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A friendly first look at Lithuania in eight questions about the essentials. Everyone can join in, from nine to ninety, and learn something surprising along the way.
Curious explorer 0–3 · Old-town stroller 4–6 · Practically Lithuanian 7–8
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Lithuania won Olympic bronze medals in basketball in 1992, 1996 and 2000, the first two with its giant star Arvydas Sabonis, and it has been European champion three times, in 1937, 1939 and 2003. Its fans even sing an unofficial team song called 'Trys milijonai', which means 'Three million'.
Photo: Steve Lipofsky, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
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Trakai Castle stands on one of the 21 islands in Lake Galvė, and work on it began in the 14th century. Today it is a history museum, and in the town nearby the Karaim people, who have lived in Trakai for more than 600 years, are known for kibinai, pastries filled with meat and onion.
Photo: BigHead, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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Užgavėnės ends with a play-fight between a character who stands for winter and one who stands for spring, and spring always wins. A straw figure of winter called Morė is burnt, and everyone tucks into piles of pancakes with all kinds of toppings.
Photo: Algirdas at Lithuanian Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, GFDL.
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Šaltibarščiai is made with beetroot, fresh cucumber, dill and kefir, a sour milk drink, which together turn the soup bright pink, and it is often served with boiled potatoes on the side. Vilnius even holds a yearly festival just for this soup.
Photo: User:TreasuryTag, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
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Kūčios is eaten on 24 December, and most families still serve no meat at all that evening. Favourites include kūčiukai, small crunchy biscuits dipped in 'milk' made from poppy seeds, and some families spread a little hay under the tablecloth.
Photo: Hugo.arg ( talk ) & Viktorija O., Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
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Since 1979, woodcarvers have filled this forested sand dune near the village of Juodkrantė with about 80 sculptures of witches, devils and other figures from Lithuanian folk tales and legends. New carvings are still added, and visiting is free.
Photo: Thomas Pusch, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
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Most of Lithuania's lakes lie in the north-east, where Aukštaitija National Park alone has more than 120, including Tauragnas, the country's deepest lake at more than 60 metres. Yet Lithuania's highest point, Aukštojas Hill, is only about 294 metres high.
Photo: Hugo.arg, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
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The cake is called šakotis, meaning 'tree cake': the batter drips as the spit turns, forming little 'branches', and inside it has rings like a tree trunk. It is a favourite at weddings, and in 2015 one was baked that stood more than 3.7 metres tall.
Photo: Sven Teschke, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 de.
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