A Happier Kūčios

Verona, Wisconsin, December 24, 2013. The table will be a little melancholy this year.

We are ready for Kūčios

Suburban Chicago, December 24, 1965. We're about to share the Kūčios meal. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, holds a plotkelė wafer. I'm trying to imitate my cool Toronto Cousin's hairstyle; Mom didn't like it.

Overstimulated

December 24, 1960. My Mom remembers Santa bringing only one toy for me each Christmas. I remember more. Here's a post-Kūčios, gift-opening session at which I received at least three gifts. There's a top, and I got a telephone so I could be just like Mom. This also is the year when Santa delivered the skunk.

Ah, look! It's Christmas Eve, and Tatjana has put on a dressier housecoat. Tatjana's habit of wearing housecoats drove Mom batty.

The Madison Kūčios Celebration

Madison-Vilnius Sister Cities, Inc. and the Madison-area folk dance group, Žaibas, hosted its annual Kūčios gathering yesterday. It's a lovely event, and folks arrive from around the state to celebrate the occasion.

Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. Each table featured a plate of plotkelės.

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. It's a potluck affair. I made Christmas Fish. (See menu items and recipes here and here and here.)

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. We had several delicious herring dishes.

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. That's my (first) plate. My favorite dish was the "Herring Under a Fur Coat."

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. Santa arrives!

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. Santa engages the children in the "Jurgelis Meistrelis" dance. Santa had push-ups on the mind.

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. This Santa was so good that even his children didn't recognize him.

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. Santa had a tree decorated with straw ornaments.

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. Finally, it's time for the gifts!

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. Aww, bless.

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. There's no free gift for the older children: each must recite a poem or perform a song before Santa passes along the prize.

Memory Triggers

Suburban Chicago, December 24, 1965. Dad snapped this photo as we waited for Kūčios to begin. Although I smiled, I was annoyed because Mom had just used a barrette to undo the effect of my cool, over-the-eye, side-parted bob. Mom made me wear tights again! And this was long before tights were fashionable. I also was miserable because I suffered from badly chapped lips that winter. Do you recognize the silver bracelet?

This image captures how pink our kitchen was. There's the Roper wall oven that served us for 34 years. The elephant figurine resting below the chandelier presently sits—minus his tusks—on a bookshelf in our current home. The "Swim Little Duck" folk art hangs above Mom's head.

Dinner Supervisor

Verona, Wisconsin, December 24, 2014. Rex oversees the end of our Kūčios celebration.

This Year's Table for Kūčios

Verona, Wisconsin, December 24, 2014. We stick to the twelve traditional dishes for our Kūčios.

(When Mom saw the table, she said, "Do you remember when I roasted a duck on Kūčios?!!")

Merry Christmas!

Silent Night

Lübeck, Germany, about 1946. The residents of the DP camp's Žirgynas prepare to celebrate the Kūčios meal. (More photos from this night appear here, here, here, and here.)

Thanks to Toronto Al for making this photo available to us.

We break bread.

Suburban Chicago, December 24, 1961. My Dad's twin sister, Jonė, and her family—husband Kadis and daughter Toronto Cousin—spend Christmas with us. The family engages in the tradition of breaking plotkelės before the Christmas-Eve meal, Kūčios. We also place a plotkelė on each dish.

Opening Gifts

Suburban Chicago, December 24, 1960. The Kūčios meal is finished, and we've moved into the living room to open gifts. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, looks happy when she opens a box containing a pocketbook; her face brightens more when she finds the pocketbook contains an envelope of cash.

"Twelve Dishes and No Booze."

A Lithuanian living in the UK reflects on our Christmas-Eve ("Kūčios") traditions. We, too, prepare that holiday meal.

(Yes, the piece is from 2007, but the customs have not changed.)

Imports

I've been following the Japanese knitters' love of fair-isle knitting (see here). Japanese knitters cherish all things "Northern." Japanese knitting books not only focus on fair-isle garments; many also highlight Canadian (Cowichan) knits, Aran or Irish knits, the traditional styles of Icelandic knitting, and various Scandinavian techniques.

I learned recently that a Hiroshima shop, "Little Lithuania," sells knitted and fabric garments produced in Lithuania. The shop's blog lingers on some cultural details; last month, the blog featured a post about Kūčios—Lithuanian Christmas Eve.

UPDATE: Here's an article (in Lithuanian) about the Japanese shop.

Related by Marriage: A Lucky Dog

 
Verona, Wisconsin, December 24, 2013. Baci helps Mr. Irene's Parents start the Kūčios meal.

(Mr. Irene's Dad enjoys a Švyturys beer.)

This Year's Table for Kūčios

Verona, Wisconsin, December 24, 2013. Our Kūčios table is set with twelve dishes. We don't vary the menu too much from year to year.

We are ready to gather at the table.

Suburban Chicago, December 24, 1965. The family is ready to celebrate Kūčios.

Bring familiar customs to strange places.

Lübeck, Germany, about 1946. Residents at the DP camp's Žirgynas gather for the Kūčios meal.

 
Toronto Al's Dad, Vladas, is the fellow without the jacket, standing to the left of the tree. Thanks to Toronto Al for making this photo available to us.

We celebrate Kūčios together.

Mariampolis, Lithuania, December 24, 1936. I posted this photo earlier here, but it's the one that comes to mind for me on Christmas Eve. We'll be sharing the Kūčios meal later tonight.

The family gathers

Toronto, Ontario, December 24, probably 1950. Toronto Al's Mom (on the right, wearing the headscarf) celebrates Kūčios with her family.

Thanks to Toronto Al for making this photo available to us.

Incorporation

Pagan traditions inflect Lithuanian Christmas celebrations. It's customary, for example, to serve twelve dishes at the Kūčios table. I grew up thinking each dish represented one of the apostles. It's just as likely the twelve dishes symbolize the months of the year.

Lithuania was the last European country to convert to Christianity. The incorporation of pagan customs into the new faith made the Christian rituals seem familiar.

Setting the Table

Lübeck, Germany, about 1946. Residents of the DP camp's Žirgynas set the table for Kūčios.