Acta Historica Universitatis Klaipedensis

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.

The early beginnings of Christian caritative social work against a Biblical and Ancient Greek background have been well explored in literature. The methodological approach, the use of theological analysis of social work approach to the client, opens the doors to the positive identification of burning issues in the practice of modern social work. The Christian world-view has always put personal responsibility and involvement on micro, mezzo and macro levels in focus, and the realisation of personal potential in social functions is revealed by the application of the Trinitarian view of God in Christianity. The theological approach to the analysis of the meaning of social work, its mission and mechanisms, focuses on the crossing of both the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the Christian faith as a practice, and puts forward service to the needy and the poor, solidarity with outcasts and marginal people, support and encouragement, as following in the footsteps of Christ. By that approach, the essence of caritative social work is discovered: personal engagement versus estrangement, community resources versus individualism, mutuality versus ignorance. The innovative discourse inviting the disclosure of possible personal transformation dynamics has an impact on the positive solution of the client’s social problems within the community, especially during a humanitarian crisis. The methodological approach may also be helpful for the identification of stagnation in the social work profession.

The instrumental music-making tradition of Lithuania Minor was officially recognised as a valuable part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and included in the national register in 2022. In the 20th century, the way of preserving the instrumental music-making of the Lietuvininkai (the inhabitants of Lithuania Minor) typically used for folklore was not followed, and it would have ceased to exist. However, the folklore revival movement that emerged in the 1960s, along with the determined efforts of Antanas Butkus, a master instrument maker, to restore the folk music instruments of Lithuania Minor, and other favourable circumstances, gave rise to renewed interest and new directions for the development of the tradition. The purpose of this article is to explore the forms and development of this folklore tradition, and to identify the factors that had the most important impact on its decline, restoration and continuity.

Usually, monumentsepigraphs keep a lot of personal and social information about a buried person.This general information may help to better understand the community orresidents of a specific area. This is especially true in the case of Klaipėda region and itsnative population. The results of analysis of survived epigraphs of old Evangelico-Lutherancemeteries in Klaipėdaregion are presented in this article. The research was done using socialstatistical methods, which are usually used to characterize social community.The obtained results allow modeling the stratification organization of formerpopulation.

The article focuses on the state of the old cemeteries in Klaipėda Region and their place in the system of the local culture heritage. All that shall be revealed by actualizing the issue as an outcome of World War 2, when the Region lost almost all local population who were substituted for by settlers with the culture and religion alien to the land. The historical-confessional characteristics of legal evolution of the old cemeteries of the region are discussed by disclosing the transfer of their legal-administrative subordination from church to municipal jurisdiction. General characteristics and problems of the relationship of the new settlers with the old heritage are discussed. The value of the cemeteries in terms of heritage protection is emphasized.