Res Humanitariae

Research was conducted in a group of alternative healing practitioners, focusing on their approach towards ‘health’ and ‘illness’ in Lithuania at the begining of the 21st century. The research took place during the author’s qualitative (empirical) research in the biggest cities of Lithuania from 2016 to 2019 (the research is continuing). It was detected in 30 in-depth interviews with practitioneers of alternative healing that individuals reflect on their ‘illness’ and ‘health’ (well-being), and interpret it in a philosophical-metaphysical dimension. The study of data disclosed approaches towards ‘health’ (wellness) as harmony, a balanced state between the physical (outer) and one’s inner world, like ‘micro’ and ‘macro’ worlds in their constant dynamics and mutual resonance. Meanwhile, ‘illness’ is understood as a loss of harmony, ‘the true path’, or purity.

In the article, personal festive celebrations of co-workers in a diachronic perspective are examined. The following occasions: birthdays, childbirth, marriage, funerals (the family life cycle), and employee employability, seniority or similar achievements and retirement (the working life cycle), are important for socialising with co-workers, for job satisfaction, and in the formation of an organisational culture. By analysing fieldwork data, we determine the intensity of the commemoration of these occasions in the studied areas.

The article analyses the concept of leisure time, and the ways it is perceived by two generations of people. It seeks to reveal the specifics of leisure in the area around Vilnius, by analysing: Catholic Sunday leisure; leisure as replacing one activity with another; and the concept of ‘own’ and ‘family’ leisure, revealing the relative perception of the importance of leisure and work. The main source of the work is ethnographic fieldwork data collected in the Vilnius area in 2017 and 2018. Research on family leisure was also used, which was based on the same methodology carried out in Vilnius (2012 to 2015), for the purpose of comparison.

Principles of State Protection of Ethnic Culture defines the ethnographic region as a historically formed part of the country in which a distinctive dialect, traditions and customs have been preserved, and the heritage of the Baltic tribes has been integrated, it is difficult to coordinate the data and attitudes of linguists, historians and ethnologists. The article shows the difference between ethnographic maps (which are based on the values of traditional culture), most of which attribute Vilnius to the ethnographic region of Dzūkija, and the view of the people living in these areas that the Vilnius area belongs to the ethnographic region of Aukštaitija.

Using authentic material from inhabitants of Lithuania Minor, the article analyses the specific nature of the feast of Pentecost in this region, in terms of its chronological development (starting with the first written references up to this day), in order to reveal the most conspicuous stages in its development, and modern transformations of the customs and traditions. The article covers the main elements of the feast of Pentecost for the Lietuvininkai dating from the end of the 19th and the 20th century. These elements are then compared to the feast of Pentecost in other regions, in order to reveal structural and functional changes in calendar festivals.

Liaudies išmintis byloja, jog sveikatą branginame, kada ją pradanginame. Ir išties, 2020 metų kontekstas ypatingas kalbant apie sveikatą – koronavirusas (COVID-19) sukaustė pasaulį ir pridarė daug rūpesčių žmonijai. Kiekvieną dieną girdime, skaitome apie koronaviruso pandemiją: vieni skaičiuoja jos aukas, kiti pranašauja verslo pražūtį, treti gąsdina, kad lydimi nerimo ir įtampos gyvensime dar ne vienerius metus...

Užsitęsusios vasaros įmagnetinta rugsėjo penktosios naktis Rolandui Rastauskui buvo paskutinė. Ji nusinešė į savo tamsą nepakartojamąjį, kūrybinės energijos ir ateities sumanymų kupiną Rora, kuriam iki septyniasdešimtmečio tetrūko penkių savaičių. Pasiglemžė Jį be jokių įspėjimo ženklų, plėšriai ir įžūliai, nors, sako, paskutinį vakarą prašęs palikti buto duris nerakintas – maža kas... Rytą trenkė žinia, skelbianti mirties absurdo triumfą.

Leidinys „Prikelta atmintis: šimtmečio eksponatai“ (Mažosios Lietuvos istorijos muziejus, Klaipėda, 2024) sudarytas pažymint dvi reikšmingas istorines sukaktis: 2023 m. vykusį Klaipėdos krašto prijungimo prie Lietuvos 100-metį ir 2024 m. švenčiamą Mažosios Lietuvos istorijos muziejaus (toliau – MLIM) veiklos 100-metį. Įspūdingos apimties, turiningumo ir poligrafinės kokybės knygą, bendradarbiaudama su Klaipėdos krašto šeimomis, Lietuvos muziejais ir įvairių sričių tyrėjais bei praktikais, sudarė MLIM Etnografijos skyriaus vedėja dr. Aušra Žemyna Kavaliauskienė.

Pope John Paul II visited Lithuania on 4–8 September 1993. While visiting and praying at the Hill of Crosses, he said that he was here to reflect with believers on the cross of Christ and the treasures of truth and light that lie within it. The cross reveals ‘the power of God and the wisdom of God’ (1 Cor 1:24), and contains the essence of the Good News, which allows us to understand who God is and who man is. The Holy Father John Paul II gave 15 speeches during his visit to Lithuania. These speeches reveal that the cross is one of the most striking features of John Paul II’s message to Lithuania. Of the 15 speeches, eight mention the cross. The cross is referred to in the Holy Father’s sermon during Mass on the Hill of Crosses 37 times, in the prayers at Antakalnis Cemetery at the tombs of the martyrs of independence in Vilnius (1991) 16 times, in the Holy Father’s address to the clergy, religious and seminarians in the Cathedral of St Stanislaw in Vilnius seven times, at the meeting with young people of Lithuania at the Darius and Girėnas Stadium in Kaunas three times, in the sermon during the Liturgy of the Word in Šiluva two times, and once each in the sermon at Mass in Vingis Park, in the speech to the intelligentsia at St John’s Church at Vilnius University, and in the sermon during Mass at Santaka in Kaunas. In total, the cross is mentioned 68 times. This article presents features of the unveiling of the mystery of the cross in Pope John Paul II’s speeches: the cross is a sign of the Christian faith; the cross gives meaning to suffering; the cross is a source of strength; the cross provides atonement; the cross opens the horizons of eternal life; the cross is a sign of resurrection.

John Paul II (1920–2005) paid special attention to the issue of families during his pontificate, and even earned the title of ‘the pope of families’. During his leadership of the Roman Catholic Church (1978–2005), many cultural changes took place in the world, leading to a change in thinking and a change in the attitude towards forms of family life. The subject of this article is John Paul II’s Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio, and its focus on the preparation for marriage, as well as various pastoral initiatives and pastoral action guidelines, which indicated long-term goals to provide assistance to people choosing family life. He understood the process of preparing for family life as a continuous three-step effort that enables a mature person to live a happy family life. He also presented the need to pay attention to supporting families after the wedding. His greatest desire was that not only Christians, but also ‘every person of good will should endeavour to save and foster the values and requirements of the family’ (John Paul II, FC, n. 86).