former ways of living. The buildings of this museum are exposed as farmsteads and all of them together represent the main ethnographic regions of Lithuania: Aukštaitija, Samogitia, Dzūkija and Suvalkija. Each has the homes, barns, granaries, stables, mills characteristic to the area. They all have restored unique interiors with ancient Lithuanian used household furniture, utensils, and home decorations. Some buildings are equipped with workshops, presenting the ancient Lithuanian handicraft works, showing how the tools were made and antique farming implements were used. The museum has a sector dedicated for exile and resistance. In this section there is a yurt covered with turf, an animal deportation wagon, a partisan bunker camouflaged at the stream slope and well-equipped. The territory of the museum is a very popular place where ethnographic festivals are celebrated and folk song and dance concerts are held. This museum is very easy to reach since it is located 18 km (11 mi) to the east of Kaunas near the Kaunas-Vilnius highway. Rumšiškės belongs to the Kaunas Reservoir Regional Park. The museum was featured in the reality show The Amazing Race 12 in 2007. Užgavėnės Užgavėnės (literal meaning - the time before Lent) - a festival to drive the winter out. It is the oldest festival of its kind known in all of Europe. Lithuanians celebrate the annual festival in Open-Air Museum in Rumšiškės. Festival takes place during the seventh week before Easter. Užgavėnės begins on the night before Ash Wednesday, when an effigy of winter, named More, is burnt. It celebrates the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Another popular festival tradition is a staged theatrical fight between Lašininis (porky) personifying winter and Kanapinis (hempen man) personifying spring. Kanapinis always wins. Devils, witches, goats, the grim reaper, gypsies, and other joyful and frightening characters appear in costume during the celebrations. The traditional dish of the holiday is pancakes with a variety of toppings. Round pancakes symbolize the returning sun. Notable people Rabbi Haim of Romshishok, to which is attributed the Jewish version of the allegory of the long spoons. The poet Antanas Baranauskas attended school in Rumšiškės. The artist Kęstutis Krasauskas has worked at the open air museum. References External links Web site of the museum Rumšiškės on jewishgen.org The official website for tourism in Lithuania Museums in Kaunas County Towns in Lithuania Towns in Kaunas County Ethnography of Lithuania Ethnographic museums in Europe Open-air museums