Cemetery celebration in Kisiniai

On the last Sunday of June, a celebration is held in the ethnographic cemetery of Kisiniai village in Klaipėda district to commemorate the people who passed away that year as well as the important personalities in the history of the country buried here.

Presumably, the festival originated in the 19th century, when the commemoration of the personalities buried in the cemetery (ex. Antanas Gelgaudas, one of the leaders of the uprising of 1830–1831; Johanas Ferdinandas Kelkis, the pioneer of Lithuanian journalism, etc.) was initiated. Today, the celebration is rooted in ecumenical service conducted by an Evangelical Lutheran priest with the participation of Baptist and Catholic clergy. The process of the gathering preserves the elements of the liturgy of the word: psalms, readings, sermon, confession of faith, but the form is not strictly defined – chants are sung, poems are read, thoughts are shared. The church choristers also take part in the singing.

The gathering of participants is organised and the cemetery is supervised by the Lotužiai family and the old-time residents of the region. An integral part of the celebration is the feast in the Lotužiai family homestead. All participants are invited to attend including locals, for whom it is important not only to pay tribute to the dead, but also to keep in touch, as well as expatriates or other people interested in the celebration. The information about the feast is spread by word of mouth, advertisements in the regional media and church announcements. The Dovilai Ethnic Culture Centre and the Dovilai Eldership contribute to the organisation and safeguarding of this celebration.

The cemetery celebration in Kisiniai is a tradition of the ethnic, confessional and cultural heritage of Lithuania Minor. It reflects the worldview of the people, the customs of commemorating the dead, fosters communal relations, promotes the preservation of the distinctive local architecture, landscape, musical and gastronomic heritage, and boosts respect for written culture. The celebration brings together people dispersed after the World War II, fosters their identity and interest in their native milieu. The celebration’s openness draws new settlers and facilitates their integration into the culture of Lithuania Minor.

Submitter – Dovilai Ethnic Culture Centre, 2021

Tradition bearers – Lotužiai family, residents of Kisiniai village and its surroundings