September 12, 2006
Our next stop on our tour in Kaunas was the Devil’s Museum. This museum owes itself to the eccentric Antanas Žmuidzinavičius (1876-1966) who collected over 2,000 depictions of devils from all over the world. It was more interesting than it was scary. There were lots of references to the Devil with alcohol and tobacco. One of the more interesting displays were of Hitler and Stalin Devils doing the dance of death over Lithuania which was created during the soviet times but taken out of hiding after Lithuania gained independence.
I found the last devil that I am pictured with of particular interest. The description read
“It is a custom in Slovakia that St. Nicolas, accompanied by a little devil and an angel distributes presents to children on S. Nicholas Day, i.e. on 5 December. St. Nicholas is a good and kind person, the little devils scares children and the angel calms them down and makes them happy.
On their heads the little devils wear a tall mask made of ram or rabbit leather. The mask is interwoven with barley and wheat stalks. They are dressed in an old farmer’s leather jackets or in jackets make of untreated ram or rabbit leather. On their belts they have allow or tin cow bells. The more significant the little devil is the more fiercely the bells toll.”
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