Lithuanian holidays - St. Casimir's Day

There are saints who are especially revered in certain countries Such a saint is Kazemir, whose memorial day is celebrated on March 4 every year in Lithuania Kazemir was born in the 15th century and was the heir of the Lithuanian princes and Polish kings, but, despite his high birth, the boy was particularly pious from an early age Fasting, prayer and taming the flesh became the reality of the prince's life, as if he were a monk At the age of 20, Kazemir takes a vow of chastity and refuses to marry into foreign royal families The prince combined his duties as heir to the throne with writing theological texts and poems, some of which are still used today in Catholic services The prince died at the age of 26, showing an example of true faith, meekness and humility until his last minutes Immediately after the death of Kazemir, his relatives decided to achieve the canonization of their beloved brother and son However, it so happened that the question of the holiness of a young man from the Jagiellonian family had been resolved for more than a hundred years Having studied the biography, Pope Leo agreed to canonization But for unknown reasons, the documents were lost for a long time And only in 1604, after the opening of the prince’s grave, significant evidence of his holiness was obtained Casemir's body was not touched by the decay of death, a wonderful fragrance spread around him Soon after the opening of the relics, a ceremony was held in the Cathedral of the city of Vilna, where the prince was recognized as a Christian saint Subsequently, hundreds of healings and miraculous phenomena took place at the prince’s grave; knights turned to Casemir, asking for good luck in their military campaigns Since the beginning of the 20th century, on March 4, Kazyuki fairs began to be held in Vilnius, where agricultural goods were sold Today Kazyuki is held annually in other cities where Saint Casemir is venerated These are bright holidays where everyone can admire or purchase creative objects The main symbols of the holiday are sweet gingerbread with theological inscriptions and willows made from dried plants