1. Autumn in LithuaniaAutumn in Lithuania
Šilutės r. Katyčių pagrindinė mokykla
The Seasons
Comenius Multilateral Project
2013 – 2015

2. One of the nicest things about living in Lithuania is ever changing seasons.

3. The end of summer signifies the arrival of autumn.
It means misty mornings, shorter days, the spider webs and the changing
of colours around you.

4. A gentle decline from the summer intensity comes with autumn.
Autumn is that time when we start wearing our coats, scarves, warm
socks and gloves. An umbrella becomes a necessary thing, as well.

5. But when there is the beginning of autumn?

6. It is said, that autumn begins on the equinox day (September 22nd – 23rd),
when the day and the night become equal in length .

7. But for many of us this season may begin on a different day, that
fits the way we live.
In Lithuania autumn is the time from the first day of September to the
last day of November.

8. The first day of autumn clashes with the first day of
September for students and their parents because the
Lithuanian schools traditionally celebrate the beginning of the
new school year on September 1.

9. In autumn the days become shorter and nights - longer. As a part of
the daylight saving time we change our clocks one hour back in the
end of October.
This also contributes to the feeling of a shorter day. While the
mornings are brighter, the afternoons seem to get dark much
earlier.

10. The climate of Lithuania can be described as a typical
European continental climate with warm dry summers and cold
winters.
In autumn the weather changes all the time.

11. In September the average temperature is about +12 C.
Autumn frosts frequently decorate fields and gardens in white. They
are gentle from 0 to -2 C over the surface of the soil. But sometimes
the weather gets cooler to – 3 – 6 C. It oftens drizzles lightly but
obtrusively.

12. In October the days and nights are often cloudy and misty,
especially in late October.The average temperature is about +6 -
+8 C.

13. Usually, there is one warm and sunny week in October. It is
called the Indian summer.
The temperature can rise up to +20 C. The spider webs strech
everywhere then. Dew or gentle frost cover the grass and soil in
the mornings. But the Indian summer doesn‘t visit Lithuania every
year and October can be rather cold with sleet and snow.

14. In November the nature gets grey and brown shades, which are typical
for winter. This month brings us strong winds, rain, sleet and snow.
The average temperature is +1 - +5 C. But sometimes
November looks like winter.

15. A dahlia is the main autumn flower in Lithuania. It comes in
numerous colours, colour combinations, shapes and sizes.
And, of course, a chrisanthemum blooms in autumn, too.

16. There grow the deciduous and ever green trees and bushes in
Lithuania.
The most common deciduous trees are oaks, birches, limes, ashes,
maples and chestnuts.

17. They all change the colours of their foliage and shed the leaves in autumn.

18. The golden autumn foliage is a spectacular scenery for everyone.
Sunny, bright days and cool nights is the best weather to colour the
leaves in yellow, red, orange and brown.

19. The leaves fall off their branches, flowing down through the air to rest
on the ground.

20. Dozens of fallen leaves cover the ground as a carpet.
As you watch the leaves falling, you can see the seasons change right in
front of your eyes. Not many sėasons give that gift

21. If the days are bleak and cloudy and the nights are warm, the colours of
autumn are more pale
It is the worst when the days are rainy and windy. Then the leaves
are torn off the trees. They fall on the ground without changing their
colour.

22. The rowans are especially beautiful in autumn.When the winds tear off
the leaves of the trees, red rowans blaze in the fields and forests.
The rowan berries is the perfect food for birds. It is believed, if there are a
lot of rowan berries on the trees, winter will be cold and snowy.

23. In the middle of September the chestnuts start falling off the trees.
They do so after the shells of the nuts turn brown. It is thought that
keeping a chestnut in your pocket brings you a bit of luck.

24. Autumn is always a busy and ,,tasty“ time because of the harvest.

25. In September the farmers cut their crops to prepare them for the storage
or selling. They also get their fields ready for spring.
September is a time when the farmers plant winter wheat and rye.
They grow until it gets cold. Then they go dormant, which means
they stop growing until spring, when they start growing again.

26. September is also that time when potatoes, carrots, red beet roots,
cabbage and tomatoes are harvested,
and apples, plums and pears are gathered in.

27. Potatoes are one of the most popular vegetables in Lithuania. Usually, every farm
grows potatoes. They are called the Lithuanian second bread and are used for
food almost every day.
Potatoes are harvested in September. Even though there are machines to do
all harvesting work, some Lithuanian farmers still prefer manual work,
especially in small villages.

28. In autumn one of the Lithuanian favourite pastimes is the mushroom gathering. It
is a form of relaxation, a gastronomic obsession and an economic opportunity.
The mushroom gathering begins in July and often lasts until the end of October.

29. Lithuania is the home to an impressive number of species of birds that vary from
the residents, that stay all year round to the breeding birds that spend a big part of
the growing season in Lithuania to raise their young and the migrants, which pass
across Lithuania with the seasons.

30. The most common resident birds are crows, sparrows and tits. People,
especially students, make the bird feeders for sparrows and tits in the
end of autumn.

31. A white stork, a breeding bird, is a national bird of our country.
Lithuania has the highest density of the white stork population in Europe with
13 000 pairs. That is why Lithuania is known as the Land of Storks. When
these birds raise up their chicks in Lithuania, they move southwards across the
whole continent.

32. August 24th is the stork leaving day. It means that autumn comes.

33. In the middle of September the corncrakes leave Lithuania. These birds
are nearly extinct in the Western Europe but are common in the
Lithuanian fields.
A corncrake lives more differently than many of other birds. It tries to be invisible.
It is quite impossible to see a flying corncrake. It flies almost only at nights.

34. Every year the myriads of birds migrate across Lithuania. The maximum
intensity of the autumn migration occurs in the end of August and in
September when geese, ducks, cranes and finches migrate.
During October the migration weakens in intensity and by the first
days of November it ceases down.

35. A harvest festival is an annual event that is celebrated in the end of
September. It is associated with the end of works in the fields and gardens
and is often called “Dagos“ or “Dagotuvės“.
The fair takes place at the time of the harvest celebration. The farmers bring
autumn goodies and their own products produced on their farms such as cheese,
bread, cakes etc. The folk groups give performances and concerts.

36. All Saints’ Day (November 1st) and All Souls' Day (November 2nd) are held
in Lithuania.

37. Since the ancient times, Lithuanians have believed that after the
death, the soul separates from the body and continues existing among
the living ones.

38. The ritual traditions of the dead were directly related to the people belief
that the souls of the dead returned to the earth and to their homes on that
day. Therefore, the souls of the dead were graciously treated according to
the rituals of the ancestors.
During these days people still gather in cemeteries. They pray, light up the
candles on the graves of their dead relatives and decorate the graves with
flowers and plants.

39. Earlier women used to prepare plentiful dinner for that occasion even to eat it at
cemetries. Dinner could also be prepared at home.

40. After returning from the cemetery, father gathered the family around the
table and recited this prayer: " Dear souls of the dead, you are still
remembered by the members of my family, you are the most worthy of our
perpetual remembrance, especially you, my grandparents, my parents, also
our relatives, children and everyone whom the death took away from our
home. I invite you to this annual feast. We wish that this feast is agreeable
to you, just like the memory of all of you, is to us ''. After a short silence,
father asked everyone to sit at the table and eat. The food was eaten in
silence.

41. Now the All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (Vėlinės) is an
occasion to remember the deceased. It is thought to bring their
spirits nearer and to form the bond between the living and the
dead.

42. There are a few beliefs of the All Souls' and All Saints' Days:
On the day of All Souls, the souls of the dead come to visit
the living, asking that the living would pray for them.
On the All Souls' Day churches are filled with the souls of the
dead. On that day, the souls do not burn in the hell. They are
happy. However, some souls, which mothers wail, arrive wet and
soaked by the earthly tears. They suffer a lot. So, there is no
need to cry for the dead.
On the All Souls' Day and in the evening no ashes or garbage
should be taken out, because the souls can be witched by
these items.
If it rains on the night of the All Souls' Day, there will be
numerous deaths the coming year.
If the sun does not shine on the All Saints' Day, the coming
year will be filled with misfortunes.

43. This project has been funded with supportThis project has been funded with support
from the European Commission.from the European Commission.
This publication reflects the views only of theThis publication reflects the views only of the
author, and the Commission cannot be heldauthor, and the Commission cannot be held
responsible for any use which may be made ofresponsible for any use which may be made of
the information contained there in.the information contained there in.