Žolinė in Palanga Draws Crowds: People Adorn Themselves with Impressive Wreaths, Grab Candy Roosters

Palanga, Lithuania, buzzed with activity as crowds gathered to celebrate Žolinė, the Feast of the Assumption. The traditional holiday saw many attendees adorning themselves with elaborate wreaths made from herbs and flowers, while others purchased traditional sweets like candy roosters.

Families embraced the holiday spirit, with one Palanga resident sharing her family's long-standing traditions. "We always used to be by the lake during Žolinė – there were services, processions, and pilgrims gathered, so we are used to this celebration," she said. Her family also maintains a tradition of lighting a bonfire at home, drying herbs, and exchanging well wishes for good deeds, harvest, and the coming winter.

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We always used to be by the lake during Žolinė – there were services, processions, and pilgrims gathered, so we are used to this celebration.

Vendors from various cities offered their wares around the church, selling hand-tied bouquets, wreaths, flax, cornflower arrangements, and woven baskets. Shoppers browsed for items to take to church or bring home. Gintarė, visiting from Kaunas, expressed nostalgia for flax, a symbol deeply connected to her childhood and Lithuanian heritage.

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I don't really need them – I'll put them in water, have breakfast by them tomorrow, and enjoy them. But when I saw someone selling flax after a long time, nostalgia washed over me. My parents used to grow them, I remember the work parties, how we would process flax, and then stand at fairs. So many memories, and flax is a very Lithuanian symbol.

"I don't really need them – I'll put them in water, have breakfast by them tomorrow, and enjoy them," Gintarė said. "But when I saw someone selling flax after a long time, nostalgia washed over me. My parents used to grow them, I remember the work parties, how we would process flax, and then stand at fairs. So many memories, and flax is a very Lithuanian symbol."

Beyond the floral arrangements, the market offered traditional herbal teas, ceramics, jewelry, wooden crafts, and various sweets. Vida Sudmonienė, selling traditional candy roosters and other old-fashioned sweets, noted their enduring appeal. "The recipe hasn't changed, but the sugar is different now, so the taste is slightly different. But people are still curious, they buy, they want those roosters – they are the candy of many people's childhoods!" she said. She added that foreigners often show curiosity, sometimes mistaking the candy sticks for toys before being encouraged by Lithuanians to try them.

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The recipe hasn't changed, but the sugar is different now, so the taste is slightly different. But people are still curious, they buy, they want those roosters – they are the candy of many people's childhoods!