Feature: Lithuania celebrates 400-year-old Kaziukas Fair

Blanketed by sunshine on Sunday, the capital city of Lithuania attracts a lot of people since both a fair and the sunshine are enjoyable.

Lithuania is holding a three-day celebration for the 400-year-old Kaziukas Fair from Friday till Sunday.

The Kaziukas Fair, or Kaziuko Muge in Lithuanian, takes place every year in the first days of March in Vilnius and some other towns of Lithuania.

This first springtime fair features traditional crafts and arts, and attracts various groups of folk artisans not only from Lithuania, but also from neighboring countries.

"It's most likely a reunion thing where you meet with your family, your kids, and you go together and see what you can buy, or you buy for one another," said high school student Ieva to Xinhua.

"I will go and buy some candies for my sister, because she really loves them," she added.

"Price is a little lower than in shops, because it's a market and it's always like that," she continued.

Handicrafts are very popular on this fair. Yet customers have to squeeze through the crowd from one booth to another for their favorite goods made of wood, metal, flowers, etc.

As the third generation of a family of blacksmith, Zygimantas, a 22 years old man, is eager to introduce his family in front of Xinhua's video camera.

"Our company started many years ago. My grandfather used to be a blacksmith, and my father is a blacksmith, and now I'm a blacksmith, so that comes generation by generation. It's like a family business," he said.

Regarding the International Women's Day which falls on Sunday, Zygimantas brought out a rose made of metal.

"This is one of our products, it's a rose, a very special product on March 8, and it's a bit of hard work here to make all the leaves and everything looks like real. It's actually all made of steel, and it's everlasting. That's why it's special, like love," he said.

As usual, this year's Kaziukas fair covers many streets in the old town of Vilnius. Vendors set up stalls to sell wares such as folk art products, edible treats, beverages, etc. all across the streets.

The fair attracts several hundred thousand visitors. For foreign guests, the traditional Kaziukas market becomes a great place to pick up Lithuanian souvenirs, local culinary specialties and handmade goods.

The origins of the fair dated back to 17th century when St. Casimir was officially named as the patron saint of Lithuania by the Pope. In the 19th century the Vilnius fair was dedicated to St. Casimir, which in Lithuanian sounds Kazimieras or Kaziukas. Endit