Eve (Kūčios) on December 24th, where families clean their homes, bathe, and have a sparse meal in preparation for Santa Claus (Kalėda) arriving after nightfall. Kalėda is depicted as bringing gifts in his carriage from far away lands. A symbol of the deer with nine horns represents defeating winter and the coming of spring. Christmas is celebrated for three days, where the first is most sacred and work is avoided in favor of predictions for the new year. Traditional Lithuanian Christmas trees are decorated with unique straw ornaments that originated from a Lithuanian Consul's wife in Chicago.

1. CHRISTMAS IN
LITHUANIA

2. December 24th –Christmas Eve
Kūčios

3. Lithuanians start celebrating Christmas
on the 24th of December and this day
is called Christmas Eve/Kūčios.
According to our traditions, in the
morning all family members do the
chores, then have a bath or wash
themselves in the bathhouse and thus
symbolically get rid not only of
impurities but also of evil and ilnesses.
In the evening, after having very
scarce meal in the daytime or nothing
at all, everybody sits by the Christmas
Eve table.

4. CHRISTMAS EVE TABLE

5. Kalėda-Lithuanian Santa Claus

6.  Lithuanian Santa Claus is called
Kalėda and he is depicted in
Lithuanian folk songs as coming from
far-away countries in his carriage
and bringing silver rings for girls,
bags full of nuts,sweets and other
presents.

7. Deer with nine horns

8. A symbol of deer with nine horns is
important in Lithuanian Christmas
traditions-it is thought to defeat
winter and symbolize the spring
which is to come.

9. Christmas-family celebration and
joy for children

10.  Christmas is usually celebrated for three days in
Lithuania. The first day of Christmas is considered
most sacred and, therefore, all unnecessary work
is avoided. People make predictions on the
harvest and weather of the coming year.If It is
cold on Christmas day it means that there will be
late spring and Easter with snow. If it snows on
Christmas day , there will be lots of mice which
may do harm to the crops.If it is sunny on this
day, the coming year will be prosperous.
 Christmas greetings and wishes have a magical
meaning and their words have very strong power.
It is believed in Lithuania that these words are
even stronger if you dress yourself as a stranger,
animal or mythical being.


11. Lithuanian Christmas tree

12. Typical Lithuanian straw
decorations

13.  The unique straw ornaments, so typical of
Lithuanian Christmas trees today, have an
interesting origin. Once a wife of the Lithuanian
Consul in Chicago was asked to decorate a
Christmas tree with Lithuanian ornaments as part
of international Christmas tree exhibition in
Chicago.She came up with the idea to use
ornaments made of straw. She made it in
different shapes:stars, chains, snowflakes, bird
cages, bells, towers etc. The Lithuanian
Christmas tree with its distinctive white
ornaments became a great hit at the exhibition
and straw Christmas tree ornaments have
become a Lithuanian tradition.


14. Merry Christmas!