A Festival For Locals or For Tourists? The Ritual Year in Three Southeastern Lithuanian Settlements

Newly created commercial holidays often fail to resonate with local populations unless they are deeply rooted in meaningful historical or cultural significance. This study analyzes the ritual year in three southeastern Lithuanian settlements—Trakai, Kernavė, and Medininkai—focusing on how locals perceive commercialized festivals. Through ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2017 and 2019, researchers examined the duration, seasonality, and local appreciation of holidays, including St. John’s Day and State Day (marking the coronation of the first Lithuanian king). The findings reveal that even well-promoted commercial holidays, despite their cultural heritage mobilization and seasonal timing, may not gain local acceptance without strong ties to specific dates of historical or symbolic value.

Šaknys, Ž. (2026). A Festival For Locals or For Tourists? The Ritual Year in Three Southeastern Lithuanian Settlements. The Ritual Year 14, 67–84. https://doi.org/10.7592/ry14.04