What do we associate with Maslenitsa week? Well, of course, with pancakes - hot, ruddy, appetizing and always with noisy fun. And although today riding in troikas is already rather exotic, and celebrating seven days is an unaffordable luxury, the people still preserved the traditions of Shrovetide.

Maslenitsa Calendar

The Maslenitsa holiday has pre-Christian roots, and earlier it was celebrated on the day of the spring solstice.

This Shrovetide is coming, damn it, honey is coming

And now, every year, the date when the Maslenitsa week begins varies depending on the celebration of Easter and the Great Lent preceding it.

The strictest fast for Christians lasts seven weeks. If we minus these 49 days from the date of Easter, we get the final day of the Maslenitsa week - Forgiveness Sunday. Accordingly, the previous days, starting from Monday, are holidays.

When does Maslenitsa start in 2016? Bright Sunday of Christ falls on May 1, we subtract seven weeks of Great Lent - March 13 and will be the final Shrovetide week, Forgiveness Sunday. Maslenitsa will begin on March 7th.

That is, the Maslenitsa week always precedes Great Lent.

Cheese week is called in the calendar of Orthodox Christians the week on the eve of Lent. Meat dishes are already excluded from the diet, fish and dairy are allowed.

The folk traditions of Maslenitsa are associated with plentiful refreshments, visits, merry festivities, and each day of the week was celebrated in a special way.

Pancake Week was celebrated on a special scale - from Thursday to Sunday. If in the first three days it was still allowed to manage the household, then from the middle of the week work was canceled, and the Maslenitsa festivities gained momentum.

Day One - Meeting

Pancake week begins on Monday - a meeting of Maslenitsa. Youth and children made a scarecrow out of straw, dressed it up and rode it around the village on a sleigh with funny jokes, then set it up on a high hill. They rode from it, and whoever moves further, the flax will grow higher and thicker.

On this day, the youth also, having gathered in a company, went from house to house with songs, and the hostesses treated everyone to freshly baked pancakes.

On this day, it was customary to prepare supplies so that everyone would have enough - they baked pancakes, pies, kalachi, pancakes. The first pancake had to be given to the poor, so that they commemorated the dead.

Father-in-law came to visit the matchmakers, discussed how to celebrate Maslenitsa over a cup. By the day of the meeting of the holiday, it was already necessary to prepare ice slides, booths, and other places for festivities.

Tuesday - Play

Merry fun has been gaining momentum since Tuesday: that's what he's flirting with. The people were amused by buffoons, mummers, bear fun and puppet theaters were arranged. Pancake Week is unthinkable without sleigh rides, especially troikas.

And most importantly, what the flirt was for - it's matchmaking. During joint fun, the guys looked closely at the girls, choosing candidates for the role of wife.

The girls, too, did not waste time, looking closely at the gentlemen and making eyes to those they liked. And already at the end of Lent, weddings were played.

Wednesday - Lakomka

The well-known proverb “to the mother-in-law for pancakes” arose thanks to the tradition of the third day of Shrovetide week. Caring mothers-in-law prepared a rich table and invited their sons-in-law to taste the treats. Pancakes were served with butter, sour cream, honey, jams. In many families, they brewed beer and treated guests to an intoxicating drink. They treated not only sons-in-law, but also numerous relatives.

In cities, stalls sold hot tea from a pot-bellied samovar, fragrant sbitni (a honey drink with spices), gingerbread, and roasted nuts.

Walk around - happy thursday

Shrovetide week by Thursday was already gaining momentum with might and main. From young to old - everyone gathered for mass festivities. They had fun with fisticuffs, taking snow fortresses, songs, buffoons, swinging.

Entire sleigh trains to the cheerful din and laughter, the ringing of bells drove around the villages and towns. And of course, not only pancakes, but also other goodies were eaten with appetite.

Friday - Mother-in-law evening

For mother-in-law, pancakes had to be thanked in a special way - to invite mother-in-law to visit. The son-in-law was supposed to personally call the second mother the day before, and numerous relatives also gathered for this feast.

But the mother-in-law needed to send dishes for pancakes and everything necessary for baking them to the son-in-law's house in the evening. The father-in-law sent, as usual, buckwheat and butter. And try the son-in-law not to follow the tradition - the eternal enmity with the father-in-law and the mother-in-law is guaranteed. So the customs were honored and respected.

Zolovkiny gatherings on Saturday

This day was difficult for the young wife - it was supposed to invite her husband's sisters - sisters-in-law - to a plentiful treat. Other relatives of the spouse also came to appreciate the master's talents of the newly-made wife.

It was customary to invite their girlfriends to the company of the unmarried sisters of the husband, and if the sisters of the spouse already had families, then the daughter-in-law invited only married friends.

In addition to a generously set table, the custom also prescribed gifts for the sister-in-law. But, if everything went well, then the young mistress was guaranteed honor and respect. And often - friendly relations with sisters-in-law.

At these brides, the guests even appreciated how the wife looks at the young husband, how she kisses him. After that, satisfied relatives went to other houses.

Forgiveness Sunday

Forgiveness Sunday, Forgiveness Day, Seeing Off, Tselovalnik - this was the name of the day that ended the Maslenitsa week. An effigy of Maslenitsa was burned on a large fire, the ceremony was accompanied by songs, dances, round dances, fun and sledge rides. Winter was thus seen off, giving way to the coming spring.

Let's salute at cheese on Sunday

Be sure to ask each other for forgiveness, so that all insults can be left in the past and enter Great Lent with a light heart and a clear conscience.

Modern Maslenitsa

We, unlike our ancestors, can no longer afford to have Pancake Week last all seven days. The rhythm of life is different, and traditions change over time. But nothing prevents us from inviting each other to visit, preparing delicious treats, visiting the sick and helping the destitute.

In cafes and restaurants today there is always a Shrovetide menu - if you are a very busy person and there is no time for homemade cakes, you can always enjoy pancakes.

Holidays are traditionally held on weekends, where, if possible, the atmosphere of past years is recreated with cheerful booths, snowy towns (if the climate allows), contests and games.

In the traditions of Orthodox Christians, Maslenitsa Week is a preparation for Great Lent. This is a good time to devote to charity, good deeds, calm communication with loved ones. And of course - reconciliation and forgiveness of insults.

In churches, during the service, a special rite is performed, when both clergy and parishioners ask each other for forgiveness and purify their souls on the eve of a difficult test - Great Lent.

Shrovetide is one of the most fun and long-awaited holidays of the year, the celebration of which lasts for seven days. At this time, people have fun, go to visit, arrange festivities and eat pancakes. Maslenitsa in 2018 will begin on February 12, and its end date will be February 18.

Pancake week is a national celebration dedicated to the meeting of spring. Before entering Great Lent, people say goodbye to winter, enjoy the warm spring days, and, of course, bake delicious pancakes.

Maslenitsa: traditions and customs

There are several names for this holiday:

• the meat-empty Maslenitsa is called due to the fact that during the celebration they refrain from eating meat;
• cheese - because this week they eat a lot of cheese;
• Shrovetide - because they use a large amount of oil.

Many people are anxiously awaiting the onset of Maslenitsa, the traditions of celebrating which are rooted deep into our history. Today, as in the old days, this holiday is celebrated on a grand scale, with chants, dances and competitions.

The most popular amusements that used to be arranged in the villages were:

• fist fights;
• eating pancakes for a while;
• sledding;
• climbing a pole for a prize;
• bear games;
• effigy burning;
• bathing in holes.

The main treat both before and now are pancakes, which can have various fillings. They are baked every day in large quantities.

Our ancestors believed that those who do not have fun on Maslenitsa will live the coming year poorly and bleakly.

Maslenitsa: what can and cannot be done?

1. On Maslenitsa you can not eat meat food. It is allowed to eat fish and dairy products. As a main dish, pancakes should be on the table in every house.
2. You need to eat on Maslenitsa often and a lot. Therefore, it is customary to invite guests and not skimp on treats, as well as to go on a visit.

Maslenitsa: the history of the holiday

In fact, Maslenitsa is a pagan holiday, which was eventually changed to the "format" of the Orthodox Church. In pre-Christian Russia, the celebration was called "Seeing off the winter."

Our ancestors revered the sun as a god. And with the onset of the first spring days, they were glad that the sun was starting to warm the earth. Therefore, a tradition appeared to bake round cakes resembling the sun in shape. It was believed that by eating such a dish, a person would receive a piece of sunlight and heat. Over time, flat cakes were replaced with pancakes.

Maslenitsa: traditions of celebration

In the first three days of the holiday, there was an active preparation for the celebration:

• brought firewood for the fire;
• decorated the huts;
• built mountains.

The main celebration took place from Thursday to Sunday. They came into the house in order to treat themselves to pancakes and drink hot tea.

In some villages, young people went from house to house with tambourines, horns, balalaikas, singing carols. City residents participated in the festivities:

• dressed in the best clothes;
• went to theatrical performances;
• visited booths to look at buffoons and have fun with a bear.

The main entertainment was the ride of children and youth from the ice slides, which they tried to decorate with lanterns and flags. Used for riding:

• matting;
• sled;
• skates;
• skins;
• ice cubes;
• wooden troughs.

Another fun event was the capture of the ice fortress. The guys built a snow town with gates, they planted guards there, and then went on the attack: they broke into the gates and climbed onto the walls. The besieged defended themselves as best they could: snowballs, brooms and whips were used.

On Maslenitsa, guys and young men showed their agility in fisticuffs. The inhabitants of two villages, landlord and monastic peasants, residents of a large village living in opposite ends could participate in the battles.

Seriously prepared for the battle:

• soared in the baths;
• ate well;
• turned to the sorcerers with a request to give a special conspiracy to win.

Features of the rite of burning an effigy of winter on Maslenitsa

As many years ago, today the culmination of Maslenitsa is considered to be the burning of an effigy. This action symbolizes the onset of spring and the end of winter. The burning is preceded by games, round dances, songs and dances, accompanied by refreshments.

As a stuffed animal, which is sacrificed, they made a large funny and at the same time scary doll, personifying Shrovetide. They made a doll out of rags and straw. After that, she was dressed up in women's clothes and left on the main street of the village during the Maslenitsa week. And on Sunday they were solemnly carried outside the village. There, the scarecrow was burned, drowned in the hole, or torn to pieces, and the straw left from it was scattered across the field.

The ritual burning of the doll had a deep meaning: it is necessary to destroy the symbol of winter in order to resurrect its power in the spring.

Maslenitsa: the meaning of every day

The holiday is celebrated from Monday to Sunday. On Shrove Week, it is customary to spend every day in its own way, observing the traditions of our ancestors:

1. Monday called "Meeting Maslenitsa". On this day they start baking pancakes. It is customary to give the first pancake to the poor and needy people. On Monday, our ancestors prepared a scarecrow, dressed it in rags and put it on the main street of the village. It was on public display until Sunday.
2. Tuesday nicknamed "The Gamble". It was dedicated to the youth. On this day, folk festivals were organized: they rode sledges, ice slides, carousels.
3. Wednesday- "Gourmet". On this day, guests (friends, relatives, neighbors) were invited to the house. They were treated to pancakes, honey cakes and pies. Also on Wednesday it was customary to treat your sons-in-law with pancakes, hence the expression: “ My son-in-law came, where can I get sour cream?". Horse racing and fist fights were also held on this day.
4. Thursday people called it "Razgulyay". From this day begins the Wide Shrovetide, which is accompanied by snowball fights, sledding, cheerful round dances and chants.
5. Friday They were nicknamed "Teschin's Evenings", because on this day the sons-in-law invited the mother-in-law to their house and treated them to delicious pancakes.
6. Saturday- "Zolovkin gatherings." The daughter-in-law invited her husband's sisters to their house, talked with them, treated them to pancakes and gave gifts.
7. Sunday- the apotheosis of Maslenitsa. This day was called "Forgiveness Sunday". On Sunday they said goodbye to winter, saw off Maslenitsa and symbolically burned its effigy. On this day, it is customary to ask friends and relatives for forgiveness for the grievances that have accumulated over the year.

Proverbs and sayings for Maslenitsa

Video: the history and traditions of the Maslenitsa holiday

Pancake week - a holiday that has been preserved in Russia since pagan times. The ceremony of celebrating Maslenitsa is associated with seeing off winter and welcoming spring. After the baptism of Russia, Maslenitsa is celebrated on the last week before Lent, seven weeks before Easter.

Before the Baptism of Russia, Maslenitsa (Komoeditsy) was celebrated for 2 weeks - within 7 days preceding the day of the Spring Equinox and 7 days after it.

The Christian Church left the main celebration of Spring so as not to conflict with the traditions of the Russian people (similarly, Christmas was timed to the day of the Winter Solstice), but moved the people's favorite holiday of seeing off winter in time so that it did not contradict Great Lent, and reduced the duration of the holiday to 7 days.

B. Kustodiev. Pancake week.

Maslenitsa is a farewell to winter and a meeting of spring, which brings revival in nature and solar warmth. People have always perceived spring as the beginning of a new life and revered the Sun, which gives life and strength to all living things. In honor of the Sun, at first they baked unleavened cakes, and when they learned how to cook leavened dough, they began to bake pancakes.

The ancients considered the pancake a symbol of the Sun, because, like the Sun, it is yellow, round and hot, and they believed that together with the pancake they eat a piece of its warmth and power.

Among the people, every day of Maslenitsa has its own name and meaning:

Monday - Meeting

• On this day, a scarecrow was made of straw, put on old women's clothes, put this scarecrow on a pole and, singing, drove it on a sleigh through the village. Then Maslenitsa was set on a snowy mountain, where sleigh rides began.


• Rich people started baking pancakes from Monday, poor people - from Thursday or Friday.


• The hostesses prepared dough for pancakes with special rituals. Some dough was made from snow, in the yard, when the month came out, saying: "You are a month, your golden horns are your horns! Look out the window, blow on the dough." It was believed that as if from this pancakes become whiter and looser. Others went out in the evening to prepare dough for a river, a well or a lake when the stars appeared. The preparation of the first dough was kept in the greatest secret from all home and outsiders.


• On Monday, a young couple (meeting Maslenitsa for the first time), from a house where there was no father-in-law or mother-in-law, invited their mother-in-law and father-in-law to their place: they came to teach the young mistress how to bake pancakes. The invited mother-in-law was obliged to send the whole pancake projectile from the evening: a tagan, frying pans, a ladle and a tub in which pancakes are placed. Father-in-law sent a bag of flour and a tub of butter.

B. Kustodiev.

Tuesday - Play

• From that day on, various entertainments began: sleigh rides, folk festivals, performances. In large wooden booths, performances were given led by Petrushka and "Shrovetide Grandfather". On the streets there were large groups of mummers, in masks, driving around familiar houses, where merry home concerts were impromptu. Large companies rode around the city, on troikas and on simple sledges. Sledding down the icy mountains.


• In general, all carnival fun and fun tended, in fact, to matchmaking, in order to play a wedding on Red Hill after Lent.


• Guests were received and greeted at the gate, at the porch. After the treat, they let them go for a ride in the mountains, where the brothers looked out for brides, and the sisters looked furtively at the betrothed.

B. Kustodiev.

L. Solomatkin

Wednesday - Lakomka

• In each family, tables were set with delicious food, pancakes were baked, in the villages they brewed beer together. There were stalls everywhere. They sold hot sbitni (a drink made from water, honey and spices), roasted nuts, and honey gingerbread. Here, right under the open sky, one could drink tea from a boiling samovar.


• Mother-in-laws took their sons-in-law to pancakes at Lakomka, and for the fun of the sons-in-law they called all their relatives. But before, there were not one or two sons-in-law, as in modern families, but five to ten! So the mother-in-law had to welcome and treat everyone, so much so that not a single one was offended.


• In the evenings, they sang songs about a caring mother-in-law treating her son-in-law with pancakes, played farces with a dressed-up bear about how the mother-in-law baked pancakes for the son-in-law, how the mother-in-law’s head hurts, how the son-in-law said thanks to the mother-in-law.


• It was believed that on Maslenitsa, and especially on Lakomka, you need to eat as much as you like, or, as the people said, "how many times the dog will wave its tail."

V. Surikov.

Thursday - Razguly (fracture, wide Thursday)

• This day was the middle of games and fun. Perhaps, it was then that the hot Shrovetide fistfights took place, the fists, leading their origin from Ancient Russia. They also had their own strict rules. It was impossible, for example, to beat a lying person (the proverb “they don’t beat a lying person”), to attack one together (“two fight - the third one does not go”), to beat below the belt (“hit below the belt”) or to beat on the back of the head. There were penalties for violating these rules. It was possible to fight "wall to wall" (again a saying) or "one on one". There were also "hunting" fights for connoisseurs, lovers of such fights. Ivan the Terrible himself watched such battles with pleasure. For such an occasion, this entertainment was prepared especially magnificently and solemnly.

B. Kustodiev.

Friday - Mother-in-law evenings

• The mothers-in-law had not had time to feed the sons-in-law with pancakes on Wednesday, how now the sons-in-law invite them to visit them!After all, on Friday, on mother-in-law evenings, sons-in-law treated their wives' mothers with pancakes and sweets.


• The son-in-law was supposed to personally invite the mother-in-law the night before, and in the morning to send for her special, ceremonial "call". The more "invited" turned out to be, the more honors were given to the mother-in-law.


• In some places, "Teschin pancakes" took place on gourmets, that is, on Wednesday during Shrovetide week, but could also be timed to Friday.


• The son-in-law's disrespect for this event was considered dishonor and resentment and was the reason for the eternal enmity between him and his mother-in-law.

S. Smirnov

Saturday - Zolov's gatherings

• On Saturday, at the sister-in-law gatherings (the sister-in-law is the husband's sister), the young daughter-in-law invited her husband's relatives to visit her.


• If the sisters-in-law were not yet married, then she called her unmarried friends to visit. If the husband's sisters were already married, then the daughter-in-law invited married relatives and took the guests to their sister-in-laws with the whole train.

B. Kustodiev.

Sunday - Forgiveness Day

• In Russia, this day was called "Forgiveness Sunday", when close people asked each other for forgiveness for all the insults and troubles caused to them; in the evenings it was customary to visit cemeteries and “say goodbye” to the dead.



In the evening, Forgiveness took place between relatives and friends: the children bowed at the feet of their parents and asked for forgiveness, after them all relatives and relatives came. Thus, people were freed from old grievances accumulated over the year, and met the new year with a pure heart and a light soul.



• The main episode of the last day was "seeing off Maslenitsa". By this day, they made an effigy of Maslenitsa from straw or rags, usually dressed it up in women's clothes, carried it through the whole village, sometimes putting the effigy on a wheel stuck on top of a pole; leaving the village, the scarecrow was either drowned in the hole, or burned, or simply torn to pieces, and the remaining straw was scattered across the field: for a rich harvest.

Maslenitsa is one of the most fun holidays of the year, which is widely celebrated throughout Russia. It reflects centuries-old traditions, carefully preserved and passed down from generation to generation. This is a week-long holiday ritual with round dances, songs, dances, games, dedicated to saying goodbye to winter and welcoming spring.

history of the holiday

In fact, Maslenitsa is an ancient pagan holiday. It is believed that Maslenitsa was originally associated with the day of the spring solstice, but with the adoption of Christianity, it began to precede Great Lent and depend on its timing.

In Russia, it has long been customary to celebrate the change of seasons. Winter has always been a difficult time for people: cold, hungry, dark. Therefore, the arrival of spring was especially rejoiced, and it was necessary to celebrate it. Our ancestors said that it is difficult for young Spring to overcome the old treacherous Winter. To help Spring drive away Winter, they organized fun festivities on Maslenitsa. Saying goodbye to Winter, the ancients praised Yarila - the pagan god of the sun and fertility. Yarilo was presented to the Russians in the form of a young man who died annually and resurrected again. Yarilo, resurrected, gave people the sun, and the sunny spring warmth is the first step towards a bountiful harvest. Before the baptism of Russia, the Maslenitsa holiday was celebrated 7 days before the day of the Spring Equinox and another week after.

With the adoption of Christianity, the celebration of Maslenitsa shifted and shortened by a whole week. The church did not dare to cancel Maslenitsa and ban entertainment, despite all the merry and not very religious traditions: this holiday was too significant for the people. But Maslenitsa week quite harmoniously fit into Christian traditions. Maslenitsa began to be celebrated on the eve of Lent. A week before Lent, it is no longer possible to eat meat, but people don’t really need it, because pancakes are baked on Maslenitsa. They are quite enough to feel full and not suffer from a lack of meat food. This is a great opportunity for the Orthodox to eat before Lent. But in the Orthodox interpretation, Shrove Tuesday is not so much a week of fun, but a week of preparation for Great Lent, forgiveness, reconciliation, this is a time that needs to be devoted to good communication with relatives, friends, and doing good.

Boris Kustodiev. Pancake week. 1916

Shrovetide: why is it called that?

The most common is the following version: on Maslenitsa, people tried to appease, that is, butter up the spring. Therefore, the celebrations were called “Shrovetide”.

According to another version, this name appeared after the adoption of Christianity. You can't eat meat, but you can eat dairy products. Therefore, people baked pancakes and poured plenty of oil on them. This is where the name associated with butter pancakes comes from. This week was also called meat-fare - due to the fact that there is an abstinence from meat, and cheese - because a lot of cheese is eaten this week.

And they also called Maslenitsa among the people "honest", "wide", "gluttonous", and even "the ruiner".

Traditions and customs

Our ancestors revered the sun as God, because it gave life to everything. People rejoiced at the sun, which, with the approach of spring, began to appear more and more often. Therefore, a tradition appeared in honor of the spring sun to bake round cakes resembling the sun in shape. It was believed that by eating such a dish, a person would receive a piece of sunlight and heat. Over time, flat cakes were replaced with pancakes. Round, ruddy, hot - pancakes are a symbol of the sun, which means renewal and fertility.

Also in Ancient Russia, pancakes were considered a memorial dish and they were prepared in memory of departed relatives. Pancakes have also become a symbol of Winter's burial.

Pancakes for Maslenitsa had to be baked and eaten as much as possible. They were served with all sorts of fillings: fish, cabbage, honey, and, of course, butter and sour cream. Baking pancakes has become a kind of ritual to attract the sun, prosperity, prosperity, well-being. The more pancakes are cooked and eaten, the sooner spring will begin, the better the harvest will be.

Sergei Utkin. Pancakes. 1957

In addition to baking pancakes, there were other Shrovetide rites associated with sun worship. So, for example, various ritual actions were performed based on the magic of the circle, because the sun is round. Young people, and adults too, harnessed the horses, prepared the sleigh and went around the village several times in a circle. In addition, they decorated the wooden wheel with bright ribbons and walked down the street with it, fastening it on a pole. During the general festivities, round dances were necessarily led, which were also a ritual associated with the circle, that is, with the sun. It symbolized the sun and fire: the guys lit the wooden wheels and rolled down the hill. Who was able to roll his wheel without a single fall, happiness, luck and prosperity awaited him this year.

The most popular pastimes that used to be held in the villages during Maslenitsa were fist fights, sleigh rides, climbing a pole for a prize, eating pancakes for a while, and, of course, round dances, songs and dances.

Another indispensable participant in the Maslenitsa festivities was the bear. People put on a bearskin on one of the men, after which the mummers began to dance along with their fellow villagers. Later, in the cities, a live bear was also shown on the square. The bear has become one of the symbols of Maslenitsa and the onset of spring, because in winter the bear sleeps in a den, and wakes up in spring. The bear woke up - it means that spring has come.

And, of course, the symbol of the holiday is an effigy of Maslenitsa, made of straw and dressed in bright clothes. The scarecrow personified both the Maslenitsa holiday itself and the evil winter. On the last day of Maslenitsa, the scarecrow was burned on a ritual fire.

On Maslenitsa, it has always been customary to eat and have fun as much as possible.

Boris Kustodiev. Pancake week. 1919

Our ancestors believed that those who do not eat and have fun on Maslenitsa will live the coming year poorly and bleakly.

By the way, in pagan times in Russia, the New Year was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox, that is, Maslenitsa and the New Year were celebrated on the same day. Winter is over and it means the new year has arrived. And according to old beliefs, it was believed: as a person meets the year, so he will be. Therefore, they did not skimp on this holiday for a generous feast and unbridled fun.

Maslenitsa week

Maslenitsa is celebrated for seven days, from Monday to Sunday. The whole week is divided into two periods: Narrow Maslenitsa and Wide Maslenitsa. Narrow Shrovetide - the first three days: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Wide Shrovetide - these are the last four days, from Thursday to Sunday. In the first three days, the housewives could do household chores and clean up. From Thursday, all work stopped, and the Wide Maslenitsa began. On these days, any housework and housework was prohibited. It was only allowed to have fun and bake pancakes.

Each day of Shrove Tuesday has its own name and is filled with a unique meaning.

So, the days of Shrovetide week:

Monday - "Meeting".

The first day of Shrovetide week is called "Meeting" - this is the meeting of Maslenitsa. On this day they start baking pancakes. According to tradition, the first pancake was given to the poor, poor and needy people, so that they would pray for the souls of deceased relatives, or the pancake was left on the doorstep as a tribute to their ancestors.

On Monday, we dealt with organizational issues related to the festivities. On this day, preparations for the holiday were completed: snow slides, booths, swings, stalls for trade were completed.

In the morning, the father-in-law and mother-in-law sent the daughter-in-law to her father and mother for a day, in the evening they themselves came to visit the matchmakers and treated themselves to pancakes, rejoicing at the beginning of Shrovetide week.

And it was on this day that a stuffed Maslenitsa was made from straw and other improvised materials, dressed up in old clothes, various rags, at the same time getting rid of junk. Then the effigy was impaled and driven in a sledge through the streets, and finally put on public display in the main street or square of the village until Sunday.

Tuesday - "Games".

Tuesday was traditionally a day of festivities, games and fun. On this day, fun began in the morning, they rode sledges, ice slides, carousels. Buffoons walked the streets, entertaining the people and treating themselves to the generous alms of the hostesses.

Leonid Solomatkin. Pancake week. 1878

On this day, relatives and friends were invited to pancakes.

Flirting was the day of matchmaking in the villages. Young people furtively looked at each other, the guys looked after their brides, the girls stared at the guys and furtively wondered which of them would be the first to send matchmakers. And the parents looked closely at the future relatives and in a comic form began to agree on the upcoming celebration.

All Shrovetide rites, in fact, were reduced to matchmaking, in order to have a wedding immediately after Lent.

Wednesday - "Gourmet".

On Wednesday, according to tradition, the son-in-law came to his mother-in-law for pancakes, which she prepared especially for him. The mother-in-law had to feed her son-in-law to her heart's content and in every possible way showed her disposition to her daughter's husband. From this custom came the expression "The son-in-law came, where can I get sour cream?". There could be several sons-in-law, other guests, relatives, neighbors were invited, and the tables were bursting with refreshments. The sons-in-law praised their mother-in-laws and sang songs of praise to them and played funny scenes with dressing up. Women and girls gathered together, rode sleighs through the villages and also sang cheerful songs and ditties.

Thursday - "Revelry".

From that day on, the Broad Maslenitsa began. All chores stopped and real festivities unfolded in honor of Maslenitsa. The people with might and main indulged in all sorts of fun, games and fun. People rode down hills, on swings and carousels, had fun horse riding, sleigh rides, played snowballs, feasted noisily, all this was accompanied by cheerful round dances and chants.

On this day, fisticuffs and wall-to-wall games were usually held, where young people showed their prowess and become, showing off in front of girls and brides. The inhabitants of two villages, landlord and monastic peasants, inhabitants of a large village living in opposite ends could participate in the battles and compete. Moreover, they prepared for the battle very seriously: they took a steam bath in the bathhouse, ate hearty food to gain strength, and even turned to the sorcerers with a request to give a special conspiracy to win.

One of the favorite traditional pastimes was the assault and capture of the ice fortress. The guys built a town of ice and snow with a gate, they planted guards there, and then went on the attack: they climbed the walls, broke into the gates. The besieged defended themselves as best they could: snowballs, brooms and whips were used.

Vasily Surikov. Capture of the snow town. 1891

The meaning of these games, as well as the whole Maslenitsa, is a splash of negative energy accumulated over the winter and the resolution of various conflicts between people.

Children and youth went from house to house with tambourines, horns, balalaikas, singing carols. They were willingly treated with delicacies and conveyed greetings and bows to their parents and relatives.

In the cities, residents, dressed in the best outfits, took part in festive festivities, went to theatrical performances and booths to watch fun with a bear and buffoons.

Konstantin Makovsky. Folk festivities during Shrove Tuesday on Admiralteyskaya Square in St. Petersburg. 1869

Friday - Mother-in-law evening.

On this day, the son-in-law invited his mother-in-law to his pancakes. The mother-in-law came with a return visit, and even with her relatives and friends. Pancakes that day were baked by the daughter - the wife of the son-in-law. The son-in-law had to demonstrate his disposition towards his mother-in-law and her relatives. Family gatherings strengthened relations between relatives, and the general fun reminded of the imminent approach of the long-awaited spring and warmth.

Saturday - "Zolovkina gatherings."

On this day, the daughter-in-law honorably invited her husband's relatives to the house for pancakes. If the sisters-in-law, sisters of husbands, were unmarried, the daughter-in-law invited her unmarried girlfriends to common gatherings. If the husband's sisters were already married, then the daughter-in-law called her married relatives. The newlywed, according to custom, prepared gifts for her sisters-in-law and presented them to each.

Sunday - "Seeing Shrovetide". Forgiveness Sunday.

Shrovetide week ends with Forgiveness Sunday. On this day, close people ask each other for forgiveness for all the troubles and insults caused during the year. After the adoption of Christianity on this day, they necessarily went to church: the rector asked for forgiveness from the parishioners, and the parishioners from each other, and bowed, asking for forgiveness. In response to a request for forgiveness, the phrase "God will forgive" is traditionally pronounced. Also on Forgiveness Sunday, it was customary to go to the cemetery and commemorate the deceased relatives.

Like many years ago, the burning of an effigy on Sunday is considered to be the culmination of the whole Maslenitsa today. This action symbolizes the farewell to winter and the onset of spring. On this day, people held fairs, tea parties with bagels, rolls and pancakes, played games, danced round the Shrovetide effigy, sang and danced, and, finally, burned the effigy, dreaming that everything bad that happened in life would burn with it and the ashes were scattered over the fields.

Semyon Kozhin. Pancake week. Seeing off winter. 2001

Large bonfires were also a significant tradition, they were burned on purpose to melt the remnants of snow and invite the beautiful spring to visit as soon as possible. Old unnecessary things were thrown into the fires, thus getting rid of everything that interfered with life. Round dances were made around the fires, and one of the favorite pastimes was jumping over a blazing fire. On this day, all old grievances and conflicts were forgotten, and they said: "Whoever remembers the old, that's out of the eye."

Shrovetide omens.

There are many signs associated with Maslenitsa. It is believed that the more pancakes baked, the more luck, money and health will be in the family this year. If you skimp on treats and bake few pancakes, then it will not matter with finances.

If the pancakes turned out to be poorly baked or ugly, this meant that difficult times, illnesses and troubles were not far off. In the process of making pancakes, it was necessary to be in a good mood, think about good deeds and wish everyone who treats themselves with a pancake, goodness and happiness. Each housewife had her own pancake recipes for Maslenitsa, and they did not always reveal their secrets. In addition to eggs, flour and milk that are familiar to all of us, they added potatoes, apples, buckwheat, nuts, and corn to the dough.

Even our ancestors believed that the cold and rainy weather before the start of Shrovetide - to a good harvest and well-being. And the girls who wanted to get married had to drunkenly drink all the men they met - acquaintances and strangers, because meeting with a tipsy man on Maslenitsa is also a good omen, promising a happy and long marriage.

The traditions of celebrating Maslenitsa are rooted deep into our history. And in the old days, and now this holiday is celebrated on a grand scale, with a variety of entertainment and, of course, with pancakes. Many Maslenitsa traditions have survived to this day. No wonder Shrovetide is one of the most fun folk festivals!

Merry Maslenitsa, delicious pancakes and well-being!

Shrovetide arose as a pagan custom of seeing off winter, which, gradually losing its pagan content, became an integral part of the cheese week. But why did the former pagan holiday suddenly not only stick to Christianity, but also take root on this soil? Doesn't this indicate that Russian Orthodoxy is still sick with paganism? And instead of sharply dissociating ourselves from such phenomena as “apple-honey Spas”, ritual bathing in baptismal water, is our Church too loyal to this? Perhaps if the Church had taken a tougher stand on this matter, then unchurched thinking people would have looked at Orthodoxy with greater respect and perhaps even thought: “What then is the Church, if not the rites and traditions that are abandoned? the clergy themselves?

These and other questions are answered by Professor David Gzgzyan, teacher at the St. Philaret Orthodox Institute, member of the Inter-Council Presence.

D. M. Gzgzyan

- Indeed, it originated from the pagan custom of seeing off winter. However, it must be taken into account that all ethno-cultural forms associated with time cycles are of pagan origin, because paganism is associated with the experience of time.

Any spirituality that is higher than the natural pagan beginning is, to some extent, overcoming time. But as for the question of whether Maslenitsa is compatible with Christianity, it all depends on priorities. In itself, the trembling expectation of spring is difficult to suspect something ungodly, and none of the most hardened fans of Maslenitsa sees a symbol of the sun in pancakes, unless he is specially reminded of this. Therefore, if we remain Christians in all our fundamental things, then I ask myself the question: what will be bad if, during the transition from a boring winter to a long-awaited spring, we modestly celebrate its approach?

Maybe it's bad that the whole non-church world confuses pagan and Orthodox rites, and linking Maslenitsa to the church calendar only contributes to this confusion. For people who do not know what the Church is, this gives reason to think that the Church is what it is, Easter cakes and, that is, symbolic rites. And the apostle said that you should refrain from even harmless actions if they are a temptation for your brother.

I don't think the atheistic world has that kind of temptation. Rather, the opposite situation takes place. People are usually annoyed by the fact that the Church begins to teach: bathing in the font of the Epiphany is an idle affair, and even harmful.

I am not a supporter of the fact that the Church needs to cancel Maslenitsa and remove this word from its vocabulary. Maybe it would be good if we did not have a thousand-year tradition of this holiday behind us. No, it is worth leaving Maslenitsa, but at the same time introducing a purely Christian content there, and simply excluding the bad pagan element. For example, you can make Maslenitsa an occasion for a thoughtful attitude to. The Church separates herself not from people, but from evil. She, of course, separates herself from paganism as a belief, as a way of life, but not from people. To be able to look for common ground between us Christians and other people, including on the basis of Shrovetide, is a spiritual art. On this path, of course, mistakes and even temptations are possible in both directions. It's probably easier to cancel Maslenitsa for yourself and put an end to it, but simpler doesn't mean better.

When we get together and bake pancakes, the farewell to winter is only an excuse for our communication, but not the reason. Similarly, we can meet in different ways. We can paganly hit the abyss, or we can celebrate the New Year as an occasion to take stock of our results in order to enter the new year with nobler and deeper tasks.

In church language, this is called the churching of pagan customs. Same thing with Shrovetide. Its celebration can be a form of churching the pagan tradition - to mark the beginnings and ends of time cycles while simultaneously comprehending the path that we have traveled during this time, so that it does not own us, but, if possible, we own it. We do exist in time. And even as Christians, we distinguish winter from summer, we change clothes accordingly, and nothing terrible happens from this.

The only problem I see here is the substitution of priorities. If it is important to dive into the hole at the Epiphany, while half a percent of the population thinks about the Epiphany itself, this is terrible. If the main thing on Maslenitsa is various kinds of entertainment, then this is not Christianity, but anti-Christianity.

But I am against throwing the baby out with the water. Time is a complex category of human life that requires a reverent attitude. We cannot take and cancel time and instantly step over into the Kingdom of Heaven. We must learn to overcome time, and for this we must subordinate it to the needs of spiritual life, and not just ignore it.

Whether Shrove Tuesday, the Harvest Festival or the beginning of the New Year - all this is connected with time cycles. But in the Church they cease to dominate a person. They simply become an additional reason for new spiritual efforts, for the renewal of one's spiritual life. This is normal, this is natural, therefore it is not shameful to bake pancakes for a festive and Christian meal. This meal would be a means of spiritual communication, and not a celebration of the stomach. It is much more shameful when the people of the Church begin to speak specifically for the people, as if condescending to their infirmity, that this is an ancient, almost Orthodox, holiday of farewell to winter and meeting with spring. I heard such statements more than once, and not only from Orthodox laity, but also from clerics. And in response to the question: “Why are you saying this, is it wrong?” may follow: "In order to attract the people." This is bad.

Apple, of course, is a monstrous expression. Indeed, how can it? But I don't see anything wrong with consecrating the first apple harvest. However, if the people have long forgotten the meaning of the word and only apples remain in their minds, and the Church also encourages this, making the consecration of the fruits an obligatory ritual, then this is sad.

But what should be the reaction of the church? Ban the consecration of apples at the synodal level? I don't think it's effective. All these things come from within. In this respect, radicalism on both sides solves nothing. All the same, those who bathe at Epiphany will do it. I have known such Orthodox Christians (or those who identified themselves as such) for whom the most important event in Lent is to wash on Thursday before sunrise. Everything else that happened on Strastnaya Street was deeply uninteresting to them. Yes, it's monstrous. But such things can be overcome only by patiently and consistently getting rid of magical stereotypes.

What do you see as the roots of the pagan worldview of the Russian people? In national character traits, in the historical past?

I can answer this with Leskov's well-known phrase: that "Rus was baptized, but not enlightened." The consequence of this is that in everyday mass consciousness paganism was very easily mixed with Christianity.

Initially, the Church in Russia was placed in conditions where it was a social institution that artificially supplemented power relations. It turned out that under these conditions it was difficult for Her to fulfill her main mission - to be a witness of the Risen Christ.

The Church performed an educational function only in the person of its individual prominent representatives. And, and Nile, and - were enlighteners. A whole enlightenment movement was born from Sergius. Or let us recall the conversation of St. Seraphim with Motovilov - this is an enlightening conversation. Its main purpose is to show what the meaning of the Christian life is. It must be assumed that the desired meaning was lost by Seraphim's contemporaries. From the point of view of apostolic times, St. Seraphim said an almost banal thing - the acquisition of the Holy Spirit. But for his time, this was an outstanding spiritual revelation, because practically no one perceived Christianity this way. Going out to the people of the Optina Elders is also largely an educational activity.

And if you compare the Russian people with others?

I think that the Germans or the French are no less heathen by nature than the Russians. In order to be convinced of this, it is enough to look at the history of Europe. Language is universal. All people are spontaneous pagans.

What is the significance of the cheese week for the Orthodox believer?

This is the time of preparation for Great Lent, and the content of such preparation depends on what you are going to do during Lent, except, of course, for observing certain rules. This is what you can think about in the week before the post. For example, a confessor of the faith, every Great Lent he read the entire Holy Scripture.

If you do not aim so high, then you can set yourself a task, at least re-read the Gospel. Several times I took on such a task for myself, and I always had to complete it convulsively during Holy Week. Man, unfortunately, is so constituted that he does not lend himself well to systematic rigor. Therefore, “to eat - not to eat” still at the very least comes out, but problems arise in order to accomplish something more substantial.

Maslenitsa ends with Forgiveness Sunday - a day of torture for a proud person, when you need to reconcile with those with whom you quarreled. And besides the severity of this duty, the question arises: is there any point in pronouncing with the lips those words that are not in the heart?

Firstly, it must be said that not all existing relationships need to be maintained, some, perhaps, should be broken off.

Speaking in general, the custom arose among the monks and was associated with life in a cenobitic monastery. Living people, all the more close, in direct communication are simply not able to be only amiable, only courteous, and even more so, only loving. All the same somewhere something does not turn out. And the Chin of Forgiveness very well reveals people and brings them closer.

With some spiritual effort, we can fill habitual relationships with living content, deepen and refresh them. This custom is a wonderful occasion to unravel all sorts of tangles, eliminate misunderstandings, and finally straighten your paths. As for the lack of sincerity, then the old ascetic principle applies here: if you can’t ask for forgiveness completely sincerely, then ask as best you can, just try. And the Lord will not leave a good intention without help.