Mount Crosses – Thousands of stories and hopes
To lovers of something mystical and sacral, probably, it will be interesting to visit the mountain of crosses in Latvia, not far from the city of Siauliai, that on the road Kaliningrad – Riga. This place suggests about the spiritual, because the energy of goodwill and concerns about people focused here. Just imagine: a small slope that costs and hang more than 50,000 of a variety of crosses – large and small, fringe and simple, on which the inscriptions are made in various languages.
No, this is not a cemetery. It’s kind of like a mascot. People believed and still believe that if on this grief they own a cross, it will protect the person and his family from different troubles, problems, turmoil and disease. In general, they make it "for happiness" and in honor of a significant life event: the wedding, the birth of a child, any life turns – good and not very. The main thing is to convey the cross to the famous place. In this regard, questions arise – but how then crosses with a height of several meters and weighing several hundred kilograms?
It’s hard to remember when this tradition arose. It is said that the first crosses here were installed in the 13th century in memory of warriors who died in the battle with the Crusaders.
However, it is only known that Kryžių Kalnas became the place of pilgrimage since September 1993, when Pope was visited in these parts during a visit to Lithuania and installed his cross.
In general, there are no oldest products even 40 years. Despite the fact that this tradition of several centuries, the mountain could not once be destroyed, burned and compared everything from the ground. Especially "tried" during the Soviet Union. And people still returned to their traditions.
But in general – it is very nice and mentally take a walk on this grief. Because of the huge cluster of the crosses, any sounds around drowned, visibility is limited and, it seems that you are here absolutely alone. You might think to pray, slowly walk and watch the manifestations of human imagination regarding the vision of his personal cross.
Large crosses are buried in the ground, and small listeners are right on them. And it looks very busy – the bunches of small crosses with massive ligaments hang each other.
It is very curious to look at these products of various shapes, different sizes, with various decorations, from different materials … Someone has a cross-casting Copper, decorated with faded patterns and sculptures, and someone made him a cross from … ballpoint pen and pieces of folded paper … yes, it happens … But the main thing is that each product has its own history.
