This bright holiday of farewell to winter began to be celebrated several thousand years ago. Of course, in those days, customs were different. Slavs worshiped the elements and natural phenomena, pagan tradition and gave rise to Pancake week.
This is one of the few holidays that came to us almost in its original form. With the advent of Christianity, Slavic customs began to be actively eradicated. Perhaps Maslenitsa survived because the tradition of meeting spring was consonant with Christian values. Today, people have been waiting for this holiday since the winter, imagining how they will eat delicious pancakes and chat in a friendly company. Children independently make a scarecrow, which they then burn together with their parents.
Celebration history
Those who are interested in how to spend Shrovetide should first learn about the history of the holiday, which is fraught with a lot of interesting facts. Everyone knows that this holiday symbolizes the seeing off of winter and calls for spring. Initially, it was celebrated on the day of the spring solstice, and after the baptism of Russia, it was postponed for a week before Lent. So pagan tradition became an official church holiday. And now Maslenitsa week is not tied to a specific day, but is celebrated depending on what numbers Easter will fall on, and the effigy is burned on the last Sunday of the celebration.
Shrovetide has many other, pagan, names, for example, Pancake maker, Kolody, Tselovnitsa, Maslenaya, Krivosheyka.
Shrovetide Customs
Previously, walks on Maslenitsa lasted a whole week. The Slavs not only ate pancakes and burned a scarecrow, but also arranged dances and gatherings. It was believed that the fun will attract a rich harvest, and you need to ask for it just in the spring - before the start of the sowing season.
Now many events are being held in honor of this celebration. Shrovetide in the park is a good idea for relaxing with children and familiarizing them with Russian history and traditions.
The Pancake Week can be divided into two parts: Narrow Pancake Week (marked the first three days) and Broad (last four). In the early days it was allowed to work and do household chores. In recent years, it was strictly forbidden to work, it was only possible to bake pancakes, go on a visit and have fun ceremonies. Now they walk not only in villages, but also in large cities. Particularly funny is Pancake Week in Moscow. People walk in the park to them. Gorky (metro station "October"), in the park "Museon" (Krymsky Val), in the Grandmother's Park. No less popular are the parks Lianozovsky, Ostankino, Izmailovsky and others.
How are the festivals?
Fairs are held in the parks, courtyards are created that mimic the ancient Russian settlements, all rites and beliefs are “resurrected”. Musical groups representing ethnic, rock and folk music perform. Children can play historical themed games organized by the festival organizers. They treat people with pancakes and drink tea. Those who wish can participate in contests and win prizes.
Maslenitsa week
Each day has its own name and customs that accompany it. Monday - Maslenitsa meeting. In antiquity, on this day it was customary to visit parents. A good husband had to let his wife go to visit his father and mother. And in the evening the whole family got together and made plans for the holiday. It was on Monday that it was decided who would be invited to visit, what they would cook.
There is another custom - to bake the first pancake and give it to the beggar. It was believed that a good deed would be counted by deceased relatives. A stuffed animal was cooked on Monday. The doll was made from those materials that were at hand - old rags and straw. They stuffed a scarecrow in a sled and drove around the village. So began Maslenitsa. Sunday is the day the scarecrow was burned.
Tuesday is a celebration of jokes and laughter. It was necessary to play someone. On the same day, young people had fun. Single girls and single guys went sledding together and eating. Often matchmaking took place on Tuesday.
Wednesday is mother-in-law's day. She invited her son-in-law to taste pancakes, which she cooked herself. On this day, it was customary to leave all family quarrels aside and thank the mother-in-law for a good daughter.
Wide carnival
Thursday is the beginning of the Broad Maslenitsa. It was forbidden to work from that day. All work stopped, and festivities began on Maslenitsa. This day has many traditional names: Fracture, Walk, Pads, Vlasie. It was customary to arrange skating and racing on a sleigh, to dance and dance in physical strength.
In the evening, people walked up at a meal. And at dusk they made huge bonfires, sang songs and jumped over the fire. It was believed that on Thursday everyone should leave their quarrels and negative energy in the past. To do this, fist fights were organized, when everyone could reckon with the offender and safely forget about discord.
Friday is the day when my mother-in-law visited her son-in-law. Pancakes had to cook a wife. On Friday we rested from a noisy celebration and spent the day with my family.
Saturday is the day on which all young daughters-in-law were to invite their sister-in-law and give them something as a gift. Also, the whole family of her husband was invited to visit. In the Christian tradition, Saturday is the day of the celebration of the Cathedral of the Reverend Fathers.
Forgiveness Sunday
A week passes and the walks come to an end, Pancake week ends. Sunday is the day when the conspiracy is celebrated before Lent. It has long been customary to behave modestly, noisy celebrations were not encouraged. Now this day is called Forgiveness Sunday. By tradition, a scarecrow was burned, which was prepared on Monday. They apologized to relatives and acquaintances. It was believed that it was necessary to apologize even to those who did not do evil. In response, they should say: "God will forgive."
Holiday symbols
Those who wish to know how to celebrate Shrovetide in accordance with ancient customs will be interested to read about the traditional symbols of the celebration. This holiday brought to modern times such a famous proverb as “The first pancake is lumpy.” Few people know that in the primary version it sounded like "The first pancake is to comas."
The poor received the first delicacy, and then it was the turn to feed the bears - lumps. In the Old Russian state, an adult brown bear was called lumpy and revered as the owner of the forest. In some northern regions he was fed first, and only then - the poor and the poor. They arranged a solemn ceremony of awakening the beast from hibernation.
It was customary to set up additional plates and devices on the table, as if inviting the deceased relatives to share food with the living and also enjoy the spring. The scarecrow symbolized not only cold and winter, but also death. It was believed that the ritual bonfire would scare away adversity and invoke spring and warmth.
The most important symbol is pancakes. Not a single day of Shrovetide was complete without them. Pancakes were chosen due to the fact that they resemble the sun, and fatty foods symbolize life and joy.
Delicious pancakes
Each mistress had her own recipes for Shrovetide. It was customary to keep them secret and surprise guests with unusual dishes. How to spend Shrovetide is not only fun, but also delicious? You need to learn from the ancient Slavs.
Some traditional recipes for Shrovetide have survived to this day. Here are the most successful and simple ones: in a plastic bottle (of course, they didn’t do it a few centuries ago, but it’s a good life hack for cooks - it’s very convenient to pour batter into a pan from it) mix 0.5 liters of milk, a little sugar and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil , a couple of eggs, a pinch of salt and a half cup of flour. Shake well. The dough is ready.
A great gourmet recipe: mix 250 ml of water, milk and regular yogurt, add 2 eggs, add salt, sugar, flour (one and a half cups) and a pinch of baking powder. Stir and add a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Bake like regular pancakes.
Each housewife tries to diversify familiar pancakes with original fillings. Women wrap various ingredients in them, come up with interesting combinations of them. The most unusual can be called such combinations of products for the filling: avocado and bacon, blue cheese and garlic, herring and pickled cucumbers.
Pagan custom
How to hold Shrovetide according to Slavic custom? Previously, seeing off winter was celebrated for two weeks. I must say that the ancient Slavs had a remarkable reserve of health - is it a joke to walk for 14 days in a row! According to pagan traditions, Maslenitsa began a week before the vernal equinox and ended 7 days after it.
For those who want to plunge into paganism, Maslenitsa in the park is not suitable. All two weeks the Slavs worshiped the god Yarila - the patron of the sun and life. He was also considered the patron of male and female strength, so the young and free walked especially actively. It was believed that Yarilo will help melt the snow and warm the land for sowing, and young boys and girls - to find their destiny and create a strong family.
Where did the name come from
The word "Shrovetide" is a tribute to the Christian tradition. This means that the week before fasting is allowed to eat butter, fish and milk. But the use of meat is prohibited. There is another interesting option from linguists and historians: some scholars believe that the name is associated with the Slavic goddess Lelei (Maslenitsa is one of her names). She was considered the patroness of beauty and could appear in the guise of a gentle virgin or a full-bosomed beauty. At Shrovetide she was a people with rosy cheeks, full of health and vitality. She was one of the most revered goddesses of the Slavic pantheon, but information about her was hardly preserved.