Every year, according to the Orthodox calendar, believers observe fasts and holidays. The calendar itself is constantly moving by date, according to the bright holiday of Easter. In this connection, in 2020 Maslenitsa will begin on February 24, and the holiday will fall on March 1. How Maslenitsa was celebrated in Rus', and how it is celebrated in modern Russia, we read further.

Every year in the Slavic countries, a delicious Maslenitsa holiday is celebrated. The history of the holiday is far rooted in the past. Shrovetide has come down to our days, but at the same time it has been transformed into a modern life and life of people. No one will remember the original meaning of the holiday, but now it is the farewell to winter. On Maslenitsa, it is customary to dance round dances, bake pancakes, and at the end of the celebration, burn an effigy. Connections with which people have questions, when is the farewell to winter, what date is Maslenitsa. We will talk about this further.

History of carnival

As we know from history, Maslenitsa is a pagan holiday and was timed to coincide with the spring equinox, the beginning of the new year. The holiday has retained its existence after the baptism of Rus' in the X century. For the church, finding a pagan holiday was unacceptable and she tried to prohibit it by all means. But in order not to face serious resistance during baptism, the church did not prohibit such holidays, but tried to limit the celebration.

Shrovetide is an East Slavic traditional holiday celebrated during the week before Lent, which has preserved a number of elements of Slavic mythology in its rituals. ""

The spring holiday "Maslenitsa" will come very soon, but where are the pancakes? We have selected delicious recipes for you.

Shrovetide gave the peasants the opportunity to take a break from the long winter. In this connection, there was a kind of compromise that the church had to make at the turn of the 17th-18th centuries. The church was able to shorten the holiday from two weeks to one and find a place on the calendar.

So Shrovetide week became "inscribed" in the church calendar and is called "Cheese Week". When dairy products and cheese were allowed, hence the name of the week. This week is the last before Great Lent and Easter. It is worth remembering that Maslenitsa always starts 8 weeks before Easter.

On Maslenitsa, it is customary to dance round dances, bake pancakes, and at the end of the celebration, burn an effigy.

Maslenitsa is still a favorite folk holiday. On these spring days, our contemporaries bake and eat pancakes with pleasure, organize folk festivals, go to their mother-in-law for pancakes, ask for forgiveness and look forward to the onset of a warm, life-affirming spring.

Days of Pancake Week

Many of you know that Maslenitsa goes on for a week and every day means something. Every day in Shrove Tuesday has its own “name”:

Monday, the first day of Maslenitsa (February 24, 2020)- "Meeting". Based on the name, you can understand - they met Maslenitsa. On this day, they started baking pancakes, of which the first was given to the beggar or left on the window to commemorate the dead. There was an active preparation for the festivities - ice slides, swings, benches, tents for the fair. And, of course, the installation of the effigy was exactly today.

Tuesday, the second day of Maslenitsa (February 25, 2020)- "Games". It is called so because the young went out into the street and looked after their soulmate, and then got married. The people began to be active - to ride a sleigh from the slides and carousels. The buffoons entertained the village. Everyone invited to visit them for pancakes.

Wednesday, the third day of Maslenitsa (February 26, 2020)- "Gourmet". On Wednesday, according to custom, the sons-in-law came to visit their mother-in-law, who was supposed to feed them plenty of pancakes and please them. The table was bursting with all sorts of sauces, preserves, jams and other things. On this day, the inhabitants fervently sang cheerful songs and danced.

Thursday, fourth day of Maslenitsa (February 27, 2020)- "Revelry". Middle of Maslenitsa. Everyone finished their business. And the festivities did not stop until late at night. This day was famous for fisticuffs and wall-to-wall games. So the men boasted of their strength and strength.

Friday, the fifth day of Maslenitsa (February 28, 2020)- "Mother-in-law's evenings." On Friday, on the contrary, the sons-in-law invited the mother-in-law to pancakes. With this gesture, he shows her his respect and sympathy. The mother of the bride did not come alone, but with friends or relatives. Everyone rejoices and has fun, because hot days will finally come soon.

Saturday, the sixth day of Maslenitsa (February 29, 2020)- "Zolovkin gatherings." Today, the young bride invited her husband's sister to her house for a meal. Also, a lot of girlfriends came, and "pancake" bachelorette parties were arranged.

Sunday, the last day of Maslenitsa (March 1, 2020)- "Seeing Shrovetide". The end of the holiday falls on Forgiveness Sunday. Everyone apologizes to each other for old grievances. And they see off the winter by burning a straw man. They eat plenty of pancakes, pancakes, because tomorrow is Lent.

How is Maslenitsa celebrated in modern Russia?

In modern villages and cities, mass festivities take place on Maslenitsa. Costumed characters in the form of buffoons and parsley amuse people, adults and children participate in games and competitions, treat themselves to pancakes and sweets, rejoice and frolic in the open air.

Folk celebrations are held in parks, national museums and in the central squares of cities. People have fun from the heart: theatrical performances, round dances, songs and dances can be found at every step. And how many varieties of delicious pancakes, bagels, pies and dumplings you can try! Do not count at all! "Not life, but Maslenitsa"- said the people.

How to make a scarecrow for Maslenitsa

On Sunday, during the Maslenitsa festivities, an effigy was burned in the city squares. This is how we saw off the winter and met spring, a symbolic new year. Together with the scarecrow, everything old and unnecessary was burned, and new and renewed came.

But we will tell you how to make a scarecrow for Shrovetide with your own hands. For this we need the following items:

1. two wooden sticks - one long, the other smaller;
2. nails with a hammer;
3. rope;
4. old magazines, newspapers;
5. straw;
6. head scarf and old clothes;
7. buttons;
8. pomade.

We make the body. The sticks must be connected with each other with a cross and nailed. Yes, so that the short one becomes the arms of a stuffed animal, and the long one becomes the torso. Next, we rewind them with straw, and on top with a rope for greater strength.

Now the head. Crush old newspapers into a ball and wrap it with a handkerchief. You can sew an oval in the form of a head out of cloth and fill it with straw. Instead of eyes, we sew on buttons, and draw a nose, mouth and blush with lipstick. We also tie the head to the body with ropes. We dress our creation in old clothes.

Important! It is necessary to burn a scarecrow in an open space, and keep children under supervision.

What date is Maslenitsa in 2021, 2022, 2023

Finally, do not forget to watch the good old cartoon “Look at Shrovetide!” with the whole family! Created based on the fairy tale by Hovhannes Tumanyan, “Barekendan” is about a poor man who punished a rich man for his greed.

When you found out that Maslenitsa in 2020: from February 24 to March 1, don't forget to like it. Make a repost on social networks, so you will help others to know when Maslenitsa comes.

Maslenitsa is the most spacious, wildest and truly universal holiday. A cheerful farewell to the cold, boring winter and at the same time a meeting of the long-awaited spring, sun and warmth! The ancient Slavs arranged a farewell to winter and a meeting of spring in honor of the pagan god of fertility and cattle breeding Veles. After the adoption of Christianity, this holiday was preserved in Rus', and from the 16th century it began to be called Maslenitsa. After all, this week, the last before Great Lent, according to Orthodox custom, you can no longer eat meat, but you can still eat butter and other dairy products.

In traditional life, it has always been believed that a person who has had a bad and boring Shrovetide week will be unlucky throughout the year.
Unrestrained pancake week gluttony and fun was seen as a magical harbinger of future well-being, prosperity and success in all business, household and economic endeavors.

Maslenitsa was adopted by the Orthodox Church as a religious holiday called Cheese or Meat Week. This week, the Church commemorates the expulsion of the forefathers from paradise for disobedience and intemperance to believers in order to more clearly present the importance of the upcoming feat of fasting.
On Saturday, they began to celebrate the "small Maslenka". The children ran in groups around the village and collected bast shoes, then met those returning with purchases from the city or from the bazaar with the question "Are you bringing Maslenitsa?" Who answered: "No", he was beaten with bast shoes. On the same day, the guys rode with special passion from the mountains: there was a sign - whoever rides further, his family will have longer flax.

The last Sunday before Shrovetide was called "Meat Sunday". It was customary to pay visits to relatives, friends, neighbors and invite guests to Shrovetide. On "meat" Sunday, the father-in-law went to call the son-in-law to "eat up the ram."
“I’m heading for cheese and butter,” they said in the evening before the “butter”.
Shrovetide week was literally overflowing with festive affairs; ritual actions, traditional games and undertakings filled all days to capacity. There was enough strength, energy, enthusiasm for everything, since the atmosphere of utmost emancipation, general joy and fun reigned.
The whole week was called "honest, wide, cheerful noblewoman-carnival, madam carnival". Shrovetide was often opened by children who built snowy mountains and pattered a greeting to Shrovetide: "He called - called honest Semik wide Shrovetide to visit his yard. Are you my soul, Shrovetide, quail bones, your paper little body, your sugar lips, your sweet come to visit me in the wide yard on the mountains to ride, roll in pancakes, amuse your heart ... " After this meeting, the children ran away from the mountains and shouted: "Maslenitsa has arrived! Maslenitsa has arrived!". Each day of the Maslenitsa week has its own name and meaning:

MONDAY - MEETING

A straw effigy of Maslenitsa was dressed up for the meeting. In the morning, the father-in-law and the mother-in-law sent the daughter-in-law to her father and mother for a day, and in the evening they themselves went to visit the matchmakers. We agreed on the time and place of the festivities. On this day, they finished building snowy cities, swings, booths.

Without pancakes, there is no carnival, without pies, there is no name day. Pancakes are supposed to be served during the whole Maslenitsa week. Pancake as a symbol of the sun was ritually eaten to the glory of Spring and the fertility of the earth. It was believed that the more you eat them in a week, the richer and more satisfying you will live in the coming year. Therefore, they were baked in the old days in different ways - from different types of flour, usually from buckwheat or wheat, from yeast or unleavened dough, and even in different shapes (round, rectangular, etc.). On Maslenitsa, brushwood, cakes, cookies, pies were always baked, various curd mixtures were prepared. Many families started baking pancakes on Monday. Each housewife had her own pancake recipe and kept it a secret from her neighbors. Pancakes were baked large - in the whole pan, or with a tea saucer, thin and light. They were served with various seasonings: sour cream, jam, honey, butter, caviar. They ate pancakes with salmon, and with saffron cod, and with the famous baking, cheese, cucumbers, cottage cheese, chopped eggs, and washed it all down with sbiten, beer or wine.

At Shrovetide - the first pancake for peace.
Indeed, the first pancake baked on Shrovetide week was placed on the dormer window "for the souls of the parents" with the words:
- Our honest parents, here's a pancake for your darling!

In some places, the first pancake was given to the poor so that they would remember all the dead. Russian Maslenitsa has always been famous for pancakes, their quality and quantity.

The central figure still turned out to be Maslenitsa itself - a doll made of straw or bast, but they always used a tree - a thin trunk of a birch. Straw, like wood, personified the exuberant power of vegetation. The doll was dressed up in a caftan, a hat, girded with a sash, shod its feet in bast shoes, put it on a pole and, singing, drove it on a sleigh through the village. Then Maslenitsa was installed on a snowy hill, and skiing began. Or they made a female figure with a long braid, dressed in a girl's outfit, out of rags. The figure depicted a girl; a shaving brush and a pancake were attached to the hands of this figure - the main symbols of Maslenitsa. The clothes on the doll had to be with a floral pattern. The doll was decorated with ribbons, artificial flowers, ribbons were hung, tying which people made wishes. These ribbons, in order for wishes to come true, had to burn down with the doll.

There was also a "Home Shrovetide". She was called the daughter of Maslenitsa (big) or her younger sister. It was a small, 20-25 cm high, straw or bast doll with a white rag face.

"Home Maslenitsa" symbolized strong prosperity and healthy offspring of a young family. She was considered a strong amulet of the home, fulfilling the precepts of the owners of the house. They kept this doll in a red corner or at the entrance to a dwelling. On one of the days of the festive Maslenitsa week, when young people came to their mother-in-law for pancakes, this doll was put up in windows or yards. According to tradition, the bride and groom were greeted with the “Home Shrovetide”.

Maslenitsa is probably the ancient Slavic name of a forgotten mythological character who personified darkness, night. Shrove Tuesday is destroyed in order to grow a generous harvest of the new year under the generous rays of the sun. Therefore, the procession of seeing off is reminiscent of an ancient funeral rite: they burn an effigy, as they burned the dead in ancient pre-Christian times, which should not only ensure fertility, but also have a beneficial effect on livestock and people's health.

Maslenitsa was accompanied by costumed youth. Most often dressed up as gypsies. Sometimes, next to the Maslenitsa-effigy, a woman would sit in a sleigh, depicting the Maslenitsa, who was spinning oil behind a spinning loom. The train to the laughter and jokes of fellow villagers drove through the whole village and then went to the neighboring village.

TUESDAY - GAMES

Unrestrained games and fun began with him: sleigh rides, folk festivals. The center of the festive Shrovetide Square was booths, roller coasters, all kinds of swings and carousels. In large wooden buildings, performances were given with Petrushka and Shrovetide grandfather. Professional actors, amateurs, as well as circus performers performed on the stages of light temporary theaters.

Perhaps, not a single holiday in Rus' was complete without merry carnival processions of buffoons. They were not only musicians, but they combined different ways to entertain the boredom of the crowd: some played the whistle, others beat tambourines, domras, others danced, and the fourth showed the people learned dogs and bears. Between them were scorners and funny poets who knew how to amuse the people with jokes, folding stories and red words. On Maslenitsa, buffoons and similar artists, so to speak, "ruled the ball": it was they who led the festivities, skating, meeting and seeing off Maslenitsa, merrymaking and fair entertainment.
On Tuesday, “mummers” in goat masks and straw hats with a naked broom on a long pole walked around the yards with ritual songs. For a small fee (usually pancakes), it was possible to tie a ribbon to the rods of this broom with a slander from ailments and other adversities: the mummers would leave and take away all sorrows with the broom. In the morning, the girls and fellows were invited to ride in the mountains, eat pancakes. On this day, the youth gathered in a spacious hut for new acquaintances. Here the boys looked out for brides, and the girls furtively glanced at the betrothed.

WEDNESDAY - GOURMET

On this day, tables were laid in every family, pancakes were baked, beer was brewed in the villages. 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. On Wednesday, pancakes were taken outside and treated to all neighbors and those who wished.

However, the most important event of this day was the visit of the mother-in-law by the sons-in-law, for whom she baked pancakes and arranged a real feast (if the son-in-law was to her liking, of course), and for the fun of her beloved son-in-law she called all her relatives. In some places, "Teschin pancakes" could be timed to coincide with Friday. If on Wednesday the sons-in-law visited their mother-in-laws, then on Friday the sons-in-law arranged "mother-in-law evenings" - they invited them to pancakes. "There was also a former boyfriend who played the same role as at the wedding, and received a gift for his efforts." The called mother-in-law (there was also such a custom) "was obliged to send in the evening everything necessary for baking pancakes": tagan, frying pans, a ladle, a tub for dough, and the father-in-law sent a bag of buckwheat and cow's butter. "The son-in-law's disrespect for this custom was considered a dishonor and insult, and was a pretext for eternal enmity between him and his mother-in-law."

THURSDAY - WIDE QUARTER, binge, fracture

On this day, the main fun began: they drove a scarecrow through the streets, rolled from the icy mountains, sang ditties, went caroling, did fistfights, played out “taking a snowy town”.

They carried a man on a sleigh with wine and rolls. They gathered at the appointed place to drink beer, mash, wine and sing songs. Old things were carried and stacked to a straw effigy outside the outskirts. They also brought a broom with slander and stuck it nearby.

Children rode from the mountains all the days of Shrovetide, while adults joined them later, from about Wednesday - Thursday. They rode down from the mountains on sleighs, on sledges, on icy mats. Skiing from the mountains was given a special meaning. In the old days, for example, there was a custom "the best spinners in the family to ride from the mountains on the donets, and the one that rides further will have the best flax." All married couples in the village must roll once. Skiing from the mountains of the newlyweds was accompanied by songs that were sung mainly by girls who had gathered on the mountain and were waiting for their turn to ride. As a rule, from Wednesday, unmarried youth are also actively involved in skiing from the mountains and on horseback.

In general, riding in troikas in a race, to songs and accordion, with jokes, kisses and hugs - a typical Russian Shrovetide entertainment, in which only babies and old people who no longer left the house took part.
A number of Maslenitsa customs were aimed at speeding up weddings, promoting single youth, and finding a mate. Most attention and honors are given to the newlyweds at Shrovetide. Tradition requires that they, dressed up, go out "to people" in painted sleighs, pay visits to everyone who walked with them at the wedding; so that solemnly, under the songs, they rolled down from the icy mountain.

FRIDAY - TASHINSKY EVENINGS

On this day, sons-in-law treated their mother-in-laws, sometimes all relatives. The son-in-law was obliged to personally invite the mother-in-law in the evening. The dressed-up son-in-law on a smartly decorated sleigh drove up to the mother-in-law's house and personally invited her to his place for pancakes.

SATURDAY - ZOLOVKA SITTINGS

A young daughter-in-law invited her relatives to her place, and gave gifts to her sisters-in-law - her husband's sisters. On this day, the children built a snowy town with towers and gates on rivers, ponds and fields, then the squad was divided in half: some guarded the town, others had to take it by force.

SUNDAY - SEEING OFF THE SHIRT, FAREWELL, TSELOVNIK

On this day they saw off Maslenitsa. The straw effigy was honored, invited to return again the next year, and then they were taken out of the outskirts and burned, and the ashes were scattered across the field to give strength to the future harvest.

In the morning the children were collecting firewood for the fire to burn Maslenitsa. In the villages, on Sunday, young people in a sleigh with a stuffed Maslenitsa rode around the village until dark, with songs and noise. And late in the evening she went out for the winter and here she burned a scarecrow on a prepared fire. A lot of people always gathered at the Maslenitsa fire, it was fun, many songs sounded, both old and young, treated themselves to pancakes, hot sbiten and lark buns. They said goodbye to Maslenitsa both jokingly and seriously. Throwing straw into the fire, the youth shouted: - “Get out, tattered old woman, dirty! Get out while you're still alive! They threw pancakes into the fire - "Burn pancakes, burn, Maslenitsa!" The guys, smeared with soot, tried to stain others as well. First of all, of course, the girls, and with them the mother-in-law - "Mother-in-law, Lyuli, fry pancakes!". When Shrovetide burned down, the youth jumped over the fire. With this competition in fun and dexterity, the Maslenitsa holiday ended.
Sometimes a scarecrow was drowned in an ice-hole or simply torn apart, and the remaining straw was scattered across the field, or instead of a doll, a living “Maslenitsa” was taken around the village: a smartly dressed girl or woman, an old woman or even an old man - a drunkard in rags. Then, to the sound of shouting and hooting, they were taken out of the village and planted there or dumped into the snow (“they held Maslenitsa”).
This fertility rite is associated with the idea of ​​rebirth through sacrifice and death; fruitful forces of nature, renewal of its vitality. The destruction of the symbol of winter was necessary for the resurrection of its power in the spring in cereals. According to the idea of ​​the ancient Slavs, the ascended grains are, as it were, a resurrected dead person; the death of grain in the soil is necessary for the rebirth of its new life in the ear.

In the same place, where they did not make stuffed Maslenitsa, the ceremony of "seeing off Maslenitsa" consisted mainly in kindling village fires on a hill outside the village or near the river. In addition to firewood, they threw all sorts of junk into the fires - bast shoes, harrows, purses, brooms, barrels and other unnecessary things previously collected by children throughout the village, and sometimes stolen specially for this. They believed that all troubles would be carried away by millions of sparks from this fire. Sometimes they burned a wheel in a fire, a symbol of the sun, associated with the approaching spring; it was often worn on a pole stuck in the middle of a fire.
After the burning of Maslenitsa, no one lit a fire in the house, even a candle was not lit that day. And in the morning, the ashes from the fire were scattered over the fields for a rich harvest. All the remaining bread treats were given to cattle, or even thrown away. Even the poorest person would not eat any of the leftovers from Shrovetide.
On the eve of Great Lent, in an effort to cleanse themselves of everything sinful, people asked each other for forgiveness. “Forgive me,” asks one. “God forgives, and I forgive,” replies another.
Therefore, the last day of Maslenitsa is also called "Forgiveness Sunday." Asking for forgiveness should, as usual, be accompanied by bows and a triple kiss. For the same purpose, on Forgiveness Sunday, they went to the cemetery, left pancakes on the graves. Farewell between the family took place after dinner, before going to bed. On this day, all insults and insults are forgiven. On the day of Forgiveness Sunday, pious people went to monasteries, to ancient cathedrals, to bow to the holy relics and especially revered shrines; they went to receive a blessing to the bishops, rectors of churches, venerable monks; visited the homes of relatives and friends, everywhere and from everyone asking for forgiveness and blessings.
On this day, a solemn ceremony of mutual forgiveness is performed in monasteries, cathedrals and temples.

Farewell to Maslenitsa ended on the first day of Great Lent - Clean Monday, which was considered the day of cleansing from sin and fast food. Men used to “rinse their teeth”, i.e. they drank vodka in abundance, ostensibly in order to rinse out the remnants of fast food from their mouths; in some places fistfights, etc., were arranged to “shake out pancakes”. On Clean Monday, they always washed in a bathhouse, and women washed dishes and “steamed” milk utensils, cleaning it of fat and remnants of squid.

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 Rus', 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

Are you preparing for Great Lent and looking forward to Maslenitsa? It's time to find out where this wonderful holiday came from, celebrating which you can eat and walk to your heart's content before fasting days. Find out why the dates of Maslenitsa are changing? Where do the roots of the pancake holiday come from? How did the tradition of baking pancakes start? What are the days of the week called? What does each of them mean? Read the history and description of the beloved holiday among the people. And celebrate it according to ancient customs and rituals.

The history of the emergence and tradition of Shrovetide

Many Ukrainians know that pancakes are baked on Maslenitsa. But, if you dig deeper, people shrug. The holiday itself is well-known, but not everyone understands what it means. So where did this interesting holiday come from? What were the signs?

The church calls the celebration of Maslenitsa Cheese Week. But here it is worth noting that the roots of this holiday go back to ancient times. It arose long before the adoption of Christianity by Kievan Rus. Let's take a look at its history.

Interestingly, the ancient Slavic holiday, which is now called Maslenitsa, was called Komoyeditsa in the past. This name comes from the word "Coma" - this is how the original loaves were called. They were prepared mainly from oatmeal. They were also made from barley or pea flour, adding crushed nuts and dried berries to the dough.

They used coma on the last day of Komoyeditsa. The celebration lasted 2 weeks. The holiday came a week before the spring equinox. And it continued for one week after it. Thus, people saw off the winter and met spring, warmth and sun.

That is why during this period it was customary to bake pancakes - they symbolize the sun. They are usually served hot, generously poured with oil. This has a certain meaning and meaning: as butter melts on pancakes, so do snowdrifts melt in the sun.

Despite pagan and everyday roots, the last week before Lent is associated with Maslenitsa. That is why the date of the holiday is floating. The week of Maslenitsa is determined depending on when Easter comes.

After the adoption of Christianity in Rus', the people began to observe Maslenitsa on the days of the week. Each of them has its own meaning and means something. Find out what will be the dates for the celebration of Maslenitsa for 2019? What do the names of the days mean? When can you walk and have fun, what date to have parties, gatherings? On which of the days you need to get married, on which to visit the matchmakers, and on which - to the mother-in-law? Get ready to celebrate in our days according to old customs!

Shrovetide celebration schedule by day

In 2019, Maslenitsa begins on Monday, March 4th and ends on Sunday, March 10th, that is, it lasts a week. Find out what customs, besides eating pancakes, are known in the history of the holiday for each day?

Here is what the days of the week mean, depending on what is customary to do day after day before fasting in a certain sequence:

• The first day - Monday - is called "Meeting". Do not skimp on food on this day. Remember that all week you need to exclude meat from the diet. But you can be content with fish, pancakes, pies and pancakes as much as you like! These dishes must be on your table. Bake them, treat the poor, go to visit and invite friends to your place.

That's why the first day is called "The Meeting". Do not forget that on this day it is necessary to visit the matchmakers - such a custom. Do not be stingy, be generous, share pancakes and treat from the heart!

In addition to pancakes, on the first day of Maslenitsa, it is customary to start making a scarecrow. It is necessary to collect all the old clothes (before, the children went around the yards, collecting them) and set fire to a mountain of things - such a fire was called the "butter dish". The event was accompanied by skiing, fun, fun.

• The second day - Tuesday - is called "Fun". Forget about fun and entertainment. In its name, the second day implies flirting, and this is nothing more than matchmaking. Grooms can safely go to dinner, where they will be treated to pancakes, pies and pancakes. There is a belief: if the matchmaking takes place on Shrovetide Tuesday, then the union will be the strongest!
• Day three - Wednesday - "Lakomka". This day is associated with mother-in-law pancakes. My son-in-law is due to visit on Wednesday to try his mother-in-law's treat. And the table should be bursting with food, demonstrating to the daughter's husband her wealth and disposition towards him. On this day, not only the son-in-law comes to visit. What is interesting: it is customary to invite other people to stay with everyone in peace and harmony.
• Day four - Thursday - "Razguly". According to the name, this day is celebrated on a special scale - it is full of fun, fun, joy and laughter. Previously, at the peak of the celebration, Ukraine celebrated Maslenitsa on a particularly large scale. Even work was cancelled.

People kindled fires, jumped over them, even if the day turned out to be windy. They also danced round dances, sang songs, and danced. All sorts of goodies were treated not only to relatives and friends, but also to neighbors, and even bystanders. And it's okay if the festivities last all night.

• Day five - Friday - "Teschiny vechi". After eating mother-in-law pancakes on Wednesday, a return visit was scheduled. The mother of the wife came to visit her son-in-law for his treats. The table should also be bursting with food, because it was believed that the richer it is, the more respect the son-in-law shows for his beloved mother-in-law. Under no circumstances should you stay at home. You need to go to visit, invite guests to your house. Celebrate merrily with friends and family.
• The sixth day - Saturday - is celebrated "Zolovkina gatherings". The penultimate day of Maslenitsa is the most modest. Forget about partying and having fun! On the eve of fasting, it is customary to go to church to pray and be cleansed of sins. And daughters-in-law invite sisters-in-law. They celebrate this day in the husband's house, they tell fortunes, they prophesy the future.
• Day seven - Forgiveness Sunday or "Seeing". The last thing people should do on Maslenitsa is to ask for forgiveness from each other for the offenses they have caused. It is on the forgiveness day that a Shrovetide effigy is burned. If there was food left, it was thrown away or burned along with the effigy. And they began to prepare for fasting and church service.

Not to do on Maslenitsa and without congratulations. They can be in poetry or prose, postcards or animated pictures.

Congratulations on the holiday, pictures, postcards

Choose the congratulations that you like. Let your life and your family be as warm and sweet as pancakes for Maslenitsa!

Congratulations on the end of winter! Delicious pancakes and sweet life! Let the hearts be open to the coming spring happiness!

Spring sunshine, warmth and good mood! Let freshly baked pancakes be delicious and sweet! Goodness and light in your home, happiness and sincere smiles! Do not know grief, sadness, but at the right moment to receive the support of relatives and friends!

Bright spring and bright impressions! Let everything in life be smooth: it goes like clockwork! Let grievances and anxieties melt away, and your heart be filled with warmth, love and inspiration! I wish fate to protect from troubles and troubles, happiness, good luck and crispy delicious pancakes!

I wish you warmth and that spring will come soon! Hospitality, joyful faces in the house, happiness and luck! A generous table, a supply of happiness for the whole year!

Tired of winter? Say goodbye to snow and cold, we will gain strength in the spring. May your days be sunny and warm. And the soul will sparkle with all the colors of the rainbow. Wonderful mood, spring in the heart, bright fun!

Let you, dear readers, Shrovetide in your home! Bake a mountain of pancakes and invite guests! Let the children prepare their own crafts. Take a photo for memory, celebrate the holiday with fun, open the doors to prosperity!

Traditionally, before Lent, we celebrate Maslenitsa for a whole week. When in 2020 you need to start baking pancakes, how this holiday appeared and how it is celebrated - read the site in the material.

When is Maslenitsa in 2020?

In 2020, Shrove Tuesday begins on Monday, February 24th and ends on Sunday, March 1st.

There is no fixed date for this holiday, it is celebrated at different times from year to year, since it falls on the seven days preceding Great Lent (and, accordingly, eight weeks before the Resurrection of Christ).

What is Shrovetide?

Maslenitsa, which means the imminent end of winter and the arrival of spring, has retained the traditions and rituals of paganism and signs of Slavic mythology. The holiday, the essence of which was the glorification of the sun god Yarila, became the only non-Christian holiday that managed to harmoniously enter Orthodox culture and settle there forever. Throughout the Maslenitsa week, people have fun, go to visit, arrange folk festivals and bake pancakes - the main symbol of the holiday. Maslenitsa ends with Forgiveness Sunday - on this day, you must definitely ask each other for forgiveness for past grievances. And on the last day of Shrove Tuesday, they burn an effigy that symbolizes winter.

Maslenitsa (or Cheese or Meat Week) prepares believers for the next Great Lent. At this time, the Orthodox are no longer allowed to eat meat, but dairy products can still be consumed. Preparing for fasting, one should not indulge in senseless revelry, gluttony and libation, the Church believes. But to enjoy life and receive simple pleasures from it (in moderation, of course) is not a sin at all.

Why bake pancakes for Maslenitsa?

Pancakes are the main dish of Maslenitsa. In Slavic culture, pancake is considered a symbol of the sun, which wakes up after winter and warms the earth. In order for spring to come into its own as soon as possible, piles of pancakes with different fillings were baked in each house.

Pancakes are also considered funeral pastries. "On Maslenitsa, the first pancake is for peace," they used to say in Rus'. It was customary to commemorate deceased relatives with the first pancake.

What is customary to do on Maslenitsa?

Each day of the Maslenitsa week has its own traditions and names.

Monday - Meeting, February 24, 2020

On the first day of Maslenitsa week, people celebrate Maslenitsa: they make a straw effigy, build slides, set up poles, prepare food for the festive table. And, of course, they start baking pancakes.

Tuesday - Winning, February 25, 2020

The start of the Maslenitsa festivities. On this day, people rode down hills, on sledges and on carousels. Single men flirted with potential wives, went to bridesmaids, so that after Lent they could already have a wedding - on Krasnaya Gorka.

Wednesday – Lakomka, February 26, 2020

On this day, first of all, sons-in-law went to their mother-in-law for pancakes. Although visiting and baking pancakes at Lakomka was accepted not only by the sons-in-law, but in principle by everyone.

Thursday - Razgulay, February 27, 2020

From Razgulyai, the Wide Maslenitsa began. In Rus', on this day, people stopped working and began to have fun: they organized contests, fisticuffs, danced round dances, jumped over the fire, sang songs.

Friday - Mother-in-law evening, February 28, 2020

And on this day, the mother-in-law had to go to visit her son-in-law for pancakes, and her daughter baked pancakes. In Rus', it was customary to take friends with you to visit, before whom you could brag about your son-in-law.

Saturday - Zolovka gatherings, February 29, 2020

At Zolovkin's gatherings, young daughters-in-law hosted guests. Most often, relatives of the husband came to them, or rather his sisters (hence the sister-in-law gatherings). The hostess set the table with treats and gave a gift to the sisters-in-law.

Sunday - Forgiveness Sunday, March 1, 2020

On the last day of Shrovetide week, they saw off the winter - they burned an effigy of straw. On Forgiveness Sunday, close people ask each other for forgiveness for all offenses caused, and in the evening they go to the cemetery and commemorate the dead.

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