KAUNAS - With festivals galore going on throughout the spring and summer, people living in Lithuania are often spoiled for choice in what to do and where to go. Kedainiai 's just two km from the geographical center of Lithuania and only a 30-minute drive from Kaunas 's is considered the country's cucumber capital. It makes sense therefore to have at least one festival to commemorate this important point, and so it is that every year the Agurku Svente (Cucumber Festival) is held. And why not?
This year's festival takes place on June 30 in Kedainiai's Central Park, and lasts from around 4 p.m. until late into the evening. True to its name, it presents all things cucumber-esque, including musical entertainment, a fair, cucumber food and cucumber beverages. The larger-than-life Mama Rock'n'Roll will be the festival's master of ceremonies.
The festival starts with presentations and activities related to cucumber growing and cultivating. Those in need of respite from this heady activity can tuck into one of over a hundred colorful culinary cucumber dishes, or try the agurku trautine, a cucumber flavored alcoholic liqueur. You may need this to relax and prepare you for the second part of the festival's entertaining program: starting around 6 p.m. tensions will run high as groups of cucumber growers compete for the Golden Cucumber award. The winners, naturally, are crowned King or Queen of the Cucumbers.
Daiva Urboniene, Director of Cultural Events at the Kedainiai Cultural Activity Center, explained the criteria for choosing the cucumber King or Queen. "Every year we try to think of some new tasks although we do insist on some standard criteria. This requires each potential King or Queen to have a hothouse of at least three acres (300 square meters) of cucumbers and they must also be able to answer serious questions on how to cultivate and grow cucumbers. Also we expect them to take part in funny events, to introduce themselves and to present their unique King or Queen's costume, " she said.
The mind boggles, but it's all good, clean fun.
Urboniene also explained that this year's festival being the eleventh, there will be a special reception in which the Cucumber Kings and Queens of the previous 10 years will be on hand. And whereas previous years would see a single person crowned King or Queen, this year's Golden Cucumber award and crown will be awarded to a winning group. This year there will be four such groups competing to be crowned King or Queen of the Cucumbers.
Because of its originality the festival attracts a lot of people from all over Lithuania, as well as small numbers from Latvia and, for some reason, Sweden. Apparently there is nothing to stop non-Lithuanians winning the Golden Cucumber award.
If you arrive before the festival starts in earnest, you may also want to visit Kedainiai's Old Town. Dating back to 1372, it's one of the most beautiful and best preserved medieval towns in Lithuania.
Traveling from Kaunas by car takes about half an hour, and from Vilnius about 90 minutes.
For further information in English, e-mail either the Kedainiai Tourist Information Centre,
[email protected], or the Kedainiai Municipality,
[email protected].
