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Lithuanian Ethnoastronomy

2. Phases of the Moon and its path

The first phase of the Moon (waxing crescent) in the whole of Lithuania is called jaunas ‘young‘ (with or with out the adding the word Mėnulis 'Moon'). The beginning of the phase is considered the appearance of the crescent of the Moon in the Western part of the sky after 2-3 days when the Moon was not seen (Fig.1). When the disk of the Moon gets bigger it is said that the Moon "auga" 'grows'. When it gets half-Moon the other phase starts which is called priešpilnis 'getting full' (waxing gibbous). When the Moon becomes a circle (the face of the Moon is fully illuminated) it is already pilnatis 'fullness', pilnas 'full' (accompanied by the word Mėnulis 'Moon' or not) (full Moon). Very often it is pointed out that the full Moon is when the Moon rises immediately after the Sun sets down and vice versa. However, when the Moon does not set before the sunrise its disk wanes and the full Moon is over.

When the disk of the Moon starts getting smaller (waning gibbous), it is said that the Moon "dyla" 'wanes', "eina i sena" 'goes old', and in Žemaitija it is said ‘‘dyla, blanksta’‘ 'wanes, fades'. Then it enters the phase called delčia (a noun which is derived from the verb dilti 'wane') or senas 'old' (with and without the word Mėnulis 'Moon'). In western Lithuania (so called Žemaitija) the beginning of this phase is called paraiža, paraižos (a derivation from the verb rėžti, raižyti 'cut', i. e. "what is left after cutting"). In southern Lithuania (so called Dzūkija) it is called "padaužos" (a noun derived from the verb "daužyti" 'to break', i.e. "what is left after breaking").

It is narrated that the risen Sun finds the Moon in the sky and chips its part. Then in the evening when the Sun sets the Moon does not rise soon. The dark nights begin. In this case in the southern Lithuania and in Byelorussia on the ethnic territories of Lithuanians it is said that the Moon "vakaroja"‘('has/spend its evening time'). In the northern Lithuania it is said that the Moon ‘‘patinkst, aptingsta’‘ 'becomes lazy'. When it is broken into a half then the phase is denominated as delčiagalis or senagalis 'The old end' (last quarter). Half-moon the last quarter in some places is called pusdailis, pusdylis 'the half of wane' and in the East Prussia at the beginning of the century was referred to as dalgakynos (a derivative from the word ‘‘dalgis’‘ 'scythe'). The period when the Moon disappears, 2-3 days of invisibility is called: tuštuma 'emptiness' (phonetic variants of tuštumas, tuštumai, tuštymai etc.); tuščias 'empty' (with or without the word Mėnulis 'Moon'). In the East of Lithuania this phase is also called dykuma 'emptiness'. In the West of Lithuania it is known as tarpijos (a derivation from the word ‘‘tarpas’‘ 'interval').

When referring to the changes of the phases of the Moon the words used are: "keiciasi" 'changes', "mainosi" 'alternates', "verčiasi", "persiverčia" 'turns', 'turns over'. The periods of the change of the Moon are also called: sąvartai, sąvartos, sąvarta, sąnvarta, suvartai, apyvarta, apyvartos 'turn, turn over', mainai 'exchange', sugriuvimas 'collapse', pairimas 'disintegreiting'.

Till nowadays in the answers to the question: "Why is the Moon changing?" There is heard an echo of the archaic view that holds the explanation associated with the movements of the disk of the Moon behind a certain rock, a mountain or the terrain. In 1994 in the area of Šalčininkai there was a story recorded that three brothers once split the Moon. The story goes that the three brothers found a round moon in the forest. When one brother died he cut one third of the Moon and took it with himself into the coffin. When the second brother died, he cut the second part and the third brother took the third part. That is how the dark night come (LKAR 2/517-521/). This story is linked to the primitive belief that the Moon, by making its absence in the sky, moves to the other world and shines for the dead.

There are narratives that explain the alteration of the phases of the Moon through the interrelation of the Sun and the Moon paths. In Dzūkija it is narrated that the Sun and the Moon struck a bet of whom of the two is quicker. They started races. The Sun ran away from the Moon and took it over. The Sun jumped over the Moon and chipped its part. While jumping over the Moon it finally broke it completely (LKAR @/1-3/).

The image of the Sun as the main reason for the reduction of the Moon's disk is widely spread. It is said that the Sun catches the Moon ‘‘ pagauna, užtinka, daužo, atdaužia, atkerta, atima, užkabina, grėbia, temdo, dalina, mažina ‘‘. And in the morning when at the sunrise we can see only a thin scythe of the Moon, ‘‘senugalis’‘, then it is admitted that ‘‘Saula Mėnesį ima’‘ (The Sun overcomes the Moon), and the next day the Moon is not seen at all (Baukevičius, Pakruojas region, 1994).

Judging from the assembled material the paths of the Moon and the Sun known to the old villagers are changing, too. It is recorded that in winter the Moon follows the summer path of the Sun (high), and in winter follows the winter path of the Sun (low). The planets wandering along the path of the Moon did not escape notice either. Planets were not discriminated and there is one general opinion recorded that the Moon is followed by one star only Žvaigždė Mėnesio (The Moon's Star) or Tarnas Mėnesio’‘ (The Moon's Servant) (DSPO 163).

A lot of attention was paid to the intercourse of the Moon and the Venus. We shall discuss this further.

 

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