Loreta Lichtarovičienė

Aliejūnų Liktarynė

Straw worker

©Daiva Bareikaitė

Straw gardens

Loreta finds deep meaning in himmeli
Making himmeli is like creating a world
She learned her craft from her mother-in-law

Loreta Lichtarovičienė studied ethnology and folkloristics, but her real passion is for Lithuanian straw himmeli (straw gardens). Himmeli are included in the UNESCO cultural heritage list – in the past these spatial objects accompanied Lithuanians from birth up until death. She was a teenager when she first laid her eyes on one, hanging in an old farm, she has never forgotten it. Afterwards she married into a family, which had a long tradition of himmeli making. This is how Loreta’s main mentor became the mother of her husband, who had learned the craft from her own mother and grandmother. Nowadays, she continues the old Lithuanian tradition of making himmeli in her studio in the village of Aliejunai, in the outskirts of Vilnius, by combining the dexterity of her fingers with family wisdom and symbolic meaning.

Interview

©Dovilė Jakštaitė

©Daiva Bareikaitė

How did you start making himmeli?: I saw my first himmeli when I was around 15 years old. Immediately after graduating, I began making himmeli in any way I could. Over time my knowledge grew, and I got more and more ideas. When I married, I found myself in a family with very old himmeli making traditions – it was destiny!
How is your craft connected to territory?: I make himmeli (straw gardens), which have been made in Lithuania for hundreds of years. Not only do I use the knowledge gathered through my own research, but also the experience of the mother and grandmother of my husband, which dates to the late 19th century. My mother-in-law still remains my biggest teacher.
How would you describe your craft?: I create himmeli, which are much more than just interior design elements. To me, himmeli is a live, magical object. It is only alive when it has its own owner. I make himmeli for a specific person: I try to feel their needs, collect and present them in the final object.
Do you consider your craft relevant?: In the last 10 years himmeli have become very popular, but during the Soviet era the tradition was almost gone. Straw is a delicate material, it breaks easily, so many old himmeli have not survived, including in museums. But now you can find more than a hundred himmeli makers.

Loreta Lichtarovičienė is a master artisan: she began her career in 1998 and she started teaching in 2018