The beginning of Shrovetide changes from year to year, depending on the beginning of Lent. It is widely celebrated during the week before the beginning of Easter Lent.
How to determine the date of Shrovetide?
The date of Maslenitsa always changes every year, depending on the beginning of the Orthodox Easter fast, but usually Cheese Week takes place in February, less often in March. To determine the exact date of Forgiveness Sunday, "the day of the coming of spring", it is enough to know only when Easter will be (all Orthodox holidays are marked in the church calendar), and subtract 7 weeks.
History of the celebration of Maslenitsa
All week before the beginning of the most important Orthodox fast, believers are allowed to eat products of animal origin, including butter - hence the name Maslenitsa. In the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church, it is called Cheese Week (week).
Many rituals of Maslenitsa have come down to our days since ancient Russia, and the holiday itself has pagan roots. Since ancient times, Pancake week was considered a kind of time boundary between winter and spring.
Traditions and rituals
There were certain rituals for every Masleni day. On Monday ("meeting") they dressed up a doll, met Maslenitsa. On Tuesday ("flirting") snow slides and figures were built everywhere, and on Wednesdays ("gourmands") the sons-in-law came to visit "the mother-in-law for pancakes."
On Thursday ("revelry") the scarecrow was put on a cart and carried through the streets, accompanied by songs and dances. Friday - "mother-in-law's evening". On this day, the son-in-law already called the mother-in-law to visit, treated them to pancakes. On Saturday ("sister-in-law's gatherings"), the woman treated her husband's sisters, presented them gifts.
On "Forgiveness Sunday" it was customary to burn a stuffed animal of winter, symbolizing rebirth through death (for our pagan ancestors, burning a doll personified something similar to the Phoenix bird). This ritual has always been accompanied by round dances, songs, dances, games and delicious treats. According to legends, every day of Cheese Week you need to eat pancakes, which symbolize a piece of the sun.
Maslenitsa analogs in other countries
Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras (Western Europe, USA);
Uzgavenes - Lithuanian Maslenitsa;
Vastlapäev - Estonian Shrovetide;
Fastelavn - Norwegian Shrovetide;
Fat Thursday (Poland);
Carnival (Western Christians);
Sächsilüüte (Switzerland (Zurich));
Fastnacht (Germany);
Karneval, Fastnacht und Fasching - German Shrovetide;
Masopust - Czech Maslenitsa;
Apocries - Greek Shrovetide;
Bun Barekendan (Armenia);
Vastlavi (Baltics).
