Chapter 6
After the academic year ends, Vasaris and the other seminarians board a bus for their holiday trip home. The long ride through Dzūkija’s forests, lakes and low hills triggers a profound sensory overload in Vasaris; the landscape’s colours, sounds and smells merge into a single, overwhelming feeling of unity with nature. He feels both awe and a deep, mournful resignation, recognizing the tension between his ascetic training and the freedom of the natural world.
The bus reaches his childhood village. Vasaris’s mother greets him at the door with tears of joy; his father, who has driven him from the seminary, is cheerful and impatient to return home. The family’s modest home is described, and Vasaris immediately settles into the familiar routine he learned at the seminary: at dawn he performs the prescribed “poterys” (morning prayers), then a short meditation; in the afternoon he reads the assigned spiritual texts; evenings he recites the “vakariniai” (evening prayers) and attends the parish Mass, receiving Communion as a novice. He notes that the parish priest is a young man without a vicar; the priest is hospitable, offers Vasaris a seat at the altar, and explains that the seminary’s strictness is not typical of parish life. Vasaris tries to keep his discipline, finding it sometimes difficult but rewarding, and observes the parish’s ordinary rhythm – occasional gossip, modest offerings, and a lack of the intense spiritual atmosphere of the seminary.
A few days later, Vasaris travels to the neighboring Kleviškio parish with his friend Petryla, a fellow cleric. They are invited to a large communal celebration that includes several priests, deacons, and senior seminarians. The liturgy is performed together; Vasaris and Petryla serve as assistants, carrying vestments and candles. After the service they sit down to a banquet in the parish hall, where ten people are present. The table is laden with wine, brandy, gin, and various dishes. The host priest, a relatively new “klebonas” named Kimša, orders the younger clerics to pour drinks. The “apaštalas”, identified as a strict Šilučių vicar, sits at the head of the table and begins to dominate the conversation, demanding more drink and chastising anyone who offers fewer glasses.
A drunken quarrel erupts: Petryla is told to “fill everyone’s glasses”; he complies, but the “apaštalas” snatches his glass and overturns it, spilling liquor onto the table. Tempers rise, the priest scolds the vicar, and a heated exchange ensues over who may control the alcohol. Glasses are broken, accusations are shouted, and the atmosphere becomes chaotic. Throughout, the host priest tries to maintain order, but the “apaštalas” refuses to back down, eventually leaving the table in a dramatic exit.
During the dinner a young woman named Liucė serves coffee. She is described as a dark‑haired, sun‑kissed girl of about twenty, who moves with confidence and smiles brightly at the younger clerics. Vasaris is immediately attracted to her, feeling a sudden flush and an awkward desire to impress her. Liucė flirts playfully, offers him extra sugar, and teases him about his “hot” nature. Vasaris, embarrassed and unsure how to respond, retreats to his seat and later leaves the hall feeling both embarrassed and excited. He reflects on the tension between his vows of chastity and the tempting worldly pleasures he now witnesses.
The chapter ends with Vasaris returning to his family’s home, exhausted by the day’s events, and falling into a deep, youthful sleep, his mind still haunted by the vivid images of nature, the messy banquet, and the curious girl Liucė. The episode underscores his ongoing inner conflict: the pull of ascetic discipline versus the seductive, imperfect reality of parish life and human interaction.