Jaunatviškos draugystės romantika ir intymumas Suvalkijos ir Žemaitijos kaime (XX a. 3-9-asis dešimtmetis)

This paper analyses aspects of the socialization process of youth – communication in groups of contemporaries of the 20th century, in the 20s–80s in Southwest and West ethnographical regions of Lithuania. The paper is based on field research gathered by the author in 1998–2000, in eleven regions of Suvalkija (Šakiai, Marijampolė, Vilkaviškis) and Žemaitija (Tauragė, Telšiai, Plungė, Mažeikiai, Skuodas, Šilutė, Kretinga and Klaipėda). Additionally, it is based on archival material of the Ethnology Department, Institute of Lithuanian History. In the paper most attention is paid to the adolescence (16–20 years) stage of socialization, when a teenager is maturing physiologically and psychologically. In this stage, young people usually search for their identity; in the main, for closeness, love and friendship. At the same time, this age group is getting ready for marriage. These are topics, that, from the ethnographical point of view, have been poorly analysed in Suvalkija and Žemaitija.[...].