A parish festival [1] or parish fair [2] or indulgence feast [3] (Lithuanian : atlaidai; Polish : odpust parafialny) is a local annual festival held by Roman Catholic churches in Poland and Lithuania on a feast day of the patron saint of a given parish. Many of the festivals have long historic traditions that date back to the Counter-Reformation in the 16–17th centuries. Almost every parish has such festival with some churches having several. [4] Participants in these festivals can receive indulgences for themselves and their dead relatives. [5] The festivals include masses, religious processions, performances by church choirs, other music performances [6] and are often accompanied by traditional craft markets. [4] The feasts reinforce local identity and foster a sense of community. [4] Some of the larger festivals, like the Great Žemaičių Kalvarija Festival, last for a week, attract thousands of people, and are major pilgrimage events. [3] [4]
Major parish festivals in Lithuania: [5]
- Of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Žemaičių Kalvarija in July (see the Great Žemaičių Kalvarija Festival)
- Of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Pivašiūnai and Krekenava in August
- Of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Šiluva in September
- Of Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn in Vilnius in November
- Of Saints Peter and Paul in Vilnius in June
- Of Our Lady of Trakai in Trakai in September
