On herb day, all roads lead to Krekennava — sekunde.lt

The cozy town of Krekenava in the Panevěž district smells of green grass again.

The week-long Feast of St. M. Mary’s Assumption – Herbal Indulgence draws large crowds of worshippers.
Today is a great day of indulgence. To the First Holy Place. The faithful gather for mass from six in the morning.
On the Great Herb Day, Krekenawwa is packed with worshippers and a market is held in the town’s Cathedral Square. The herb garden culminates with an offering to St. John the Baptist. Mass and dedication of the herb. After them, the Krekenawski family and their guests are waiting for a concert in the town square.
The herbal indulgence will last all week.
Tomorrow will be a day of prayer for civil servants, Saturday is a day of prayer groups, Sunday is a day for families, Monday the faithful will pray for teachers and catechists, Tuesday is a day for priests and consecrated persons, and the last day of prayer will be Wednesday, a day of relaxation, and prayer will be prayed for the sick.

A contagious tradition

Every year, large numbers of believers who gather in Krekenaviškii to enjoy indulgences admire the cathedral decorated with gorgeous wreaths of sweetgrass by local women. In 2021, this unique tradition of Krekenaviškii – celebrating the Jolina indulgence – was included in the list of Lithuanian intangible cultural heritage values!
Zolin is known as the oldest and most solemn saint in all Lithuanian Catholic churches. Feast of the Adoration of the Virgin Mary.
English stone. Church of the Assumption – Pivašiūnai (Alytus district), Krekenava (Panevežys district), Zarasai, Rumšiškės, Pažaisli, etc. For a long time, people have been enjoying the indulgence of Žolinė.
In total, there are more than 200 churches in Lithuania with St. John’s Church. The title of the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – the annual indulgence is held during the Feast of Jolina.
The origins of herbal liturgy can be traced back to the fifth century, when the apostles in Jerusalem opened the tomb of Mary, the mother of Jesus, but instead of finding her body, they found a collection of flowers and herbs.
In 1950 Pope Pius XII declared that it was church truth that Mary had been taken to heaven both body and soul.
Shrove Tuesday is an official holiday for Catholics. During the solemn Mass of the Sorin Penitential Repentance, the “Ave Maria”, a song of adoration to the Virgin Mary, is sung, and the villagers bring goodies of the new harvest and herbs to be sanctified, which are later hidden in the house behind the icon to get sick from fire, plague, hunger and other disasters.