Christmas in Lithuania: Miracles

Lithuanian folklore asserts that on Christmas Eve many miracles may occur. It was once widely believed that animals gain the power of speech on this magical evening. Creeping into the barn to listen to them was perilous, however. Their favorite topic of conversation was the death of their masters and they seemed to have foreknowledge of when these deaths would come. At the exact stroke of midnight the animals knelt and prayed out loud using human speech. Another folk teaching proclaimed that at midnight on Christmas Eve, all water turns briefly into wine.