In certain regions of Lithuanian New Year's Eve was known as "the little Christmas Eve". Foods similar to those of Christmas Eve were prepared, except that the dishes could contain meat and straw was not placed under the tablecloth. People stayed up on New Year's Eve at least until midnight to greet the new year. If an individual sleeps through such an important moments his entire year will go badly - he'll be groggy and lazy.

The main concern on New Year's Eve and Day is to learn the future: what kind of year will it be, what will it bring, how will life go. Consequently, certain prognostications were performed on New Year's Eve and the following day.

The vital question for a young girl was whether she would marry, next year, whould she find a beau, who will be her beloved or husband? Young men were also preoccupied with forming a family: would a girl fall in love with him, would he get a good, pretty, industrious and rich wife? The older folk wished to know: would the year be good, prosperous and safe, would the harvest be bountiful, would the livestock thrives would there be storms, heavy gales and thunderstorms? The old people yearned to know: would they live one more year on this earth,would they be healthy, strong and wealthy? Even if the divinations on New Year's Eve and Day were unable to solve all these problems of life, they at least afforded an opportunity to pass a pleasant holiday evening, spend time with family, neighbors and friends.

On New Year's Eve many of the auguries and forecasts done on Christmas Eve were repeated. The weather and other events of New Year's Eve and Day could also foretell the following year's weather. For examples, if it snows on New Year's Day, the weather will be bad all year. If the day is clear, the harvest will be good; if the trees are covered with frost, the year win be good, but If there is a thick fog, people will die, epidemics and disease will rage. Death was also predicted in the following manner: if it snows on New Year's during the day, many young people will die that year, if it snows that night, old people will die. If it is very cold on New Year's Day, Easter will be warm. If many birds gather in the yard on New Year's Day and they chirp causing a rackets the hosehold will have many guests all year long - the year will be happy.

Predictions of a personal nature were made on New Year's Eve and throughout the following day. Although these days no one actually believes in these predictions, they amount to an amusing and interesting game based on our most distant past. It is worthwhile to remember and try them.

• Children try to be good so their parents will not scold or punish them, for this will continue into the following year. People try to be careful on New Year's Day for their actions that day will determine their behavior all year. Adult family members do not argue or fight, smile a great deal and help one another because they can then expect the same throughout the year.

• If a person falls on New Year's Day, he will be unlucky all year.

• Whatever news is heard on New Year's Day will determine the whole year: if the first news heard is good, the year will be good, if the news is bad the entire year will have much bad news and sorrow.

  But the best time was had with the young people's prophecies for they tried to solve the next year's love problems.

• The last time before the holidays when a girl receives a corsage or bouquet of flowers (in ancient customs, it used to be a wreath of rue the girl wore on her head at a party, but here we can change that to flowers), she must dry the flowers, crush them thoroughly and set them aside. On New Year's Eve, the flowers are burned, a pinch of the ashes sprinkled into a glassful of water and the glass placed on a table covered with a white cloth with two candles lit on either side. The girl then sits and looks long into the bottom of the glass through the layer of ashes. She is thus able to see the man she will wed.

• A girl writes twelve male names on twelve pieces of paper (the twelve pieces symbolize the months of the year) and leaves a thirteenth blank. She folds the papers and places them under her pillow. When she awakens in the mornings she pulls out the first piece her hand encounters and reads it. She will marry whornsoever's name is on the paper. If she gets the blank piece, she will be alone that year, no one will love her. If the girl awakens during the night before dawn, she must reach for a paper at that time. But she must not turn on the light to read it. She must place it next to her bed and read it by daylight.

  This method of fortunetelling is also suitable for men; they write twelve female names on the papers and then follow the same procedure.

• On New Year's Eve a girl lights twelve candles, sits in front of a mirror and looks into it. At exactly midnight she will see her future in the mirror. This is done in private, the girl must be alone in the room.

• The assembled young men and women sit around a table, place a candle in the middle and light it (in some places this is done with a match afixed in a bar of soap or wax to keep it from falling over. It is then necessary to wait until the match finishes burning and extinguishes). After a while, a boy or girl asks who loves him or her and carefully blows out the candle. Everyone sits very still and watches to which side the candle's smoke drifts, determining who loves the questioner. If the smoke rises straight up, no one present loves the person who asked. If the smoke suddenly turns downward, someone in the room really hates the questioner.

• In order to learn if her future husband is wealthy a girl runs into the yard and selects a stick from a pile heaped for that purpose. The first stick that she touches with eyes closed or head turned aside must be pulled out. If the stick has branches, the husband will be rich, if it does not, he will be poor.

• A key, ring, small water goblet and coin are placed under overturned bowls. The bowls are mixed and everyone chooses one in turn. The person who finds the ring will marry that year; whoever finds the water will have a drunk for a spouse; the key means owning a house, the coin signifies wealth.

  The future is also predicted from various signs, shadows, matched and unmatched sticks, matches, peas or candy. Although Lithuanian hospitality did not preclude alcoholic beverages during such festivities, women and girls rarely consumed whiskey or beer. The mood of the evening depended more on games, predictions, jokes and fortunetelling than on amount of alcohol consumed.

  This sample of customs shows that on New Year's Eve and Day, people in Lithuania liked to visit and party but the fun was more of the family variety where all guests and members were included in games and auguries, thereby creating a happy and pleasant atmosphere.

(Danute Brazyte Bindokiene. Lithuanian Customs and Traditions)