The first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox, in March or April
Spring
Resurrection of Christ, marguciai, swings, egg rolling, Velyku bobute, verbos, lalavimas
Easter is the spring feast of Christ's Resurrection and awakening life: marguciai eggs are decorated, people swing, roll eggs, wait for Velyku bobute, and on the second day lalauninkai visit the village with greeting songs.
What Is Easter and When Is It Celebrated?
Easter is a spring feast celebrating Christ's Resurrection and nature's awakening. It is movable: the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox, so it falls in March or April. VLE notes that the Gregorian calendar places Easter between March 21 and April 25, while the Orthodox calculate it by the Julian calendar; the dates of the other movable feasts, Ascension and Pentecost, also depend on the Easter date.
Easter is celebrated for two days. The first is solemn and centered on family and church; the second is for visiting, games, lalavimas, and community. Preparation happens during the seven weeks of Lent.
How Lithuanian Marguciai Are Decorated
The margutis is the main Easter symbol. The egg has long been a sign of life, fertility, and rebirth, so decorating it became a deep tradition. Lithuania uses several main techniques.
Wax-resist decoration draws patterns in melted wax before dyeing; after the wax is removed, light ornaments remain. Scratching cuts patterns into an already dyed egg. Natural dyes use onion skins and plants. Common motifs include suns, stars, and plants.
Swings and Egg Rolling
Swinging is an old spring custom. People believed that the higher one swung, the better the harvest and health would be. Swings were also a place for young people to meet and socialize.
Egg rolling is a playful Easter game. Marguciai are rolled down a sloped board, and the winner's egg rolls farthest or touches others. The game is linked with luck, strength, and fertility.
Who Is Velyku Bobute?
Velyku bobute is a Lithuanian Easter figure. Stories say she visits homes on the night before Easter and leaves marguciai for children. She is the Lithuanian counterpart of the western Easter bunny.
The figure keeps Easter playful for children while tying it to the symbol of the egg. A margutis given by Velyku bobute becomes a gift of life and spring joy.
Palm Sunday and Lalavimas
The Sunday before Easter is Palm Sunday. Verbos made of willow, juniper, and dried herbs are blessed in church, kept at home as protection, and used with the saying “not I strike, the verba strikes, Easter in a week.”
On the second Easter day, the custom of lalavimas appears. Lalauninkai, often young men, go through the village singing Easter greeting songs, congratulating hosts, and wishing good harvest; they receive marguciai and food.
Keeping Lithuanian Easter Traditions Today
Easter is easy to mark at home by decorating marguciai, preparing the festive table, and playing egg rolling or egg tapping with family. Even onion-skin dyeing gives the feast a living traditional feel.
For a deeper experience, visit museum programs that teach wax decoration, set up swings, and present lalavimas. They show Easter as a community spring feast, not only a family celebration.
