It has long been customary to solemnly meet any time of the year, and spring begins with such a holiday as Maslenitsa. This holiday is usually celebrated a week before Lent and it lasts exactly 7 days. The entire festive week was accompanied by special traditions and customs. What date is Shrovetide? In 2019, Maslenitsa will start on March 4 and end on March 10.
Other names of the holiday
Butter, Butter, Butter week, Pancake maker, Pancake, Pancake week, Pancake eater, Eating week, Obscene, Wide carnival, Kselovalnitsa, Krivosheyka, Curve week, Noblewoman Pancake week, Milk week, Butter dish, Butter-eater, Masny maslenaya in Belarus, Kolleny. In Orthodoxy, this is cheese week.
History and meaning of the holiday
Previously, it was with Maslenitsa that the New Year began, because the renewal of nature begins in spring. Most countries of the world adhered to this opinion. However, with the advent of Christianity, this holiday, however, like others, was adjusted to the religion. Now it is the week before Lent, during which people mostly tried to eat more in order to stock up on strength.
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It should be noted that this tradition may have been borrowed from the Palestinian monks. They also tried to arrange lavish feasts this week, because after that they had to go to the desert and retire.
There is a lot of controversy about the appearance of this holiday, but one thing is clear - it was originally a pagan holiday, which meant worshiping various gods. Like all holidays, Maslenitsa was celebrated with fun games, festivities, girlish fortune-telling and feasts.
Traditions for Maslenitsa
Until today, very few traditions have survived, in particular, we often bake only pancakes and gather at the family table. But how was it before? Let's take a closer look at this. As we already mentioned, Maslenitsa was celebrated for 7 days, and each of them had its own traditions and customs.
Monday - meeting
The holiday began with the arrangement of swings, yaramarkas in towns and villages, pancakes were baked everywhere and various sweets were sold. The people began intensive preparations for the festivities.
For married girls, this is a special day - her mother usually came to visit to teach how to bake pancakes. In some families, the girl went to her father's house in the morning to bake pancakes. After all, in the evening, one more guests will come - her husband's parents, whom she should treat with delicious pancakes. The first pancake was usually given to the poor, so that they remembered the dead.
And for the children, Maslenitsa was also a joyful day, because it was on Monday that they went home and sang songs dedicated to Maslenitsa for the owners, who, in turn, treated them to pancakes and sweets.
Also, from this day, skiing from the mountains began. However, in the first days mainly children participated, while adults only joined in the middle, or even at the end of the week.
Tuesday - flirting
On the second day, the festivities were already much more extensive - they rode in a sleigh, on the streets you could meet dressed-up people who arranged small performances, both in public places and came to visit in order to show some kind of performance, as well as sleigh rides, mostly young people and in large companies. They especially loved to include a trained bear in their theatrical performances; it could be found in almost every village.
As in all major holidays, young people tried to look after their spouse. There was even a so-called "urge" for this. It was he who invited the family with whom his employers would like to become related. If he came with a refusal, it meant that they were already going to the "bride" to others. And the young spouses, who had a wedding in the past year, must have rolled down the icy mountain together.
Wednesday - gourmet
From that day on the streets opened shops where you could enjoy various sweets - hot sbitni, hot nuts, honey cakes. You could also find traders selling hot tea.
On this day, the whole family usually gathered at the table, where the main course, of course, was pancakes. The family had to meet at the house of the mother-in-law and, according to tradition, she had to feed her sons-in-law to the end.
And in the evening, young girls rode on a sleigh through the villages and villages and showed various performances, where the main character is mother-in-law. Various ideas were composed about her - some kind and telling about her kindness, and some comic and funny.
Thursday - walk around The
day began with a family feast with a rich festive meal. But this day was remarkable not for a feast, but for wide festivities, as can be understood from the name.
Everyone also staged theatrical performances with the same bear, there were shops with delicacies everywhere. But the most popular were fist fights, and often every strong man tried to try his hand and fight a bear.
It was also on this day that an effigy of Maslenitsa was created. On the same day he was taken up the mountain. Also on this day, in the evening, children went to their homes and temples to beat them. They were given sweets and pancakes.
Friday -
mother-in-law's evenings Friday was the day when the sons-in-law invited the mother-in-law and the father-in-law to the house to show respect to the wife's family. The son-in-law was supposed to treat them to pancakes and a delicious meal. At the same time, in the morning, the mother-in-law with the father-in-law had to send food for the pancakes. It is worth noting that often at such family gatherings, the wife's parents gave young people advice on housekeeping, raising children, distributing finances, and so on.
Despite the fact that Friday was not considered a day off, all offices, shops and shops were closed, and all children who studied anywhere were allowed to go home.
Saturday - sisters-
in - law's gatherings On this day, the wife was supposed to invite her husband's relatives, and in particular his sisters with husbands, or just sisters. Often just all the relatives gathered, and the wife arranged a magnificent dinner with pancakes and various delicacies.
On this day, we said goodbye to Maslenitsa and therefore the festivities reached their peak. All the streets were crowded with celebrants. Games, performances, battles and many other entertainments - all this was done with special joy.
On the last day, it was customary to visit each other in order to ask for forgiveness. Naturally, on Sunday all insults and insults were forgiven. In general, this day was considered a day of cleansing from everything sinful, therefore they also tried to help the poor.
They also did not forget to visit the dead. For this, the whole family gathered and collected pancakes in the cemetery in order to put them on the grave.
Sunday
But the most important event on Sunday was the solemn farewell to Maslenitsa. To do this, a stuffed animal of Maslenitsa was laid on a stretcher and carried to “bury” it, that is, to burn it. For this, a fire was already prepared in advance, where the effigy was actually burned. The remains of pancakes and fatty and heavy food were also thrown into the fire as a symbol of the beginning of a strict fast.
Signs for Maslenitsa
- Maslenitsa hostesses especially tried not to make the pancakes "lumpy", because if this dish turns out badly, then the coming year will pass with troubles and misfortunes, if it is good, then the year will be joyful and happy.
- We also tried to bake as many pancakes as possible for Shrovetide. After all, the more pancakes you get on this holiday, the richer you will spend the coming year.
- Beautiful and tasty pancakes also said that the birth would be abundant and rich, and the weather in summer would be sunny and warm.
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If, on the festivities, while riding on a swing, you fly above everyone else, then the harvest will be richer. It was believed that the higher you fly, the more abundant the harvest will be.
But if you slide down the hill the farthest, then in the coming year there will be the best harvest of flax.
- And the rain that fell on the eve of Pancake week spoke of a good harvest of mushrooms. If it is frosty and cold on Shrovetide, then the summer will certainly be warm, but not dry.
- According to the sign, as you spend Shrovetide, a year will pass. Therefore, the people tried not to skimp on treats and not sit at home, bored. After all, otherwise the year will be dreary and poor.
- And in order not to suddenly attract misfortune and misfortune into their house, on Sunday the hostesses tried to burn everything that was broken and unnecessary in the fire. otherwise the whole year will pass in misery and quarrels.
- Unmarried girls also tried to bake pancakes, after which they went out and treated them to the first person they met, after which they asked for any male name. What they call, so will the name of the narrowed one. And they were very happy when the first person they met was drunk, because it promised happiness in family life.