For expectant mother 

Shrovetide history. Brief information about Shrovetide

When this cheerful holiday, Maslenitsa, comes, it is always accompanied by fun, festivities and that is why Maslenitsa is so loved by the Russian people.

Favorite holiday

Shrovetide in Russia and in Russia has always been accompanied and accompanied to this day by a cheerful mood and joy, it is celebrated on a grand scale and with an abundance of various delicacies, including pancakes, pies and cheese cakes. Shrovetide is celebrated everywhere: in villages and towns. It was believed that non-participation in it threatened that a person could incur disaster. On Shrovetide, it is customary to eat a lot of fatty and unhealthy foods, it is allowed to indulge in heady drinks and go to visit. Perhaps that is why it was and remains a favorite Russian holiday.

Shrovetide history

The history of the holiday dates back to antiquity. Shrovetide is an ancient Slavic holiday, which is firmly rooted in the everyday life of people and after Strangely enough, the Slavs celebrated the New Year with Maslenitsa, because until the 16th century the year began not from January, but from March. Pancakes among the Slavs were associated with the sun: round, ruddy and hot. In the life of Russian people, Maslenitsa week was the brightest, funniest and most carefree. The entire Russian people amused themselves with dancing, sleigh rides, various fairs, admired mobile theaters, took part in fist fights and honored newlyweds. Over time, new holidays began to appear, but Maslenitsa continued to be celebrated on a grand scale, not skimping on treats.

During the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, many measures were taken to calm down the daring subjects, but all attempts were in vain.

A great lover of fun, Peter I tried to connect this holiday with European traditions: Italian carnival processions, buffoonery performances, noisy feasts. Only in one year (1724) Maslenitsa failed due to severe frosts and snowstorms: the carnival procession could not be organized, since the guests in costumes and masks were too cold on the streets of St. Petersburg.

On Shrovetide, every day of the week is accompanied by its own special ceremony.

So, on Monday it is customary to celebrate Maslenitsa: to dress up a straw effigy and dress in women's clothing.

On Tuesday Shrovetide - festivities, sleigh rides from icy hills. Large crowds of people went to fairs, laughed at the performances of puppet theaters and wandered around the guests.

Wednesday - gourmet. In every house, a table was laid with all kinds of treats: pancakes, pies, beer. At the fairs you could treat yourself to nuts, gingerbread, honey.

Thursday falls in the middle of the fun. It was on this day that the most spectacular fistfights took place, with their own strict rules and restrictions. By the way, Ivan the Terrible was very fond of such entertainments and this day was especially solemn and cheerful.

On Friday, we tried to speed up weddings and find a single couple. It was also on this day that the mother-in-law invited the sons-in-law for pancakes and pies.

On Saturday, sister-in-law and young daughters-in-law preferred to gather and arranged gatherings at the table.

On Sunday of that week, when Maslenitsa is celebrated, it is accepted by everyone for committed acts or accidental offenses. That is why the last day of the week is called "Forgiveness Sunday".

There are no clear dates for the celebration: they are mobile and different every year. Therefore, speaking about when Maslenitsa is celebrated, we cannot name a specific number, but we will give guidelines: this is the eighth week before Great Lent. The entire week is accompanied by delicious food and drinks, thus preparing believers for fasting.

Festivities

Shrovetide has always been accompanied by cheerful and carefree festivities. In Russia, it was considered a riotous, ruinous week. The villagers, young and old, preferred to relax this week, tobogganing, downhill slides, dressing up a straw woman in clothes, and carrying her on a sleigh. Also fairs were held, where everyone considered it his duty to buy necessary and unnecessary trinkets. Treats were sold in the squares - pancakes with all kinds of fillings: sour cream, honey and caviar. You could treat yourself to beer or hot tea. Famous fist fights, masquerades were arranged, mummers were walking. When Maslenitsa is celebrated, everyone has a good and cheerful mood.

Signs and customs

Shrovetide (when it is celebrated, we have already found out) is the time when all customs and signs are associated with pancakes.

  • It is believed that if pancakes do not work out, then expect trouble and misfortune, but if the food is hot and ruddy, luck and happiness will accompany the family.
  • A lot of pancakes - to enrichment and prosperity, few - the year will be lean and difficult.
  • All year round, there will be no quarrels between the son-in-law and the mother-in-law if she feeds him delicious pancakes. Otherwise, quarrels cannot be avoided. But the father-in-law is often forgotten, because it is he who should invite the son-in-law to "finish the ram" on Sunday, that is, to a meat dinner.
  • It is customary to treat all friends and acquaintances with pancakes, as well as to commemorate the dead by eating the first pancake in their honor.
  • Swings were considered one of the most favorite entertainments on Shrovetide. It is generally accepted that the higher the swing rises, the richer the harvest will be. The slides were not spared either: the longer you drive, the longer flax will grow in the fields.
  • It was also believed that if, when Maslenitsa is celebrated, the festivities are accompanied by rain, then a rich harvest of mushrooms in the forests can be expected. And if it is frosty and cold on Shrovetide, then the summer will be warm.
  • It was customary to celebrate Maslenitsa days on a grand scale, not skimping on treats. If you meet Shrovetide with sadness, without having fun from the heart, then the rest of the year will be boring and dreary.

Attribute

The invariable attribute of Maslenitsa is Kostroma. This is a fictional character who has become the epitome of spring and fertility. They created it with straw, most often the stuffed animal had the face of a girl. The "funeral" of the stuffed animal was carried out in a parody form. He was laid on boards or stretchers. They carried it around the village, brought it to the church, then to the river and into the forest. The girls covered their heads with white kerchiefs and "mourned the deceased." At the head of the procession were guys dressed as priests, in bast shoes and with a censer. Often such "funerals" ended with drowning or the burning of an effigy at the stake. This whole rite is associated with the idea of ​​the spring rebirth of nature. It was believed that without this rite, nature would be unfavorable to the inhabitants of the villages, the summer would be damp or dry, which would entail poor harvests and, accordingly, poverty and ruin.

The days of Maslenitsa among the Russian people were considered days of celebration, unrestrained fun, partying. Shrovetide was a favorite holiday for many villagers, associated with the arrival of spring, the revival of the forces of nature. Residents have been looking forward to this week in order to eat their fill of tasty and fatty food before the strict fast. Also on Shrovetide it was customary to have fun, ride a sleigh, honor old people and newlyweds, and, of course, eat hot and ruddy pancakes. Today Maslenitsa has lost its significance a little, but, nevertheless, in the soul of the Russian people it remains a cheerful, riotous and "tasty" holiday.

Since ancient times, winter has been a real test for man: it gets dark early, cold, and sometimes hungry.

Therefore, among the ancient Slavs, the arrival of spring is a very joyful event that should certainly be celebrated noisily in order to overcome the insidious Winter as soon as possible.

For this, cheerful mass festivities were arranged.

There are several versions of the origin of such a name for the holiday. The most popular is the following: on the week of the festivities, people tried to cajole, that is, to appease the spring. Hence the name - "Maslenitsa".

According to another version, the Shrovetide holiday received this name after the arrival of Christianity. It is forbidden to eat meat 8 weeks before Easter, but it is allowed to eat dairy products. Therefore, the Slavs baked pancakes, pouring abundant oil on them.

They did not dare to cancel the pagan holiday, it was too important for ordinary residents. Christian leaders decided to "attach" it to Easter. In the Christian interpretation, the Maslenitsa seven-day is a week of reconciliation, forgiveness and preparation for Great Lent.

Shrovetide traditions

At first, ordinary round cakes were baked from wheat flour and water, and only in the 19th century they were replaced with lacy pancakes. The round yellow pancakes represent the sun. Therefore, eating a pancake means swallowing a piece of the sun, its tenderness, generosity and warmth.

Baking such "suns" was also considered a kind of ritual to attract the sun. It is believed that the more pancakes are cooked and eaten, the faster spring will come.

Besides making pancakes, there are other rituals of sun worship. For example, the inhabitants performed a variety of ritual actions that are based on the magic of the circle. Young people on horse-drawn sleighs drove around the village several times, driving away evil spirits.

Another indispensable attribute of the Shrovetide holiday was the bear. What is the connection between them? It turns out that the bear is a symbol of spring. Therefore, one man was dressed up in a bearskin and during the mass festivities he danced with his fellow villagers.

Each day of the celebrations had its own rituals:

Monday- a meeting. They began to make an effigy of Maslenitsa, dressed it in women's clothing and took it around the village on a sleigh. Then the scarecrow was placed on a snow hill, where sledding began.

Tuesday- overplay. Various entertainments began: folk festivals, sleigh rides and performances. On the streets you can meet large groups of mummers, who in cheerful masks drove around their homes and arranged impromptu concerts.

Wednesday- gourmet. In every house, tables were set with delicious food, pancakes were baked and beer was brewed. Theaters appeared in the village and trade stalls were set up, where they sold hot nuts, sbitni and gingerbread.

Thursday- revelry. This is the middle of games and fun. It is believed that Maslenitsa fistfights could have taken place on this day.

Friday- mother-in-law's evening. The mother-in-law baked her signature pancakes and arranged a real feast for her beloved son-in-law. Sometimes "mother-in-law pancakes" were held on Wednesday. Then on Friday it was the turn of the son-in-law to invite the mother-in-law to pancakes.

Saturday- sister-in-law's gatherings: the daughters-in-law received relatives at home and treated everyone to delicious pancakes.

Sunday- kissing person, forgiven day, farewell. On the last day of the week, friends and relatives asked for forgiveness for accidental and deliberate grief and grievances.

Pancake week is a pagan holiday, the traditions of which are still observed today. After all, the arrival of spring marks the birth of a new life, new hopes and dreams, which is very important for absolutely everyone.

The history of Shrovetide is rooted deep in antiquity. Maslenitsa is an ancient Slavic holiday that we inherited from pagan culture, preserved even after the adoption of Christianity. It is believed that initially it was 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 ancient times, the New Year (agricultural) began with the spring equinox - the night of March 21-22. It was to this time that the rituals of Maslenitsa were timed - "the only major pre-Christian holiday that was not timed to coincide with a Christian holiday and did not receive a new interpretation." The antiquity of the Maslenitsa rites is confirmed by the fact that this holiday (in one form or another) has survived among many Indo-European peoples.

So, in Switzerland, Maslenitsa is associated with dressing up. These are, first of all, terrifying masks, the origin of which was associated with ancient beliefs. These include "smoke", "motley", "shaggy", or "coming out of the chimney" (in beliefs, perfume penetrated through the chimney). For the holiday, painted wooden masks were made with bared teeth and scraps of wool and fur, which made an eerie impression. The appearance of the mummers on the street was preceded by the ringing of bells hanging from their belts. The mummers were holding long sticks with attached bags of ash and soot. The sounds they made were like roars, growls, or grunts. According to the Swiss ethnographers R. Weiss, K. Hansemann and K. Meili, these masks served in ancient times as the embodiment of the dead, were associated with the cult of ancestors and belonged to male unions. The mummers smeared the oncoming ones with soot or doused them with water - actions associated in the past with the magic of fertility.

In Poland, the mummers dressed in inverted casings, and took "turonya" and "goat" around the courtyards. They also smeared soot on their faces.

Maslenitsa processions of mummers were common in Czechoslovakia. In Slovakia, this procession was led by the Turon. The mummers smeared the passers-by with soot and sprinkled them with ashes.

In Yugoslavia, mummers dressed in sheepskin clothes, with fur outside, "decorated" with thorny branches, animal tails, bells. Masks were made of leather, wood, and even metal. Among zoomorphic masks, masks with horns are especially widespread. Moreover, masks and bells were inherited from father to son.

In the Netherlands, on Shrovetide, farmers collect unbroken horses. They are carefully cleaned, and bright paper flowers are woven into their manes and tails. Then the participants of the holiday get on the horses and gallop to the seashore, and the horse must soak his feet.

In Germany, mummers and girls harnessed to the plow and walked with him through all the alleys of the city. In Munich, when transferring butchers' apprentices to apprentices on Oil Monday, the apprentices were dressed in sheep's fur trimmed with calf tails. They tried to spray everyone around with water from the fountain. The former meaning of these actions is a fertility spell. The number of oil mummers often included a married couple or a groom and a bride, and earlier elements of the wedding ceremony were also included. (Celibacy among the people was often perceived as a vice that could affect the fertility of the soil). In the oil dances of the Luzhich people, it was believed that one must dance briskly, jump high, so that the flax was born high. In Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia, after an oil supper, when the whole family got together, they hung a boiled egg on a string above the table and swayed it in a circle: each of those present tried to touch it with their lips or teeth. They believed that this "custom contributed to a good harvest, an increase in the number of livestock and poultry. In Slovenia, on Shrovetide, everyone, both young and old, had to dance and jump in order for the turnip to grow well, and the higher the dancers jump, the more abundant the harvest was. For the same purpose, the mummers danced and jumped in. It was believed that swinging on a swing, on ropes woven from plants, or directly on the branches of trees, also contributes to the fertility of the earth, the health of people and the fight against evil forces.

In a number of places in Slovenia, dishes that were in use on the last day of Maslenitsa were not washed, but during sowing they sown from them - they believed that this would bring a rich harvest. And, finally, in Bulgaria during the cheese week they swayed on a swing, which, according to belief, brought health. Throughout the whole cheesy week, the boys and girls went out of the village in the dark, sat down on some level place, facing the east, and sang songs. Then they had a round dance and continued to sing songs of love content. The folk explanation for the custom is "for fertility and health."

All these facts indicate that Maslenitsa, as a holiday of the beginning of the year - spring, took shape back in the common Indo-European period, no later than the turn of the 4th - 3rd millennium BC. This is evidenced not only by the traditions of European peoples, preserved up to the present day, but also by the traditions of India, which came from ancient times.

In ancient Indian rituals, many elements of Maslenitsa (and subsequent Easter) are traced in one of the brightest holidays on the border of winter and spring - Holi, which was celebrated in February-March (the end of the cold season). NR Guseva emphasizes that "all ritual actions of the holiday are inseparable from the magic of fertility and historically go back to the pre-Indian period of the life of the Aryans. passed into the Easter rituals of the Slavic peoples. " As an example of such common rituals of Easter and Holi, N.R. Guseva cites the custom of painting eggs in the red color of the Slavs and pouring paint over each other from the Indians. Moreover: "for both those and others, red is necessarily used as the color of reproduction of people and animals, and this serves as one of the clearest remnants of the magic of fertility." In addition to Easter elements, in the Indian holiday of Holi, there are a large number of ritual actions characteristic of the East Slavic Maslenitsa. This is a whole series of behavioral manifestations, which, apparently, developed in ancient times: singing obscene songs of erotic content, performing fertility dances, drinking alcoholic beverages, preparing ritual food from dough and cottage cheese. In India, during the Holi holiday, the Kholiki effigy, which is made of straw, is necessarily burned. For the fire, they collect brushwood, straw, old things, cow dung. The bonfire is set on fire with the fire that everyone brings from home, and everyone dances around it.

But, according to Russian tradition, on Shrovetide it was allowed to sing obscene songs full of erotic allusions. VK Sokolova writes: "On the farewell to Maslenitsa on the Tavda River, the main managers stripped naked and pretended to wash in a bath. In the Ishim district 60 years ago there was a" Maslenitsa king "who made" speeches in Adam's costume. " that they were exposed even in severe frosts, and this was done not by boys, not inveterate mischievous people, but elderly respected people. " In the Russian North, on Shrovetide, as in India during the Holi holiday, bonfires were burned. Moreover, the material for the fire was hay, straw, old things. In the Belozersk district of the Novgorod province, the girls tried to get hay and straw secretly, stealing from their neighbors. Here they did not add cow dung to the fire, but they smeared it on the bottom of the baskets and the lower part of the wooden blocks, on which they rolled down the icy mountains. The Maslenitsa effigy, like Holiki, was made of straw and burned. In the Vologda province, such a rite was widespread in the Kadnikovsky, Vologda, Kubensky and Nikolsky districts. On Maslenitsa, mummers in the Vologda province often poured ashes and ashes on the floor of the hut and danced on them, and also smeared with soot and sprinkled ashes and ashes on all participants in the ceremony. In the Indian tradition, there is a custom during Holi to take a handful of ash from a fire, sprinkle it on the floor in the house and throw pinches of ash at each other.

Ritual actions on Maslenitsa in the Russian North were varied. So V.K.Sokolova, in connection with the wires of Maslenitsa, notes the following main points:

Lighting bonfires;
Seeing off - funeral;
Customs associated with newlyweds;
Horseback riding and from the icy mountains;
Festive meal - pancakes;
Remembrance of departed parents.

1. Lighting fires. Some reports say that the material for the fire had to be stolen. It is possible that this is a very ancient relic - to collect everything for the sacred fires in secret (such a custom was observed when collecting materials for the Kupala bonfires of Ukrainians and Belarusians). The material for the fires was taken to a fallow field, to a hill, and a fire was lit at dusk. Under the influence of the custom of stealing material for a fire, they also began to steal logs for an ice slide - "coils". This was done in the village of Kokshenga, Nikolsky district, Vologda province.

2. Seeing off - funeral. Shrovetide is a holiday associated with the commemoration of the dead. The fistfights that are held on Shrovetide are also one of the elements of the memorial rite. Bonfires that are burned on Shrovetide (made of straw and old things) were also in ancient times associated with the cult of ancestors, since it was believed that ritually a person must have died on straw. Among the characters of Shrovetide (as well as Christmastide) were necessarily: ancestors ("elders", "deceased"), strangers ("beggars"). They were the ones who "buried the dead", who was portrayed by one of the men. All the girls were forced to kiss him on the lips. This funeral service was very often expressed in the most sophisticated "square" swearing, which was ritual and, it was believed, contributed to fertility. The mummers dressed in tattered clothes, rags, in tattered fur coats, attached humps ("elders"), covered themselves with a canopy ("horse"), smeared with coal and soot. Arriving at the hut, they danced in silence or imitated the howl and the sound of musical instruments with their voice. The mummers could ride around the village on a broomstick, on grips.

3. Customs associated with newlyweds. DK Zelenin believed that some elements of the Maslenitsa rituals "testify to the fact that once this holiday coincided with the end of the wedding period. punishments for those who failed to take advantage of the just ended wedding period. " He noted that Vyunishnik, that is, singing songs with congratulations to the newlyweds, in some places also falls on Shrovetide. One of the most common in the XIX - early XX century. customs - riding the newlyweds from the mountain on a sled "rolling". The skating of young people from the icy mountains has been especially stable in the Russian North (Arkhangelsk, Vologda, Olonets provinces). This skating was of particular importance here. The young woman, as a rule, having climbed the mountain, bowed low three times and, sitting on her husband's lap, kissed him. Rolling down the mountain, the young woman once again kissed her husband. It was believed that for the fertility of the young, it was necessary to plant directly on the snow, everyone who rolled down the mountain piled on them, they were buried in a snowdrift. In this ceremony, the newlyweds were clearly demonstrated the truth: "To live life is not a field to cross." In ancient times, skiing from the mountains was attributed to magical significance. Until the beginning of the 20th century, in many regions of Russia, people continued to ride from the mountains on spinning wheels (or the bottoms of spinning wheels) "on a long flax." So in the Kubensky district, married women rode from the mountains.

4. This circle of rituals also includes horse riding, which was decorated with ribbons, painted arcs, and expensive bells. Sleds were traditionally covered with sheepskin fur outside, which were also considered to stimulate fertility.

5. Festive meal - pancakes. VK Sokolova writes: “Some researchers saw in pancakes an echo of a solar cult - a sign of the reviving sun. But this opinion has no serious basis. Pancakes are indeed ritual food in origin, but they were not directly related to Maslenitsa and the sun, but with the cult of ancestors, which was part of the Shrovetide rite. " The Saturday before Maslenitsa was celebrated as parental. On this day, pancakes were baked (they began to bake). In some villages, the first pancake was put on the goddess - "parents", this pancake was smeared with honey, cow's butter and sprinkled with granulated sugar. Sometimes the first pancake was carried to the churchyard and laid on the grave. It must be remembered that pancakes are an obligatory meal at funerals and at the commemoration of the souls of the dead. Moreover, pancakes became a sign of Maslenitsa only among Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians did not have such a thing. In connection with ritual pancakes, it is worth paying attention to the fact that the inhabitants of the mountains of Afghanistan - Kalash, who are considered the heirs of "the most ancient pre-Vedic ideology of the first Indo-European immigrants on the subcontinent", bake three cakes during the holiday "chaumos" (an analogue of the Russian Maslenitsa), intended for the souls of the dead. And here it is worth remembering the text of the Mahabharata, which tells the ancient myth of how the sacrifice to the ancestors appeared and why the ancestors are called "pinda", that is, cakes. This myth says that when "the land surrounded by the ocean once disappeared," the Creator raised it, taking the form of a boar-boar. (Recall that one of the Christian saints who replaced the ancient god Veles-Troyan was named Vasily and was the patron saint of pig breeding). So, having raised the primordial matter from the depths of the cosmic ocean, the Creator saw that three clods of earth had adhered to his fangs. Of these, he made three cakes and uttered the following words:

"I am the creator of the world, I raised myself to produce ancestors.
Thinking about the supreme law of the sacrifice ritual, to the ancestors,
Taking out the ground, I dropped these cakes from my fangs to the south side,
Ancestors arose from them.
These three cakes are formless, may the eternal ancestors created by me in the world be formless.
Let them know me as a father, grandfather and great-grandfather,
Staying here in three cakes. Singer, such is his charter that ancestors are known as flat cakes.
And according to the word of the Creator, they constantly receive worship. "

6. Remembrance of departed parents. The preparation of ritual food - pancakes is directly related to the commemoration of deceased parents. Even P.V. In the 19th century, Shane emphasized that peasants believed that "the custom of baking pancakes is a reliable way of communication with the other world." This is an obligatory meal for funerals, commemorations, weddings, Christmastide and Shrovetide, that is, days, in one way or another, associated with the worship of ancestors. VC. Sokolova notes that: "In the first half of the 19th century, the custom of giving the first pancake to deceased parents or remembering them with pancakes, apparently, was widespread." Probably, here we have an echo of the ancient myth cited above, according to which the first ancestors arose from three lumps of earth, turned by the Creator into cakes. Thus, the first pancake, apparently, is a symbol of a lump of earth and great-grandfather, that is, the Creator or Santa Claus.

Therefore, ritual feeding with pancakes is the prerogative of Santa Claus and the days associated with his ritual worship. Since Maslenitsa was associated with the commemoration of deceased relatives and was characterized by the ritual atrocities of mummers, there is nothing surprising in the fact that up to the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. some archaic elements of the behavior of the mummers were preserved in domestic rituals. It has already been noted that mummers "sorcerers" could ride naked on a stick, broom, poker. But at the turn of the century in the Totem district there was a custom in which naked women, before sunrise, went around the house on a hook three times (to survive bugs and cockroaches). And in the Cherepovets district, every owner of the house was obliged "to go around the hut on the broomstick in the morning so that no one would see, and there would be every good in the house for a whole year."

As a holiday associated with the cult of ancestors, givers of fertility, Maslenitsa in ancient times lasted not 8 days, but 14, that is, it marked the day of the ancestors (the day of the ancestors - 28 days or the lunar month), who returned to the living world to help their descendants. The fact that Maslenitsa lasted 14 days is evidenced by the message of one of the foreigners who visited Russia in 1698. He wrote that "Shrovetide reminds me of the Italian carnival, which at the same time and in the same way is sent." Coming to the world of the living just for a day from their own world, the "parents", led by Troyan, not only increase the life-giving power of the Earth, but also acquire new powers themselves. After all, pancakes, oatmeal jelly, honey, colored eggs, milk, cottage cheese, cereals are food not only for the living, but also for the ancestors who came to visit them on Shrovetide. Tasting the ritual meal, Santa Claus turns from the lord of cold and night into the Lord of spring and morning of the year - Troyan. He has yet to show again all three of his faces: youth - spring - creation; summer - maturity - conservation; winter - old age - destruction, and hence the possibility of new creation.

Based on the foregoing, all Shrovetide events should not go beyond the tradition, these are:
Ritual evening or night bonfires made of straw on hills, fields or poles (bonfires in the form of "Segner's wheel" are possible);
Swinging on Russian swings, throwing boards, fistfights;
Horseback riding and sleigh rides;
Riding from icy mountains on the bottoms of spinning wheels, on spinning wheels, in baskets, on wooden dies, swinging on a Russian swing;
Treats: pancakes, oatmeal jelly, beer, honey, cottage cheese, milk, cereals (oatmeal, barley, wheat);
Ritual rounds of mummers.

Characters of Maslenitsa dressing up:

Ancestors - "elders", "deceased", "tall old women".
Strangers - "beggars", "hunter", "devil" (all black with horns).
Young - "bride and groom", "pregnant woman".
Animals - "Bull", "Cow", "Horse", "Goat", "Elk", "Bear", "Dogs", "Wolves".
Birds - "Goose", "Goose", "Crane", "Duck", "Chicken".

The mummers "baked pancakes," "churned butter," "threshed peas," "ground flour," "measured straw." They "married the young", "buried the dead". The "grandfathers" put the girls on the laps of the guys, "married them". Those girls who did not obey them, the "grandfathers" beat with brooms, forced to kiss themselves. They poured water over everyone.

This is the ancient Maslenitsa holiday.

According to its custom, the church "appointed" its own to the place of the pagan holiday, deliberately shifting the boundaries of Lent for this. After that, Maslenitsa was perceived by the Christian church as actually a religious holiday and was called Cheese or Cheese Week, but this did not change its inner essence. The 19th century ethnographer I.M.Snegirev believed that Shrovetide in pagan times accompanied the celebrations in honor of the pagan god Veles, the patron saint of cattle breeding and agriculture, which fell on February 24 in a new style.

For the Slavs, this holiday has long been a meeting of the new year! Indeed, until the XIV century, the year in Russia began in March. And according to old beliefs, it was believed: how a person meets a year, so he will be. Therefore, the Russians did not skimp on this holiday for a generous feast and unrestrained fun. And the people called Maslenitsa "honest", "broad", "gluttonous", and even "ruinous". And the name "Maslenitsa" itself appeared only in the 16th century. It arose because this week, according to the Orthodox tradition, meat is already excluded from food, and dairy products can still be consumed - here they bake butter pancakes.

Maslyanitsa is a holiday not only for the Slavs, but also for almost all of Europe. The tradition of celebrating the arrival of spring has been preserved in different cities and countries, from Siberia to Spain. In the countries of Western Europe, Maslenitsa smoothly turns into a nationwide carnival, where quarrels and disputes cease during the celebration, unrestrained fun, laughter and humor reign everywhere.

In Scotland, on Shrovetide, it was customary to bake "lean cakes". A handful of oatmeal was poured into the palms folded together, then the flour was firmly squeezed in the palms and immersed in cold water, and the resulting ball was baked in the hearth right in the hot ash. The Scots consider baking pancakes to be an important act in which all family members try to take part: one greases the pan with butter, another pours dough on it, the third turns the pancake over ...

In one of the cities of England, for many years, a women's pancake race has been held. At 11.45, the "pancake bell" is ringing. Every woman runs with a hot skillet and a pancake. Competition rules dictate that competitors must be at least 18 years old; each must have an apron and a kerchief; while running, you need to toss the pancake in the pan at least three times and catch it. The first woman to give a pancake to the bell ringer becomes the champion of the pancake race for a year and is rewarded with ... the kiss of the bell ringer.

Theatrical performances and concerts are held in schools in Denmark these days. Schoolchildren exchange signs of friendship, send comic letters to their friends through acquaintances without specifying a return address. If a boy receives such a letter from a girl and guesses her name, then on Easter she will give him chocolate.

If the main characters of the Russian Maslenitsa were newlyweds, then in Eastern Europe they were bachelors. Beware, bachelors, Maslenitsa. Especially if you happen to find yourself in Poland at this time. Proud Polish women, having lulled your vigilance with pancakes, donuts, brushwood and vodka, will certainly drag you by the hair for dessert. On the last day of Maslenitsa, you can go to a tavern, where the violinist will "sell" unmarried girls.

And in the Czech Republic, these cheerful days, young guys with faces smeared with soot go around the whole village to music, carrying a painted wooden block - "klatik". It is hung on each girl's neck or tied to an arm or leg. If you want to pay off, pay.

In Yugoslavia, you will certainly be put in a pig's trough and dragged around the village. And on the roof of your own house, you can find the figure of a straw grandfather.

Catherine II was very fond of skiing from the mountain, merry-go-rounds, swings, they were arranged in Moscow at the Pokrovsky Palace, where the empress loved to go to Shrovetide with the whole court. And on the occasion of her coronation, imitating Peter I, she organized a grandiose masquerade procession called "Triumphant Minerva" in Moscow at Masleni week. For three days a masquerade procession traveled around the city, which, according to the empress's plan, was supposed to represent various social vices - bribery, embezzlement, bureaucratic red tape and others, destroyed by the beneficial rule of the wise Catherine. The procession consisted of four thousand characters and two hundred chariots.

And when Catherine II waited for the birth of her grandson Alexander, to whom she secretly intended to transfer the throne, bypassing her unloved son Paul, the Empress, to celebrate, arranged a truly "diamond" carnival for her entourage. Those who were the winners in the games started after supper were presented with a diamond by the empress. During the evening, she presented her associates with about 150 diamonds, striking in their price and rare beauty.

Shrovetide falls on the week preceding Great Lent. Therefore, at this time, a person takes away his soul on the eve of a difficult and long Great Lent. Shrovetide is, first of all, plentiful and satisfying food. Therefore, there is nothing shameful in eating at this time, trying a wide variety of dishes and not deny yourself anything. In traditional life, it was always believed that a person who spent the Maslenitsa week badly and boredom would be unlucky throughout the year. Unbridled Shrovetide gluttony and fun are seen as a magical harbinger of future well-being, prosperity and success in all business, household and economic endeavors. The beginning of Shrovetide ranges from February 3 (i.e. January 21, old style) to March 14 (March 1, old style).

Shrovetide is a cheerful farewell to winter, illuminated by the joyful expectation of close warmth, spring renewal of nature. Even pancakes, an indispensable attribute of Shrovetide, had ritual significance: round, ruddy, hot, they were a symbol of the sun, which flared up brighter and brighter, lengthening the days. Centuries passed, life changed, with the adoption of Christianity in Russia new, church holidays appeared, but the wide Shrovetide continued to live. She was greeted and escorted with the same irrepressible prowess as in pagan times. Shrovetide has always been popularly loved by the people and affectionately called "katatochka", "sugar mouth", "kissing woman", "honest carnival", "merry", "pepepelochka", "pepebuha", "obeduha", "yasochka".

Shrovetide is a week-long holiday, a ritual holiday with round dances, songs, dances, games, and most importantly - with the rite of praise, feeding and burning of the self-made effigy of Winter. Children are told about the ritual significance of Shrovetide calls and merrymaking, they explain why they need to burn Shrovetide, lure the Sun with pancakes, praise Spring, and ask for a good harvest.

Shrovetide week was literally full of festive affairs; ritual and non-ritual actions, traditional games and undertakings, duties and deeds filled all the days to overflowing. There was enough strength, energy, enthusiasm for everything, since the atmosphere of utmost emancipation, general joy and fun reigned. Each day of Shrovetide had its own name, each of them had certain actions, rules of behavior, etc.:

Monday - "meeting"
Tuesday - "flirt",
Wednesday - "gourmet", "revelry", "break",
Thursday - "walk-four", "wide",
Friday - "mother-in-law of the evening", "mother-in-law of the evening",
Saturday - "sister-in-law gatherings", "farewell",
Sunday is "forgiven day".

The whole week was called "honest, wide, cheerful, boyarynya-Shrovetide, Mrs. Shrovetide."

Monday - meeting
On this day, a stuffed animal of Maslenitsa was made from straw, they put on old women's clothes, put this stuffed animal on a pole and, singing, drove it on a sleigh through the village. Then Shrovetide was set on a snowy mountain, where sleigh rides began. The songs that are sung on the day of "meeting" are very cheerful.

Tuesday is a play
From that day, various kinds of entertainment began: sleigh rides, folk festivals, performances. In large wooden booths (premises for folk theatrical performances with clown and comic scenes), performances were performed led by Petrushka and Maslenitsa grandfather. On the streets there were large groups of mummers, in masks, driving around familiar houses, where impromptu home concerts were arranged. Large companies rode around the city, on triplets and on simple sleds. Another simple entertainment was held in high esteem - skiing from the icy mountains.

Wednesday is a gourmet
She opened treats in all houses with pancakes and other dishes. In each family, tables were laid with delicious food, pancakes were baked, and beer was made in the villages in a club. Theaters and stalls appeared everywhere. They sold hot sbitni (drinks made from water, honey and spices), roasted nuts, honey gingerbread. Here, right under the open sky, one could drink tea from a boiling samovar.

Thursday - revelry (fracture, wide Thursday)
This day was the middle of games and fun. Perhaps it was then that hot Maslenitsa fist fights took place, fists, leading their origin from Ancient Russia. They also had their own strict rules. It was impossible, for example, to beat a lying person (“they don’t beat a person while lying down”), two of them could not attack one (two were fighting - the third one didn’t climb), beat below the belt or hit on the back of the head. For violation of these rules, punishment was threatened. It was possible to fight “wall to wall” or “one on one”. There were also "hunting" battles for connoisseurs, fans of such fights. Ivan the Terrible himself watched such battles with pleasure. For such an occasion, this amusement was prepared especially magnificently and solemnly. And yet it was a game, a holiday, which, of course, corresponded to the clothes. If you also want to follow ancient Russian rituals and customs, if your hands itch a lot, you can have a little fun, probably with a fight - all negative negative emotions will be removed at the same time, there will be relaxation (maybe this was some secret meaning of fist fights), and at the same time it is a duel of the strongest. Just do not forget about all the restrictions and, most importantly, that this is still a festive game duel.

Friday - mother-in-law evenings
A number of Shrovetide customs were aimed at speeding up weddings, helping young people to find a mate. And how much attention and honors were given to the newlyweds at Shrovetide! Tradition requires them to go out in a smart way "on people" in painted sleighs, pay visits to everyone who walked at their wedding, so that they solemnly roll down the icy mountain with songs. However, the most important event associated with the newlyweds was the visit of the mother-in-law by the sons-in-law, for whom she baked pancakes and arranged a real feast (if, of course, the son-in-law was to her liking). In some places, "mother-in-law pancakes" took place for gourmets, that is, on Wednesday during Shrovetide week, but could coincide with Friday. If on Wednesday the sons-in-law were visiting their mother-in-law, then on Friday the sons-in-law organized “mother-in-law evenings” and invited them to pancakes. An ex-boyfriend usually showed up, playing the same role as at the wedding, and receiving a gift for his troubles. The invited mother-in-law (there was such a custom) was obliged to send in the evening everything necessary for baking pancakes: a frying pan, a ladle, etc., and the father-in-law sent a bag of buckwheat groats and cow butter. The son-in-law's disrespect for this event was considered dishonor and insult, and was the reason for eternal enmity between him and his mother-in-law.

Saturday - sister-in-law gatherings
The sister-in-law is the husband's sister. So, on this Saturday, the young daughters-in-law received their relatives. As you can see, on this "fatty carnival" every day of this generous week was accompanied by a special feast.

Sunday - farewell, kissing man, forgiven day.
The last day of Shrovetide week was called "Forgiveness Sunday": relatives and friends did not go to celebrate each other, but with "obedience", asked for forgiveness for intentional and accidental offenses and griefs caused in the current year. When meeting (sometimes even with a stranger) it was necessary to stop and with three bows and "tearful words" ask for mutual forgiveness: "Forgive me for what I am guilty of or have sinned in front of you." “May God forgive you, and I forgive,” the interlocutor answered, after which it was necessary to kiss as a sign of reconciliation.

Farewell to Shrovetide ended on the first day of Great Lent - Clean Monday, which was considered the day of cleansing from sin and fast food. Men usually "rinsed their teeth", i.e. they drank vodka in abundance, ostensibly in order to rinse out the remnants of the soft drink from their mouths; in some places, fistfights, etc. were organized to “shake out the pancakes”. On Clean Monday, they always washed in the bathhouse, and the women washed the dishes and "steamed" the dairy utensils, cleaning them of fat and remnants of meat.

Pancake week. Referring to this very beloved national holiday, one cannot but note one very strange, at first glance, circumstance - after all, the original name of this holiday is completely unknown to most of us. "Pancake week". "Generous Shrovetide". "Fat Shrovetide". Etc. But all these names are just a statement of the presence of ritual food - pancakes and butter. And no more?

In the ancient tradition of our ancestors, the most important calendar points of the year: winter (December 22) and summer (June 22) solstices, spring (March 22) and autumn (September 22) equinoxes were combined into the symbolic "Cross of the Year". This conclusion is confirmed by the data of the "Vlesovaya Kniga", which speaks of the four most important holidays of the year: Kolyada, Yaro, Krasnaya Gora and Ovseni (Small and Great).

Carols, of course, are our Winter Christmastide with ritual songs - "carols" and mummers performing them - "carols", "carols". The very term "Kolyada" ("pounding", that is, giving a circle "is directly related to the completion of the circle of divine days, when the Night of the Gods, which ends on the night of December 21-22, is replaced by the New Day of the Gods, beginning on December 22nd. The entire period of Winter Christmas (December 19 - January 19) is dedicated to the worship of the Divine Light - the Creator of the Universe, whom our ancestors called the Immutable Law or Grandfather. ie, those who have joined the Absolute Truth of the Cosmic Law Thus, the Winter Christmastide is a period of worshiping the Wisdom of the Creator, summing up the results of the annual circle and meeting the new Colo-Sun.

Yaro or Yarilin day (Kupalo) - June 22 - summer solstice and the beginning of the Night of the Gods. We have yet to talk about him. We only note that this is a holiday of young people, those who had to find a mate and pass the test by the Divine Fire for the right to marry with their chosen one or chosen one. And, having entered into marriage, fulfill the cosmic law of reincarnation, giving life to new people - children.

The next most important holiday in the list of the "Forest Book" is Krasnaya Gora, followed by Ovsen (Avsen, Usen, Tausen), i.e. the holiday of the autumn equinox. But here we stop at a paradox - today's Red Mountain has nothing to do with the vernal equinox. A holiday close to this calendar date - March 22, we do not have at all. However, it is known from historical sources that earlier such a ritual cycle as Maslenitsa (or Maslyanitsa) lasted not a week, but a whole lunar month, starting on February 21 and ending on the night of March 21-22. Krasnaya Gora today is a holiday of the Easter forty days. In most cases, Red Mountain is called either Fomin's Sunday (the next after Easter), or the first three days of Fomin's week (including Sunday), or the entire Fomin's week. The ethnographer IP Sakharov wrote in 1848 that “Red Mountain in Russia is the first spring holiday. Great Russians greet spring here, marry their betrothed, play round dances ”.

Turning to Maslenitsa, we can note a strange circumstance that the ancient name of this holiday was unknown to us until recently. "Generous Shrovetide, fatty Shrovetide", etc. just stated the presence of ritual food - pancakes and butter. And no more. "Vlesova Kniga" put everything in its place. And today we can confidently assert that the ancient sacred Red Mountain and our Shrovetide are one and the same. This is evidenced by the fact that it was during Oil Week that the newlyweds went to their “mother-in-law for pancakes”. The mother-in-law, in the archaic tradition, is not only the wife's mother, but also the oldest woman in the house. A ritual play song (Vologda Oblast) speaks of an oak tree on which "an owl sits, she is my mother-in-law, she grazed horses." Archaeologist E.V. Kuzmina notes that "the horse played an important role in the cult of the mother goddess." In the Indo-European tradition, the image of the goddess - the mistress of horses was widespread. "She was represented standing between two horsemen", personifying the opposite elements - life and death, over which the Goddess - Mother is in control. Sometimes, instead of horsemen, simply two horses were depicted - black and white. Note that one of the most important and colorful rituals of Maslenitsa was the rite of riding around on horseback and in a sleigh.

It is worth remembering that in the ancient Greek tradition, in its most archaic part, Zeus (Dyaus), the head of the pantheon of gods, was personified in the image of an oak by the water (Zeus of Dodonsky). And his daughter, the embodiment of wisdom and sacred knowledge Athena, came out of the head of Zeus and was called the Owl, since her zoomorphic incarnation was an owl. The image of an owl in the Vologda ritual song is much more archaic than the ancient Greek one, since here she is not a maiden - a warrior, but a foremother - a mother-in-law. Note that the owl is a nocturnal bird associated with the most ancient lunar cult, and the Foremother is the one who embodies divine thought in the manifested world. In the Russian North, in the archaeological sites of the Mesolithic (10-7 thousand BC), figures of women made of stone and bone, ending with an owl's head, are often found.

And, finally, in the ritual text related to the preparation for the wedding, the orphan bride addresses her deceased mother, calling her "My Red KrasiGora".

Shrovetide is not only a festive cycle associated with the cult of the Foremother - Red Mountain, it is also a celebration of the glorification of newlyweds who got married last year. It was for them, first of all, that the ice mountains were built, from which every young couple, after a three-time kiss, had to slide down.

Thus, Shrovetide - Red Mountain of the Vlesova Kniga is a ritual cycle dedicated to the cult of the Foremother - the maternal principle of the Universe, as well as to those who serve the manifestation of this principle on Earth - young married couples.

From year to year, we observe the same picture: both on city and on traditional Shrovetide, when the scarecrow is killed, the same words are heard about the "burning" of Winter. Such an explanation is quite natural at civil events seeking to smooth out the "sharp corners" of a pagan holiday, but for native believers, I consider it unacceptable to ignore the essence of the rite.

It makes no sense to burn Winter or its symbol, as it is indestructible. You can rush her to leave, chase her away, but she will return in due time, whether you like it or not. It is absurd to remember a dying and reborn deity in the situation with Winter, since myths of this type refer to the Gods of fertility, to which Winter does not belong. In some places, the remains of the burnt effigy were scattered across the fields. It looks very strange if you stand in the position of the burning of Winter.

Modern Rodnovers call the scarecrow of Winter "Mara", "Morena", and on this basis declare its connection with Winter. And indeed, cold, darkness, death, white color, etc. belong to Mara. However, in Slavic traditions, the stuffed animals burned at the spring equinox were called differently, moreover, they could be male!

What should we do with the Belarusian Maslenitsa Grandfather, maybe it's Frost? Then why was he portrayed with pronounced sexual characteristics (carrots and beetroot), the same as in Yarila. It is clear that the character with such "personal belongings" has nothing to do with frost and winter, he has to do with fertility. This Grandfather is called differently in Belarus. In one of the villages - "Sidorom". Collectors of folklore guessed to ask the old-timers why Sidor? And they received the answer: “A very respected long-liver lived in our village, and when he died, a burnt effigy was named after him” (T. Kuharonok. “Gulni, fun, games.” Minsk. In Belarusian). We see that the burning of an effigy here is a symbolic funeral of a respected fellow countryman according to the ancient rite of cremation.

Let's take another example. The West Slavic song accompanying the burning of the Kupala effigy says:

Morena, Morena, for whom did she die?
... for the old grandfather, whose teeth are rare.

Burning effigies during the moments of the Solar phases is the sending of "messengers" to the Gods with our wishes, in particular, with a request for an early end of Winter. This is not an imitation of human sacrifice, but the memory of the solemn cremation of the most respected members of the family.

The question is, where did so many dead people come from in ancient times precisely during the period of solar phases, because fires were burned in every village? There is written evidence that among the Prussian tribe, the noble deceased, as they say, “waited” for their time, that is, they were not burned immediately after death, but were kept in special places until the next solar phase. We can assume the same among the Eastern Slavs. Let me remind you that Pancakes are not only a "symbol of the Sun", but also the main memorial food.

Winter on Shrovetide was driven out in the following way. They made a big Snow Woman and shot her with snowballs. The rite of "Hook of Spring" also played a great magical role in this matter.

Of course, information about such things is currently not advertised for known reasons, although they are not closed to the curious.

Who else, if not us, is interested in such things?

The modern generation still honors the holidays that were celebrated by our ancestors, and one of them is Maslenitsa. To have a fun and unforgettable Maslenitsa week, you need to know about the main traditions of this event.

Maslenitsa is celebrated annually a week before the onset of Lent. It is during the Maslenitsa week that you can pamper yourself with your favorite traditional food and plunge into the cheerful atmosphere of the holiday. Many believe that this ancient Russian event is only pagan in nature. However, the history and some traditions of the holiday are closely related to the Orthodox religion.

Shrovetide: history of the holiday

You already know that the long Lent begins immediately after Pancake Week. However, during the Maslenitsa period, you can enjoy delicious and hearty meals. Eating dairy food is one of the main traditions of the holiday. Usually at the beginning of March, for the first time since winter, cows were calving. In the cold season, people preferred not to slaughter livestock, and there was almost no meat left. Therefore, dairy products were the main source of protein. That is why pancakes on Shrovetide were baked only in milk.

Our ancestors believed that pancakes are a symbol of the Sun and warmth. To speed up the onset of spring, each hostess prepared pancakes with different fillings during the week and always invited guests home.

At the beginning of the Maslenitsa week, it was customary to start preparing for the holiday. Therefore, they began to decorate houses, build snowy mountains and dress up a scarecrow.

Despite the fact that the Maslenitsa effigy was dressed up on Monday, it was allowed to burn it only on Sunday. Thus, people saw off the annoying cold winter and welcomed the warm spring.

At the beginning of the week, all residents were building a large snow mountain. It was believed that whoever rolled down the mountain more times, for that year it would be happier.

During this period, unmarried girls and boys began to show attention to each other. The future hostesses demonstrated their culinary skills to the guys and treated them to pancakes and other pastries.

Fun is an important part of Shrovetide. People went out into the streets, danced in circles, sang and danced. Young people played snowballs, sledged and fist fights. Girls who dreamed of getting married wondered about their betrothed.

During this time, both experienced and young housewives could boast of their culinary skills. Mother-in-law came to the house of their sons-in-law, and they treated them to pancakes, which is why the fifth day of Maslenitsa was nicknamed "Mother-in-law's evening." However, the young wives did not want to stand aside and called the whole family to their home. Not all young girls could please the guests, and in this case they received advice from the oldest woman in the family.

We said goodbye to winter only on the last day of Maslenitsa. People staged noisy festivities, had fun and burned a scarecrow. A rich table was set in each house, in the center of which was a large plate of pancakes. This day was also called Forgiveness Sunday. All family members asked each other for forgiveness, and the believers attended church to pray for forgiveness and begin Lent with a pure soul.

The burning of an effigy of Maslenitsa is an old rite. On the last day of Maslenitsa week, you can say goodbye to the cold season and greet the coming spring. However, making a straw doll is not so easy: for this you need to familiarize yourself with the important rules and features of its creation. We wish you happiness and good mood, and don't forget to press the buttons and

Having rested after the Christmas festivities, the Orthodox are eagerly awaiting the end of February. During this period, a new wonderful reason for fun appears - Shrovetide. Have you already thought about delicious lace pancakes and Forgiveness Sunday? But this is not enough. Eating baked goods isn't the only way to pay tribute to tradition and have fun.

Shrovetide: the origin of the holiday

Like many other customs, this one appeared long before the baptism of Rus. In ancient times, grain growers tried to appease the higher powers in order to get a good harvest. Shrovetide, which is also called Masnitsa and Blinnitsa, used to fall on the vernal equinox, that moment in the year when the warming was about to begin. Therefore, the Proto-Slavs laid several meanings on the holiday at once.

Firstly, this is the line separating winter from spring, frost from warmth. After the celebration of nature, settled, clear spring days were expected. And since future harvests depended on the weather, the second meaning of the celebration follows from here.

Shrovetide was identified with mother earth. The ceremonies were accompanied by generous offerings, so that in return the gifts would be favorably returned a hundredfold.

Thirdly, there was an opinion: you live on earth and use it, you must pay so as not to anger nature and the elements. And again we return to the offerings and ceremonies of honor, in which people expressed gratitude for the past and future mercy, the possibility of procreation, that is, the birth of children who will also use resources.

Our ancestors believed that the deceased, buried in the earth, and in the soul of the next world, affect future harvests. Therefore, we tried to please them. For this purpose, sacrifices, mourning cries and meals were arranged. It was believed that during the commemoration, the souls of deceased relatives descend to the living and participate in the celebration.

Sign:
you will be stingy on Shrovetide, you will quickly go broke. So, gentlemen, we are preparing a treat.

The Christian Church, trying to discourage the flock from pagan traditions, put a different meaning in the celebration. Few were able to remember and pass on to future generations ancient traditions and rituals. Gradually, they began to be considered blasphemy, unacceptable for true believers.

In the modern Orthodox calendar, Maslenitsa is mentioned in the context of a continuous cheese week (the last week before the long Great Lent), the holiday is considered a national church holiday.

Earlier, the monks, for almost the entire period of forty days of abstinence, went one by one to the wilderness and returned to the last six days before. In order to withstand a long time with practically no food all week before the test, they gained strength, ate meatless foods, canceling the fast.

Knowing that not everyone will endure and return, on the eve of leaving they spoke warm words to each other and asked for forgiveness for their sins. This is how a new tradition was born. The last day of cheese week is called Forgiveness Sunday.

For the laity, who did not have to lead an ascetic lifestyle, Cheese Week was given a slightly different meaning. This is a smooth transition to a forty-day cessation of good nutrition, which, by the way, is approved by the doctors. In the last week before fasting, it is no longer possible to eat meat, but it is allowed to indulge in copious amounts of baked goods and dairy products. And so that the people not just gluttony, funny occasions have been invented: "Razgulyay", "Gourmet", "Mother-in-law of Vechorka", "Answer". Each day has a name, a number of rules and a special menu.

How Maslenitsa was celebrated: traditions and rituals

Baking, milk, eggs are undoubtedly energizing, but the emphasis on these foods is easier to explain. After a cold winter, when there are practically no supplies left, and the next harvest is a long time to come, livestock products are the most affordable option. It is unreasonable to slaughter livestock during this period, cows, pigs, horses become weaker and thinner, there is not much meat in them.

Another name for Maslenitsa - Kolodiy - refers to another ancient custom. At the beginning of the week, women took a stick, which they called a block, and dressed it up, pretending that it was a living person. Each of the next seven days symbolized a certain stage of life:

  • Monday is birth;
  • Tuesday - baptism;
  • on Wednesday the scarecrow overcame childhood, adolescence, middle age and old age;
  • the stick died on Thursday;
  • buried on Friday;
  • on Saturday - mourned;
  • on Sunday, the main moment came: armed with a shoe, the merry fellows bypassed unmarried boys, girls and their parents, tried to tie a shameful sign to them. No one wanted to be left with the label of bachelorhood, they paid off with whatever they could: beads and ribbons, moonshine and liqueurs, sweets.

Marriage at the end of February was considered a good sign; such a marriage meant mutual understanding and prosperity. Alas, this cheerful custom is remembered only by fans of the ethnos, in the villages it has not been observed for a long time.

Butter week was also called "Babskaya". These days, much attention was paid to the weaker sex: they praised the purity and innocence of young girls, the care and love of women-mothers.

Pancake is the symbol of modern Shrovetide. Some sources claim that it displays the sun, others identify it with the memorial bread.

Sign:
thin first pancake - a prosperous life, good luck.

However, our ancestors made logical associations:

circular shape - eternity;
warmth - worldly joys;
milk, eggs and flour in the composition - life.

Advice:
If you are on a gluten-free diet, then for baking pancakes, the

On the first day of the holiday, pancakes were left to the souls of the dead or given to the poor, who were supposed to remember the dead.

Another tradition from the past is to hold fistfights on Shrovetide. Previously, such entertainment ended in bloodshed. But that was what they wanted. Well done, they could show their courage, and blood was considered an offering to the dead and to the gods.

Nowadays, if fights are carried out, then they are comic ones. As a rule, they are replaced by other fun pastime: going downhill or sleigh rides, companionship and a general treat.

RUSSIAN OIL

At the end of the festival, it is customary to burn the effigy. Today it symbolizes the departure of winter, and among the pagans, the rite was a sacrifice to the gods, the deceased and nature itself. Vesnyanka, performed by young girls, called on mother earth to hear people, to give them kindness and a generous harvest.

Custom:
in cheese week, present the child with a whistle-pipe, playing on it, the kid will call the birds.

As you can see, Maslenitsa is not just a day of pancakes and fun. It has a deeper meaning, identifies birth and departure, gratitude for the passed stages of life and hope for the future, darkness and light, cold and warmth, winter and spring, past and future.