Shrovetide 2011

This week, Orthodox believers are "being blamed" for Lent. Meat can not be eaten, so even the Maslenaya week is called Meat. But you can eat fish and dairyproducts, the post on Wednesday and Friday is not observed (continuous week). This week is devoted to the preparation for the Great Lent and the body and spirit. All week long it is accepted to go on a visit, to be reconciled, to ask for forgiveness and to forgive.

However, although now this holiday is considered Christian, its roots go away to pagan times. Before the introduction of Christianity in Russia Maslenitsawas traditionally celebrated one week before the vernal equinox and within the next week. Maslenitsa was celebrated in honor of the awakening of nature, the onset of spring. Later, the Church "moved" this popular beloved by the time, so that it would not contradict the Great Post, and the duration of the celebration would be reduced to one week.

A lot of folk traditions and rituals of the Carnival have survived to this day. The main attributes of carnival are pancakes and festivities. Pancakes symbolize a warm sun, which for the winter so people were waiting for. Pancakes start to bake on Monday. This day is called "meetings". To the "meeting" it is customary to finish the hills, swings, buffoons. The first pancake on this day is given to the poor to remember the deceased. On this day in the old days, fathers sent their daughter-in-law to her parents' house, so that she could help with the housework. In the evening the father-in-law came to visit the matchmakers to taste pancakes, to agree on how to celebrate Maslenitsa.

The Tuesday of the Oily Week is called "flirting". On this day from the very morning the youth invites their relatives, friends and acquaintances to eat pancakes, to ride from the slides. In the old days they said: "We have mountains ready, and pancakes are baked - we ask you to pay." Young people and children built ice fortresses, took them by storm, which symbolized the last winter shelter. On this day funny faces were put on faces, as people believed that in a new guise a new life would come to them.

Wednesday Maslenitsa is called "gourmands". On that day the mother-in-law invites the son-in-law to the pancakes. He treats his mother-in-law generously, with different pancakes, to please his dear son-in-law. Also on Wednesday the mother-in-law invites except for son-in-law and other guests.

On Thursday, the real Shrove Tuesday comes - wide binge. On this day, an effigy of winter is carried on the wheel, sledding, singing songs, fist fights "wall to wall", equestrian competitions. From this begin to bake especially a lot of pancakes.

Friday is called "mother-in-the-night". On Friday, the son-in-law invites his mother-in-law to the pancakes. On Saturday, on "zolovkin gatherings", Young daughters-in-law invite their guests to visit their gilded and give them small gifts.

The last day of Maslenitsa - Sunday - is called Forgiven Sunday or Sludge week (in church, Sunday is called a week). On this day it is customary to ask forgiveness and forgive to enter the Great Lent by a purified spirit. The festivities are coming to an end, the stuffed winter is traditionally burnt (and in some regions is heated), which symbolizes the victory of the spring over the winter. To quickly "drive away the winter" on the ice slides, fires are kindled, from which the ice melts.

Pancake week in the people are very fond of, associated with it a lot of funny jokes, proverbs, sayings. For example, in olden times they said: "Without a pancake is not buttered," "To ride in the mountains, to lie in pancakes," "Not a life, but a carnival," "Carnival of a vigil, money of a pribbergh," "Though you can lay everything on yourself, but carnival", "Not all cats carnival , and there will be a Great Lent. "

In 2011, Maslenitsa is celebrated from February 28 to March 6.