How did Baltic traditions describe the relationship between this world and the world of the dead?

In Baltic religious tradition, the boundary between the world of the living and the world of the dead was not considered a rigid barrier. Instead, the dead were believed to continue living invisibly, remaining present during important life events and maintaining an ongoing connection with their families.1

This relationship was characterized by the following concepts:

• Continued Presence: The dead were viewed as active members of the family who required care and inclusion. It was customary to set a place for them at the festival table, and no living person was permitted to occupy that seat.1
• Responsibility of the Living: The living were responsible for the welfare of the dead, a duty expressed through the practice of feeding them. Food offerings were traditionally placed at the hearth, though later developments saw these meals placed in other buildings like the bathhouse or threshing house.1
• Symbolic Continuity: Funeral rites often mirrored wedding ceremonies, reflecting a belief that the dead anticipated a new companion with the same joy that the living felt for a new family member. Living partners were sometimes symbolically substituted to represent the companions the dead were expected to join.1
• Cosmological Framework: Baltic thought often utilized a dualistic view of the world, distinguishing between šī saule (this sun/this world) and viņa saule (the other sun/the invisible world of the dead). The latter was considered the abode of the dead, located in the direction of the setting sun or beneath the earth.2

These traditions emphasize that the dead were not viewed as entirely separate, but as part of a continuous, divine rhythm of life alongside the living.13