Venice carnival, Mardi Gras, carnival in Brazil – a week before Lent, a wave of enchanting holidays rolls around the globe, one way or another marking the arrival of spring. Many go to distant lands to participate in one of the carnivals. But we also have a holiday that, without any exaggeration, can be called a Russian carnival. This holiday is Maslenitsa.

A holiday with a truly Russian soul and scope. Bright and unrestrained, hospitable and cheerful. Where are the Italians and Brazilians! They do not understand the breadth of the Russian soul - songs, dances, round dances, riding on ice slides, on troikas with bells, snow battles and, of course, pancakes. With sour cream, honey, cranberries, white salmon and caviar. This holiday has become a reflection of the Russian character, bright, hospitable and greedy for life and fun. Only the Russian people can say goodbye to the winter with such joy and welcome spring in the month of February, when the trees crackle from the frost, and blizzards diligently sweep up snowdrifts.

And, actually, why in February, you ask? After all, according to the calendar, March is considered the first spring month, and in our latitudes, spring comes at all in early April. In order to understand the reason for this discrepancy, let's go on a short journey through time.

Giving antiquity deep

The first pancake is lumpy, we say, and sometimes we don’t know that initially this expression had a slightly different meaning and sounded different. The first pancake is coma. That is, bears. Our ancestors called this holiday Komoyeditsa. It was the bears, these kings of the Russian forest, who were coaxed with ruddy pancakes, hanging a delicacy on tree branches. The bear-father was considered among the Slavic tribes as an intercessor, and therefore feeding him was an honorable and obligatory tradition.

But why are pancakes baked at Shrovetide, and at the same time the holiday is called not Pancake, but Shrovetide? All this is easy to explain if we remember that our ancestors could only dream of such an invention familiar to us as a refrigerator. Oil had to be stored in cellars. So that it does not go rancid and disappear, at the end of winter they began to richly flavor the food with oil. Hence the name: fat Maslenitsa, wide Maslenitsa.

Our ancestors worshiped not only animals, they believed in the forces of nature. Pancakes called to the earth Yarila, the god of the spring sun and fertility. Yarilo belonged to the gods who died in the winter and resurrected again in the spring. He was represented as a beautiful young man on a white horse. The eternal bridegroom, awakening the earth to life, filling it with fertile juices, warming the hearts of people with the flame of love. The celebration of Maslenitsa was a symbol of victory over winter, over frost, over death and icy insensitivity. Life in those days was much more severe, and keeping the family, livestock and household safe and sound during the devastating cold weather was a great achievement, joy and a great reason for the subsequent holiday.

Pancakes used to be completely different, not like the ones we are used to. The young people scooped flour into their palms and dipped their clenched palms into water, the resulting unleavened lump of dough was baked in the oven. Baked round suns were almost mystical attributes of the meeting of spring. To take a bite from this cake meant to let in spring, the warmth of the sun and the joy of renewal.

Until Christianity came to the land of Russia, Maslenitsa was celebrated at a strictly defined time - March 21, on the day of the vernal equinox. In one holiday, several events were concluded at once: the onset of spring and the new year. That is why they met him brightly and cheerfully. The fun began seven days before the spring equinox. And finished seven days later. That is, the first week they saw off the winter, thanked the forces of nature that they managed to survive the difficult time of the year, and the second week they met spring, again they offered thanksgiving prayers that spring had come, did not forget about them in their wanderings. People in Russia loved to celebrate and always knew how to celebrate.

Oddly enough for modern man, but the burning of an effigy, or rather the effigy of the goddess of death and winter Marena, was not a symbol of destruction. They saw off the winter with honor, offering her all the honors due to the rite. In the same fire on which the effigy of Marena was burned, anyone could throw unnecessary or obsolete things in order to find renewal with the advent of the new year. A thing thrown into the fire was considered a symbolic sacrifice.

With the advent of Christianity, unlike most pagan holidays, Maslenitsa was not forgotten and even somewhat changed. This suggests that Maslenitsa is loved by the people. And Orthodox priests did not dare to deprive the people of this wonderful tradition. It was given a new meaning and the date of the celebration was changed. Pancake week began seven days before the start of Lent. Since the dates of Great Lent are calculated depending on the day of Easter, the date of the beginning of Maslenitsa also changed. But the essence of the holiday, rituals, fun remained the same.

Holiday with Russian soul

Noisy round dances, Shrovetide choruses, fistfights and riding a real Russian troika. And the spirit of renewal and pure sincere joy that reigns over all this, that the long harsh winter has passed, soon, instead of the mournful songs of the blizzard, drops will ring melodiously, funny songs mocking starlings will sing - that's what this holiday brought to people. That is why the Maslenitsa holiday in Russia was held on a special scale. Moreover, on the eve of a long post, I wanted to take a walk, as if it were the last time.

The festivities began early in the morning and ended late at night, to be repeated the next day. And so on for a whole week. They said: "As you meet Maslenitsa, so the year will pass." Like any ball of mummers, this holiday blurred class boundaries. Both the boyars and the peasants walked on an equal footing. From historical chronicles we know that Tsar Peter himself did not disdain these days to ride a troika or take part in skiing from the mountain.

Sleigh slides for the Maslenitsa holiday were erected glorious. AT big cities The height of the slides reached 15 meters. It was a tradition for young unmarried guys to go up the hill with beautiful sleds carved with their own hands - to show off their skill and, maybe, find a bride for themselves. Sledges were made cunningly so that a girl who liked, who dared to move down a mountain with a guy, could only sit on the guy’s knees. In the meantime, you are going down the mountain, maybe you can break the kiss from the chosen one. Girls depicting spring at festivities whipped unmarried guys, saying: "Marry you by autumn."

In the main square, in the center, they dug in a tall pole, on the top of which they hung some valuable thing as a prize. Things for the pillar were prepared long before the holiday, most often they were boots, men's or women's. Women's boots were usually made of soft skin, beautiful, patterned embroidered with bright colored threads. The column was polished to smoothness, so that not a single knot protruded. I had to climb on it and get the prize. A lot of people gathered around the pillar, cheering the daredevils with jokes and jokes. If a guy was able to get boots for a girl, then, of course, he is the most dexterous and remote. After such a feat, it was possible to send matchmakers.

The malls were located right there on the square. The shelves were full of sweet goods. The wine brought from the nearest taverns and taverns flowed like a river. But drinking in holidays although a lot, but not drunk. Because for the drunk, the holiday ended quickly. A drunken guy will not be allowed on the hill, and they will not be accepted into a fistfight.

Fist fights were considered the main entertainment. In Russia they like to measure themselves against the heroic strength. Someone fights with his fists, and someone swings a hammer, hitting the anvil - whose blow is stronger and louder, that is the victory.

Capturing a snow fortress is also one of the old Russian pastimes. And if today the fortresses are stormed by "infantrymen", then in the old days they were stormed on horseback. Real battles unfolded, with military strategy and difficult victories, in which children also took part.

Despite the seeming disorderliness of such rampant fun, all the days of Pancake Week are scheduled. All events held on the holiday to this day strictly comply with the established order.

Live Traditions of Maslenitsa

Ahead of time, by Monday, at the very beginning of the holiday, ice or wooden slides, which must be watered several times from above. Children are the first to go down the hills. They also make a doll of straw, a portly beauty Shrovetide, and they go from house to house with her, singing songs and demanding treats. True, you can now see this tradition in its original form only in the villages, where it still remains unchanged. In the cities straw doll they carry it around the square where the festivities take place, but everyone who passes Shrovetide must give a treat.

Tuesday - games. On this day, newlyweds ride down the mountain. That is, those who got married this year must definitely move off the mountain. They guess - the farther the sleigh goes, the longer and happier it will be living together. And unmarried girls are given pancakes, which they must bring to the first guy they come across, ask for his name and thereby find out the name of the betrothed. This is a kind of Shrovetide divination. True, in the cities this tradition has changed. Now on this day it is simply customary to move down the mountain in pairs. Ride on sleds or ice skates. Ledyanka is now called a plastic rug with a handle. And before, ice cubes were prepared very carefully: a basin or other similar utensils (a tub, for example) were taken out into the cold, turned over and periodically poured water over the bottom so that the freezing ice turned out to be even and rounded. It depended on how quickly and far such a piece of ice would rush the rider.

Wednesday - gourmet, or mother-in-law pancakes. The tradition of this day is the same both in big cities and in the most remote villages. On the third day of Shrove Tuesday, it is customary for a son-in-law to visit his wife's mother. He should be regaled with the best and fattest pancakes, and the mother-in-law should behave "more kindly than her own mother." It is believed that this day can be a turning point in the sometimes not very smooth relationship between son-in-law and mother-in-law. By the way, on the same day, those who have not had time to get married yet can choose a bride for themselves. It is believed that the choice will be as successful as possible.

Thursday - take it easy. Just the same day when fisticuffs were held in the old days. Everyone who wanted to could measure their strength. Fights were carried out both one on one and in groups, usually divided into territories. The winners were celebrated in every possible way. Today, fisticuffs are purely demonstrative and entertaining. But the symbolic battles for the capture of snow fortresses are very popular today.

Friday, or mother-in-law's evenings, is rather an obsolete tradition, but in some parts of Russia it lives and flourishes. On this day, the mother-in-law had to send her son-in-law everything from which pancakes could be made. And he, in turn, had to bake pancakes on his own, without outside help, and invite his mother-in-law to visit to treat her with his own cooked pancakes. It was believed that the tastier the pancakes, the better the son-in-law treats the mother-in-law. That's when you could express your respect for the wife's mother without words and improve relations, if necessary.

The sister-in-law gatherings or farewells fall on Saturday. From the very morning, the daughter-in-law has been busy in the kitchen, preparing a feast for the whole world, or rather, for all her relatives. On this day, relatives from both sides could talk, praising pancakes to their heart's content, so that in the evening everyone would go to the square where the effigy of Maslenitsa was burned. Another sign for single guys: the guy must have time to touch the luxurious chest of the stuffed animal in order to find a mate this year. And of course, the culmination of folk festivals is the burning of an effigy of Maslenitsa. With songs and dances. The fire rises high, everything that needs to be freed from flies away with fire and smoke.

The end of the Maslenitsa week was Forgiveness Sunday. On this day, it is customary to ask for forgiveness from all relatives, friends and relatives. Even those to whom you do not feel guilty. This has a deep meaning: the humility of pride, the ability to admit one's guilt and repent of it is the best cleansing before Lent. As the well-known proverb says: “Not everything is Shrovetide for the cat, there will be Great Lent.”

Not only Russian Maslenitsa

Maslenitsa in the form in which we know it exists not only in Russia. And now we are not talking about any of the carnivals, although this holiday has similar roots with them. It turns out that the tradition of baking pancakes on Shrovetide week exists in many countries.

In the Balkans, pancakes are also baked all week, although there is still a tradition there to ride through the streets of villages ... in a trough. They don’t have such snows as in Russia at this time, so people get out as best they can.

In prim England, they have fun on Shrovetide days, arranging competitions between women who, on the run, must throw hot pancakes into the air and catch them again in the pan. True, not every hostess succeeds. The winner is the one that can bring a pancake to the finish line, turned over in this way the maximum number of times and at the same time it has never fallen. There is a sense of British humor here.

In Scotland, unleavened koloboks are still baked from rye flour. They are baked in ashes, but you remember that it was with this that the history of the yellow Russian pancake began.

But the Czechs, of course, became closest of all in their desire to be real Russian buffoons in the days of Shrove Tuesday. To this day, in small villages in the Czech Republic, young guys smear their faces with soot and go around the whole village to the music with a painted wooden beam. Girls who inadvertently get in the way of such processions are hung around their necks with a rope on which they dragged a beam and forced to pay off with kisses.

A holiday with a deep meaning

For our ancestors Maslenitsa carried a deep spiritual meaning liberation from everything old, rebirth after a winter sleep, readiness for a new life and cleansing from unnecessary and superficial. After all, the ritual of burning Maslenitsa itself is a symbol of purification, a cleansing fire.

Undoubtedly, it is a pity that many traditions of this holiday can no longer be revived in modern world. And already few of the modern housewives, uttering the saying about the first pancake, know that by doing so they treat the bear-father. The old is being replaced by the new, with the same deep meaning. But I really want us not to forget about our own roots, and, stepping forward, not to lose on the way what is truly valuable: our own traditions and history. Perhaps the revival of the traditions of the Maslenitsa holiday will be the first step towards the revival of a truly Russian soul and primordially Russian character.

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Municipal budgetary educational institution

secondary school No. 11 of the city of Azov

Lesson summary

environment in 3rd grade

on this topic:

"How the Russians saw off the winter"

teacher primary school

2018

Target: form an idea of ​​the occupations and customs of our ancestors in winter.

Tasks:

- expand understanding of folk holiday Pancake week;

To acquaint with the ancient customs of seeing off winter and welcoming spring;

To cultivate respect for the ancient customs of our ancestors;

Develop observation, aesthetic feelings, cognitive interest.

Equipment: presentation, drawn scarecrow, sun, rays, jam, pancakes, honey, samovar, spoons, plates, envelopes, music.

During the classes

Organizational moment (1 min)

Music sounds.

The children enter the classroom. Greet guests.

Hello dear guests! We have gathered today to remember the Old Russian holiday, to rejoice, to have fun, to admire the daring of the brave.

You know this holiday
We bake pancakes on it.
We drive away the winter,
We meet the red spring.

What holiday am I talking about, what holiday among the Slavs was the last winter and the first spring? ( PANCAKE WEEK)

What is the topic of our lesson? (How they saw off the winter in Russia.)

Setting goals and objectives for the lesson. Motivation of educational activity of students (2 minutes)

- “Blizzards and blizzards came in February”, “In February, winter meets spring for the first time” - this is what the Russian people said, feeling that through the February snowstorms no, no, and the sun would peep through and warm not in winter. After a long winter, they were so looking forward to the arrival of spring that they celebrated for a whole week.

In Russia they celebrated for a long time

Holiday of seeing off winter.

They called him Shrovetide.

Let's go through it too!

- Why did this holiday get such a name? ( The name "Maslenitsa" arose because this week they no longer ate meat, but butter and others dairy products could still be eaten. Maslenitsa Week continues for seven days. And delicious pancakes are baked all week, because they are so similar to the sun, which everyone missed during the winter.).

How did the people affectionately call Shrovetide? ("sugar lips", "honest carnival", "merry", "quail", "community")

- What do you understand by the term 'smear'? ( appease someone or something).

- Who needed to be appeased? ( And winter and spring).

- Correctly! Winter has not yet gone, and spring has not come.

Let's imagine that we got to distant Russia on this holiday and live for a whole week.

Generalization and systematization of knowledge. Group work (25-30 min)

MONDAY – “MEETING”

Morning... MONDAY... "MEETING" is coming.

Bright sleds glide from the hills.

All day fun. Evening is coming...

Having rolled in plenty, they eat all the pancakes.

On this day, they made a big doll Maslenu from straw, dressed her in women's clothing and taken to the old high mountain, “so that Maslyona could see where spring would come from.”

Here we will have our own doll. Each group has its own piece in the envelope, you must take it and stick it on the board. She will live with us for a whole week and spend it at the end of the holiday.

Collect the scarecrow.

The merry-go-rounds spun, the days of the week flew by. Here is Tuesday - "Zagrysh".

TUESDAY - "GAME"

"ZAGRYSH" careless - TUESDAY joy.

All walk, frolic came out as one!

Games and fun, and for them the reward:

Sweet and ruddy Shrovetide pancake!

In the morning, the guys invited the girls to ride from the mountains. They went to visit each other, and by seniority, young to older, looked after the brides. The main entertainment was games and fun.

Now the team will play the game. Listen carefully, do it diligently!

The host conducts the game: "Pancakes"

1. Pancakes are in sour cream - let's dance together with you.
2. Pancakes come with mushrooms - tap your heels!
3. Stuffing with potatoes - clap your hands together!
4. Pancake with raspberries - it's nice, all movements are very smooth.
5. Pancake with meat and onions - everyone spun around.
6. Delicious pancakes with caviar - shake your head!
7. Pancake with honey, very tasty - we will jump, we are not sad!
8. And here is a pancake with cottage cheese - now everything is running in place!
9. Spread pancakes with jam - let's wave to our friends!
10. Very nice pancakes, both fragrant and tasty,
We played well, we were not tired at all,
Let's continue the holiday, have fun and dance!

WEDNESDAY – “Gourmet”

HereWEDNESDAYfits -"Gourmet"called.
Each hostess conjures at the stove.
Kulebyaki, syrniki - they succeed in everything.
Pies and pancakes - all swords on the table!

Guys, who or what can be called gourmet? ( children's responses). It's when something delicious. Love delicious? You, too, can be called gourmets.

The team has prepared a delicious treat for you. Each team is asked to taste the jam and guess what it is made of.

They try the jam and guess the taste.

“ WIDE RAMPAGE”

And on THURSDAY - the roaming "Razdolyay" comes.
Ice fortresses, snow fights...
Troikas with bells enter the fields.
Guys are looking for girls - their betrothed.

From that day on, real Maslenitsa festivities began: people rode slides and swings, arranged fun horse rides, competitions in strength and agility, fist fights, horse races, snow fortresses, cockfights, carnivals.

We will also check which of you is strong and dexterous.

Arm wrestling (1-2 couples)

FRIDAY - “TYOSCHINA PARTIES”

The turn of FRIDAY comes, which is called the mother-in-law's EVENINGS.

FRIDAY has come - "EVENINGS at the mother-in-law" ...
Mother-in-law invites son-in-law for pancakes!
Eat with caviar and salmon, it can be a little simpler,
We ate with sour cream, honey, butter.

On this day, sons-in-law treated their mother-in-laws with pancakes. And in the evening, the son-in-law himself had to invite the mother-in-law to visit.

- And on Friday, feed your mother-in-law pancakes, not skinny!

verbal didactic game"What are pancakes"

Ordinary pancake can be called different unusual words. listen carefully. prompt diligently:
There is only one on the plate - we just call it ... (damn).
We baked a lot of them - then we'll call ... (pancakes).
We baked for daughters - let's call ... (pancakes).
Their son will eat - let's call then ... (pancake).
Huge, like a house - let's call it ... (pancake).

And we continue to celebrate.

Saturday

SATURDAY is approaching - "SIS-IN-LAW TREATMENT".

All relatives meet, lead a round dance.

The holiday continues, the general fun.

Gloriously seeing off Zimushka people!

The young daughter-in-law invited her relatives to visit, and the boys and girls built snowy cities with fortresses and towers, and then merrily and with jokes won them back from each other.

On Saturday not trinkets -

Zolov's gatherings.

You guys don't yawn

You sing ditties!

Chastushki:

We are with all the honest people
We will sing ditties to you,
We spend mother winter
And let's start celebrating spring.

Eat! Drink! Help yourself!
And have more fun!
Shrovetide at the gate!
Open your mouth wide!

Shrovetide, Shrovetide,
Beautiful girl.
If she came to us
We will burn the winter to the ground.

We composed ditties
We tried very hard.
We only ask that you
We were not offended.

“ FORGIVENESS RESURRECTION”

The merry-go-rounds spun, the days of the week flew by.And Sunday is Forgiveness Day.

And they call him forgiven, because on this day everyone asks forgiveness from each other for what they have done, for mistakes, for everything that could offend a person.It is very important to learn not only to ask for forgiveness, but also to forgive.All grievances are forgotten, and the Russian people are looking forward to the arrival of spring.

- Guys, let's ask each other for forgiveness.

(Boys bow to girls)

"Red girls! Forgive us for insults, you do not hold evil against us!

(Girls bow back)

“Good fellows, we forgive you, and we will not be offended by you. And in turn, you will forgive us, you do not hold evil in your soul against us.”

Together:

Teachers! Please forgive us, henceforth we promise to be obedient, to keep our word and not to beat our thumbs!

Traditional rite this day and the end of Maslenitsa - the burning of a straw effigy, which was a symbol of the outgoing winter.

And we will not burn it, let our guest meet spring with us and bring warmth, because tomorrow March will come.

This is how the noisy Maslenitsa week ended, and Great Lent began in the morning.Without holidays, our lives would be boring and uninteresting. Everything in life changes, but the holiday remains. And although we celebrate it, maybe a little differently, the most important thing remains - joy, a sense of community with people and the memory of our roots.

Summary of the lesson (3 min)

- The holiday is over, it's time for us to finish the lesson.And now let's check how attentive you were in the lesson:

There is a copper giant,
Underneath is an empty glass.
Steam blazes, pancakes sizzle,
Everyone wants to pour a glass.
Let's catch the heat with a boot.
Before us...
samovar

He is round and ruddy,
They love it with sour cream
And with jam and honey,
We all know the taste of it.
Crap

Can't do without it
If you got wound up with the test,
Without him, and damn it, not damn it,
This product is essential!
He looks like the sun
A knife cuts him instantly
Stored in the refrigerator
They want to eat it with bread!
Oil

Shrovetide has come to us
And brought pancakes as a gift.
And that means...
Winter, it's time for you to leave.
What comes to us,
Long-awaited...
Spring

Winter symbol - winter,
We must burn today.
hands, feet, head,
But we don't feel sorry for you.
Burn down quickly
Then spring will come to us.
stuffed carnival

A pancake in a plate is oiled -
After all, Maslenitsa is going on today.
Let fun be in full swing
Everything is nothing today!
Tomorrow we will mourn
A whole seven weeks of fasting.
You answer my question
What awaits us?
great post

Reflection (2 min)

You did great work today. On the table you have envelopes sun rays. With the help of these rays you can show: if the lesson is for youreally liked - paste pink color on the rays of the depicted sun.If you liked – yellow. What ifdid not like everything - green color.

What a bright Sun we got, ready to meet spring.

Marking, homework (1 min)

Draw a picture about carnival.

Textbook p.70-72

Thank you for the lesson!

Maslenitsa in Russia has always been one of the most fervent and happy Holidays. Love, warmth, friendly hugs, sophisticated fun and entertainment, numerous treats and delicious dishes - all this awaits you with the beginning of Shrove Tuesday. The essence of this holiday is that believers can properly prepare for Great Lent. Then they will be able to boldly accept the coming bodily abstinence and spiritual humility.

Holiday for the soul

Maslenitsa is a holiday saturated with fun, joy of life, pleasure and love for one's neighbor. How was Maslenitsa celebrated in Russia? Preparation for this wonderful event, as a rule, took three days of Shrovetide week. At this time, everyone prepared firewood for fires, cleaned and decorated the huts. But Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday are called days broad Maslenitsa. After all, it was on these days that all the actions took place: festivities, amusements, all kinds of performances, as well as rituals of seeing off winter.

The traditions of celebrating Maslenitsa in Russia include the most noisy festivities. This event left no one indifferent. Everyone took part in it: both young people and old people. Nobody stayed at home. They looked there only to warm up a little from the February frosts. The rest of the time was spent at fairs, buying necessary and unnecessary things, sweets and delicacies, entertained himself with fist fights, amazing performances, sleigh rides.

Tellingly, on Maslenitsa week there was always agreement. Neighbors went from yard to yard to ask for forgiveness, forgetting past grievances. If the neighbors were in a quarrel, they certainly had to make peace. He who asked for forgiveness heard in response: "God will forgive." And even if there was a fight, which was quite common on such days under the influence of intoxicating drinks, everything was immediately settled. Love and grace reigned all around.

Lay yourself down, but spend Maslenitsa

This is how the old saying goes. And all because the Lyuli believed that this holiday should be celebrated on a grand scale, so as not to live in misery in the coming year. That is why on Maslenitsa the tables were always bursting with various dishes and drinks. Dairy products were very popular, because it is forbidden to eat meat in the week before Lent. Therefore, they ate mostly eggs, sour cream, cheese and cottage cheese. From flour products, of course, flat cakes, cheese cakes, and brushwood prevailed. Everyone was drinking it large quantity everyone's favorite drink - beer.

Maslenitsa is an ancient festival that has its roots in the pre-Christian era. The traditions of celebrating Maslenitsa in Russia and ritual actions were aimed at expelling winter and all the hardships associated with it. At the same time, the onset of spring has always been associated with new hopes, warmth, and a good harvest.

In northern Russia, the main rite of exile of the "Pancake-Eater" is the burning of a straw effigy, while in the southern regions it was customary to bury it. Already at the end of the 19th century, the celebration of Maslenitsa took on a more entertaining character. Although many traditions, directly the manner of celebration and treats, just resemble those that were relevant many centuries ago.

Alexander Balakin

The custom of celebrating Maslenitsa arose long before the adoption of Christianity in Russia. Initially, this holiday was of a mystical, pagan nature and was celebrated for two weeks. A week before the spring equinox - seeing off winter, and a week after - meeting spring.

At this time, the most important dish, which carries sacred meaning, are pancakes. They are associated with the sun - hot, round, yellow. It was believed that when eating pancakes, a particle of the power of the Sun passes into a person, which was not superfluous at all at the end of winter.

After the adoption of Christianity, the holiday, given its popularity, no one began to forbid, the traditions of ancestors and religious traditions harmoniously intertwined. But the farewell to winter was nevertheless corrected, reduced to one week, tied to Great Lent and making the last day of Maslenitsa Forgiveness Sunday.

In the Christian interpretation, Maslenitsa is not only a farewell to winter, but also a preparation for Lent. Forgiveness of others, reconciliation with offenders, communication with neighbors, righteous deeds... It is no coincidence that the first pancake baked on Maslenitsa should be given to the poor as a commemoration of the souls of the dead.

In the old days, Maslenitsa was met in such a way that one can envy. Every day of Maslenitsa week was scheduled. In general, the whole week was devoted to close communication with relatives and various amusements. So, in the first two days, the youth communicated with each other, on Wednesday the sons-in-law came to the mother-in-law for pancakes, and on Thursday the mother-in-law, in turn, had to come to the son-in-law for a treat. On Thursday, the real festivities usually began.

The last three days of Maslenitsa were devoted to sleigh rides. Often new sleds were specially bought for such festivities. Along the streets at this time glided a continuous line of variously decorated sledges and smart riders. Those sitting in them cheerfully greeted, joked and laughed.

Ride down the hills. Moreover, in the flat areas, the slides were made by themselves, from snow and boards doused with water. They rode on everything they could - soaked and frozen skins, in wicker baskets with a low rim, similar to basins. We rode in hollowed-out tree trunks and even on benches covered with water and frozen!

Naturally, all this fun was accompanied by screams, squeals, jokes, laughter and flirtations of festively dressed youth. Add to this the playing of the harmonica, the flute, with round dances and songs around the fire, and you yourself will want to be there. What is important and noted by many chroniclers, people were good-natured, sincere and polite...

And of course, each of us, at the word Shrovetide, will remember a scarecrow made of straw and rags, which must be burned at the stake, completing Pancake Week: only in this way, according to the customs of the ancestors, you can spend the winter and meet the spring! At the same time, after burning the scarecrow, young daredevils competed in jumping over the fire. However, this familiar image is actually not the only one: in the old days, the winter was seen off, driven out not only by means of fire. It happened that the whole village took out a dressed-up girl outside the outskirts, and dipped her there in a snowdrift, "seeing off" ...

Snow fights have long been considered another traditional fun: they built snow fortresses and, split into two teams, staged real battles. It happened that the defenders of the fortress were attacked even on horseback.

Maslenitsa festivities stopped at the end sunday(Forgiveness Sunday) after the ringing of the bell calling for the evening service. People asked for forgiveness from relatives, friends and acquaintances, forgave all offenses and opened their hearts to long prayer and abstinence, because the next Forgiveness Sunday Monday is the first day of Lent...

The custom of celebrating Maslenitsa arose long before the adoption of Christianity in Russia. Initially, this holiday was of a mystical, pagan nature and was celebrated for two weeks. A week before the spring equinox - seeing off winter, and a week after - meeting spring.

At this time, the most important dish, which carries a sacred meaning, are pancakes. They are associated with the sun - hot, round, yellow. It was believed that when eating pancakes, a particle of the power of the Sun passes into a person, which was not superfluous at all at the end of winter.

After the adoption of Christianity, the holiday, given its popularity, no one began to forbid, the traditions of ancestors and religious traditions harmoniously intertwined. But the farewell to winter was nevertheless corrected, reduced to one week, tied to Great Lent and making the last day of Maslenitsa Forgiveness Sunday.

In the Christian interpretation, Maslenitsa is not only a farewell to winter, but also a preparation for Lent. Forgiveness of others, reconciliation with offenders, communication with neighbors, righteous deeds... It is no coincidence that the first pancake baked on Maslenitsa should be given to the poor as a commemoration of the souls of the dead.

In the old days, Maslenitsa was met in such a way that one can envy. Every day of Maslenitsa week was scheduled. In general, the whole week was devoted to close communication with relatives and various amusements. So, in the first two days, the youth communicated with each other, on Wednesday the sons-in-law came to the mother-in-law for pancakes, and on Thursday the mother-in-law, in turn, had to come to the son-in-law for a treat. On Thursday, the real festivities usually began.

The last three days of Maslenitsa were devoted to sleigh rides. Often new sleds were specially bought for such festivities. Along the streets at this time glided a continuous line of variously decorated sledges and smart riders. Those sitting in them cheerfully greeted, joked and laughed.

Ride down the hills. Moreover, in the flat areas, the slides were made by themselves, from snow and boards doused with water. They rode on everything they could - soaked and frozen skins, in wicker baskets with a low rim, similar to basins. We rode in hollowed-out tree trunks and even on benches covered with water and frozen!

Naturally, all this fun was accompanied by screams, squeals, jokes, laughter and flirtations of festively dressed youth. Add to this the playing of the harmonica, the flute, with round dances and songs around the fire, and you yourself will want to be there. What is important and noted by many chroniclers, people were good-natured, sincere and polite...

And of course, at the word Maslenitsa, each of us will remember a scarecrow made of straw and rags, which must be burned at the stake, ending the Maslenitsa week: only in this way, according to the customs of our ancestors, you can spend the winter and meet the spring! At the same time, after burning the scarecrow, young daredevils competed in jumping over the fire. However, this familiar image is actually not the only one: in the old days, the winter was seen off, driven out not only by means of fire. It happened that the whole village took out a dressed-up girl outside the outskirts, and dipped her there in a snowdrift, "seeing off" ...

Snow fights have long been considered another traditional fun: they built snow fortresses and, split into two teams, staged real battles. It happened that the defenders of the fortress were attacked even on horseback.

Shrovetide festivities stopped at the end of Sunday (Forgiveness Sunday) after the ringing of the bell calling for the evening service. People asked for forgiveness from relatives, friends and acquaintances, forgave all offenses and opened their hearts to long prayer and abstinence, because the Monday following Forgiveness Sunday is the first day of Great Lent...

Alexander Balakin

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