Celebrate Christmas and Easter Traditions: Šiaudinukai and Margučiai Imsre Sabaliunas-Bruzgiene, Viktoras Juska and Donatas Astras taught 64 of the older boys and girls (12 to 16 year-olds) how to make straw Christmas ornaments and etch Easter eggs at Camp Dainava. In preparation the night before, Imsre, Vic and Don tidied up the classroom and added plastic tablecloths and … [Read more...]
Easter Egg Decorating Workshop at Balzekas Museum March 25, 2017
Learn Traditional Lithuanian Easter Egg Decorating (Margučiai) Please join us at the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture for a Traditional Lithuanian Easter Egg Decorating Workshop to learn the ancient art of etching eggs or margučiai. This annual workshop had been conducted by Ursula Astras for 37 years. Now the Astras family returns to show the secrets of one of … [Read more...]
Lithuanian Christmas Ornaments 2016
Christmas and Holiday Traditions around the World Exhibition at Meijer Gardens Christmas and Holiday Traditions around the World Exhibition at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park features more than 40 international trees and displays including Ursula Astras straw Christmas ornaments on the Lithuanian tree. This year, the tree was decorated by Loretta Beukema, Todd … [Read more...]
Making Lithuanian Straw Christmas Ornaments by Don Astras
Lithuanian Heritage Magazine November/December 2016 Reprint Don Astras worked with Jonas Daugirdas, editor of Lithuanian-Heritage Magazine to produce a feature article about ‘Making Lithuanian Straw Christmas Ornaments (šiaudinukai)’. The article appeared in the November/December 2016 issue of Lithuanian Heritage Magazine on pages 24-26. It includes my background on learning Ursula’s … [Read more...]
Straw Christmas Ornament Demonstrations Huge Success
Don and Kathy Astras demonstrate Lithuanian straw Christmas ornament making techniques The Lithuanian Day Festival at Saints Peter and Paul Parish Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan on April 30, 2016 was a huge success. It attracted exhibitors, families, performers and vendors from Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio. Don and Kathy conducted Straw Christmas Ornament … [Read more...]