Traditions · Lithuania

Lithuanian Užgavėnės

Masks, a burning effigy, a puppet battle between fat and lean, and pancakes as rounds of sun. Lithuania's Shrove Tuesday is one of the most theatrically pre-Christian festivals still observed in Europe.

In brief

Užgavėnės is Lithuania's Shrove Tuesday — the same date as Pancake Day. Participants wear frightening masks and parade through towns making noise. A theatrical battle pits Lašininis (fat, representing Carnival) against Kanapinis (lean, representing Lent) — Carnival always wins. At dusk, the straw effigy Morė (winter) is burned on a bonfire to drive out cold and welcome spring. Pancakes (blynai) — round like the sun — are eaten all day.

What is Užgavėnės?

Užgavėnės is Lithuania's Shrove Tuesday — the last day before Lent and one of the richest folk festivals in the Baltic calendar. It combines Christian Shrovetide customs with much older pre-Christian spring rituals in a form that Lithuania has maintained more completely than most European countries.

The name Užgavėnės is related to the Lithuanian word for fasting (gavėnia), with a prefix meaning “before” — so literally “the time before the fast.” But the festival's character runs deeper than its name. The burning of Morė, the mask tradition, and the symbolic battle between fat and lean are elements found across pre-Christian European spring festivals that were absorbed into the Christian calendar at Christianisation.

Lithuania was the last European country to be officially Christianised (1387), and elements of its older Baltic religion survived more visibly in folk customs than in most other European nations. Užgavėnės carries more of this pre-Christian freight than its Christian framing would suggest.

Morė: the burning of winter

The climax of Užgavėnės is the burning of Morė — a large straw effigy representing winter, cold, and the forces of darkness. She is dressed as a grotesque old woman and displayed prominently throughout the day before being burned on a bonfire at dusk.

Burning Morė is not purely symbolic — or rather, it is symbolic in the way that all ritual is: it enacts something believed to be real. The fire consumes winter. By burning the effigy, the community participates in driving out cold and enabling spring's return. In older agricultural Lithuania, where a late spring could mean crop failure and hunger, this was not merely ceremonial.

Comparable burning traditions exist in Switzerland (Böögg, a snowman burned at Sechseläuten), some German carnival zones, and various Balkan spring festivals. The common thread is the destruction of a winter figure to compel spring forward.

Lašininis vs Kanapinis: the battle of feast and fast

Lašininis (Fat One, or Porky) and Kanapinis (Hemp One, or Lean) are two characters who engage in a theatrical battle during Užgavėnės. Lašininis is fat, red-faced, richly dressed — he represents the abundance of Carnival. Kanapinis is thin, grey, poor — he represents Lenten abstinence.

On Užgavėnės, Lašininis always wins. Carnival defeats Lent — for one last day. The crowd cheers Lašininis and boos Kanapinis. Tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, the situation reverses: Lent begins and Carnival is suppressed for forty days. The battle is theatrical precisely because everyone knows how it will end, and how it will end the day after.

The battle is performed as puppet theatre, as street theatre, or as costumed wrestling, depending on the region and the scale of the event. At large urban celebrations in Vilnius, it is a full theatrical production with hundreds of participants.

Masks and noise: driving out winter

Mask-wearing is central to Užgavėnės. The masks are deliberately frightening: animals, devils, demons, death figures. The more alarming, the better.

The logic is apotropaic magic: frightening appearances ward off evil spirits and winter forces. Participants in masks parade through communities making as much noise as possible — drumming, blowing horns, ringing bells, shouting. This noise-making tradition appears across European pre-Lenten festivals: German Fastnacht processions, Swiss Fasnacht cowbell parades, and the cowbell noise of the Italian Carnevale Alps all serve the same expulsive function.

Užgavėnės masks are now a recognised Lithuanian folk art form. Traditional masks are made from papier-mâché, carved wood, or leather and are produced by craftspeople specifically for the festival season. Museums and galleries hold collections of historical Užgavėnės masks.

When is Užgavėnės?

Užgavėnės falls on the same date as Pancake Day in England — Shrove Tuesday, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.

Upcoming Užgavėnės dates

YearUžgavėnės
20279 February 2027
202829 February 2028
202913 February 2029

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Užgavėnės?+
Užgavėnės is Lithuania's Shrove Tuesday festival, celebrated on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. It is one of the most visually dramatic Shrovetide celebrations in Europe: participants wear masks and grotesque costumes, a straw effigy called Morė (representing winter) is burned at the end of the day, and a theatrical battle takes place between two characters — Lašininis (the fat one, representing Carnival excess) and Kanapinis (the lean hemp one, representing Lenten abstinence). Pancakes (blynai) are eaten throughout. The festival has pre-Christian roots in the ritual driving out of winter and welcoming of spring.
Who is Morė and why is she burned?+
Morė is a large effigy — typically made of straw and rags — representing winter, cold, and the forces of darkness. She is dressed as a grotesque old woman. At the climax of Užgavėnės celebrations, Morė is ceremonially burned on a bonfire. This is an act of expulsion: burning Morė drives out winter and makes space for spring and warmth to arrive. The ritual is a form of sympathetic magic with deep pre-Christian roots. A similar burning-of-winter tradition exists in other Central European Shrovetide festivals, including some German and Austrian customs.
Who are Lašininis and Kanapinis?+
Lašininis (the fat one, Fatty) and Kanapinis (the hemp one, Lenten) are two puppet or costumed characters who stage a ritual battle during Užgavėnės. Lašininis represents Carnival — excess, meat, fat, festivity. Kanapinis represents Lent — abstinence, lean food, fasting. On Užgavėnės, Lašininis always wins the battle: Carnival defeats Lent one last time. The victory is temporary — Ash Wednesday begins the next day. The battle dramatises the transition from the feast season to the fast season with appropriate theatrical irony.
Why do Lithuanians wear masks at Užgavėnės?+
The masks and costumes at Užgavėnės serve the same function as carnival masks elsewhere: to drive out evil spirits, cold, and winter. The more frightening and unusual the mask, the more effective it was believed to be at warding off winter spirits. Participants dressed as animals, demons, and grotesque figures paraded through villages making noise — drumming, shouting, ringing bells — to chase away the darkness. This pre-Christian noise-making tradition was absorbed into the Christian Shrovetide calendar. Modern Užgavėnės masks are a folk art form, made from papier-mâché, carved wood, or cloth.
What pancakes do Lithuanians eat at Užgavėnės?+
Blynai — Lithuanian pancakes — are the traditional Užgavėnės food. They are round, representing the sun, and eating them is a symbolic act of welcoming back the light after the dark winter. Lithuanian blynai are typically thicker and heartier than French crêpes — closer to a yeasted pancake or a thick drop scone. They are often made with potato or buckwheat. Eating as many as possible on Užgavėnės is considered good luck and a proper farewell to the feast season before Lent.
When is Užgavėnės?+
Užgavėnės falls on Shrove Tuesday — the same date as Pancake Day in England and Mardi Gras in New Orleans. It is always the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. The date shifts each year because Easter (and therefore Lent) is a moveable feast.

More Shrove Tuesday traditions

→Shrove Tuesday around the world — the full guide→Estonian Vastlapäev: sledding and cream buns→German Karneval & Fasching: Rosenmontag and Krapfen→Mardi Gras: New Orleans, Venice & Rio Carnival

Sources & further reading

  • Užgavėnės — Lithuanian folk traditions (Lithuanian Institute)
  • Baltic folk calendar — Encyclopedia Lituanica
  • Masks of Užgavėnės — Lithuanian National Museum of Art
  • Pre-Christian elements in Lithuanian folk festivals — Folklore journal

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