Heraldry. The coat of arms of Tauragnai features a black bull with red horns on a green foot (mound) in a silver background. Its author is the artist Vida Navikienė. The coat of arms was approved by the decree No. 1333 of the President of the Republic of Lithuania, signed on 21 May 2001.
History. Tauragnai elderate is situated in the eastern part of Utena district. A part of the elderate is included into Aukštaitija National Park. The area of the elderate is 186 km², featuring 63 villages and homesteads.
The first mention of Tauragnai dates back to the chronicles of Herman Vartberg in 1261. The location was featured in the official Lithuanian documents on 16 February 1387, which state that Jogaila, the King of Poland and Lithuania, gives the castle and its area to the Bishop of Vilnius. The wooden church, built during the same year has undergone numerous reconstructions and survived until the end of the World War II.
Since the late 17th c. Tauragnai has been referred to as town with its own market and trading privileges, granted as of 1767. After becoming the centre of the volost (late 19th–early 20th c.), Tauragnai started expanding both in terms of territory and population. In 1859 there were 263, while in 1897 — already 1070 inhabitants. Those were the days of large markets and fairs, which used to attract peasants from surrounding villages. They used to sell linden honey, salted mushrooms, fish and other goodies from lakes and forests. According to documents, in 1792 the town had its own brewery and vodka distillery, as well as several inns that belonged to the Bishop of Vilnius. The Bishop also had a right to purchase goods sold by peasants at the market at his own prices. On Sundays people had to attend church and were punished if they didn’t.
In the mid. 19th century Tauragnai manor was acquired by Puslovskis (Paslauskas). In 1861 and 1862 peasants revolted and Puslovskis called for the Tzar’s army. However, the developing revolt of 1863 was quickly growing, joined by surrounding villages. The revolt was mercilessly extinguished by Mikhail Muravyov, the Governor General of Vilnius: many of the rebels were exiled to Siberia, replaced by Russian peasants, who were also exiled from their homes.
The people of Tauragnai region also experienced repressions, related to education. In 1877 Lithuanian peasant children were taught at a secret school of Tauragnai by the peasant Pranas Ūdras. Some of the more famous book smugglers include M. Balčiūnas and P. Gaidelis. During the years of the World War I the town was emptied — many of its inhabitants escaped approaching Germans and ended up in Russia. Young men were taken to the army of the Russian Tsar. Many people also died from epidemic typhus in 1914. During the two years of occupation the region of Tauragnai, that has never been very rich in the first place, was completely devastated.
During the interwar period Tauragnai recovered and blossomed, but the World War II took its toll again. In July 1944 the town was on fire, caused by German war planes. The fire destroyed St George’s Church, built on the shore of Lake Labė in 1874. After the World War II about 120 Lithuanian partisans from Tauragnai and surrounding places died in north-eastern Lithuanian forests, resisting the Soviet occupation.
Currently Tauragnai elderate has 1427 inhabitants. There is Tauragnai Euganija Šimkūnaitė Department of Utena Krašuona Lower Secondary School, Tauragnai Culture Centre, famous for its amateur Mokas Theatre, Tauragnai Library, which is a department of Utena A. and M. Miškiniai Public Library, as well as Tauragnai Regional Museum — a department of Utena Ethnographic Museum.
The Legend of Mokas
A long time ago there was a man, named Mokas. He had a wife and a son. His family was very hard-working, working for the entire tribe. Yet, saddened and disappointed with people’s laziness, Mokas decided to stop working himself. People became angry with him and thus Mokas had to move away.
He took his wife and soon and they set north. Eventually they reached Lake Tauragnas and had to swim to the other side. Mokas told his wife and son to swim without looking back. His son did as he was told, but his wife looked back and drowned. Mokas was very sad and cried on the other shore until he turned to stone. He still stands there at the very same spot. While his wife was left at the bottom of the lake. It is a huge stone, often tearing fishermen’s nets.
Community Birthday and Cherry Blossom Festival in Tauragnai
Tauragnai celebrates its community birthday and Cherry Blossom Festival on the second weekend of May. Even if weather forecast doesn’t look very promising, the nature as if understands that it mustn’t ruin the festivities, dropping only a few raindrops throughout the event. Such rain doesn’t scare away the crowds of locals and guests that gather to the festival: they look forward to the festivities for an entire year.
The festival begins at the cherry garden of Eugenija Šimkūnaitė, also referred to as the cherry garden of Gesė.
Eugenija Šimkūnaitė was a habilitated doctor of biology (1920-1996), who not only accumulated huge ethnocultural and intellectual heritage to Lithuania, but also left the best of memories for the people, who ever knew her, thus forming her unique image as a healer. People knew her both in Lithuania and beyond. While she was still alive, doctor Gesė (her nickname dating back to her childhood) asked to plant a cherry tree on her grave when she dies.
The community fulfilled her wish by planting a cherry tree on her grave and an entire garden of cherries in Tauragnai. This cherry garden keeps growing every year.
During the festival children decorate the trees with colourful ribbons. there is much music and poetry about cherries, speeches and enjoyment. The community birthday is celebrated by the entire community and their guests. The guest list often includes representatives of Vilnius Eugenija Šimkūnaitė Charity and Support Fund.
After visiting the garden to check how much it has grown over the past year, the participants of the festival gather at Tauragnai Culture Centre. Different singers introduce their most beautiful songs about cherries every year. While the youngest members of the community can enjoy themselves by blowing soap bubbles or playing active games. Since this festival is also the community birthday, the community receives greetings not only from the neighbouring elderates, but also various Lithuanian and foreign organisations, representatives of Utena District Municipality and herbalists from Kaunas, whose words are accompanied by melodies of kanklės, birbynės and other folk instruments.
The official part of the festival always ends with everybody singing Mūsų dienos kaip šventė, kaip žydėjimas vyšnios… (Eng. We celebrate our days like a cherry blossom…) After the concert everybody gathers at Gesė cherry garden again. If many of the trees have not yet blossomed, grown-ups decorate them with additional colourful ribbons, thus making the entire garden “bloom”. Local women make wholemeal pancakes, herbal tea and cherry pies. Nobody rushes home, but enjoy themselves singing and talking.
Quite often during the festival locals, guests and spectators form several ensembles, singing songs. The only rule is that they must mention cherries. They engage into a creative competition, not only singing beautiful songs, but also dancing and acting. The evening is full of fun and positive emotions. The singers are then awarded with candies and cherries. Mūsų dienos kaip šventė is a song that all ensembles must know and sing.
And then the mouthwatering smells hovering around Gesė cherry garden remind the participants that it’s time to taste the delicious dishes. The menu features an extraordinarily tasty nettle soup (the queen of hedges!) cooked by the museum worker Gražina Grašienė. She also likes to treat guests with herbal teas, made according to the recipes of E. Šimkūnaitė. And if the Cherry Blossom Festival coincides with the Pentecost, the celebration also features baked eggs. The best cook of this dish is Vidas Juknevičius. The extraordinary omelette is made of at least 150 eggs, served together with the tasty home-made bread, baked by Nijolė Šuminienė.
The guests of the festival can also have a taste of several types of cheese with cherry jam, made of the cherries from Gesė cherry garden. The best cheese is made by Ona Katinienė, Ona Vaišnorienė and Aldona Kirkienė. While the best baker of the community’s birthday cakes is Inga Šinkūnienė.
You are most welcome to join the celebration at the blossoming Gesė cherry garden! J.