Plants and senses. Lithuanian Bathing Culture Summer Camp

Date: 2024-06-03, 12:00
Organizer : Lithuanian Bath Academy

Lithuanian summer

We invite you to join us again at nature's most beautiful time, when the trees have turned green and the healing herbs of Summer are beginning to emerge. The forest surrounds Lithuanians as a matter of course, as a mother tongue that you speak without thinking about grammar. That is why the essence and secret of a Lithuanian pirtis is to cooperate with trees and plants and let them talk to us.

At the 2024 Plants and Senses Camp, you will have an unforgettable botanical experience, immersing yourself in the heart of nature, surrounded by the beauty of lush native foliage and the tranquillity of a forest near a lake.

Camp highlights

Exploring native plants. We will venture out into the wild to discover and learn about a wide range of native plants, from fragrant grasses to mighty trees.

Sensory learning. We will incorporate harvest meditations to get to know plants better by touch, smell, sight and even taste, and thus connect more deeply with the natural world.

Embodiment in the forest. We will immerse ourselves in the forest. We will move away from civilisation and feel the charm of a rustic life in the forest, where every breath we take liberates us and brings you closer to the essence of plants.

Craft workshop. You will make a variety of herbal products such as herbal teas, hydrolats, etc. In addition, you will learn about complementary ideas such as botanical salts, natural dyes or aromatic sachets.

Tree mandala. During the camp we will delve into the properties and senses of plants or collaborate to create a "tree mandala" which will be used to plan individual bathing rituals with plants.

Bathing with different whisks. We will learn how to use different tree whisks creatively in the steam bath.

Smoke pirtis. We will make a historical journey to well known smoke sauna where you experience the elements just as our ancestors did.

Exploaring the plants

Schedule

June 3. Getting together and slowing from hectic city life. Arrival, settling in, getting acquainted. 
Woolen hat weaving - evening workshop. Learn how to make a sauna hat.

June 4. Theory. Making and using herbal remedies. Practical workshop in fields and forrests. Knowing and collecting plants.
Practice. Production of herbal remedies. Practice in the sauna. Testing herbal remedies

June 5. Theory. Trees and herbs in the sauna. Practice in nature (forest).  Plant identification, collecting plants for whisks. Practice. Tying whisks.
Practice in the sauna. Bathing with different whisks.

June 6. Theory. Lithuanian traditional Pirtis through the ages. Practice. Excursion to the recreated replica of XIV century smoke sauna in the Kernavė open air museum.. Practice in Sauna garden.

June 7. Discussion of the camp results. Obtaining handouts. Farewell.

Important! The scedule is preliminar and may have some changes due to the weather and nature conditions. 

Additional studies

For those coming long way to Lithuania and wanting to get the most from the stay we recommend to pay attention to possibility to take Level1 or Level2 studies just before the Culture Camp.

More information will come soon! Any questions are welcome.

Contact persons:

Rimas Kavaliauskas, email - rimas@pirtis.lt, Phone/WhatsApp +370 687 11601
Birutė Masiliauskienė, email - registracija@pirtis.lt, PhoneWhatsapp +370 689 56969 

Themes covered

• Making whisks

  Practical theme, which includes:

  • collecting and preparing twigs;
  • types of whisks;
  • ways of making whisks;
  • quality requirments;
  • conservation of whisks.
• Mythology of trees and herbs

  Theoretical theme, which reveals hidden properties of mostly used trees and herbs.

  Traditional Lithuanian culture and mythology has very strong connections to the nature. Lithuanians were the lasts pagans in Europe, old knowledges, bealieves and worldview are still a part of everyday life. Understanding plants mythologyand hidden properties of plants are very heplful in rithual saunas or individual work. 

  Some topics of this theme:

  • Male and female plants. Reincarnation to the plants.
  • Heaven and underworld plants. Divine play of the opposites.
  • World three.
  • Mythology of the most common plants of Lithuanian pirtis (oak, birtch, linden, juniper, rowan, willow, bird-cherry, pine, spruce, ash etc.).
• Plants in steam bath

  A lot of herbal and plant remedies are used in the Lithuanian sauna. Not only whisks but different herbal teas, infusions, scents, cosmetic masks. As soon as the pirtis door is opened, the pleasant aroma of plants gives off. There are bouquets of fragrant herbs in the ceiling, not just for the sake of beauty. And where are all the mysterious ointments, infusions, extracts, oils, powders, and other mysterious things that alchemists often juggle with bottles as experienced bathers, creating a whole bouquet of bath sensations ...

  Curious? This is our aim - get you acquainted with plants, herbal bath tools. This is a 2 hour theoretical course where we will discuss the most commonly used plants in the bath and the products made from them, as well as practical tips.

  This theme has additional information available only to logged in users.
• Preparing of plant remedies

  Practical theme, which includes:

  • collecting and preparing herbal material;
  • decoctions, cold and hot infusions;
  • hydrosoils and distilation;
  • other herbal remedies.

  This theme has additional information available only to logged in users.
• Recognising plants

  Excursion to the nature, looking for the plants to be used in sauna. Collecting herbs and branches for whisks. Rules of collecting plants.

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• Rituals with plants in sauna

  Having different whisks and knowing their physical and hidden qualities, we can create special body rithuals or whisking scenarios.

• Trees and herbs in sauna

  Using a lot of trees and herbs is very typical for Lithuanian pirtis procedure. This theme is dedicated to the plants we use for making whisks, herbal tee, natural remedies, products for beauty treatments.  

  This is a theoretical presentation, which includs:

  • Understanding about collecting and preparing plants for using in sauna;
  • Botanical, physical and healing qualities of most popular sauna plants;
  • Practical recomendations about using these plants in sauna.

Birutė Masiliauskienė and Rimas Kavaliauskas

This training is open to everyone, but having some experience of Lithuanian pirtis is highly recomended. 

There is a possibility to offer „Lithuanian Pirtis ABC“ introductory educational evening on the first day of the camp.

Early bird price (till May 1) - 490€, later - 590€. Registration fee is 90€, the rest to be payed upon arrival.

The price includes:

• Accomodation (4 nights; leaving on Friday);
• Food (4 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 4 dinners);
• Excursions to the museum;
• Theorethical and practical workshops.

• New participants register on this page by filling the form. Then they will receive a link to credit card payment link. When payment is made - your place is secured.
• Existing readers of our page will find the registration link on their activity page  - this requires loging in.

Any questions are welcome.

Contact persons:

Rimas Kavaliauskas, email - rimas@pirtis.lt, Phone/WhatsApp +370 687 11601
Birutė Masiliauskienė, email - registracija@pirtis.lt, PhoneWhatsapp +370 689 56969

The place

The event will take place in a center of roural tourism Kernavės Bajorynė, ~1 km from Kernavė town.

Kernavė is a small town located on the right bank of the Neris River, 35 km from Vilnius, and in the past it was one of the first centers of the Lithuanian state (13th century). The legendary Pajauta Valley and its five mounds guard the remains of the last European pagan capital. Since 2004 Kernavė Archaeological Site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Read more here.

How to reach the venue?

Kervavė is located ~70 km from Kaunas Airport and ~50 km from Vilnius Airport. You can reach it by a rented car or by bus (check the schedule here). If you need our help, we can arrange transfer from Vilnius and Kaunas - let us know in advance.

Accomodation and food

Accomodation (4 nights) and vegetarian food are included into the price of the camp. We offfer you stay in small wooden houses, Each house is two-storeyed, consisting of two parts. Each part has a separate entrance. There is a possibility to accomodate up to 5 persons in each of the parts, with an additional availability to accomodate up to 3 persons in single beds in each of the parts.

• Fireplace
• Refrigerator
• Microwave oven
• Electric cord kettle
• TV
• 2 WCs
• Shower cabin
• Hair dryer
• Comfortable single or double beds 

The homestead can offer other accomodation options (e.g. if you want to come earlier or leave later, come with your family, want a separated room etc.). In such case, please, contact them directly. Contacts are here. Choosing other accomodation options won't change the price of the training.