Maslenitsa 2023: traditions and date of celebration

Learn more about Shrovetide traditions

It is enough to subtract 56 days from the date of Easter: these are 48 days of Great Lent and the week of Maslenitsa itself. As a result, in 2023 the holiday itself falls on February 26. And Maslenitsa week begins with February 20.

history of the holiday

Maslenitsa is a pagan holiday. And initially, its celebration in Our Country was associated, according to some versions, with the glorification of the sun god Yarila, according to others – the “cattle god” Veles.

In ancient times, this day was one of those that help to comprehend the passage of time – the change of seasons has acquired many signs and rituals. Maslenitsa was one of them – they celebrated the outgoing winter and hoped for a warm weather soon. Celebrations were always accompanied by fire – burning bonfires, wheels and a scarecrow were the main attributes of Maslenitsa and echoes of the cult of the sun that reigned in Our Country. 

After the adoption of Christianity, the Church consecrated this pagan holiday and filled it with new ideas. Pancake week was the last stage of preparation for Lent. In the Christian tradition, during Maslenitsa, believers should come closer to forgiveness of all offenses, repentance, and reconciliation with their neighbors. 

In ancient times, Maslenitsa week was called the Cheese week. Only dairy products and fish were allowed. Meat was strictly prohibited. 

But today is the most cheerful and satisfying folk holiday. The people affectionately call Shrovetide “kasatochka”, “sugar lips”, “kissing lady”, “honest”, “cheerful”, “quail”, “perebuha”, “byedukha”, “yasochka”.

Shrove Tuesday lasted from Monday to Sunday, but they began to celebrate it even earlier. It is known that our ancestors celebrated Motley or Meat Week before Maslenitsa. They called it that because fasting days and days when meat could be eaten alternated – such a “motley” period turned out. Getting married this week was considered an unkind sign – weddings stopped playing until Easter.

The end of the Motley Week is the time of active preparation for Maslenitsa. On Saturday, memorial dinners were arranged, and on Sunday everyone went to visit each other to invite relatives, friends and loved ones to celebrate together.

Shrovetide traditions

According to tradition, Pancake week begins on Monday and ends on Sunday with the enchanting burning of an effigy. Every day of this holiday is unique and filled with deep meaning. Each of them has its own name and rituals, which certainly had to be performed. 

Monday is a meeting. On this day, they finished preparing entertainment, visited the guests and baked the first festive pancake. It, traditionally, was given to the poor – for the remembrance of the souls of the dead. 

Tuesday – games or, in a simple way, matchmaking: in the village on this day they arranged bridegrooms. The time was chosen for a reason – it was impossible to play a wedding during Lent, but after Easter, on Krasnaya Gorka, it was possible to celebrate the creation of a new family. Therefore, the youth got acquainted with far-reaching goals during Shrovetide week. 

So if you are not married – pay attention to this fact. Did the guy wink at you? Take a closer look! Don’t leave right away. Perhaps he has serious intentions.

Wednesday– gourmet. Have you heard about mother-in-law’s pancake day? So, on Shrovetide Wednesday, the wife’s mother bakes pancakes and treats her son-in-law to them. It is believed that the richer her table, the more mother-in-law favored her daughter’s husband. It was from the traditions of this day that the popular expression “to the mother-in-law for pancakes” arose. 

Thursday – revelry. On Thursday, the Broad Maslenitsa began on a grand scale. And, of course, not a single holiday week passed without games: round dances, songs by the whole yard, rolling down a hill, jumping over a fire, fist fights, all this accompanied by songs and dances. But the main tradition is the capture of a snow town. Children and adults build a snow fortress, divide into two teams – infantry and cavalry – and start the game. The infantry, as a rule, protects the fortress, while the cavalry tries to destroy it. Vasily Surikov even devoted one of his works to this action. 

Friday – mother-in-law evenings. On this day, on the contrary, the daughter’s mother herself visits her son-in-law’s house, and he must also feed her with the symbol of Maslenitsa. Moreover, the mother-in-law comes not alone, but with “comrades” – girlfriends, in order to brag to them, what respect her son-in-law has for her. 

Saturday – sister-in-law gatherings. On the penultimate day of Maslenitsa week, young daughters-in-law invited their husband’s relatives to visit them, first of all, sister-in-laws. If the sisters-in-law were unmarried, then the unmarried friends of the daughter-in-law were also invited. And if already family, then those friends who were married were also invited.

Sunday – farewell. The people began preparations for Great Lent. They asked for forgiveness from loved ones, commemorated the dead. They ate all the food, and what was left was burned. We thoroughly washed the dishes, and then went to the bathhouse. The holiday was completed by the solemn burning of the effigy of Shrovetide, and the ashes remaining from it were scattered over the fields so that the coming year would be fruitful.

How to make a scarecrow for Maslenitsa with your own hands

The burning of an effigy during festive festivities in city squares had a deep sacred meaning. Thus, our ancestors chased away winter and welcomed spring. Along with winter, everything old and dilapidated symbolically burned down, the time for change and renewal came.

We tell you how to make a scarecrow for the holiday with your own hands.

It is necessary:

– wooden sticks – one long, the other smaller;

– nails with a hammer;

– rope;

– old magazines, newspapers;

— straw;

– head scarf and old clothes;

– buttons;

– lipstick

The sticks must be connected with each other with a cross and nailed. Yes, so that the short one becomes the arms of a stuffed animal, and the long one becomes the torso. Next, we rewind them with straw, and on top with a rope for greater strength. Now the head: crush the old newspapers in a lump and wrap it with a scarf. You can sew an oval in the form of a head out of cloth and stuff it with straw. Instead of eyes, we sew on buttons, and draw a nose, mouth and blush with lipstick. We also tie the head to the body with ropes. We dress our creation in old clothes.

It is important to remember that it is necessary to burn a straw doll in an open space, and keep children under supervision. Then it will be safe.

Recipes for the most delicious pancakes for Maslenitsa

Pancakes Lacy

Mix flour with powdered sugar, add eggs and pour in milk. Next, knead the dough. It should be the consistency of lightly whipped cream. Separately, melt the butter and pour it into the pancake dough. Once again, mix everything well and leave on the table for 30 minutes. Let’s move on to the heat. We heat up a thin, even frying pan, grease it with oil. Pour the dough in small portions, evenly distributing throughout the dishes. Then the pancakes will turn out thin and lacy.

Pancakes Bicolor

Mix together eggs, milk, water, soda, sugar and salt. Then add flour and knead the dough. Next, we split it in half. One part is left as is. And in another add cocoa powder and melted dark chocolate. Pour a little dough from each cup into a hot frying pan. Thus, the pancakes will turn out dark and light.

Pancakes in a glass with whipped cream

Mix eggs, milk, sugar and salt thoroughly until smooth. Add flour, vegetable oil and knead the dough. We bake according to tradition in a hot frying pan, and then cool. We turn to an unusual filling: whip the curd cheese with half a serving of cream and 1 tablespoon of honey. Lubricate each pancake with the resulting filling, roll up and cut into 5 even parts. Then we arrange them in wide glasses. Whip the remaining cream and put it in glasses – on top of the pancakes. Garnish with whole cranberries and drizzle with honey.

What to give for Maslenitsa in 2023

Maslenitsa, first of all, is a family holiday. Therefore, gifts should be for the home, for everyday life.

Crockery – from wooden to crystal, from straw to silver. These can be plates or glasses for everyday meals. Or maybe vases, unusual salad bowls and even cutlery sets.

Also the best gift on this holiday are original treats: pies, candied fruit, gingerbread and kalachi in the form of hearts, or buns in the form of swans or snails.

Inexpensive jewelry is also a great option. It can be ribbons, elastic bands, hair clips, beads, earrings, bracelets. A beautiful shawl, plaid or painted scarf – why not? For home, for comfort and warmth.

Do not forget that mass festivities are accepted on Maslenitsa. Therefore, a good gift can be carnival costume carnival characters. For example, the costumes of Petrushka, Buffoon, Baba Yaga, Sun, Winter, Spring.

And, of course, no one canceled handmade gifts. First of all, it can be a small scarecrow. You can do it in the same way as we wrote above. Only more modest sizes. Flowers, rag pancakes, heroes of Shrovetide festivities in the form of dolls will also be appropriate.

Maslenitsa in art 

A holiday with such a long history and so rooted in culture could not but leave a mark on art. Outstanding creators dedicated their works to Maslenitsa or placed the main characters in the context of the holiday. Here are the most famous ones. 

In painting

In literature

• A. N. Ostrovsky – “Not everything is Shrovetide for a cat” (play), 1871
• P. A. Vyazemsky – “Shrovetide on a foreign side” (poem), 1853