No! It is the Lithuanian word for Easter eggs. I felt compelled to write a bit about the Lithuanian Easter egg, because my quest to learn more about my Lithuanian heritage has led me to delve more and more into the culture and traditions. There are two times a year when Lithuanians historically color eggs. The first time is not surprising - as it is done for Velykos - or Easter, just like many other countries in the world. There are two styles of decorating - one using wax to create designs, and one is done by etching on the colored egg with a pin, a knife or even a piece of glass. The teardrop shape is very common on Lithuanian margučiai.
The second time that Lithuanians decorate eggs is on St. George's Day - April 23rd. It is done to protect the animals that are let out to graze on that day, after a long northern winter spent without grass. Having recently colored eggs Lithuanian style, using such natural dyes as beets, cabbage, cumin and grape juice, I've been intrigued by the process. Today - my horses got their first nibbles of grass which has finally appeared after days of melting snow, so I'm looking forward to color more eggs on St. George's Day. I've included a photo of the eggs my family and I colored.
Beautiful! You couldn't convince your horses to wait until April 23rd to nibble on the grass? 😜