Lithuanian schools face a dilemma: embrace Halloween or stick to local traditions?

Schools in Lithuania are deciding whether and how to mark Halloween, a costume-centred autumn festival that came to the country from abroad, ahead of All Souls' Day. The Education Ministry does not ban the celebrations in schools, but every year it reminds them to give priority to Lithuanian roots and traditions. Some schools adapt the festivities to their communities and rename them, while others skip them altogether.

Halloween as “Autumn Revelry”

The Taškius School of Science and Arts has renamed the holiday “Autumn Revelry”. The school community picks a new theme every year, and this year pupils from Year 1 to Year 10 entered the world of Harry Potter. Pupils made costumes and took part in a costume competition, while teachers dressed up as professors. In PE lessons they played Quidditch, the game known from the Harry Potter films, said school head Lina Jankauskaitė.

The school has agreed on rules: masks and behaviour must not frighten anyone or be linked to cruelty. Parents told LRT TV that children grow up in a secular society and should know about celebrations observed worldwide. One mother said she regrets that locals no longer gather for Užgavėnės, the traditional pre-Lenten festival, while Halloween has become a large celebration across her district.

Tending graves instead

The Abraham Kulvietis Classical Gymnasium in Vilnius does not celebrate Halloween. Head Kristina Gudelienė said not every holiday can be marked and this one has not become a school tradition. Instead, pupils visit cemeteries and tend neglected graves at Rasos Cemetery and Jerusalem Cemetery; teachers take their classes there almost every year.

Views from the ministry and experts

Jolanta Navickaitė of the ministry said cruelty, blood and violent games should not be promoted, as they are forms of violence. Virginijus Jocys, chairman of the Council for the Protection of Ethnic Culture, said teachers should explain the meaning of holidays and draw comparisons rather than impose categorical bans. The ministry also notes that some schools look for alternatives, such as inviting people to donate whole pumpkins to organisations that make soup and distribute it to older people.