They're gonna miss Christmas... Paganism returns to Lithuania

The Lithuanian Seimas, dominated by members of the Social Democratic organization (LSDP), considered the native Baltic community "Romuva" as an authoritative spiritual union. Rights granted to natives in Lithuania go very far, even the "marriage union" contained in the pagan ritual will be recognized by the state as civilian unions. Post-communist governments in our northern neighbours, promoting neo-Paganism, are driving the citizens of the country, which, at the hands of the Polish Queen of St. Jadwiga, Christianity adopted more than 600 years ago, from the saving knowing of the Mystery of Incarnation.

Founded in the 20th century, "Romuva" is the largest neo-Paganian spiritual community in Lithuania. It builds its beliefs on the Baltic spiritual tradition, which is simply a mixture of ancient beliefs of Lithuanians, Latvians and Prussians. He wonders about the surge of members of this spiritual organization over the past fewer years. erstwhile she took her first steps in 2001, there were about 1,200 people in her ranks. After 10 years, it was counted that this neo - pagan spiritual community already had about 5100 followers. Today, in Lithuania, as well as among Lithuanians surviving on emigration, and in Latvia, there may be as many as 10 000 members of the Roma.

His revival of the pagan religion of the Baltics, very close to the religion of the old Slavs, is due to the demolition of religion by the Bolsheviks in the USSR. In the russian state, the fight against religion has continued since its very beginning, that is, since 1917. It took the form of full demolition of all manifestations of the material and spiritual planet of religion, headed by Christianity. The spiritual emptiness after the collapse of the russian Union, part of which was Lithuania and Latvia, shortly began to fulfil various kinds of pagan beliefs.

The Baltic household proved peculiarly attractive to many Lithuanians due to the fact that it was a belief in the first centuries of the first millennium, by the protoplasts of the Lithuanian state. So it is closely linked to Lithuanian nationalism. Similarly, it is in Poland, where specified groups reject Christianity, due to the fact that they believe that the first religion of the Polan state was pagan Slavic beliefs.

The Lithuanian state, so far, has recognized Roman Catholics, Greek Catholics, Lutheran evangelicals, reformed evangelicals, Orthodox evangelicals, old rites, Jews, Sunni and Karaim as conventional spiritual communities. Never before were natives legally registered as a spiritual community. The decision of the Lithuanian Parliament to recognise the neo-Pagan community as an authoritative spiritual union is simply a unusual novelty.

Unfortunately, as usual in specified cases, EU people "were involved" in this. Romuva first asked the Lithuanian Parliament to recognise its position as a spiritual union in 2017. Then he refused. besides in 2023, Members did not want to legalize the activities of the Noah’s organization. Parents have so complained to the European Court of Human Rights about their country's governments. This, of course, stood on the side of the followers of the old gods and decreed that the non-recognition of “Romouva” as a spiritual union was “the violation of human rights”.

Through the EU structures, parents receive strong support from well-established “contemporaries” of the fresh pagan religion – ecologism. For the beliefs of the old Slavs or Baltics are firmly embedded in the belief in the forces of nature. The main deity of Baltic mythology is Dievas – the god of heaven, another deity – Perkūnas (the equivalent of Slavic Perun) is to regulation by lightning and another forces of nature. straight with the cult of nature professed by ecologists, the Baltics' religion in the goddess of change – the parent of the land, which in old Slavs bore the name – mokosz.

For environmentalists, creators of the ideology of green order, Christianity does not fit, for it puts man much higher than nature. But the pagan beliefs of the Slavs or the Baltics are close to their hearts due to the fact that they worship nature. Unlike Christianity, they spread belief in immortality, the eternal endurance of nature, earth, or matter.

Interestingly, Lithuania was the last European country to be baptized. It is not truly known what caused Lithuania to stay a pagan enclave among Christian countries for centuries. The religion of the erstwhile Baltics until 1387 was the authoritative religion of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Only the baptism which Lithuania received thanks to the matrimony which Jagiełło concluded with the Queen of Poland Jadwiga, later saint of the Catholic Church, officially ended Lithuania's existence in the darkness of paganism. Unofficially, however, the beliefs of the erstwhile Baltics are practiced by the Lithuanian state to this day.

Is Lithuania forgetting its baptism, which it adopted over 600 years ago? Then Christ was first born among the Lithuanians, as shortly as we will celebrate Christmas. The baptism of Lithuania saved her soul, but besides saved the existence of this country and nation. If it were not for baptism and union with Christian Poland, Lithuanians would have the same sad destiny as Prussians or Jaćwings. For Lithuania to be able to know Christ, many missionaries, led by St. Bruno and St. Wojciech and their Benedictine brothers, gave their lives. possibly this Christmas is an chance for the Lithuanian brothers to remember the words of St Paul, who wrote to the Corinthians, "You have been purchased for a large price."

Adam Białous