Share & Unite
Krishnaits from Vilnius
Kaziuko muge is one of the oldest fairs in Eastern Europe. Every year it brings more than a thousand sellers together. They all are absolutely different. Nationalities include: Russian, Belorussian, Lithuanian, Polish, German, Hungarian and many others. They stay shoulder to shoulder and sell their handmade crafts, food and jewelry. They work on them the whole year and then try to sell as much as they can in one week. But the fair unites consumers arguably moreso. You would never find a fair where people of such different incomes, status, and appointments are interacting with each other so closely. “Vilnius traffic freezes so citizens of Vilnius get into traffic jams. However, nobody is angry, and people get into the festive spirit. This is one of the biggest fairs of the year”, says Ms. Asta Sukiene, a teacher of Lithuanian culture and language. People come from all over Lithuania just in order to enjoy the fair and buy some interesting crafts, taste some delicious food and, of course, to talk to people at the fair. Participants are part of something big, something grandiose. You start to feel how old the tradition is and how everyone works together in order to preserve the tradition. The atmosphere of the beginning of the spring is just wonderful. The fair allows people to learn about Lithuanian culture and language, one of the oldest in the whole of Europe. The most wonderful thing about Kaziuko muge is that it allows people to take part in saving these old traditions, and as long as the fair is held, Lithuanian culture will only blossom further and further. It will unite more and more people who will share the pride of being a part of such an old tradition. Our group was not an exception, this project has united us. We were working all together, collaborating with each other, discussing and sharing our opinions. And it is really hard to imagine how many more people Kaziuko muge unites.