Kaziuko mugė
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kaziuko mugė (English: Kaziukas Fair) - is an annual Lithuanian folk crafts fair dating back to the beginning of the 17th century, held at the two main Market places of Vilnius, Lithuania, as well as in the city center.
As the fair is traditionally held on the Sunday nearest to St. Casimir's Day, March 4, the day St. Casimir died, it is popularly referred to as Kaziukio mugė, literary - Little Casimir's Fair. Kaziukas is a diminutive of Casimir in the Lithuanian language. Today, it is more like a festival of folk art and crafts, music and dance, and attracts tens of thousands of people, and many craftsmen from all over the country.
Traditional palms (called "verbos", hence "Verbu Sekmadienis") made of colorful dried flowers and herbs, are taken to church on Palm Sunday, in the vicinity of Vilnius, and are the fair's trademark.
The shape of Vilnius' "palms" originated from a lily with which traditionally St. Casimir is portrayed.
Another typical product of the fair is called "muginukas", a heart-shaped Honey cookie, decorated with colored sugar flowers, zig-zags, dots and birds. Popular men's and women's names are written on the cookies. People buy and give them to selected loved ones. It is a custom to bring some back for anyone who had to remain home.
In the recent years the fair is also organised in Kaunas.
