Kaziuko mugė (English: Kaziukas Fair, Polish: Kaziuk) is a large annual folk arts and crafts fair dating to the beginning of the 17th century. It was originally held at the two main markets in Vilnius, Lithuania, as well as in the city streets.
The fair is traditionally held on the Sunday nearest to St. Casimir's Day, March 4, the day Saint Casimir died. In Lithuanian, Kaziukio mugė means "Little Casimir's" Fair (Kaziukas is a diminutive of Casimir). Today, Kaziuko fair also features music and dance; it attracts tens of thousands of visitors and many craftsmen from all over the country as well as from neighbouring states such as Latvia, Russia, and Poland.
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The pavilions of the fair occupy streets and squares in the Old Town of Vilnius. They begin in Gediminas Avenue, traverse Cathedral Square, and branch out into Pilies Street, B. Radvilaitės Street, passing St. Anne's Church, and the Orthodox Cathedral of the Theotokos, and into the Tymas' Quarter on the left bank of Vilnia River near Užupis.
In recent years the fair has also been held in Kaunas on the Laisvės alėja and Town Hall Square. Similar festivals are also held in Hrodna, Belarus, the city where St. Casimir died, as well as in some cities in Poland following the fall of Communism in Poland.[1][2]
The arts and crafts at the fair include hand-made goods from local craftsmen, such as apparel, knitted clothes, footwear, toys, utensils, metal crafts, souvenirs, and paintings. Foodstuffs like rye bread, bagels, honey cookies, meat and dairy products, natural honey, beer, and gira are sold as well.
"Palm" bouquets (called "verbos", hence Verbų sekmadienis) are one of the fair's specialties. Made of colourful dried flowers and herbs, they are taken to churches on Palm Sunday. The shape of the "palms" resembles a lily, a flower which St. Casimir is traditionally associated with.
Another popular product at the fair is the "muginukas", an often 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 them to give to their loved ones. It is a customary tradition to bring back some cookies for anyone who had to remain at home.