When is oil week of the year

16.05.2019

Shrovetide week, Maslenitsa (March 7, 2016) - the colloquial name of Cheese Week - the last week before Great Lent. During Shrovetide, no meat is eaten, but fish and dairy products can be consumed. Shrovetide is a continuous week, fasting on Wednesday and Friday is canceled.

How to celebrate Maslenitsa in 2016

In Russia, Maslenitsa was celebrated as a joyful holiday. At the word "Shrovetide", pictures of merry winter days, filled with din and noise, delicious smells of pancakes, the ringing of bells that adorned elegant troikas, come to mind. The domes of churches shining in the sun, burning like heat, copper samovars, festivities, booths and ceremonial tea drinking under the festive light of the icon lamp near the images.

It is widely believed that Maslenitsa is a holiday (or custom) rather pagan than Orthodox. This is not entirely true.

This preparatory week for Lent is dedicated in the Christian sense to one goal - reconciliation with neighbors, forgiveness of offenses, preparation for a repentant path to God - this is the Christian component of Shrovetide. Shrovetide is the time that needs to be devoted to good communication with neighbors, relatives, friends, and charity.

The Church calls to remember that at no time is it worth having fun, losing your head and conscience.

Let us recall the instruction of St. Tikhon Zadonsky: “Cheese week is the threshold and the beginning of fasting, and therefore the true children of the Church should act in this week in everything much more abstinence than in previous days, although abstinence is always required. Do Christians, however, listen to the sweet words of the loving Mother of their Church? She bequeaths these days to be more reverent, and they are more outraged. She commands to abstain, and they more indulge in intemperance. She commands to sanctify the body and soul, and they defile them more. She orders to complain about the sins committed, and they add more lawlessness. She inspires to propitiate God, and they more anger the Almighty. She appoints fasting, and they overeat and revel more. She offers repentance, and they are more ferocious. I will say again that whoever spends Shrovetide in atrocities becomes an obvious disobedient to the Church and shows himself unworthy of the very name of a Christian. "

"Of course, maslenitsa - this is the time when, according to tradition, people go to visit, communicate over a meal. But you should not destroy yourself with drunkenness or dangerous games at any time, especially in this week of penitence, which prepares a person for Great Lent, ”Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, emphasized in an interview with RIA Novosti.

Lent services begin in churches. On Wednesdays and Fridays, the Divine Liturgy is not celebrated, the Lenten prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian is read: “Lord and Master of my life, give me no spirit of idleness, despondency, love of command and idle talk! Grant the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to me, your servant. She, Lord King, grant me to see my transgressions and not to condemn my brother, for you are blessed forever and ever. Amen". This prayer is repeated many times during all Lenten services.

The last Sunday before the beginning of Great Lent is called the Church of Cheeseweed Week (it is on this day that the consumption of dairy products ends), or Forgiveness Sunday.

On this day, after the evening service in churches, a special rite of forgiveness is performed, when the clergy and parishioners mutually ask each other for forgiveness in order to enter Great Lent with a pure soul, reconciled with all their neighbors.

Shrovetide days in 2016

Monday - March 7

On Monday, the celebration was celebrated, swings, booths and other entertainment establishments for festivities were prepared around the city. In the family, in the morning, the mother-in-law came to teach her daughter how to bake pancakes, the first of which was traditionally left in remembrance of deceased relatives. In large families, the daughter-in-law was sent to her parents in the morning to prepare for the evening visit of the matchmakers.

Tuesday - 8 March

On Tuesday in Russia there were flirtations: single boys and girls looked closely at each other in order to have a wedding after the end of Lent. Wealthy people sent a "call" - a person who invited neighbors with whom the family wanted to intermarry. Refusal to come to visit in this case was considered as a desire to marry the daughter to a representative of another family.

Wednesday - March 9

On Wednesday, the gourmet mother-in-law was supposed to set the table for the son-in-law and all relatives. Families could have up to ten sons-in-law, and the mother-in-law had to feed everyone to the bone. In the evening on this day, in some provinces, women made trips to the villages, sang songs about the generous mother-in-law and played comic performances about her.

Thursday - March 10

On Thursday, revelry began, after family gatherings, people rushed to the booths, to the carousel and the square where the festivities were organized. Fist fights, roller coasters and horseback riding, sledges and other fun carried away everyone, young and old, on this day. In some regions, festively dressed children went to revelry and beg for food in houses and temples.

Friday - March 11

On Friday, the son-in-law invited the mother-in-law to Vespers, it could be a festive dinner for all the wife's relatives or a modest dinner in the family circle. After the mother-in-law's treats, it was impossible to lose face, so the sons-in-law tried to show their respect as much as possible.

Saturday - March 12

The daughter-in-law invited her husband's relatives, his sisters with their families to the sister-in-law's gatherings on Saturday. If the sisters-in-law were not yet married, unmarried girlfriends were invited to the gatherings, and all relatives were invited to visit for the family. On this day, the festivities reached their climax - all the booths were overcrowded.

Sunday - March 13

Shrovetide week ends with Forgiveness Sunday. The strict Great Lent will begin tomorrow. On this day, the newlyweds had to thank all the relatives for the wedding gifts, and the parents - to congratulate the godfather and godfather. On Sunday everyone asked forgiveness from everyone in order to enter the fast with a clear conscience. Also on this day, a straw effigy of Maslenitsa was burned or buried, symbolizing farewell to winter.

Shrovetide in 2016: how to combine with Christianity?

Shrovetide arose as a pagan custom of wiring the 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 adhere to Christianity, but also took root on this soil? Doesn't this indicate that Russian Orthodoxy is still sick with paganism? And instead of sharply dissociating itself from such phenomena as "apple-honey Spas", ritual bathing in Epiphany water, is our Church too loyal to this? Perhaps, if the Church had taken a tougher position on this matter, then unchurched thinking people would have looked at Orthodoxy with great respect and, perhaps, even thought: “What is the Church, then, if not the rituals and traditions that are rejected the churchmen themselves? "

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

Indeed, it originated from the pagan custom of the wire of winter. However, it must be borne in mind 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 principle is to some extent overcoming time. But as for the question of whether Maslenitsa is compatible with Christianity, everything depends on priorities. In itself anxious anticipation of spring, it is difficult to suspect something godly, and none of the most inveterate Shrovetide fans does not see pancakes as a symbol of the sun, unless he is specifically reminded of this. Therefore, if we remain Christians in all our fundamental things, then I ask myself the question: what will be bad if we, in the transition from the annoying winter to the long-awaited spring, modestly note its approach?

Maybe it's bad that the whole non-church world confuses pagan rituals and Orthodox, and the binding of 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 one should refrain even from harmless actions, if they are a temptation for your brother.

I don't think the atheistic world is tempted of this kind. Rather, the opposite is true. People are usually annoyed by the fact that the Church begins to teach: bathing in the baptismal font of the Epiphany is an idle thing, if not harmful.

I am not a supporter of the fact that the Church needs to cancel Shrovetide and remove this word from its dictionary. Maybe it would be good if we did not have a thousand-year tradition of this holiday behind us. No, it is worth leaving Shrovetide, but at the same time adding a purely Christian content there, and simply excluding the bad pagan element. For example, you can make Shrovetide a pretext for a thoughtful attitude to. The church separates itself 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 what we have in common with Christians and other people, including on the basis of Shrovetide, is a spiritual art. On this path, of course, mistakes are possible and even temptations in both directions. It's probably easier to cancel Shrovetide 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 a reason. Likewise, we can meet in different ways. We can paganly hit the gulbische, or we can celebrate the New Year as an occasion to take stock in order to enter the new year with more noble and deeper tasks.

In the ecclesiastical language, this is called the churching of pagan customs. It's the same with Shrovetide. Its celebration can be a form of churching the pagan tradition - to mark the beginnings and ends of time cycles at the same time comprehending the path that we have done during this time, so that it does not possess us, but, if possible, we can. We exist in time. And even as Christians, we distinguish winter from summer, 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 ice-hole at the Epiphany, while half a percent of the population thinks about the Epiphany itself, this is terrible. If on Shrovetide the main thing is various kinds of entertainment, then this is not Christianity, but anti-Christianity.

But I am opposed to splashing the child with water. Time is a complex category of human life that requires a reverent attitude towards itself. We cannot take and cancel the time and instantly enter 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.

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

This is the preparation time for Great Lent, and the content of such preparation depends on what you are going to do by fasting, except, of course, observing certain rules. This is what you might think about in the week before fasting. For example, a confessor of faith, every Great Lent 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 an assignment, and I always had to frantically complete it in Holy Week. Man, unfortunately, is so constructed that he does not lend itself well to systematic strictness. Therefore, “to eat - not to eat” still comes out at the very least, but in order to accomplish something more essential, problems arise.

Shrovetide in 2016 ends with Forgiveness Sunday - a day of torture for a proud person, when you need to make peace with those with whom you quarreled. And in addition to the severity of this duty, the question arises: is there any sense with the mouth to pronounce those words that are not in the heart?

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

Generally speaking, the custom arose among monks and was associated with life in a cenobitic monastery. Living people, especially close ones, in direct communication are simply not able to be only amiable, only courteous, and even more so, only loving. Anyway, something doesn't work out somewhere. And the Chin of forgiveness reveals people very well and brings them closer together.

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 is applicable: if you can't quite sincerely ask for forgiveness, then ask as best you can, just try. And the Lord will not leave a good intention without help.

- this preparatory week for Great Lent is dedicated in the Christian sense to one goal - reconciliation with neighbors, forgiveness of offenses, preparation for a repentant path to God - this is the Christian component of Shrovetide. Butter Week is the colloquial name for Cheese Week - the last week before Great Lent. During Shrovetide, no meat is eaten, but fish and dairy products can be consumed. Shrovetide is a continuous week, fasting on Wednesday and Friday is canceled.

Shrovetide (Photo: Vikenty Godz)

Traditions of celebrating Maslenitsa in 2016

In Russia, Maslenitsa was celebrated as a joyful holiday. At the word "Shrovetide", pictures of merry winter days, filled with din and noise, delicious smells of pancakes, and the ringing of bells that adorned elegant troikas, come to mind. The domes of churches shining in the sun, burning like heat, copper samovars, festivities, booths and ceremonial tea drinking under the festive light of the icon lamp near the images.

It is widely believed that Maslenitsa is a holiday (or custom) rather pagan than Orthodox. This is not entirely true.

The Church calls to remember that at no time is it worth having fun, losing your head and conscience.

“Of course, Shrovetide is a time when, according to tradition, people go to visit, communicate over a meal. But you should not destroy yourself with drunkenness or dangerous games at any time, especially in this week of penitence, which prepares a person for Great Lent, ”Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, emphasized in an interview with RIA Novosti.

The last Sunday before the beginning of Great Lent is called the Church of Cheeseweed Week (it is on this day that the consumption of dairy products ends), or Forgiveness Sunday.

From paganism to Christianity, or How to spend Maslenitsa in 2016

It must be remembered that Cheese Week prepares us for Great Lent - a time of repentance, reflections on human life, on what we still have to do for our spiritual improvement in order to rejuvenate our souls ... Great Lent is a time of exerting spiritual strength, acquiring virtues. Therefore, during wide festivities on Shrovetide, one must be wary of how they would interfere with the preparation for fasting. Any abuse alienates a person from God and from the acquisition of those qualities of the soul for which a Christian aspires.

Archpriest Anatoly Malinin: Shrovetide is usually celebrated by the people as a special time when you can indulge in various games, skating and many different entertainments, which are accompanied by abundant food and drink. Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk, addressing his Voronezh flock, speaks not very approvingly about the celebration of Maslenitsa. He says that almost everyone expects Shrovetide as some kind of great holiday, they prepare various dishes, stock up on wine. And when the celebration comes, each other is invited to visit and visit each other.

What time will the Closing Ceremony of the 2019 Universiade begin, where to watch:

The beginning of the Closing Ceremony of the 2019 Universiade - 20:00 local time, or 16:00 Moscow time .

Live show will show federal TV channel "Match!" ... The start of the live television broadcast is 15:55 Moscow time.

Also, the live broadcast will be available on the channel "Match! Country".

On the Internet, a live online broadcast of the event can be launched on the Sportbox portal.

International Women's Day on March 8 is a memorable date for the UN, and the organization includes 193 states. The memorable dates announced by the General Assembly are intended to stimulate UN members to show increased interest in these events. However, at the moment, not all member states of the United Nations have approved the celebration of Women's Day in their territories on that date.

Below is a list of countries that celebrate International Women's Day. The countries are grouped into groups: in a number of states, the holiday is an official day off (day off) for all citizens, somewhere on March 8 only women have a rest, and there are states where they work on March 8.

In which countries is March 8 a day off (for everyone):

* In Russia - March 8 is one of the most beloved holidays when men congratulate all women without exception.

* In Ukraine - International Women's Day continues to be an additional day off, despite regular proposals to exclude the event from the number of non-working days and replace it, for example, with Shevchenko's Day, which will be celebrated on March 9.
* In Abkhazia.
* In Azerbaijan.
* In Algeria.
* In Angola.
* In Armenia.
* In Afghanistan.
* In Belarus.
* In Burkina Faso.
* In vietnam.
* In Guinea-Bissau.
* In Georgia.
* In Zambia.
* In Kazakhstan.
* In Cambodia.
* In Kenya.
* In Kyrgyzstan.
* In the DPRK.
* In Cuba.
* In Laos.
* In Latvia.
* In Madagascar.
* In Moldova.
* In Mongolia.
* In Nepal.
* In Tajikistan - since 2009, the holiday has been renamed Mother's Day.
* In Turkmenistan.
* In Uganda.
* In Uzbekistan.
* In Eritrea.
* In South Ossetia.

Countries in which March 8 is a day off only for women:

There are countries in which only women are exempted from work on International Women's Day. This rule is approved:

* In China.
* In Madagascar.

Which countries celebrate March 8, but this is a working day:

In some countries, International Women's Day is widely observed, but it is a working day. It:

* Austria.
* Bulgaria.
* Bosnia and Herzegovina.
* Germany - in Berlin, since 2019, March 8 is a day off, in the whole country it is a worker.
* Denmark.
* Italy.
* Cameroon.
* Romania.
* Croatia.
* Chile.
* Switzerland.

In which countries March 8 is NOT celebrated:

* In Brazil - the majority of the inhabitants of which have not even heard of the "international" holiday on March 8. The main event of late February - early March for Brazilians and Brazilians is not Women's Day at all, but the world's largest Brazilian Festival according to the Guinness Book of Records, also called the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. In honor of the festival, the inhabitants of Brazil rest for several days in a row, from Friday to noon on Catholic Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent (which for Catholics has a movable date and begins 40 days before Catholic Easter).

* In the United States, a holiday is not a public holiday. In 1994, an attempt by activists to get the celebration in Congress was unsuccessful.

* In the Czech Republic (Czech Republic) - most of the country's population considers the holiday as a relic of the communist past and the main symbol of the old regime.

Shrovetide traditions and customs:

The essence of the Maslenitsa holiday in the Christian sense is as follows:

Forgiving offenders, restoring good relations with neighbors, sincere and friendly communication with loved ones and relatives, as well as charity - this is what is most important in this Cheese Week.

It is no longer possible to eat meat dishes on Shrovetide, and this is also the first step to fasting. But pancakes are baked and eaten with great pleasure. They are baked unleavened and leavened, on eggs and milk, served with caviar, sour cream, butter or honey.

In general, during the Maslenitsa week, you should have fun and attend festive events (skating, skiing, snow tubing, downhill, horseback riding). Also, it is necessary to devote time to the family - to have fun together with relatives and friends: go somewhere together, "young" should visit their parents, and parents, in turn, come to visit their children.

Maslenitsa date (Orthodox and pagan):

In church tradition Maslenitsa is celebrated for 7 days (weeks) from Monday to Sunday, before the most important Orthodox fast, therefore the event is also called "Maslenitsa week".

The time of Maslenitsa week depends on the beginning of Lent, which celebrates Easter, and is shifted every year in accordance with the Orthodox Church calendar.

So, in 2019, the Orthodox Maslenitsa takes place from March 4, 2019 to March 10, 2019, and in 2020 - from February 24, 2020 to March 1, 2020.

As for the pagan Maslenitsa date, then d zealous Slavs celebrated the holiday according to the solar calendar - at the time of the onset of the astronomical spring, which takes place in ... The Old Russian celebration lasted for 14 days: it began a week before the vernal equinox, and ended a week later.

Description of Maslenitsa celebration:

The tradition of celebrating Maslenitsa with merry festivities has survived to this day.

Most Russian cities host events called "Wide Shrovetide"... In the capital of Russia, Moscow, the central platform for festive festivities is traditionally the Vasilyevsky Spusk of Red Square. Abroad also conduct "Russian Shrovetide", to popularize Russian traditions.
It is accepted, especially on the last Sunday, when workers and students can rest, organize mass holidays as in the old days, with songs, games, wires and the burning of an effigy of Maslenitsa. In Shrovetide towns, stages for performances, places of sale of food (pancakes are required), and souvenir products, attractions for children are organized. Masquerades with mummers and carnival processions are held.

What are the days of Pancake Week, how are they called (name and description):

Every day of Maslenitsa bears its own name and has its own traditions. Below is the title and description for each day.

Monday - Meeting... Since the first day is work, in the evening father-in-law and mother-in-law come to visit the parents of the daughter-in-law... The first pancakes are baked, which can be given to the poor for the commemoration of the dead. On Monday, a straw scarecrow is dressed up and displayed on a hill in the place where the festivities are held. In dances and games, stylized wall-to-wall fistfights are held. The "first pancake" is baked and solemnly eaten to commemorate the soul.

Tuesday - Flirting... The second day is traditionally the day of the young. Festivities of youth, skiing from the mountains ("pokatushki"), matchmaking are the signs of this day. It should be noted that the church forbids Maslenitsa weddings, as well as fasting. Therefore, on Tuesday Maslenitsa, the bride is wooed in order to have a wedding after Easter on Krasnaya Gorka.

Wednesday - Gourmet... On the third day, the son-in-law comes to mother-in-law for pancakes.

Thursday - Razgul, Razguli... On the fourth day, festivities become widespread. Wide Shrovetide - this is the name of the days from Thursday to the end of the week, and the day of generous treats itself is called "Reckless Thursday".

Friday - Mother-in-law's evening... On the fifth day of Maslenitsa week mother-in-law with friends or relatives comes to visit her son-in-law for pancakes... Pancakes, of course, should be baked by her daughter, and the son-in-law should show hospitality. In addition to the mother-in-law, all relatives are invited to visit.

Saturday - Cousin's gatherings... On the sixth day my husband's sisters come to visit (you can also invite other relatives of the husband). It is considered good form not only to feed the guests abundantly and tasty, but also to give gifts to the sister-in-law.

Sunday - Seeing Off, Goodbye Sunday... On the last (seventh) day, before Great Lent, one should repent and show mercy. All relatives and friends ask each other for forgiveness. In places of public celebrations, carnival processions are organized. The Scarecrow of Shrovetide is solemnly burned, thus turning into a beautiful Spring. With the onset of darkness, festive fireworks are launched.

In churches, the rite of forgiveness is also performed at the evening service on Sunday, when the priest asks for forgiveness from church ministers and parishioners. All believers, in turn, ask for forgiveness and bow to each other. In response to a request for forgiveness, they say "God will forgive."

What happens at the end of the Maslenitsa celebration:

And at the end of the Maslenitsa holiday, one of the most important fasts begins for Orthodox believers. We all remember the saying: " Not everything for the cat is Maslenitsa - there will also be Great Lent ".

Shrovetide is one of the funniest holidays of the year - festivities, fairs, scarecrow burning and pancakes. This is how people say goodbye to winter and enjoy the first warm days of spring. The solemn welcome of spring lasts seven days, and during this week preparations are underway for the purification of the soul and body.

In 2016 Maslenitsa will be celebrated from 7 to 13 March. Traditionally, Maslenitsa heralds the beginning of Lent before Easter. At this time, it is important to make peace with family and friends if there is a disagreement. All offenses should be omitted on Shrovetide - this is the deep meaning of the holiday.

Maslenitsa week 2016

March 7 - Meeting. This is the first day of Cheese Week. On Monday, empty pancakes are baked for the commemoration of the dead. They also decorate the Scarecrow of the holiday with ribbons and display them at the fair.

March 8 - Flirting. This is the day of matchmaking and flirting. On Tuesday, the hostesses bake pancakes with baking. According to tradition, the newlyweds should slide down the ice mountain, and free girls and boys look closely at each other.

March 9 - Gourmet. Hospitality Day. Pancakes with a variety of fillings are placed on the table. People visit, sing songs and organize contests.

March 10 - Take a walk. On this day, men demonstrate their strength and dexterity. They take part in fist fights, snow battles. At such events, they get rid of all the negativity that has accumulated over the year.

March 11 - Mother-in-law evenings. The day when the mother-in-law and father-in-law visit a young family. The mother-in-law tries her daughter's pancakes, and the son-in-law shows his affection and respect.

March 12 - Sisters-in-law's gatherings. On Saturday, unmarried girls bake sweet pancakes and spend the evening with their happily married friends.

March 13 - Forgiveness Sunday. On this day, old grievances are forgotten, they ask for forgiveness for the disagreements. A scarecrow of winter is also burned as a sign of farewell. This is how the Maslenitsa holiday is seen off.

The year 2016 has just arrived. New Year's holidays are over, Maslenitsa is ahead. For both children and adults, this is one of the long-awaited holidays. A satisfying and fun week of traditional festivities and delicious treats.

When does Maslenitsa start in 2016? What date? This time we meet her from 7 to 13 March.

For a long time, people have been celebrating a holiday on which they see off the winter - they say goodbye to the cold, snow and frost; and they meet the warm spring - they rejoice on the warmer clear days. The Feast of Oil is preceded by Great Lent, and later - by the Bright Resurrection of Christ, i.e., Easter.

There is information on which Shrovetide is referred to a pagan holiday. Maybe it was so, but today this holiday is Christian. In the days of Kievan Rus Maslenitsa was referred to as a "conciliatory" holiday: they prepared for repentance before the Almighty, forgave offenses before their neighbors. In those days, the celebrations reached several weeks, each of which had its own name. Nowadays, the celebration lasts only a week, but every day has its own special purpose and name.

On Monday we met Maslenitsa. They prepared a scarecrow, which then waited a week for its fate. They baked pancakes, treated loved ones.

On Tuesday, special attention was paid to the newlyweds. There were fun games, sledding. From what came the name "Flirting".

On Wednesday, the sons-in-law went to the mother-in-law for pancakes. The day was called "Lakomka" because the guest had to serve the most delicious dishes.

Thursday - "Take a walk". A fun day with songs and round dances.

On Friday, the son-in-law invited his mother-in-law to dinner - "Mother-in-law's evening".

Saturday - "Cousin's Gatherings". If a girl is married, she invited married girlfriends and sisters of her husband, if single, only unmarried girlfriends.

Sunday - "Forgiveness Sunday". The most active day, fun festivities, massive eating of pancakes. A scarecrow of Shrovetide was burned, everyone rejoices in spring.

Thus, the celebration turns into a whole week of exciting events. This is a great time to see family and friends. Make concessions and forgive long-standing grudges. The richer you want to spend the year, the more pancakes you need to bake and eat with a wide variety of fillings: honey, cottage cheese or jam. Be sure to make hearty pancakes with cheese, mushrooms or caviar. Pancakes are even stuffed with fish and various cereals (mostly buckwheat).

In the villages, as a rule, celebrations are more magnificent than in the city. They arrange swimming in ice holes, sledding, fistfights. They choose the most durable pillar, douse it with water, and brave brave men must climb it and take off their tied boots. But most importantly, everyone's favorite pastime is eating pancakes, especially when it happens in the form of a competition - a race. In the cities, on the squares, as a rule, they arrange a big promenade only on Forgiveness Sunday.

Wherever you live, it is important not only to have fun, but also to observe the traditions of the holiday: meet guests more often and visit yourself, bake pancakes every day and treat them to those you don't even know.

It is worth preparing for Shrovetide from the beginning of March. The house should be clean and tidy. On the shelves, groats, flour, sour cream, butter, sweets and treats have already been prepared.

Remember that no meat is allowed throughout the week. Everyone eats pancakes, fish and dairy products in unlimited quantities.

And one more very important moment of the celebration: on Shrovetide, you should not use a knife or even a fork. Eating pancakes throughout the week is worth only with your hands - for this time, you should set aside the rules of etiquette.

And remember - the more pancakes you bake and eat during the week, the more satisfying and richer you will live the year until the next Maslenitsa.