MJR XXIV – CRAFTS YARD

There is always a beginning and there will always be an end

If there is a beginning, there will be an end

In the Baltic perception of the world, time is cyclical, constantly rotating in a circle. The end is just the beginning of the next phase. Everything repeats rhythmically, from the seasons, where winter is the death and spring is the rebirth to human life cycle. A person wakes up or is born and dies in the way nature does it every year. Maybe because of this close connection, not only the Baltic religion deities are of natural origin, but also the destinies of people are closely intertwined with nature. And not only destinies but also phenomena. As well as this phenomenon of Baltic culture or the continuation of traditions in another format – festival Mėnuo Juodaragis.

Looking back to the past, time seems to have imperceptibly passed. A little more than 24 years, since the idea of the festival was born, but also in the cold hall of the Verbiškės Culture House, the first simple chords of pagan bands sounded. Everything was primitive, but real. More felt than visualized. Primitive arts created on stage of a felled tree branches were that symbolised death that brought the true birth of the festival. And now we have to say goodbye again. But only for a short time, only to be reborn again.

At the festival Craft Yard you will meet craftsmen who have been participating in Mėnuo Juodaragis numerous times. Lets dive together in the best what they bring to us again for another sip of good emotions and memories just to confirm that Baltic culture does not die, that it will be alive as long as each of the legendary characters, program participants and activities of Mėnuo Juodaragis are alive. Maybe not here, but somewhere else on this earth, in another format, in another time.

This year, Erikas Čypas, the manager of the Dusetai Crafts Center, will delight us with wood carvings inviting for ancient drinking cups workshop. Together with Erik’s colleague and namesake Erikas Hincas, we will all make clay pots, and the masters of the Vilnius Pottery Factory, led by the tireless Dainius Strazdas, will take you on an endless journey of clay from molding to making an ancient Baltic pot.

The roots of the Old Craft Yard Oak and probably the oldest oak of Dūburys Island will be surrounded and the spirit and wisdom will be guarded by the Breidokai family. Come not only to listen to the tales of the long-bearded Algirdas Breidokas, the sage and storyteller of the Aukštaitija region, together with the ethnologist Gražina Kadžytė, but also to weave the most colorful sashes. Gražina Kadžytė has prepared a real surprise for us this year that will delight every visitor – at the oak tree in the crafts yard, you can touch and read the complete set of the first Lithuanian newspaper “Aušra”, in a special facsimile, which after 140 years [1883-2023] was published by the Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore.

The Oak Tree of the Crafts Yard hosts other activities as well – not a single year is complete without the legendary log throwing or log rugby game organised by the living history club Leitgiris. Under The Oak Tree, you will be able to interview its participants and watch the historical reenactment battles taking place nearby and take part not only in the men’s but also in the women’s log rugby!

Right here, as old as an oak tree and even older according to tradition, yellow as the sun mead tasting from the hands of Gintarė and Raimondas Merčaičiai, managers of The Mead House, will reach everyone during the presentation and tasting of their mead production.

Every visitor will find shade and shelter under the branches of The Craft Yard Oak on a hot, ending summer day. This is the right place to dream about ancient manuscript author S. Grunau described Baltic temple – was it real? Maybe it was created by people like us, who makes the past alive with their activities and good mood bring the people around them together as one family. From the oak of the crafts yard, a view opens into the depth of The Craft Yard, where the long legendary song table will stand in the central activity space, inviting you to sit down throughout the festival to witness or start endless songs, toasts, or maybe listen to the sounds of shamanic drums and watch tatoo signs being born on the skin by the all-seeing hands of Išbadulės (Angis Tatoo).

Chests full of dowry will be brought and opened to all visitors by the ever expanding experimental archeology club Pajauta, managed by Austėja Luchtanaitė from the central Kromelis Ministry at the Čižai department. There will be representatives of Pajauta club that makes the core of this year Mėnuo Juodaragis Craft Yard: ancient wood carving presented by Algirdas Juškevičius, tar production by Gintaras Markevičius, ancient amber amulets and other amber handicrafts by Ruslanas Aranauskas, ancient Baltic costumes and clothing sets by Daiva Steponavičienė who will present medieval Sėla land costume, blacksmithery by Maksimas Mickevičius, ancient birch bark products and symbols pressed in birch bark by Vytautas Ramanauskas, Baltic jewelry – Evaldas Babenskas, medieval leather goods by Arūnas Puškorius and much more.

Craftsmen from Western Lithuania so called ethnic region of Mažoji Lietuva (Lithuania Minor) Angelė and Vytautas Raukčiai have fallen in love with the festival and its craft yard so that this year they are willing to share their valuable knowledge inviting you to make ancient kinetic toys. The wonderful folk artist from the town of Alytus, Audronė Lampickienė, will show how to decorate Easter eggs and reveal meaning of traditional symbols on Easter eggs. Her colleague Artūrs Janickas will invite visitors to participate in wood carving workshop.

In the craft yard you will also find other crafts and activities and also legendary memorable figures of the festival. White-bearded Vladas Rukša will present his hippy trips around the world and ceramics decorated with Baltic signs – yet another of his hobbies for the last couple of years. Ramūnas Čižas, the legendary brewer of the Dusetos region, will boil crayfish with the help of heated stones. Kristina Motuzienė will invite you back to the roots of the communities, when meals were prepared together – we invite each visitor to bring at least one ingredient for simple food preparation, some grains, cereals, berries, maybe herbs, from which we will prepare takeaway meals together and we will all taste and share them right here.

Latava land homebrew and knife maker Vykintas Motuza will share his Baltic knife manufacturing skills, but he will also have a beer mug or two to share. Meanwhile, Peckelis (aka Artūras Masiliauskas), a member of the beer fraternity, will talk about the mysterious herbs used in a process of making home brew since ancient and why Klevas (legendary character of the festival and drinker yet to be remembered) can be almost awake during the entire festival. On the last day of the festival almost at the brunch time, not only Klevas but also everyone will be kept awake by the Morning Knight’s Exercise led by Šamas (Martynas Švedas) on the flag hill just besides the Craft Yard. Everyone will find their own exercise here in or at the festival Craft Yard – fingers exercise, beer tasting or song singing exercise or a Knight’s exercise. And after a lot of exercise, we will be able to embark on the never-ending journey of the Crafts Yard back in time to the past and the
future.

We won’t describe everything, because you yourself will be there, you will drink beer or mead that will drip through your beard, while you barely have it in your mouth and you will carry it with you until the next time it falls out!

See you on the last summer adventure.

Tomas Sutkaitis,
Manager of MJR Craft Yard