Romuva (religion)
Romuva is a neo-pagan movement derived from the traditional mythology of the Lithuanians, attempting to reconstruct the religious rituals of the Lithuanians before their Christianization in 1387. Practitioners of Romuva claim to continue Baltic pagan traditions which survived in folklore, customs and superstition.[1][2][3] Romuva is a polytheistic pagan faith which asserts the sanctity of nature and ancestor worship. Practicing the Romuva faith is seen by many adherents as a form of cultural pride, along with celebrating traditional forms of art, retelling Baltic folklore, practicing traditional holidays, playing traditional Baltic music, singing traditional dainos (songs), as well as ecological activism and stewarding sacred places.[4]
Romuva
Romuva primarily exists in Lithuania but there are also congregations of adherents in Australia, Canada, Russia, the United States,[5] and England.[6][7][8] There are believers of Baltic pagan faiths in other nations, including Dievturība in Latvia.[9] According to the 2001 census, there were approximately 1,200 people in Lithuania identifying with Romuva. That number jumped to around 5,100 in the 2011 census.[10]
Etymology[edit]
The terms Romuva, Romovė, and Ruomuva came from medieval written sources in East Prussia mentioning the pagan Baltic temple Romowe.[11] The word has meanings of "temple" and "sanctuary", but, further, also "abode of inner peace".[12] The Baltic root ram-/rām-, from which Romuva derives,[13] has the meaning of 'calm, serene, quiet', stemming from the Proto-Indo-European *h₁rem-.[14]
Samogitian Sanctuary was originally planned to be rebuilt on Birutė hill in Palanga but was not agreed to by the mayor of Palanga. Instead, it was built on a hill near Šventoji which also has 11 sculptures of pagan gods. There are four main festivals in a year: