Easter in Lithuania is, for most locals, the second biggest festival after Christmas. To this day, it is a family event that combines both Christian celebration and age-old Lithuanian tradition. According to the old ways, Easter marks the rejuvenation of nature. In years gone by, the festival had a fixed date – on the spring equinox. Around that time the temperature rises above freezing and green starts coming back into the world.
Lithuania's climate, which ranges between maritime and continental, is relatively mild.
Average temperatures on the coast are −2.5 °C in January and 16 °C (61 °F) in July. In Vilnius the average temperatures are −6 °C (21 °F) in January and 16 °C (61 °F) in July. During the summer, 20 °C (68 °F) is common during the day while 14 °C (57 °F) is common at night; in the past, temperatures have reached as high as 30 °C (86 °F) or 35 °C (95 °F). Some winters can be very cold. −20 °C (−4 °F) occurs almost every winter. Winter extremes are −34 °C (−29 °F) in coastal areas and −43 °C (−45 °F) in the east of Lithuania.
Lithuanian folk tradition treats the Christmas season as a time of religious mystery and folk magic. In past times Lithuanians associated many old superstitions and folk charms with the season. Though no longer taken seriously these magical formulas may still be practiced as a form of entertainment.