A Piece of Lithuania

Ashrie received this small doll from his Tito AR (Tito is the Filipino term for uncle). It is actually a keepsake from Lithuania. He said the giver told him that this is the national costume of the Lithuanian highlanders or what they used to wear, or something of that sort.

The doll is crafted from yarn and meticulously-dressed in what it seems like a hand-woven fabric. “Just where is Lithuania?” you may ask. That was exactly my reaction. (I usually hear the name from the Ms. Universe pageant way back in the Philippines because they air the beauty competition yearly.)

So for our information, here’s an overview of the Republic of Lithuania.

Lietuva (lee-u’too-vu) is located in northeastern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, and across the Baltic Sea to the west lie Sweden, Norway and Denmark. It shares borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the southeast, and Poland to the southwest. Its population is 3.2 million.

Its capital and largest city is Vilnius.

During the 14th century, Lithuania was the largest country in Europe: present-day Belarus, Ukraine, and parts of Poland and Russia were territories of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. ~Wikipedia

And finally, a photo of their native costume.

Ačiū. (Lithuanian term for thank you very much).