Date of Maslenitsa, features of celebration, history and traditions

Winter is a magical time of the year, but very cold. As it bothers to feel frosty air every morning, to see snow, hoarfrost, sleeping nature. I want the spring sun, the first greenery, the singing of birds! Our ancestors believed that in the spring it was difficult to overcome the winter, to drive it away. They helped heat and light to enter their own rights, for this, a holiday was necessary - Shrovetide. The date of the celebration falls on the week before the Great Lent. The history of this week-long celebration is interesting and unusual.

The sun

The Carnival took its roots from the Gentiles, our ancient ancestors. They wanted to help the young spring overcome the cold old winter. For this purpose, merry parties were held, which lasted exactly seven days. After all, this number was considered magical! People praised Yarila, the sun god and fertility. They represented him in the image of a young man who was resurrected once a year and brought warmth, giving a good harvest.

But over the centuries everything has changed, Russia has adopted Orthodoxy, and from the ancestors we got only Pancake week. The date is very suitable - a week before the Great Lent, you can eat delicacies and begin to fast with a calm heart!

Simple name

The name of the holiday is not accidental. To moisten, coax the spring, so that she soon gave the people the long-awaited warmth. But this is only one of the versions. From other sources it is known: the name came from the fact that people baked a mountain of pancakes and tasted them butterfully, ate in huge quantities. After all, the Shrovetide date is close to the post, and a week before it can no longer eat meat. People were saturated with dairy products, because pancakes with sour cream are delicious. During these seven days it was possible to gain weight in a few kilograms. After all, pancakes in each house were on the table with high pyramids! Prepared all kinds of jams, jams, served honey on the table. But in addition to pancakes all week, the housewives were preparing delicious pastries, so that the Orthodox man could eat enough before the Great Lent, in this he was helped by Maslenitsa. The date of the celebration changes every year, but usually falls on the month of March.

Fun

Of course, this holiday was accompanied not only by gluttony. In the squares of cities were organized folk festivals, fisticuffs, mini-performances, concerts. People had fun from the heart, attracting spring. Tradition has not sunk into ages, but has improved, cultivated. The Shrovetide date is now known to every schoolboy, because children are eagerly awaiting this day to celebrate it with friends. In 2016 the festival lasted from 7 to 13 March. Parents prepare a mountain of pancakes, and the guys together eat them right in the classroom for a cup of tea! Such holidays go to children only for the benefit. After all, it unites the collective, gives an opportunity to learn about the life of ancestors. The class teacher must tell the children about the origin of the holiday, its traditions. The young generation must know why and when the Carnival is celebrated in Russia. The date of the celebration is announced in advance, so that all have time to prepare for the celebration.

The solar circle

The Gentile circle was considered the most favorable sign. Therefore, women baked round cakes of flour and water, later they turned into lace pancakes in milk. We believed that the more pancakes you eat, the sooner the long-awaited spring will come. People worshiped the circle, it symbolized well-being, abundance, prosperity.

Worship of the sun is one of the most significant pagan ritual acts. Young people made a wooden circle and tied bright ribbons and flowers to it. He was attached to a long pole and arranged a procession through the village. Then the circle was set on the square and round dances round it, paying tribute to the sun.

The trips around the village on horseback were also a favorite entertainment in those early years. It was necessary to make seven circles to attract fertility and warmth, to lure the spring. Everyone was eagerly awaited when the Shrovetide date would approach. People wanted a holiday, fun, festivities until the morning and a delicious meal.

Disservice

All winter, the bear sleeps in a cozy den, but only smelling the smell of spring, comes out. People attracted the sun and heat with the help of this forest beast. Of course, no one was driving a live bear through the streets. One of the tallest and largest men, the settlements were dressed in a bear hide. Here he was with a cheerful crowd and walked through the streets, entertaining passers-by. The bear danced till the fall, showing everyone that spring came, he woke up and is glad that today is the Midsummer's date.

The joy of people from such a spectacle was no limit. They imitated the dance of a waking bear, treated to its delicious food, and conducted dances with a clumsy friend.

Scary beautiful

The main attribute of this fervent holiday is a scarecrow. The final and brightest moment is the burning of a straw stuffed animal at the stake. From the straw they made something resembling the silhouette of a woman, dressed him in old clothes, wrapped in a bright scarf, drew eyes, cheeks, red lips, nose. From the very first day of Maslenitsa, this scarecrow was carried everywhere with a long stick. It personified the holiday itself, winter, cold. Therefore, by tradition, on the last day of festivities it was necessary to burn it. How much joy this delivered to the guys, they danced around the fire, laughed and rejoiced that the winter for a whole year had left them.

This tradition has survived until now. In every city on the square, the effigy of the Carnival is burned and fun continues. Be sure to visit this event, get a lot of new impressions and emotions.

Mini-calendar

Everyone in our country knows how the date of the Carnival is determined. The people prepare in advance for this celebration, because it lasts a whole week. And there is no chaos in these days, everything should go strictly according to the schedule:

• Monday - opens a festive week, this day is not heavy, but quite the opposite. People bake the first pancakes and give to the poor so that they will remember the deceased. Meanwhile, men finish preparations for the holiday, set up buffoons, tents, swings, benches and tables.
• Tuesday - the second day of the holiday is called a Zaigrysh. In the evening, roller coaster rides are organized. All dragging huge sledges and a noisy swirl roll down the ice hill. Everywhere there is laughter, cries of delight are heard, all ruddy and happy.
• Wednesday - the most "delicious" day Carnival - Gourmand. The mother-in-law invites the wife-in-law to the pancakes with the fragrant tea.

Half the battle

Half of the Shrovetide week flew by. Now all the fun begins:

• Thursday is the most fun and fun day - Broad revelry. The streets are full of entertainment: dances, songs, fisticuffs, competitions, riding on swings and horses.
• Friday - this day is called Teschiny evening. Now the mother-in-law has to pay a return visit, her brother-in-law waits for her at a table with open arms.
• Saturday - the day has come and for girls' walks - Zolovkin gatherings. Daughters-in-law were going to visit their sister-in-law, the girls were talking heartily, having fun and gossiping. The main tradition of this day is that the daughter-in-law should present a good gift to her husband's sister.
• Sunday is the last day, the most cheerful and at the same time sad. So you do not want to stop the series of these wonderful holidays. Call this day Forgiven Sunday. People should ask each other for forgiveness, even the worst enemies on this day can be reconciled forever. After the adoption of the Orthodox faith on this day, it was necessary to come to the temple. There you can ask forgiveness even for strangers, in response to hearing the phrase: "God will forgive!"

Noisy week

Having fun all week is not so easy. After all, people had time not only to eat pancakes and dance, they had to do their job, their duties around the house. After such a noisy and bustling week, people tried to relax, the streets were quiet and peaceful. The date of the Carnival and Easter date is not near the orthodox calendar. Shrovetide though recognized as a holiday, but not equated with Christian. The church does not prohibit noisy festivities, but does not encourage them. After all, this holiday is originally pagan!

Christianity is a tolerant religion. Therefore, the Shrovetide week is preserved, but not as a sacred holiday, but as a week of rest. After all, in ancient times these days, they held all sorts of pagan rites, revived the earth after hibernation and even sacrificed. People believed that the land should be watered with strength, so that the harvest was abundant, good. After all, at that time it was the only source of food. The people worshiped the earth, the numerous gods.

Celebrate this merry holiday, rejoice with all your heart. Let the children know more about this day, because information and knowledge are not superfluous. At the Shrovetide week, it is customary to go to visit relatives and friends, to spend lavish feasts. The abundance of dairy products will benefit the body. Dance, sing, eat pancakes and walk from the heart!