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ithuania,
on the shore of the Baltic Sea, has had a very intriguing role in European
development, in various ways: militarily, economically, politically and
religiously. It was the last country to accept Christianity, in 1387, as
part of the marriage agreement between Grand Duke Jogaila and Jadwiga,
Queen of Poland. The new faith lived in conjunction with the old nature-based
beliefs; and well into the twentieth century in certain regions.
odern Lithuanians are an unusual amalgam of Catholicism
and a fierce pride in their pagan past. Many will proudly state that Grand
Duke Jogaila and his cousin Grand Duke Vytautas the Great defeated the
Crusading Teutonic Order. The language was nearly wiped out when it was
under the auspices of the Russian Empire -- But it endured, and to this
day Lithuanians are fiercely protective of both their language and of their
culture.
This website is dedicated to exploring
the history, culture, folktales, and folk beliefs of this most colourful
country.
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zemyna@geocities.com
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This site is owned and copyrighted Dec 1997
by Marija Kuncaitis
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