The Rumšiškės Open Air Museum, situated on a main road between Vilnius and Kaunas, is like Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, Old Beth Page Village on Long Island, or the Shelburne Museum here in Vermont. These places which reproduce buildings, tools, and villages from times gone by, give us a way to remember and relive the past so we can remember a way of life that has largely been lost to time. At these places we can see reminders of traditions and crafts we may want to restore to our own lives, as well as of the dangers and hardships that we can be glad to leave behind.

Although mittens are worn in winter, the colors and motifs on these are meant to evoke visions of summer in the countryside. In July and August, Lithuanians stream out of the cities and flock to the Kaimas (countryside), to the Ežeras (lake) and to Palanga and Nida, vacation towns on the Baltic Sea. Because winters are long and summers are short, every warm, sunny day is a gift to be appreciated and savored.