Blukas Festival in Lithuania
December 23 · Level 3 · #1746 of 2238
Blukas is an old Lithuanian winter custom built around a big log that is brought into the house and burned in the hearth. The Blukas evening falls on 23 December, the day before Kūčios, Christmas Eve.
How it is celebrated: families gather by the fire, burn the log and get ready for Christmas Eve. Today folk ensembles and open-air museums revive the custom and show it to visitors.
In the old tradition the ashes from the log were taken out to the fields to bring a richer harvest. The next evening Lithuanian tables hold the twelve meatless dishes of Kūčios.