Maslenitsa Festival

Maslenitsa (Butter Lady, Butter Week) is an Eastern Slavic liturgical and folk event held during the last week before Great Lent, that is, the eighth week before Eastern Orthodox Pascha. It has kept a number of elements of Slavic mythology in its ritual.

Maslenitsa is celebrated on a different date each year, depending on the date of Easter. It is similar to the Western Christian Carnival, with the exception that Orthodox Lent begins on a Monday rather than a Wednesday, and the Orthodox Easter date might differ significantly from the Western Christian Easter date.

The Maslenitsa effigy, sleigh rides, and festivities are all classic aspects of the Maslenitsa holiday. Belarusians and Ukrainians make pierogi and syrniki, while Russians bake bliny and flatbread.

Cooking Maslenitsa dolls out of straw and old clothes, making and eating a lot of pancakes (blinis), sledding, playing on seesaws, singing, fistfights, visiting the in-laws, giving gifts, feasting, and drinking tea or vodka are only some of the activities. On the final day, the Maslenitsa dolls are burned, and people jump over bonfires. Maslenitsa is one of the most famous festivals in Russia.

Date: February