January 25; in some places also linked with February 2
Winter
Midwinter, Krikstai, badger shadow, bear turning over, Kirmeline, farm stores, apple trees and beehives
Pusiauzemis, usually marked on January 25, is the middle of winter and a turn toward spring. People watched the badger or bear, checked stores of fodder, food, and firewood, shook apple trees, tapped beehives, and avoided work thought to bring worms or snakes.
What Is Pusiauzemis and When Is It Marked?
Pusiauzemis in the Lithuanian folk calendar is usually linked with January 25, St Paul's Day, also called Krikstai. It is not spring, but a clear middle-of-winter boundary: about a month has passed since the return of light at Christmas, and people begin counting what remains until real warming.
In some parts of eastern Lithuania and elsewhere, midwinter images are also tied to February 2, Grabnycios. It is important not to force everything into one date: January 25 is the main axis, but midwinter signs can move to nearby winter thresholds.
Why Were Stores Checked?
The most practical Pusiauzemis custom was to look around the farm. The household head checked how much food, fodder, firewood, and other winter stores remained. If more than half had been used by late January, the second half of winter had to be lived more sparingly.
This shows that calendar tradition was not removed from daily life. Pusiauzemis reminded people that the holidays had passed and Uzgavenes lay ahead, but animals still had to be fed, homes warmed, and the family kept alive.
Badger, Bear, and Winter Shadow
The best-known sign is the badger. It was said to come out of its burrow to see whether a shadow appeared. If the day was sunny and the shadow long, the animal was frightened, returned inside, and winter would last. If cloudy, spring would come sooner.
Imbrasiene's material also mentions hedgehog, bear, and worms. Some said the bear turns to the other side on this day. These images are not zoological exactness but a human wish to see whether nature itself has begun turning toward spring.
Kirmeline: What Was Avoided?
Pusiauzemis was also called the day of worms, little worms, or Kirmeline. Greimas connected this name with an older layer of snakes and earth life, where waking creeping creatures marked a new natural time.
For that reason, in some places people avoided bringing firewood or branches from the forest, lest worms or snakes come into the home with the wood. Work taboos also mention not spinning, lest moths eat wool, and not eating potatoes so they would not become wormy that year.
Apple Trees, Beehives, and Waking the Farm
In texts by J. Vaiskunas published on Alkas.lt, a Pusiauzemis custom is to shake orchard apple trees so they would be fruitful. The gesture is small but clear: even while the orchard is frozen, the mind turns toward future harvest.
Tapping beehives is also mentioned, as if waking the bees. A beekeeper today would be cautious about this, but as a calendar image it is precise: in winter silence the household already remembers summer honey and work.
Understanding Pusiauzemis Today
Pusiauzemis can be marked without a large event. Go into the yard or garden, watch sun and shadow, count winter stores, care for firewood, animals, birds, bees, or simply the warmth of the home.
The force of the day is sobriety. It reminds us that tradition knows not only how to celebrate but also when to stop, check whether strength will last, and wait calmly for spring. Half the road is passed, but the other half still asks caution.
