2015 M.
The festival’s origins are linked to the revival of the Raubonys watermill and the boiling and spinning mill. It was then that a group of active individuals came up with the idea of organizing a festival that would showcase the arts, crafts, and music.
The guests who gathered at the Raubonys Craft Festival "Vilnonės dienos" organised by the Raubonys Village Community witnessed a small miracle: in the old Raubonys Carding Mill-Spinning Mill, the centuries-old machines came to life again and began to hum again, and the long "Wool Route" was laid out in front of the spectators' eyes. All curious visitors could see how sheep are sheared, how wool is carded, spun or spun, how our ancestors used to dye yarn and process sheepskins.
"Many of us have heard and seen the 'Way of Bread', the 'Way of Beer'. However, the "Wool Road" is probably the only one in Lithuania," said Rimantas Užuotas, Director of the Municipality Administration, to the people who have created the educational programme "Wool Road".
On the day of the festival, the educational programme "The Wool Road" was demonstrated four times, and new crowds of curious visitors kept arriving. The participants of the folklore ensembles "Pulkelis" (Panevėžys), "Alksna" (Mažeikiai), "Ratilio" (Vilnius), who were visiting Raubonys, also wanted to see "The Way of the Wool", after having performed their own sonorous songs.
2016 M.
As the summer of bobos was knocking on the door, the second craft festival "Vilnonės dienos" was buzzing at the Raubonys Water Mill. After a rainy summer, autumn brought beautiful weather.
During the festival, the Raubonys Karšykla Craft Center showcased its activities. The women displayed their felted creations: scarves, shawls, flowers, slippers, gloves, wrist warmers, and more.
The festival was aimed at breaking the "Biggest Glove" record. Irena Poškuvienė and Danutė Pilotienė started knitting the variegated gloves and were joined by more people who wanted to contribute to the record. The lottery was very popular, with lots of great prizes: woolen bed linen, felted and knitted items, handicrafts donated by craftsmen.
The festival was not short of traditional folklore. The festival was opened by the Raubonys folklore ensemble "Tatula", continued by the folklore ensemble "Linkava" from the Linkuva district of the Pakruojis region, "Mindrė" from Vilnius, and "Salduvė" from Šiauliai.
The Raubonys hostesses fed the festival participants deliciously: they cooked the most delicious stews, made the most delicious mutton stew, and treated them to roasted lamb.
Although the Rauboniai heating plant opened a year ago, there was no shortage of people wanting to hear and see how the old heating machines work. The mill cinema was open all day, inviting people to stop and reminisce, there was no shortage of entertainment and surprises, and there were wool competitions.
2017 M.
For the third time, the Raubonys community invited everyone to the “Vilnonės dienos” crafts festival. Even the forces of nature smiled upon the organizers of this wonderful event: around noon, the “mushroom rain” that had been drizzling since morning stopped, so the people who had flocked to the festival could enjoy the pleasant warmth of early autumn.
For the third year in a row, on the second Saturday in September, visitors to Raubonis were able to watch sheep shearing, wool dyeing, sheepskin processing, and slipper felting, take part in the educational program “The Path of Wool,” listen to our ancestors’ songs and and sutartinės, buy woolen scarves, gloves, and socks, and enjoy delicious Aukštaitian dumplings and stew prepared by local hosts.
The following groups participated in the festival: “Saulutė” (Pasvalys), “Bitinėls” (Vaškai), “Siaudela” (Biržai), “Rags” (Pasvalys), and “Nalšia” (Vilnius).
2019 M.
The 4th festival took place over two days for the first time and introduced a new feature—a sauna. Anyone who wanted to could try out the exceptionally pleasant wool sauna.
Throughout the festival, there was no shortage of lively traditional music and songs: various folk ensembles, bands, and sutartinės singers from all over Lithuania treated the audience to their concert programs. In the evening, an impressive fire show lit up the sky!
2020 M.
The 5th festival was a two-day event where participants had the opportunity to learn about various crafts, try new things, and discover the unknown. In the sauna courtyard, visitors could experience a wool sauna and a sauna spa, and learn about sauna traditions.
The festival also focused on the little ones—there was no shortage of fun games in the children’s play area. The festival featured a presentation of the culinary heritage of the Pasvalys region. It was presented by as many as four communities: the Atžalynas community invited visitors to sample sweets—little roses made from shortcrust pastry; the Daujėnai community served “Patalkių koše”; the Namišiai community served a dish rarely found elsewhere—krekenas—and the women of the Raubonys community invited visitors to taste the most delicious “Raubonys virtienės.”
Artistic groups from various parts of the country performed at the festival, which also featured theater performances and lectures. The festival culminated with a performance by the band “Thundertale” and an impressive fire show.
2021 M.
The 6th festival turned back the clock a hundred years, to the time when Mr. Jonas Ribbe was named the owner of the mill. The festival was opened by actors from Pasvalys’ Gintaras Kutkauskas and the “Drãma” studio, who performed the play “Scenes from the Region.” The event, steeped in the spirit of the Smetona era, was filled with elegant ladies and charming gentlemen. A vintage car parade, organized by the “Retro Broliai” club, took place. The day was filled with lively songs and entertainment. The evening was highlighted by performances by Vaida Genytė, Egidijus Bavikinas, and the “Brass Bravo” wind sextet. On the second day, the audience was entertained by the Krekenava theater “Avilys,” a lecture by lecturer Rasa Čirienė, and the youth group “Gers” from Vaškai.
2022 M.
2023 M.
The 8th edition of the international craft and art festival "Vilnonės dienos" brought together lovers of traditions and heritage, gave unforgettable impressions and good emotions. This year, almost all the highlights of the festival were dedicated to the Year of Aukštaitija.
This year, the "Vilnonės dienos" started in an unusual way - with a sightseeing tour of the Rauboniai region. The historian Gražvydas Balčiūnaitis designed a route of about ten kilometres, which gave the opportunity to get to know our region, hear long-forgotten stories and get acquainted with facts unknown even to the locals.
As always, a huge bouquet of folklore music awaited the audience, performed by ensembles from Biržai, Zarasai, Palanga, Latvia and our district. By the way, the folklore ensemble "Mėguva" from Palanga prepared a special programme dedicated to wool.
The evening of the first day was crowned by exceptional performances, where modern technologies were intertwined with eternal values: at 8 pm, against the backdrop of the old mill, the Panevėžys Puppet Carriage Theatre presented a performance "Around Time by Carriage". The main concert on Saturday evening was equally intriguing, with guitarist and music producer Viktoras Diawara and folklore researcher and performer Laurita Peleniūtė presenting electronic sutartines to the audience.
The evening culminated with a laser show, during which the sky above the old woman Tatula shone with patterns.
The second day of the festival is a bit quieter, but no less interesting. Guests were treated to traditional music concerts, the comedy "Rent and Three Eggs" by the theatre "Bičiuliai" from Taujėnai, a meeting with the herbalist Virgilijus Skirkevičius, and other entertainment.
Throughout the festival, various exhibitions were held in the mill premises, a championship of slipper threading was held, it was possible to try the craft of chest printing, and to taste the culinary heritage of the High Tatras. A real storyteller was waiting for the little guests, who followed the ancient fairy tales of the grandmothers. As every year, there was a sauna area, hosted by Latvian sauna bathers with a large fan following.
A meaningful highlight of the festival was the presentation of a bench dedicated to the memory of the journalist Zita Kelmickaitė.
2024 M.
The leitmotif of the 9th edition of the International Festival of Arts and Crafts is the centenary Song Festival. The year 1924, when thousands of singing Lithuanian voices rang out simultaneously in Kaunas for the first time, was also significant for Raubonims. It was at that time that the Latvian Jonas Ribe, who owned the mill, received permission to reconstruct it. Then and now. A century and a new beginning. Language, song, dance, traditions, crafts, culture, history - all intertwined throughout the festival.
For the second year in a row, the festival began with a guided walk through the Rauboniai area. The festival’s concert program opened with the mixed choir “Canticum novum,” led by Maestro Rimvydas Mitkus, which performed pieces that have been featured at various song festivals. As Raimundas Martinkėnas’s composition “Vardan tos, Lietuvos” played, a 100-meter-long ribbon woven by Kėdainiai folk artist Loreta Steponavičienė and adorned with traditional patterns was passed from hand to hand among the festival participants and audience members.
Another ribbon symbolizing the new centenary of Raubonius Mill was also started to be wound here, and every guest of the festival had the opportunity to contribute to its birth.
The "nail" of the festival and the biggest discovery of the festival was the ensemble "Pamesta klumpė" from the Lithuanian community in Melbourne (Australia).
The centenary is like a never-ending song, the words of which were written by the history of our nation. The folklore ensemble "Upytės Vešeta" from the Upytės Traditional Crafts Centre, a branch of the Ėriškės Culture Centre of Panevėžys district, the folklore ensemble "Laukis" from Vilnius, the folk music band "Juostvingė" from Trakiškis, the band "Apynėlis" from Mikoliškis, and the dancers from the dance studio "Aistra šokiui" all took the stage to talk, sing and dance about it.
This year, jazz was the sound of the Tatulos. Good old tunes from a hundred years ago, provided by the vintage jazz and swing ensemble The Schwings Band.
The second day of the festival started with a traditional concert by local musicians, "Tam Kart", who come together especially for the festival.
Herbalist Virgilijus Skirkevičius, who attracts a growing number of listeners every year, shared the secrets of folk medicine.
A lot of laughter was provided by the Balsiai Theatre of Pakruojis district, which brought the comedy "Dėdė atvažiavo".
2025 M.
August 30–31, 2025 Raubonys (Pasvalys District) hosted the 10th anniversary edition of the “Vilnonės dienos” International Crafts and Arts Festival, which brought together traditional craftspeople, folklore groups, musicians, educators, and a large crowd of visitors from Lithuania and Latvia. Over the past ten years, the festival has become one of the most prominent ethnic cultural events in the region, promoting the crafts of wool processing, traditional music, and living cultural traditions. A special highlight of the anniversary festival that day was an anniversary cake made of wool, symbolizing the decade of “Wool Days.”
On the first day of the festival, the event began with a walking tour along the trails of Ąžuolpamūšė, and the festival’s opening was accompanied by performances by the band “Keturi jos vyrai” and the “Obuoliukai” junior dance group from Pasvalys Svalios Lower Secondary School. Later, the stage was taken over by folk groups from Lithuania and Latvia—the “Tirums” folk ensemble (Latvia), the “Verdenė” folk ensemble (Daujėnai), the “Drengeri” folk group (Latvia), the folk singers’ group “Trys kartos” together with the traditional music band “Raguva” (Raguva), and the folk ensemble “Ratilio” from Vilnius. The evening program culminated in a concert by Liudas Mikalauskas and Egidijus Bavikinas. The festive mood carried over into the traditional night dances with the “Ratilio” folk ensemble, featuring well-known hits by DJ Kaziukas and DJ Jonukas.
On the second day of the festival, the traditional music group “Tam kart’” kicked things off in style, as is customary, followed by herbalist Virgilijus Skirkevičius, who shared his insights. There was a presentation of the book *Alutį gėrio, gražė dainavo*, accompanied by sing-alongs with the traditional music group “Tam kart’” and the folk ensemble “Tatula.” The discussion “Song in a Person’s Life” drew great interest. The “Virvytė” folk ensemble from Vilnius left no one indifferent, inviting everyone to sing and dance along. The festival was highlighted by a performance by the Naisiai Summer Theater, followed by the festive closing ceremony of the anniversary festival.
Throughout the festival, visitors were treated to a large craft fair, educational activities, demonstrations of traditional crafts, tastings of culinary heritage, saunas, and exhibitions of straw gardens, patterned Latvian and Pasvalys region mittens, and woven sashes, a slipper-knitting championship, and movie screenings at the mill.
The beginning of the festival is associated with the rebirth of the Raubonys water mill. It was then that a group of active people came up with the idea of organising a festival representing arts, crafts and music.
The guests who gathered at the Raubonys Craft Festival "Vilnonės dienos" organised by the Raubonys Village Community witnessed a small miracle: in the old Raubonys Carding Mill-Spinning Mill, the centuries-old machines came to life again and began to hum again, and the long "Wool Route" was laid out in front of the spectators' eyes. All curious visitors could see how sheep are sheared, how wool is carded, spun or spun, how our ancestors used to dye yarn and process sheepskins.
"Many of us have heard and seen the 'Way of Bread', the 'Way of Beer'. However, the "Wool Road" is probably the only one in Lithuania," said Rimantas Užuotas, Director of the Municipality Administration, to the people who have created the educational programme "Wool Road".
On the day of the festival, the educational programme "The Wool Road" was demonstrated four times, and new crowds of curious visitors kept arriving. The participants of the folklore ensembles "Pulkelis" (Panevėžys), "Alksna" (Mažeikiai), "Ratilio" (Vilnius), who were visiting Raubonys, also wanted to see "The Way of the Wool", after having performed their own sonorous songs.
This idea has grown into a traditional event. Every year the festival evolves, improves, becomes more attractive and attracts new participants.
As the summer of bobos was knocking on the door, the second craft festival "Vilnonės dienos" was buzzing at the Raubonys Water Mill. After a rainy summer, autumn brought beautiful weather.
During the festival, the Raubonys Karšyklos craft centre presented its activities. The women demonstrated their felt works: scarves, shawls, flowers, slippers, gloves, wristbands, etc. The girls showed their first needle felted products.
The festival was aimed at breaking the "Biggest Glove" record. Irena Poškuvienė and Danutė Pilotienė started knitting the variegated gloves and were joined by more people who wanted to contribute to the record. The lottery was very popular, with lots of great prizes: woolen bed linen, felted and knitted items, handicrafts donated by craftsmen.
The festival was not short of traditional folklore. The festival was opened by the Raubonys folklore ensemble "Tatula", continued by the folklore ensemble "Linkava" from the Linkuva district of the Pakruojis region, "Mindrė" from Vilnius, and "Salduvė" from Šiauliai.
The Raubonys hostesses fed the festival participants deliciously: they cooked the most delicious stews, made the most delicious mutton stew, and treated them to roasted lamb.
Although the Rauboniai heating plant opened a year ago, there was no shortage of people wanting to hear and see how the old heating machines work. The mill cinema was open all day, inviting people to stop and reminisce, there was no shortage of entertainment and surprises, and there were wool competitions.
On Saturday afternoon, the Raubonys community invited everyone to the third craft festival "Vilnonės dienos". The organisers of this excellent event were also favoured by the forces of nature: the morning drizzle of "mushrooms" stopped around midday, and the people who came to the festival were able to enjoy the pleasant warmth of the beginning of autumn.
For the third year in a row, on the second Saturday of September, people who came to Raubonys had the opportunity to observe the processes of sheep shearing, wool dyeing, fur dressing, and slipper braiding, to take part in the educational programme "The Way of the Fleece", to listen to folklore ensembles performing songs of our elders, and to listen to folklore groups singing traditional folk songs, to buy woollen scarves, gloves, and socks, and to enjoy the delicious High Styrian soup and stew prepared by local gaspadis. The festival was attended by "Saulutė" (Pasvalys), "Bitinėls" (Vaškai), "Siaudela" (Biržai), "Rags" (Pasvalys) and "Nalšia" (Vilnius).
The 4th Festival took place over two days and introduced the novelty of saunas. Everyone could try the extremely pleasant woolen sauna. Throughout the festival, there was no shortage of fun traditional music and songs: various folklore ensembles, bands and singers of traditional songs from all over Lithuania presented their concert programmes. In the evening, the sky was illuminated by a spectacular fire show!
The 5th Festival was a two-day event where participants could learn about different crafts, try and experience things that have never been discovered before. In the sauna courtyard, you could try out a wool sauna and a sauna spa, and learn about sauna traditions. The event was also dedicated to the little ones, with fun games in the children's courtyard. The festival featured a presentation of the culinary heritage of the Pasvalys region. The Atžalynas community invited people to taste the sweet rosettes made from sumac dough, the Daujėnai community served 'Patalkių mash', the Namišiai community served a rarely available dish - kreken, and the women of Rauboniai invited people to taste the most delicious 'Rauboniai cookery'. The celebration featured concerts by art groups from various parts of the country, theatre performances and lectures. The celebration was crowned by the band Thundertale and a spectacular fire show.
The 6th festival turned back the clock a hundred years, when Mr Jonas Ribbe was named as the owner of the mill. The festival was opened by the actors of Pasvalys Gintaras Kutkauskas and the Drãma studio who performed the play "Pictures of the Edge". The event, filled with the Smetonian era, was full of elegant ladies and charming gentlemen. A vintage car race was organised by the Retro Broliai club. There was no shortage of songs and entertainment throughout the day. The evening was crowned by Vaida Genytė, Egidijus Bavikinas and the Brass Bravo brass sextet. On the second day, the audience was entertained by the Krekenava theatre "Avilys", the lectures of the lecturer Rasa Čirienė, and, of course, the young people from Vaškai - the band "Gers".
The 8th edition of the international craft and art festival "Vilnonės dienos" brought together lovers of traditions and heritage, gave unforgettable impressions and good emotions. This year, almost all the highlights of the festival were dedicated to the Year of Aukštaitija.
This year, the "Vilnonės dienos" started in an unusual way - with a sightseeing tour of the Rauboniai region. The historian Gražvydas Balčiūnaitis designed a route of about ten kilometres, which gave the opportunity to get to know our region, hear long-forgotten stories and get acquainted with facts unknown even to the locals.
As always, a huge bouquet of folklore music awaited the audience, performed by ensembles from Biržai, Zarasai, Palanga, Latvia and our district. By the way, the folklore ensemble "Mėguva" from Palanga prepared a special programme dedicated to wool.
The evening of the first day was crowned by exceptional performances, where modern technologies were intertwined with eternal values: at 8 pm, against the backdrop of the old mill, the Panevėžys Puppet Carriage Theatre presented a performance "Around Time by Carriage". The main concert on Saturday evening was equally intriguing, with guitarist and music producer Viktoras Diawara and folklore researcher and performer Laurita Peleniūtė presenting electronic sutartines to the audience.
The evening culminated with a laser show, during which the sky above the old woman Tatula shone with patterns.
The second day of the festival is a bit quieter, but no less interesting. Guests were treated to traditional music concerts, the comedy "Rent and Three Eggs" by the theatre "Bičiuliai" from Taujėnai, a meeting with the herbalist Virgilijus Skirkevičius, and other entertainment.
Throughout the festival, various exhibitions were held in the mill premises, a championship of slipper threading was held, it was possible to try the craft of chest printing, and to taste the culinary heritage of the High Tatras. A real storyteller was waiting for the little guests, who followed the ancient fairy tales of the grandmothers. As every year, there was a sauna area, hosted by Latvian sauna bathers with a large fan following.
A meaningful highlight of the festival was the presentation of a bench dedicated to the memory of the journalist Zita Kelmickaitė.
The leitmotif of the 9th edition of the International Festival of Arts and Crafts is the centenary Song Festival.
The year 1924, when thousands of singing Lithuanian voices rang out simultaneously in Kaunas for the first time, was also significant for Raubonims. It was at that time that the Latvian Jonas Ribe, who owned the mill, received permission to reconstruct it. Then and now. A century and a new beginning. Language, song, dance, traditions, crafts, culture, history - all intertwined throughout the festival.
For the second year in a row, the festival started with a sightseeing tour of the Rauboniai area.
The festival's concert programme was opened by the mixed choir Canticum Novum, led by maestro Rimvydas Mitikus, performing works that have been performed at various song festivals. To the sound of "Vardan tos, Lietuvos" by Raimundas Martinkėnas, a hundred-metre-long ribbon painted with national patterns, wound by the folk artist Loreta Steponavičienė of Kėdainiai, was passed through the hands of the festival participants and the spectators.
Another ribbon symbolizing the new centenary of Raubonius Mill was also started to be wound here, and every guest of the festival had the opportunity to contribute to its birth.
The "nail" of the festival and the biggest discovery of the festival was the ensemble "Pamesta klumpė" from the Lithuanian community in Melbourne (Australia).
The centenary is like a never-ending song, the words of which were written by the history of our nation. The folklore ensemble "Upytės Vešeta" from the Upytės Traditional Crafts Centre, a branch of the Ėriškės Culture Centre of Panevėžys district, the folklore ensemble "Laukis" from Vilnius, the folk music band "Juostvingė" from Trakiškis, the band "Apynėlis" from Mikoliškis, and the dancers from the dance studio "Aistra šokiui" all took the stage to talk, sing and dance about it.
This year, jazz was the sound of the Tatulos. Good old tunes from a hundred years ago, provided by the vintage jazz and swing ensemble The Schwings Band.
The second day of the festival started with a traditional concert by local musicians, "Tam Kart", who come together especially for the festival.
Herbalist Virgilijus Skirkevičius, who attracts a growing number of listeners every year, shared the secrets of folk medicine.
A lot of laughter was provided by the Balsiai Theatre of Pakruojis district, which brought the comedy "Dėdė atvažiavo".
Rugpjūčio 30–31 d. Raubonyse (Pasvalio r.) nuaidėjo jubiliejinis – X tarptautinis amatų ir meno festivalis „Vilnonės dienos“, subūręs tradicinių amatų meistrus, folkloro kolektyvus, muzikantus, edukatorius ir gausų būrį lankytojų iš Lietuvos bei Latvijos. Per dešimt metų festivalis tapo vienu ryškiausių etninės kultūros renginių regione, puoselėjančių vilnos apdirbimo amatus, tradicinę muziką ir gyvąsias kultūros tradicijas. Ypatingu jubiliejinio festivalio akcentu tądien tapo iš vilnos nuveltas jubiliejinis tortas, simbolizavęs „Vilnonių dienų“ dešimtmetį.
On the first day of the festival, the event began with a walking tour along the trails of Ąžuolpamūšė, and the festival’s opening was accompanied by performances by the band “Keturi jos vyrai” and the “Obuoliukai” junior dance group from Pasvalys Svalios Lower Secondary School. Later, the stage was taken over by folk groups from Lithuania and Latvia—the “Tirums” folk ensemble (Latvia), the “Verdenė” folk ensemble (Daujėnai), the “Drengeri” folk group (Latvia), the folk singers’ group “Trys kartos” together with the traditional music band “Raguva” (Raguva), and the folk ensemble “Ratilio” from Vilnius. The evening program culminated in a concert by Liudas Mikalauskas and Egidijus Bavikinas. The festive mood carried over into the traditional night dances with the “Ratilio” folk ensemble, featuring well-known hits by DJ Kaziukas and DJ Jonukas.
Antrąją festivalio dieną tradiciškai skambiai pradėjo tradicinės muzikos muzikantai „Tam kart'“, po jų savo įžvalgomis dalijosi žolininkas Virgilijus Skirkevičius. Vyko knygos „Alutį gėrio, gražė dainavo“ pristatymas, lydimas pasidainavimų su tradicinės muzikos muzikantais „Tam kart'“ ir folkloro ansambliu „Tatula“. Didelio susidomėjimo sulaukė diskusija „Daina žmogaus gyvenime“. Abejingų nepaliko folkloro ansamblis „Virvytė“ iš Vilniaus, kvietęs kartu dainuoti ir šokti. Festivalį papuošė Naisių vasaros teatro pasirodymas, po kurio vyko iškilmingas jubiliejinio festivalio uždarymas.
Throughout the festival, visitors were treated to a large craft fair, educational activities, demonstrations of traditional crafts, tastings of culinary heritage, saunas, and exhibitions of straw gardens, patterned Latvian and Pasvalys region mittens, and woven sashes, a slipper-knitting championship, and movie screenings at the mill.