Lithuanian Festival Returns To Jackson

A member of the Central New Jersey chapter of the American-Lithuanian Community Inc. tells stories to child attendees at the annual Lithuanian Festival held in Jackson recently. (Photo courtesy Central NJ chapter, American-Lithuanian Community Inc.)

  JACKSON – After a year’s absence due to the pandemic, an ethnic tradition returned to the Lakewood Estonian House recently.

  Attendees of the event held at 4 Cross Street and East Veterans Highway, which is actually based in Jackson, worked through the occasional rain that they experienced during the afternoon and into the evening.

  Despite the rain, the setting proved perfect for the annual Lithuanian Festival. The event is based around St. Jonas Day/Rasa Day, the dawn day celebration marking the longest day/shortest night of the year. It is normally held on June 24 and the celebration comes from a mix of Christianity and Paganism. Lithuania was one of the last countries in Europe to convert from pagan beliefs to Catholic beliefs.

  Each year, the Central New Jersey chapter of the American-Lithuanian Community Inc. celebrates Saint Jonas’ Day also known as Rasos (Dew Holiday), Joninės, Kupolė, Midsummer Day or Saint John’s Day all of which is a midsummer folk festival celebrated in Lithuania.

A group of attendees at this year’s Lithuanian Festival in Jackson enjoy the day’s activities. The festival was sponsored by the Central New Jersey chapter of the American-Lithuanian Community Inc. (Photo courtesy Central NJ chapter, American-Lithuanian Community Inc.)

  This year, the festival drew a large crowd and featured many Lithuanian traditions including a native dinner, storytelling, tug of war, a watermelon eating contest, singing songs and dancing.

  Jackson resident Kostas Mastauskas, who serves as president of the organization, said the overcast sky and rain did not dampen their spirits of enjoying a live event. He noted, “this event brings many people together for a celebration of our culture.”

  The pandemic had put a crimp in their style last year so this year’s event of renewal was also symbolic to emerging out of the coronavirus conditions. “It wasn’t easy for our community. Some of our events were held online and some in small groups. For such a small community like ours it is very important to get together,” he added.

  Mastauskas noted that a “big Lithuanian folk dance festival in Philly was canceled last year and our folk dance group had no practice in months. It was damaging for us and we had no clue of what to expect for today’s St. Johns event.” He was relieved that it went so well despite the weather. The festival included games, contests, storytelling, dances and even a tug of war.

A fierce competition of tug of war was held (Photo courtesy Central NJ chapter, American-Lithuanian Community Inc.)

  Officially known as the Republic of Lithuania, it is a nation located in the Baltic region of northern-eastern Europe. Lithuania is bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, Poland to the south, and Kaliningrad Oblast (a Russian exclave) to the southwest and has an estimated population of 2.8 million people as of 2017.

  In 2018, the 100th anniversary of Lithuania as a reformed nation was noted during the festival. Toward the end of World War I, Lithuania’s Act of Independence was signed on Feb. 16, 1918, declaring the founding of the modern Republic of Lithuania.

A contest to eat watermelon without using your hands was a key attraction. (Photo courtesy Central NJ chapter, American-Lithuanian Community Inc.)

  During the 20th century Lithuania was occupied three times, first by the Soviets, then the Nazis and then the Soviets again. After World War II, many fled but some remained and went into the forest to form a resistance movement despite knowing that the Soviets had far superior weapons, equipment and soldiers. They knew they would have no possibility to win freedom, but they stood together with hope.

  On March 11, 1990, a year prior to the formal dissolution of the Soviet Union, Lithuania became the first Baltic state to declare itself independent, resulting in the restoration of an independent State of Lithuania after 50 years of Soviet occupation.