Lithuanians mark autumn equinox with ancient traditions
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In Lithuania, people traditionally observe the autumn equinox around September 21st, coinciding with Saint Matthew’s Day, a date linked to ancestral customs.
Ethnologist Libertas Klimka explains that their ancestors held a ritual called Alutinis, where they sprinkled beer foam on homes to keep destructive forces out. This tradition occurred after attending church services for Saint Matthew, as farmers invited family and friends to share a special beer made from the first harvest of rye.
The equinox itself happens when the sun crosses the celestial equator around September 23rd, bringing nearly equal lengths of day and night. While modern calendars mark the beginning of autumn in September, people in the countryside previously watched natural events and celebrated the equinox on September 21st, linking it to the Christian calendar. Old sayings reflect this time of year, like “From Matthew’s Day, even the water cools down,” indicating unsafe swimming conditions and the end of crayfish season.
These traditions connect to a very old lunar calendar where nine-day weeks were used to schedule farm work, and even today some gardeners still plant according to the moon’s phases. People also believed the first frosts signaled the god Perkūnas passing his power to the underworld god Velinas, who would watch over the earth during winter. They tracked the seasons by observing elk mating season, knowing that three lunar cycles after that time, the days would start to lengthen again.
