Lithuania celebrates Užgavėnės – a festival to drive the winter out

Although there is no snow outside and the spring, it seems, may already be getting ready to arrive, Lithuanians celebrated the annual festival Užgavėnės in Rumšiškės and around the country to drive the winter out.

Children and their parents dressed up in fancy dress as devils and other scary characters and ate pancakes. They also participated in a variety of traditional games that accompany the festival.

The culmination of the festival is the burning of a straw figure which is called Morė and symbolises the winter.

Among many games in the fest, one of the most famous is the fight between the fat guy and the hemp or thin guy, or in Lithuanian – lašininis and kanapinis. Participants of the festival can put on special costumes and try their skills in a light and humorous fight. As in every year, the lašininis was defeated.

Užgavėnės is in full swing throughout Lithuania and will continue until Tuesday.