GABIJA

also spelled gabieta (Lithuanian), Latvian uguns mate, Old Prussian panicke in Baltic religion, the domestic hearth fire. In pre-Christian times a holy fire (venta ugnis) was kept in tribal sanctuaries on high hills and riverbanks, where priests guarded it constantly, extinguishing and rekindling it once a year at the midsummer festival. Eventually this tradition was moved into the home as the gabija, and its care became the responsibility of the mistress of the house. Every evening she carefully tended the fire lest it go out, then prayed to it to ensure the family's good fortune. During wedding ceremonies the bride was given a fire from her mother's hearth in order that the gabija might provide an auspicious beginning for the new family.