Užgavėnės

Costumes and mumming

During Užgavėnės, participants dress up in expressive disguises that blend humour with fright. The streets and public spaces fill with figures such as goats, witches, devils, and the grim reaper. These masqueraders wander through towns, dancing and mingling with onlookers. The colourful assortment of mythical and earthly creatures creates a playful atmosphere designed to disturb the quiet gloom of winter. Through these disguises, community members step out of their everyday roles to take part in lively street revelry.

Seasonal mock battle

A central drama of the festival is a staged duel between two symbolic opponents. One fighter is Lašininis, representing porky excess and the cold months. His rival is Kanapinis, the hempen figure who stands for spring and upcoming lean times. Their theatrical fight enacts the contest between the freezing weather and the returning warmth. Kanapinis always overcomes his opponent, signalling that the cold season has finally been conquered and that the land is ready for renewal.

Effigy and pancakes

The festivities commence on the evening preceding Ash Wednesday with the burning of a winter effigy, commonly called Morė. Watching the straw figure burn represents casting off the freezing cold. Alongside the bonfire, participants gather to eat the customary dish of the celebration: freshly cooked pancakes served with diverse toppings. Eating plenty of pancakes and dancing together provides a joyous final feast before the solemnity of the upcoming religious season begins.

How Užgavėnės is kept

The festival gets under way on the eve of Ash Wednesday. People put on costumes portraying goats, witches, devils, and death, joining masquerades and dances in the open air. A mock battle is staged between the winter figure Lašininis and the spring champion Kanapinis, which spring invariably wins. The crowd watches the destruction of the winter effigy, Morė, by fire. Throughout the festivities, revellers share freshly made pancakes with assorted toppings to celebrate the coming turn of the seasons.

When and where

The festival is observed in the seventh week before Easter, starting on the eve of Ash Wednesday. Because it follows the Christian liturgical calendar leading up to Lent, its dates shift every year alongside the timing of Mardi Gras and Shrove Tuesday.

Užgavėnės is an ancient custom kept across Lithuania. Communities gather in public squares, villages, and towns throughout the country to take part in the seasonal masquerade and bonfires.

What Užgavėnės means

The rites of Užgavėnės represent the defeat of winter across the Northern Hemisphere. Burning the effigy of Morė and witnessing Kanapinis vanquish Lašininis dramatise the triumph of light, life, and spring over the darkness and cold of the departing winter.

On the table

• Pancakes

Days Užgavėnės is marked

Questions people ask about Užgavėnės

See also

Christmas EveThe evening before Christmas, marked by church services, family meals, and gift preparations across Christian cultures.Egg rollingA spring game of rolling decorated hard-boiled eggs down hills or along lawnsNowruzThe Iranian new year at the March equinox, kept with fire, greenery and picnicsPurimA lively Jewish festival of storytelling, shared food, masks and charity

Good reading and sources

• Užgavėnės on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-04.