Daiva Seskauskaite

Department of Culture and Education - folklore expert. Chief folk song leader at the World Song Festival. Vilnius University - Head of folklore group. studies and teaching courses at the university. Head of Culture and Education Department of Kaunas district - artistic director, Kaunas College of Forest and Environmental Engineering.
Ethnologist organises ancient weddings, hen parties, ceremonies, christenings, various celebrations, plays the kanklės, other Lithuanian folk instruments and sings ancient hymns.

EDUCATION

Dr. Daiva Šeškauskaitė - Kaunas J. Gruodis Conservatory - violin, viola. Vilnius Pedagogical University, specialisation in Lithuanian language and literature. Kaunas Vytautas Magnus University, doctoral studies in ethnology, folklore studies. Kaunas Vytautas Magnus University, PhD thesis in ethnology, doctoral dissertation in the humanities "Sutartines in the ceremonial context".

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Research interests - ethnology, folklore studies, male-female relations, children and their education, social initiatives, linguistics, musicology, ethnobotany, mythology, religious studies, anthropology, ethnomusicology.

Scopus Publications

The bear in Eurasian plant names: Motivations and models
Valeria Kolosova, Ingvar Svanberg, Raivo Kalle, Lisa Strecker, Ayşe Mine Gençler Özkan, Andrea Pieroni, Kevin Cianfaglione, Zsolt Molnár, Nora Papp, Łukasz Łuczaj,et al.
Springer Science and Business Media LLC



Uses of tree saps in northern and eastern parts of Europe
Ingvar Svanberg, Renata Sõukand, Łukasz Łuczaj, Raivo Kalle, Olga Zyryanova, Andrea Dénes, Nóra Papp, Aneli Nedelcheva, Daiva Šeškauskaitė, Iwona Kołodziejska-Degórska,et al.
Polish Botanical Society
<p>In this article we review the use of tree saps in northern and eastern Europe. Published accounts by travellers, ethnologists and ethnobotanists were searched for historical and contemporary details. Field observations made by the authors have also been used. The presented data shows that the use of tree sap has occurred in most north and eastern European countries. It can be assumed that tree saps were most used where there were extensive stands of birch or maple trees, as these two genera generally produce the largest amount of sap. The taxa most commonly used have been <em>Betula pendula</em>, <em>B. pubescens</em>, and <em>Acer platanoides</em>, but scattered data on the use of several other taxa are presented.</p> <p>Tree sap was used as a fresh drink, but also as an ingredient in food and beverages. It was also fermented to make light alcoholic products like ale and wine. Other folk uses of tree saps vary from supplementary nutrition in the form of sugar, minerals and vitamins, to cosmetic applications for skin and hair and folk medicinal use.</p> <p>Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are the only countries where the gathering and use of sap (mainly birch sap) has remained an important activity until recently, due to the existence of large birch forests, low population density and the incorporation of sap into the former Soviet economic system.</p> <p>It is evident that gathering sap from birch and other trees was more widespread in earlier times. There are records indicating extensive use of tree saps from Scandinavia, Poland, Slovakia and Romania, but it is primarily of a historical character. The extraction of tree sap in these countries is nowadays viewed as a curiosity carried out only by a few individuals. However, tree saps have been regaining popularity in urban settings through niche trading.</p>


The botanical identity and cultural significance of Lithuanian Jovaras: An ethnobotanical riddle




Some Lithuanian ethnobotanical taxa: A linguistic view on Thorn Apple and related plants
Daiva Šeškauskaitė and Bernd Gliwa
Springer Science and Business Media LLC



Rūtà, die nationalblume der litauer: Zur kulturgeschichte der weinraute (Ruta graveolens L.) und zur etymologie von litauisch rūtà und deutsch raute