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This is the month of contradictions — they can be found literally in everything. Frost and the first warmth, Maslenitsa revelry and strict Lent, Christian traditions and pagan rites… What else is March famous for?
Of all the contradictions in March, it was the weather that always revolted me: why is the month spring, but it is cold, as if winter? Even in Krasnodar, March rarely pleased us with truly spring warmth. The explanation was found, and it is not related to the climate.
Spring is not late, spring is delayed
Until 1492, in Russia, the New Year, that is, the New Year, was celebrated with March. And in the pre-Christian era, according to the hypothesis of archaeologists, the beginning of the new year fell on the spring equinox — the end of March. Our ancestors then lived according to the solar calendar and met the real, astronomical spring.
With Christianity, a strict Great Lent came to Russia. The former «New Year’s» revelry had to be moved from March 22-24 to earlier dates. Spring is three weeks late!
In some Russian dialects, the first day of March was also called in a special way — “novice”
This year, Pancake week «started» on March 8, and Lent will begin on March 15. Many customs in Maslenitsa festivities reflect the New Year’s cycle, in which the old world dies and a new one is born. This is the cult of ancestors and the commemoration of the dead (pancakes are ritual food), a cleansing fire, ritual fun.
In some Russian dialects, the first day of March was also called «novice» in a special way. By the way, before the Byzantine word “March” came to Russia, our ancestors called it “dry” or “dry”, that is, waterless, because in some places the snow was already melting and the earth was drying up. And in March it was named in Ancient Rome in honor of the god of war Mars — it was at this time that the seasonal military campaign began there.
«Grandfather’s funeral» 18+
The first day of Maslenitsa week is interesting for the custom that is still remembered in the north of Belarus — “Grandfather’s funeral”. Only adults are allowed to participate in it, as it contains elements of eroticism. The custom is included in the list of elements of intangible historical and cultural heritage and is protected by the state. Everything is very serious!
According to tradition, residents of a village or village, mostly women, gather in the hut. The unmarried and unmarried in the old days were not allowed to participate in this rite, but now young people are still attracted to preserve the rite.
In the middle of the hut lies an effigy of the supposedly dead grandfather. He is dressed like a real dead man, with one exception — the «causal place» is pronounced. Most often, carrots are placed there, and it should stick up.
They call grandfather Timka or Sidorka. Women sit around him and sob. They tell how he supposedly lived: he worked long, hard and well, he was certainly a reveler, the whole village knew about his intimate exploits. The «grandfather» died, choking on a bone.
The future harvest and the life of the farmer depend on the force with which the natural force of the earth is revived.
People who have seen this ceremony say: women sob so naturally that even professional actors would envy. This is necessary so that an outsider takes the theatrical grief for real, enters the house, shows participation and thus joins the ceremony. Then Timka is carried outside and buried, buried in the snow. And then — festivities and general fun.
Why all this game? The ritual of farewell to the old is understandable. But why would a dead man need a carrot? The answer should be sought very deeply, in the agricultural traditions of our Slavic ancestors. Ethnographers describe a similar ritual: the comic funeral of Yarila, which is personified by a doll with a huge phallus.
Yarilo or Yarila is the personification of the Spring Festival. The future harvest and the life of the farmer depend on the force with which the natural force of the earth is reborn. Therefore, at the funeral of the obsolete (a straw effigy of Grandfather or Yarila), it is important to pay attention to future reproduction, to pay tribute to the fertile power of the earth.
The first pancake is not lumpy
And what about pancakes? The temptation is great to associate a round pancake with the shape of the sun. But no, that’s not why they were baked at Maslenitsa. Pancakes are a ritual food that has traditionally been associated with wakes. And they appear in the spring in this context.
Why is it important to honor ancestors on Maslenitsa? In the peasant picture of the world, those who went into the land could influence the strength of its fertility. By the way, fisticuffs are carnival fun — in fact, not fun at all, but also an element of funeral rituals. The fact is that some Slavic peoples had a custom in honor of the deceased to arrange sports competitions.
The first Shrovetide pancake was very important: it was dedicated to the ancestors. It was placed on the dormer window or taken to the cemetery. But the replicated story about bears, the so-called «lumps», to which this pancake was supposed to be taken to the forest (hence the proverb), does not find confirmation in historical sources.
«Full, fly, fly…»
Enough already about the funeral and commemoration, the month of spring! They hailed, touted spring in the villages already at the beginning of March. Women and girls abandoned their work with yarn — it was time to finish this winter business — and climbed with children to the barns, singing: “Spring is red! What did you bring us? Red fly.»
In March, many signs and customs are associated with birds. And one of them would please our ecologists. In the XNUMXth century, in the very center of Moscow, opposite Okhotny Ryad, from early morning until dark, people bought birds and released them from their cages into the wild. On March XNUMX, they traditionally baked «larks» from bread dough, sent them to relatives and friends.
Last year, we remembered this custom with a friend and children. But this winter was so snowy, long, cold and angry that, frankly, I would not limit myself to “larks” — it’s time to climb into the barn to call out to spring.