Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (Žolinė) in the Ethnoconfessionally Mixed Environment of Modern Vilnius

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the celebration of the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, also known as Žolinė, which has been observed as a nationwide public holiday in the Republic of Lithuania since 2000, in Vilnius. It investigates the importance of the liturgical, folk as well as national meaning of the feast in Lithuanian, Polish and Russian families residing in Vilnius. Ethnographical fieldwork shows that it is most commonly celebrated as a religious holiday in Polish families, less commonly in Lithuanian and least commonly in Russian families. In addition to traditional consecration of greenery in the church, Poles also mark the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary by a celebration in the family, whereas the majority of Russian and Lithuanian families neither celebrate it as a traditional nor as a public holiday. The article argues that apart from a secular relationship with the holidays of religious type, the aspect of citizenship is a significant argument for their celebration. What is more, the peculiar relationship of Russians with the holiday is also influenced by the
differences in the religious calendar of the Catholic and the Orthodox
churches.