The Vilnius palm, a roll constructed of natural and coloured dryflowers completed with a "bevel" and a symbol of the Vilnius region as well as an advertising sign for the Vilnius region, is well recognized outside Lithuania's boundaries. Since 2019, the Vilnius palm has been on the list of Lithuania's intangible cultural property, and attempts have been made for several years to put the tradition of Vilnius palm weaving on the UNESCO list.
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| Easter palm of Vilnius region in Lithuania |
"Originally, the Vilnius palm, like those in Podlasie and the Grodno region, was fashioned of paper." Later dried flowers were added, which eventually replaced totally paper ones," said Grayna Goubowska of the Vilnius District Self-Government to PAP.
The origins of the palm-waving practice in the villages surrounding Vilnius are unknown. There are few early iconographic sources. Kanut Rusiecki's artwork "Lithuanian Lady with Palms" was painted in 1847, and the Polish ethnographer Oskar Kolberg wrote about city palms made of paper flowers and country palms made of moss, willow, grains, and other plants in the mid-nineteenth century.
"Today, we distinguish several types of Vilnius palm; the basic ones are flat in the shape of hearts, pink, i.e. very thin, and the so-called ruszczycówka - a roller made of flowers in patterns, which was advertised at the beginning of the twentieth century by Ferdynand Ruszczyc," Goubowska explains.
"After being blessed on Palm Sunday, it was placed behind the sacred images hanging in the place of honor in the chamber," says the traditional palm, which is around 30 cm long. Little 15-centimeter palms are still weaved now, but they are many meters long. A palm tree 2 meters and 60 cm tall was planted to commemorate Lithuania's 100th anniversary of independence in 2018. The record palm tree stood 6 meters tall. So many flowers, herbs and other raw materials were used for it that it could be used to make nearly 1,000 medium-sized palm trees, half a meter in size.
The Vilnius palm was shown at the International Exhibition "Green Week" in Berlin and the international exhibition Expo 2015 in Milan. In 2013, the then-President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaite, handed the palm to Pope Francis on the occasion of his pontificate's opening, and Vilnius palm farmer Agata Granicka brought the palm to St. John Paul II's tomb.
The Vilnius palm was included to Lithuania's list of intangible cultural treasures in 2019, and attempts have been conducted for several years to put the Vilnius palm weaving technique on the UNESCO list.
Over the past two years, the palm has served as a promotional symbol for the Vilnius region, where the custom was founded and is still practiced. "We are pleased that our logo features a stylised palm tree, a highly distinctive and identifiable symbol not just in Lithuania, but also across the world," Goubowska explains.
The Vilnius Region's local government has also created a rich museum exhibition about the Vilnius palm, its weaving legacy, the palm in art and literature, and the religious importance of the palm. The exhibition has previously been displayed in various cities in Lithuania, including Czstochowa last year, and it is presently on display in Soleczniki.