What does every day of Maslenitsa mean and how it was customary to celebrate Cheese Week in Russia – in the collection Wday.ru.
What is “Komoeditsa”?
Once upon a time, even in pre-Christian times, Maslenitsa, or Komoeditsa, was celebrated for two whole weeks. To see off the winter and meet the spring began a week before the day of the vernal equinox, and ended a week after.
The main holiday was dedicated to the bear, who personified the god of cattle and wealth, Veles. On this day, the Slavs scattered grain at the crossroads (remembering the dead), jumped over the fire, played street games, washed themselves with melt (rejuvenating) water and organized feasts with obligatory pancakes, while the first pancake was carried to the den and left to “coma” (so in Ancient Russia they called bears). And in conclusion, they burned a straw effigy of Marena (the goddess of death) and, saying goodbye, bowed to each other on the floor and asked for forgiveness.
Now Maslenitsa, or, in church terms, Cheese Week, is celebrated a week before Lent. In 2018, Maslenitsa runs from February 12 to February 18. It is customary to have fun all week, go to visit, meet with relatives and friends and, of course, have pancakes. But every day is different.
They walk these days all over Russia, and the Moscow holiday “Wide Maslenitsa” is officially listed in the Catalog of famous international festivals and holidays in Europe and the world. Despite its pagan origin, the holiday took root in a Christian country, and it is no coincidence …
“Shrovetide … I still feel this word, as I felt it in childhood: bright spots, ringing – it evokes in me; blazing furnaces, bluish waves of a child in the contented hum of the crowded people, a bumpy snowy road already dimmed in the sun with merry sleighs diving along it, with merry horses in roses, in bells and bells, with playful accordion sounds ”. So Remembered the Shrovetide week in the White Stone hero of the “Summer of the Lord” by Ivan Shmelev. How does each day of the holiday differ from each other?
Since ancient times, Maslenitsa has been widely held. They also said that in Russia the last week before Lent should be “honest, drunk, gluttonous, ruinous.” Pancakes were ordered to bake as ruddy and large as the sun. Even the poorest were told: “At least lay yourself down, but spend Shrovetide!”
Day one: February 12, Monday, MEETING
On the first day, the Russian people greeted Madame Shirokaya Maslenitsa. Children went out into the streets in the morning, built snow slides and shouted: “Maslenitsa has come!”, Arranged fistfights in honor of the long-awaited guest. Pancakes were baked from early morning, but the former were never eaten, they were left for the souls of the dead. They were taken out onto the porch with the saying: “Our honest dead, here is a pancake for your souls!” Or they gave it to the poor so that they could pray for peace, which is more consistent with the Christian worldview. The stuffed animal of Winter was collected from the straw, put on old women’s clothes, put it on a pole and, singing, drove it on a sleigh through the village. Then Shrovetide was set on a snowy mountain, where sleigh rides began.
Day two: February 13, Tuesday, WINS
The second day of Maslenitsa is for young people. The boys and girls looked at each other, “flirted”, so that later, hand in hand, passing all the tests of Great Lent, to play a wedding on Krasnaya Gorka. On Tuesday, we sledged, played snowballs, “buried” in the snow or showered Maslenitsa with snow. Honored newlyweds who got married during the past year. When the young were riding horses around the village, they were stopped and thrown with old bast shoes or straw, but more often they were given a “kisser” (or “kisser”): this is when fellow villagers came to the house of their husband and wife and kissed their spouse if she seemed red to them (beautiful)!
Day three: February 14, Wednesday, LAKOMKA
On Wednesday, every family, not just the rich, set tables with delicious food, baked pancakes, and made beer in the villages. Theaters and stalls appeared everywhere. They sold hot sbitni (drinks made from water, honey and spices), roasted nuts, and gingerbread with jam. Here, right under the open sky, one could drink tea from a boiling samovar. The mother-in-law greeted the guests at the gate, treated them to pancakes and various foods, after which they arranged skiing from the snowy mountains. At noon, the girls brought pancakes to the rolling mountains, and potential suitors rushed to try the pancakes of the girl they liked, in order to understand how good she was. However, all the fun of the third day is based on the main leitmotif – “To the mother-in-law, to the pancakes.”
Day four: February 15, Thursday, RUNNING FOUR
The real “Wide Maslenitsa” began on Thursday, when festivities poured into the streets and squares of towns and villages and acquired a truly nationwide scale. The motto (but not a sign) of the day: “The more free the walk, the more successful the year will be!” It was a day of lavish treats, the height of Shrovetide fun. The entertainers rode in a sleigh through the city with wine and rolls, and after this “train” the people were dragging along with songs. And also a straw effigy of Maslenitsa was carried in a sleigh. On this day, it was necessary to eat as much as the stomach can hold.
Day five: February 16, Friday, MOTHER’S EVENING
The main motive of the day: “Son-in-law, show respect for your mother-in-law!” A number of Shrovetide customs were aimed at speeding up weddings, helping young people to find a mate. And how much attention and honors were given to the newlyweds at Shrovetide! Tradition requires that they go out in a smart way in a painted sleigh, pay visits to everyone who walked at their wedding. However, the most important event associated with newlyweds and celebrated throughout Russia was the visit of the mother-in-law by the sons-in-law, for whom she baked pancakes and arranged a real feast (if, of course, her son-in-law was to her liking). Then the son-in-law treated the mother-in-law to pancakes. And to make the mother-in-law more pleasant, all imaginable relatives were invited at the same time. If the son-in-law pleased his mother-in-law in everything, then the treat for him was rich.
Day six: February 17, Saturday, ZOLOVKIN’S SEATING
On Saturday, for the “sister-in-law’s gatherings”, the young daughter-in-law invited her husband’s relatives to visit her. If the sisters-in-law were not yet married, they invited their unmarried girlfriends to visit. If the husband’s sisters were already married, then the daughter-in-law invited the married relatives. The newlywed daughter-in-law was supposed to generously present her sister-in-law with gifts.
Day seven: February 18, Sunday, FORGIVEN SUNDAY
Sunday is the last day of Maslenitsa. People call this day Forgiveness Sunday or the kissing man. The culmination of Maslenitsa is the burning of the effigy of Winter and the onset of spring. A large straw doll dressed in a Russian national costume is taken out on a sled. This is winter. She is installed in the center of the campfire site and say goodbye to her with jokes, songs, dances, scolding her for the frost and winter hunger and thanks for the merry winter fun. After that, the scarecrow is set on fire accompanied by cheerful exclamations and songs. When Winter burns down – the final fun ends the holiday: young people jump over the fire. With this competition in fun and dexterity, Shrovetide ends.
– In churches on this day, an excerpt from the Gospel is read at the liturgy, the Sermon on the Mount, which speaks of forgiveness of offenses to our neighbors, without which we cannot receive the forgiveness of sins from the Heavenly Father, about fasting and about collecting heavenly treasures, – reminds Wday.ru Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko, rector of the Moscow Church of the All-Merciful Savior. – In accordance with this Gospel reading, Christians have a pious custom to ask each other on this day for forgiveness of sins, known and unknown grievances, and to take all measures to reconcile with the warring ones. Ask for forgiveness from the bottom of your heart, sincerely repenting if you have offended anyone. Of course, it is better to do this in person, but if you cannot meet, for example, with a colleague at work (after all, it is Sunday), you can and should use modern means of communication – telephone and messengers. And they themselves will forgive everyone who was offended, regardless of whether the offender feels guilty: you should live with the offense, not him! So cleanse your soul and heart from everything bad – and the easy and pleasant Great Lent for you!
Pancake recipes
The main culinary symbol of the holiday – pancakes – is intended to personify the sun and, therefore, to be round and hot. It is believed that by eating a pancake pancake, we get a piece of the sun’s warmth and power. So we stock up on flour, eggs and a convenient frying pan – and invite the guests!
You can prepare for Shrovetide: pancakes, pancakes and pancakes – for every taste and waist.
Classic: wheat flour
Unusual filling
Mini format: pancakes and pancakes