Mėnuo Juodaragis ( en, Black-Horned Moon or Moon of the Black Horn, sometimes abbreviated as BHM (''MJR'')) is an annual Baltic culture, alternative music,

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

and

experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...

festival organized in

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

. It has been running since 1995 and is visited by 5,000 to 6,000 people each year, making it one of the biggest and oldest festivals in Lithuania. The festival's programme includes lectures by

folklorists Folklore studies, less often known as folkloristics, and occasionally tradition studies or folk life studies in the United Kingdom, is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currenc ...

and

historians A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

, workshops and demonstrations by

artisans An artisan (from french: artisan, it, artigiano) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art, s ...

(

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

s, leatherworkers,

weavers Weaver or Weavers may refer to: Activities * A person who engages in weaving fabric Animals * Various birds of the family Ploceidae * Crevice weaver spider family * Orb-weaver spider family * Weever (or weever-fish) Arts and entertainment ...

, jewellers, dyers and others), traditional rites,

historical reenactment Historical reenactment (or re-enactment) is an educational entertainment, educational or entertainment activity in which mainly amateur hobbyists and history enthusiasts dress in historic uniforms or costumes and follow a plan to recreate aspect ...

art exhibition An art exhibition is traditionally the space in which art objects (in the most general sense) meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhib ...

film screening A film screening is the displaying of a motion picture or film, generally referring to a special showing as part of a film's production and release cycle. To show the film to best advantage, special screenings may take place in plush, low seat-cou ...

s, hikes,

sports competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indiv ...

s and folk dancing.

History

The festival was initiated in 1997 as a spontaneous one-day gathering of several young people and their friends in Verbiškės village,

Molėtai District Molėtai () ( pl, Malaty) is a town in north eastern Lithuania surrounded by lakes. One of the oldest settlements in Lithuania, it is a popular resort for the inhabitants of Vilnius. According to the 2013 census, it had 6,302 inhabitants. The to ...

, where it was organized biennially until 1999. The festival later moved to Sudeikiai, a settlement near

Utena Utena () is a city in north-east Lithuania. It is the administrative center of Utena district and Utena County. Utena is one of the oldest settlements of Lithuania. The name of the city is most probably derived from a hydronym. The name of the s ...

town, where it took place from 2000 to 2002. Since then the timing of the festival also became fixed on the last weekend of August. Then in 2003–2005, Mėnuo Juodaragis was held in

Kernavė Kernavė was a medieval capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and today is a tourist attraction and an archeological site (population 272, 2011). It is located in the Širvintos district municipality located in southeast Lithuania. A Lithuanian ...

, the medieval capital of the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Li ...

. After a break in 2006 for financial and organisational reasons, the festival chose an island in Zarasas Lake in

Zarasai Zarasai () is a city in northeastern Lithuania, surrounded by many lakes and rivers: to the southwest of the city is Lake Zarasas, to the north – Lake Zarasaitis, to the southeast – Lake Baltas, and the east – Lake Griežtas. Lakes Zarasai ...

town as the location for the 2007 festival. In 2011 Mėnuo Juodaragis returned to Lake Zarasas and the 12th festival was dedicated to

sutartinės Lithuanian folk songs (in Lithuanian: "liaudies dainos") are often noted for not only their mythological content but also their relating historical events. Lithuanian folk music includes romantic songs, wedding songs, as well as work songs and ...

, Lithuanian ancient polyphonic singing. The theme of the 13th festival in 2012 was birds and

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...

and it was once again organized in Lake Zarasas. An air balloon race was held during the festival, as well as a nighttime balloon parade. Duburys1

The 14th Mėnuo Juodaragis was dedicated to

Latvians Latvians ( lv, latvieši) are a Baltic ethnic group and nation native to Latvia and the immediate geographical region, the Baltics. They are occasionally also referred to as Letts, especially in older bibliography. Latvians share a common Latvi ...

, the other surviving

Baltic people The Balts or Baltic peoples ( lt, baltai, lv, balti) are an ethno-linguistic group of peoples who speak the Baltic languages of the Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. One of the features of Baltic languages is the number o ...

, and the unity of Baltic people, featuring an extensive list of Latvian bands, such as Iļģi,

Auļi Auļi is a Latvian folk/ world music band formed in 2003. The band consists of 6 bagpipers, 3 drummers and 1 electric cello player. History In 2005 Auļi released their 12-track debut album ''Sendzirdēju''. In 2010 the band released their th ...

Skyforger Skyforger is a heavy metal band from Latvia which was formed in 1995 out of the remains of doom metal band Grindmaster Dead. Musical style and lyrical themes Most of their songs are about Baltic mythology and warfare; they also play Latvia ...

, Vilki, Grodi and Dzelzs Vilks, as well as Latvian artisans and lecturers. The main theme of the 19th festival in 2016 was "Home", according to the organizers not only in the physical sense but also in a spiritual meaning. That year Mėnuo Juodaragis took place on an island in Dūburys Lake, Zarasai District and the headliner was Slovenian

avant-garde music Avant-garde music is music that is considered to be at the forefront of innovation in its field, with the term "avant-garde" implying a critique of existing aesthetic conventions, rejection of the status quo in favor of unique or original elemen ...

group

Laibach Laibach () is a Slovenian avant-garde music group associated with the industrial, martial, and neo-classical genres. Formed in the mining town of Trbovlje (at the time in Yugoslavia) in 1980, Laibach represents the musical wing of the Neue ...

. The 20th edition of Mėnuo Juodaragis returned to the island in Dūburys Lake. The festival was dedicated to

Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages * Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originati ...

god of thunder Polytheistic peoples from many cultures have postulated a thunder god, the personification or source of the forces of thunder and lightning; a lightning god does not have a typical depiction, and will vary based on the culture. In Indo-European c ...

Perkūnas Perkūnas ( lt, Perkūnas, lv, Pērkons, Old Prussian: ''Perkūns'', ''Perkunos'', Yotvingian: ''Parkuns'', Latgalian: ''Pārkiuņs'') was the common Baltic god of thunder, and the second most important deity in the Baltic pantheon after Die ...

and was headlined by

Nordic folk music Nordic folk music includes a number of traditions of Nordic countries, especially Scandinavian. The Nordic countries are Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. The many regions of the Nordic countries share certain traditions, many of w ...

group

Wardruna Wardruna is a Norwegian music group formed in 2003 by Einar Selvik along with Gaahl and Lindy Fay Hella. They are dedicated to creating musical renditions of Norse cultural and esoteric traditions, and make significant use of Nordic historical ...

. The 21st edition of Mėnuo Juodaragis in 2018 took place at the complex of Molavėnai Castle Mounds. In early 2019 the organizers announced an interlude and that the next festival will be held from 27 to 30 of August 2020.

Organisers and supporters

Mėnuo Juodaragis is organised by the Lithuanian record label and non-profit public institution "Baltijos Griaustinis". Since 2002, the festival is partially supported by the

Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublikos kultūros ministerija) is a governmental body of the Republic of Lithuania. Its mission is to formulate and implement state cultural policies supporting professional ...

, as well as the Department of UNESCO Cultural Management at

Vilnius Academy of Arts The Vilnius Academy of Arts ( lt, Vilniaus dailės akademija, previously ''State Art Institute of Lithuania'') in Vilnius, Lithuania, grants a variety of degrees in the arts. History The Academy traces its roots back to the creation of the Arc ...

, other cultural institutions, enterprises, media channels, and private persons.

List of festivals

References

External links

Official Mėnuo Juodaragis website

Official Mėnuo Juodaragis YouTube channel
*Povilas Vaitkevičius (January–December 2015)
The Black-Horned Moon Festival: Change is Life
. World New Music Magazine (No. 18). Music Information Centre Lithuania. {{DEFAULTSORT:Menuo Juodaragis Folk festivals in Lithuania Experimental music festivals Neofolk Recurring events established in 1995 1995 establishments in Lithuania Annual events in Lithuania Modern paganism in Lithuania Modern pagan music festivals