Prior to my travels to
Lithuania, I did as all travelers do: read books about the country. While
perusing the my traveler’s guides, I took note of the events that would happen
during my summer here. Joninės
seemed like the most fun event that falls on a day that teeters between Paganism and Catholicism. On the one hand, it is also known as John's Day, as
in Saint John, and we celebrate all those who are named John on this name day.
On the other hand, it is also known as the Midsummer, and a large festival
is held at Kernavė, an ancient settlement site, to celebrate the summer solstice.
As one
of our roommates is named Jon, we celebrated him throughout the day. All of us
soon piled into a car and took off for Kernavė to see the big festival. I
expected to see fires and dancing, but perhaps of only a hundred people or so.
I was so wrong!
