Morė is one of the main effigies and attributes of the traditional Lithuanian folk festival ''

Užgavėnės Užgavėnės is an ancient Lithuanian festival that takes place during the seventh week before Easter (Ash Wednesday). The celebration corresponds to Roman Catholic holiday traditions in other parts of the world, such as Mardi Gras, Shrove Tues ...

''. It is an artificial woman (''čiūčiala''), stuffed with various materials, who is ultimately burned in a

bonfire A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used for waste disposal or as part of a religious feast, such as Saint John's Eve. Etymology The earliest attestations date to the late 15th century, with the Catholicon Anglicum spelling i ...

. Morė is associated with the winter personification as a Slavic goddess

Marzanna Morana (in Czech, Slovene, Bosnian, Croatian and Montenegrin), Morena (in Slovak and Macedonian), Mora (in Bulgarian), Mara (in Ukrainian), Morė (in Lithuanian), Marena (in Russian), or Marzanna (in Polish) is a pagan Slavic pantheon, Slavic ...

. She is burned because once it was believed that it will help to bring spring faster. Participants of the ritual are dancing around the bonfire and shouting "Žiema, žiema, bėk iš kiemo" (Winter, winter, run from the yard).

References

Lithuanian traditions European folklore Bonfires {{Lithuania-stub