Wide Maslenitsa holiday. Wide Maslenitsa Wide Maslenitsa

Assault on the snowy town

God Veles

God Yarilo

Fist fights

In ancient times in Rus', saying goodbye to winter and welcoming spring was associated with the name of Veles, the pagan god of fertility and cattle breeding. After Rus' adopted Christianity, one of our favorite holidays was preserved, and from the 16th century it began to be called Maslenitsa.

Men dressed up in women's costumes, women dressed up in men's costumes, and in general the people indulged in the most unbridled fun, sledding down hills, noisy feasts and fist fun. Maslenitsa often became like a carnival.

« Mother-in-lawevenings» And « Goldgatherings»

People celebrated Maslenitsa mainly with festivities and pancakes. Maslenitsa is so named because Russian people ate cow’s butter before Lent: pancakes, pancakes, pies, rolls and flatbreads were fried on it. They no longer ate meat.

A comic image of Maslenitsa was carried around the streets. To do this, they took a huge sleigh, which was sometimes harnessed to up to twelve horses (and sometimes several people were harnessed, all dressed up in all sorts of clothes). A tall, thick log in the form of a mast was installed in the middle of the sled. At the top of this log they fixed a wheel, on which some village boy would sit and entertain the people with various jokes and tricks. He was accompanied by musicians, and in front of the sleigh, village merry fellows and jokers jumped and sang.

Wrestling and fist fights have long been a favorite folk pastime during Maslenitsa. And in some provinces, on the days of celebration, they certainly played out the “storming of a snowy town,” which the Russian artist V.I. Surikov so colorfully captured in his painting.

The village children built an entire city out of snow on the river with towers and two gates, between which an ice hole was made. All participants were divided into two teams - cavalry and infantry. The cavalry besieged the city, and the infantry defended it. It was not always easy for the horsemen to break through the defenses of the defenders, because they were also armed...with brooms and similar weapons. If, nevertheless, the horsemen broke through the ice gates, this meant that the snowy town had been taken. The winners were bathed in an ice hole, and after that all the “warriors” were treated to wine.

The Terek Cossacks greeted the offensive of Maslenitsa with gunfire, and everyone shot, both old and young. During Maslenitsa week, if the winter was snowy, they went for a sleigh ride, dressing up as bears. The mummers could drive into any yard and take whatever they liked. The noise of laughter and fun could be heard everywhere.

And, of course, there were horse races. Can’t a Cossack boast of his prowess and ride on a dashing horse?! During such races, the rider himself had to earn a prize for himself - get money, a tobacco pouch or a piece of chintz from the ground. All gifts were provided specifically for this purpose by local shopkeepers. Cossacks and horse-riding shows were organized - young men on horses galloping at full speed showed their prowess and skill.

Tables were set up at the courtyards of wealthy Cossacks, and with the money collected, they bought bulls, prepared food, and brought wine. “Hundreds” of people walked here, often inviting all passersby.

Every day on Maslenitsa had its own name.

Monday - meeting, on this day guests were greeted. For this day, common slides, swings, tables with sweet dishes were arranged, and in the morning the children made a straw Maslenitsa doll and dressed it up.

Tuesday - flirting. In the morning, girls and guys were invited to ride the slides and eat pancakes. Here they looked at each other and chose a mate.

Wednesday is delicious. On this day, pancakes were prepared with a wide variety of seasonings and fillings. Mothers-in-law invited their sons-in-law to eat pancakes.

Why did pancakes become symbols of Maslenitsa?

The pancake - round, fried, taken “in the heat, out of the heat” - resembled the sun. And the ancient Slavs, our ancestors, especially revered Yarila, the sun god. Spring began with Maslenitsa, and new life awakened in nature under the sun's rays. So the pancake became a symbol of the spring sun again gaining brightness and heat.

Thursday - wide Thursday, revelry. The name of this day speaks for itself; They rode through the streets in a noisy gang, had fist fights, drank beer and sang songs.

Friday is mother-in-law's evening. On this day, the sons-in-law treated their mothers-in-law (the mother-in-law is the wife's mother), and sometimes the whole family.

Saturday - sister-in-law's get-togethers; on this day we visited my husband's sisters. But sometimes the young daughter-in-law invited all her relatives to her house. It was on Saturday that the last Maslenitsa game was held - “the capture of the snow town.”

Sunday was coming - the day of forgiveness. Relatives and friends visited each other on this day, but not to celebrate, but with “obedience”: they asked for forgiveness for all the accidental and intentional insults and grief caused last year. Bows and prayers were not considered humiliating - it was important to receive forgiveness and resume the closest and most cordial relationships. Pancake week ended with Forgiveness Sunday. It seemed long, and people had time to have fun to their heart's content. Maslenitsa was celebrated very solemnly. A straw doll - Maslenitsa, dressed in a caftan and a hat, shod with bast shoes, was rolled on a sleigh with songs, and then solemnly burned and the ashes were scattered across the field to give strength to the crops and the future harvest.

After Forgiveness Sunday, Maslenitsa died down until next year.

In the church calendar, Maslenitsa week is seven days of cheerful songs, treats and games in the fresh air. And then - Lent, the longest and strictest of the year.

In the church calendar, Maslenitsa week is seven days of preparation for Lent, the longest and strictest of the year. Maslenitsa is called cheese week because dairy products are allowed, and meat week because people no longer eat meat.

It begins with an edification about the Last Judgment, and ends with a reminder of the expulsion of Adam from Paradise and Forgiveness Sunday, when all Orthodox Christians ask each other for forgiveness.

Since the first centuries of Christianity, the church calendar has included modified pagan festivals of the harvest cycle. Maslenitsa, like carnival (“farewell to meat” in Latin) in the Western tradition, is not the only holiday of pagan origin.

If the Western carnival is a public display of costumes and sensual pleasures, then the Russian Maslenitsa is a feast with fist fights and other daring. The Church did not approve of either one, but over time, the conflict between the Church and folk customs lost its severity - today we are more threatened by the loss of national traditions than revelry on Maslenitsa.

Of all 15 Orthodox Churches, Maslenitsa with pancakes and snow towns exists only in Russia. Natural for Russians, it invariably amazed foreigners, who could not comprehend either the breadth of the revelry, or the custom of repenting before the whole world at the end of the celebration, or the cruel severity of the fast that yesterday’s brawlers imposed on themselves.

Week of "Concord and Reconciliation"

Maslenitsa in the church calendar is called cheese week (a seven-day week in Church Slavonic is a week, and Sunday is a week). The name “cheese” reminds us that meat is already prohibited, but dairy products, eggs and fish are allowed. Cheese Week is continuous, that is, without fasting on Wednesday and Friday.

It begins after the meat-free week (when you cannot eat meat) and ends with Forgiveness Sunday, the fast (ban) on dairy and preparation for Lent.

Weddings no longer take place on Maslenitsa - the engaged will have to wait until the end of the Easter holidays. The Saturday before Maslenitsa is called Great Parenthood - on this day it is customary to remember the dead.

On Meat Sunday, the church service reminds us of the general final and Last Judgment of the living and the dead, to which all existing souls will appear in the flesh.

Despite the pagan symbolism of the pancake as a symbol of the sun, the Church has never prohibited this food. Orthodox Christians eat pancakes all days of Cheese Week. Calling for pancakes is the best reason of the year to make peace, make amends and generously forgive people who have offended you. On Maslenitsa it is customary to visit people, invite guests, treat the poor, and donate to the poor.

The last Sunday before Lent is called Forgiveness - this tradition is not pagan, it dates back to the first centuries of Christianity, when small secret communities tried to maintain fraternal relations. Before the revolution, all parishioners knew each other, their priest and bishop - so asking for forgiveness was a natural, not a theatrical gesture for them.

At the service on Forgiveness Sunday, we remember the biblical tale of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise after they violated the first divine command - obedience. The theme of mutual forgiveness dominates the sermons. By evening the consumption of milk and eggs ends.

In churches, the rite of forgiveness is performed: the priests ask forgiveness from parishioners, and they ask each other for forgiveness. It is impossible not to forgive. If the offense is great, people say “God will forgive,” and if the heart is conscientious, they add “forgive me.”

On Clean Monday, which follows Forgiveness Sunday, Great Lent begins - seven weeks of prayer and repentance in memory of Jesus' forty-day retreat into the desert.

Maslenitsa week

Monday. "Meeting"

On this day, they celebrated Pure Maslenitsa - a wide noblewoman, dressed up a stuffed doll, put it on a pole and, singing, drove it on a sleigh around the village. Wealthy people began the Maslenitsa celebration by visiting their relatives. In the morning, the father-in-law and mother-in-law sent the daughter-in-law to her father and mother for the day, and in the evening they themselves came to visit the matchmakers. Here, behind a round glass, it was decided when and where to spend time, who to invite to visit, when to ride through the streets. By the first day of Maslenitsa, mountains, hanging swings, booths for buffoons, and tables with sweets were set up.

Tuesday. "Flirting"

From this day on, unrestrained, cheerful and daring games, sleigh rides, folk festivals and performances began. In the morning, girls and boys went to visit each other in the morning to ride the slides and eat pancakes. In rich houses, on this day, brothers built slides for their sisters in the courtyards of houses, and “callers” went from house to house - people through whom the owners of this or that house invited friends to visit them. The “call” was greeted with honor, treated to pancakes and wine, asking them to bow to the host and hostess with the children and all household members. The refusal was then announced with a general expression: “We have mountains built right next to us and guests have been invited.” The neighbors interpreted such refusals in their own way: “This is where discord begins and their daughter is being promised for someone else.” It must be said that all the Maslenitsa fun and fun tended, in fact, to matchmaking, so that after Lent they could have a wedding on Krasnaya Gorka.

In addition, in large wooden booths they gave performances led by Petrushka and Maslenitsa grandfather. Masked mummers walked the streets and large groups rode on troikas and simple sledges.

Wednesday. "Gourmet"

Every family set tables with delicious food, baked pancakes, and brewed beer in the villages. Theaters and stalls appeared everywhere, selling hot sbiten (a drink made from water, honey and spices), roasted nuts, and honey gingerbread. Here you could drink tea from a samovar. Mothers-in-law invited their sons-in-law to pancakes for a "gourmet treat", and for the sons-in-law's amusement they called all their relatives. It happened that on this day “girls’ congresses” were organized in the villages: young and old women in festive dresses rode around the villages and villages separately from the men and sang funny songs. In the evenings they sang songs about a caring mother-in-law treating her son-in-law to pancakes. In addition, they played farces about how the mother-in-law baked pancakes for her son-in-law, how the mother-in-law’s head hurt, how the son-in-law said thank you to his mother-in-law. It was believed that on Maslenitsa, and especially for the “delicacy”, you need to eat as much as your heart desires, or, as people said, “how many times a dog wags its tail.”

Thursday. "Running Thursday"

On Thursday, the main fun began: they rode through the streets, sang ditties, held fist fights and various rituals. For example, they attached a pole to a huge sleigh, tied a wheel to it, and on the wheel they put a man - a joker and an entertainer with wine and rolls, and after this “train” people followed with songs. In addition, during the “revelry” they began to carry a scarecrow of Maslenitsa through the streets and sing carols.

Friday. "Mother-in-law's evening"

On this day, it was the turn of the sons-in-law to invite their wives’ mothers to visit them and treat them to pancakes and sweets. There were different invitations: honorary - when the mother-in-law and all her relatives were invited to a festive dinner, or simple - to dinner. However, before going to visit, the mother-in-law had to send in the evening everything necessary for baking pancakes, including a frying pan and a ladle, and the father-in-law would send a bag of buckwheat and cow butter. The son-in-law's disrespect for this event was considered dishonor and was the reason for eternal enmity between him and his mother-in-law.

Saturday. "Sister-in-Law's Gatherings"

On Saturday, the daughter-in-law invited her husband’s relatives to visit her for her sister-in-law’s get-togethers. If the sisters-in-law (husband's sisters) were not yet married, then the daughter-in-law invited her unmarried friends to visit. If the husband’s sisters were already married, then the daughter-in-law invited married relatives. The newlywed daughter-in-law had to present her sisters-in-law with gifts.

Forgiveness Sunday. "The Kisser. Seeing off"

On this day we celebrated Maslenitsa. The straw effigy was honored, invited to return next year, and then taken away to the outskirts and burned at the stake. On the last day of Maslenitsa, everyone asked each other for forgiveness, freeing themselves from sins before Lent. The newlyweds visited their relatives, gave wedding gifts to their father-in-law and mother-in-law, matchmakers and boyfriends. They also went to give gifts to godfather and godfather: it was believed that the most honorable gift for godfather was a towel, for godfather - a bar of soap. In the villages they burned fires, but not ordinary ones - from brushwood and logs, but from straw and old things. They threw into the fire everything that would no longer be needed in the new year in order to free themselves from everything unnecessary. In cities, fires were lit for another purpose - to melt the icy mountains.

Memories of Maslenitsa

Not a single person who has seen with his own eyes what Russian Maslenitsa is remains indifferent to this truly grandiose holiday. And this is evidenced by the memories of many famous people:

Maslenitsa is in ruins. Such a sun that warmed up the puddles. The barns glisten with icicles. Guys are walking with funny bundles of balloons, organs are buzzing. Factory workers pile up, ride in cabs with accordions. The boys play “pancake”: hands back, pancake in the teeth, trying to tear each other out with their teeth - not to drop it, having fun fighting with their muzzles...

The wide furnace is blazing. Two cooks don't have time to bake. In frying pans, about the size of a plate, “black” pancakes are baked and buckwheat, rosy, are placed in piles, and the clever foreman Proshin, with an earring in his ear, slaps them on the table, as if giving them a bald patch. It sounds juicy - blooper! Throughout the series: blunder. .blunder..blunder! steam comes from the pancakes with screws. There is a blessed hum: we are satisfied!”

And at the beginning of the twentieth century there were also special Maslenitsa gingerbread gifts. Such joy! On a large round gingerbread there are ice mountains made of gold paper and paper cut-out Christmas trees; in the fir trees, standing on pegs, there are bears and wolves sculpted from dough and painted with soot, and above the mountains and fir trees there are lush roses on splinters, blue, yellow, crimson - of all colors. And above all this “Maslenitsa” the thin golden webs of gimp tremble in brilliance.

I.S. Shmelev

Maslenitsa. At this time, they bake pies, rolls and the like in butter and eggs, invite guests over and drink honey, beer and vodka until they drop and become insensible. In terms of their temperament, Muscovites are perhaps akin to Italians. Maslenitsa reminds me of the Italian carnival, which is celebrated at the same time and in almost the same way.

G.A. Schleissinger

Maslenitsa was probably born in the north - she is the daughter of frost. A man saw her hiding behind a snowdrift, and the legislator called her to help a man in the harshest and saddest time of the year, and she appeared with fat, rosy cheeks, with an insidious eye, naked... but with a smile on her lips, but with laughter. She made a man forget about winter, warmed up the chilled blood in his veins, grabbed his hands and started dancing with him until he fainted.

Jules Janin

Russian Civilization

This ancient folk holiday is not assigned to a specific calendar date. Maslenitsa refers to the “moving” holidays associated with Easter. Maslenitsa is celebrated in the last week before Lent, which lasts seven weeks and ends with Easter. During Lent, the church instructs believers to abstain from certain types of food, entertainment and entertainment - so the people strive to have fun “for future use.” And the name “Maslenitsa” arose because this week, according to Orthodox custom, meat is already excluded from food, and dairy products can still be consumed - so they bake butter pancakes. For the same reason, Maslenitsa is called Cheese Week.

Maslenitsa is the most cheerful, noisy folk holiday. Each day of the week has its own name, and the name tells what you are supposed to do on that day. Of course, now it is difficult to observe all the customs and rituals, because Maslenitsa week is a regular working week for us. But many people will be interested in learning about them. After all, Maslenitsa is not only pancakes, which were served in the old days at home, at a party, in a tavern, and right on the street. On Maslenitsa, it is the duty of every person to help drive away winter and awaken nature. This is what all Maslenitsa traditions are aimed at.

Monday- "meeting". On this day, it is supposed to set up and roll out ice slides: the further the sled rolls, the louder the noise and laughter over the slide, the better the harvest and the longer the flax. And in order for plants to grow better, you need to swing on a swing - the higher, the better. In the old days, Muscovites celebrated Maslenitsa at the Red Gate. And here Tsar Peter the Great himself opened Maslenitsa and rode on a swing with his officers.

Tuesday- “flirt”, on this day fun games begin, and for fun and fun they treat you to pancakes.

Wednesday- “gourmet.” The name speaks for itself. On this day, housewives act according to the saying: “What is in the oven is all swords on the table!” In first place among the treats, of course, are pancakes.

Thursday- “take a walk.” To help the sun drive away winter, they organize horse riding “in the sun” (clockwise around the village). The main men's task on this day is the defense and capture of the snowy town. Men and young guys enthusiastically join the battle, women, old people and children act as spectators, strict judges and passionate fans.

Friday- “mother-in-law’s evening”, on this day the son-in-law goes “to his mother-in-law for pancakes”, and the mother-in-law meets and treats his son-in-law.

Saturday- "sister-in-law's get-togethers." All other relatives come to visit, and again the treat is countless pancakes.

Sunday- “forgiven day.” On this day, they ask forgiveness from relatives and friends for the insults they have caused and, having relieved their souls, they sing and dance merrily, seeing off the great Maslenitsa.

Winter is usually depicted as a straw effigy dressed in a woman's dress. At the beginning of Cheese Week, the scarecrow is greeted with comic solemnity, and on the last day, with noise, laughter, crying and jokes, it is burned on a huge bonfire.

Nowadays, on “forgiveness day,” people usually organize folk festivals, fairs, and concerts. On this day, craftsmen and craftswomen can boast of their skills, and perhaps even sell their products. Jokers, jokers, lovers of song and dance will arrange their own competition, and strong and dexterous good fellows will have theirs. It is advisable that on this day, right on the street, where the festivities are taking place, everyone has the opportunity to eat pancakes and drink hot tea (or even better, prepare ancient Russian drinks - meads, sbitni).

At home, in the family, it is also worth celebrating this ancient holiday, because for a long time Russian people have tried to celebrate, and especially see off, Maslenitsa with dignity, so as not to live “in bitter misfortune” all year. A Russian proverb says: “At least pawn something from yourself, but celebrate Maslenitsa.”

ABOUT WHAT IS GONE FOREVER

Ivan Sergeevich Shmelev recalls on the pages of his book “The Summer of the Lord” about one Maslenitsa idea that has disappeared forever:

“...Maslenitsa... I still feel this word now, as I felt it in childhood: bright spots, ringing sounds - it evokes in me; flaming candles, bluish waves of children in the contented hum of the crowded people, a bumpy, snowy road, already oiled in the sun, with cheerful sleighs diving along it, with cheerful horses in roses, bells and bells, with playful plucking of an accordion. Or did something wonderful remain in me from childhood, unlike anything else, in bright colors and gilding, which was cheerfully called “Maslenitsa”? She stood on a high counter in the baths. On a large round gingerbread - on a pancake? - which smelled of honey - and smelled of glue! - with gilded hills along the edge, with a dense forest, where bears, wolves and bunnies stuck out on pegs, - wonderful lush flowers rose, like roses, and all this shone, entwined with golden thread... This wonderful “Maslenitsa” was organized by the old man in Zaryadye, some Ivan Yegorych. The unknown Yegorych died - and “Maslenitsa” disappeared. But they are alive in me..."

(recipes, tips, answers to questions)

At the end of February - beginning of March we celebrate a fun holiday - Maslenitsa or Seeing off winter. In 2016, Maslenitsa falls on March 7 - 13.

Of all the modern holidays, Maslenitsa is the most ancient holiday. Until the 14th century, our ancestors celebrated the New Year in March. And at the end of February they celebrated Maslenitsa - they said goodbye to winter and the old year. The arrival of spring in Rus' was always awaited with great impatience; people rejoiced at the sun and warmth after a cold, long winter. The arrival of spring meant the beginning of work in the field, the continuation of life, a new harvest.

Therefore, it was the most noisy, cheerful, riotous holiday, which did not leave indifferent neither the old nor the young, nor the single, nor the family, neither the rich nor the poor. The main components of the holiday are an abundance of food (the main dish is pancakes), mountain and horseback riding, honoring the newlyweds and seeing off Maslenitsa (bonfires).

Maslenitsa is a waste of money, a waste of money.

Maslenitsa is widespread - it also flooded Lent.

Maslenitsa is a deceiver: she deceived her, she cheated her, she didn’t let her have fun!

He is looking for where Maslenitsa is forty years and small holidays are for three years.

It’s not all about Maslenitsa; there will be Lent too.

Maslena does not last forever.

Feast and party, woman, on Maslenitsa, and remember about fasting.

The story about Maslenitsa should begin with the epithets with which the people honored this holiday and the names of the days included in it. Not a single holiday had so many epithets - respectful and familiarly rude. Maslenitsa was called cheerful, honest, wide, madam, noblewoman, broad-faced, goofy, pancake eater, dishlick, wettail, a liar, turntable and so on. At Maslenitsa, all the days are named, and the list of them represents, in fact, the Maslenitsa program, the script of the holiday.

Monday -meeting.

Tuesday -flirting.

Wednesday -gourmet (on this day the son-in-law usually came to his mother-in-law for pancakes).

Thursday -revelry, wide Maslenitsa, turning point.

Friday -Mother-in-law's evenings, evenings (now the son-in-law invited the mother-in-law to pancakes).

Saturday -sister-in-law's get-togethers.

Sunday -farewell, kisser, Forgiveness day.

Maslenitsa was considered a great and obligatory holiday: At least put something away from yourself and spend Maslena.

Maslenitsa is a kind of vacation that cancels all work. In the Pomeranian villages, “no one even worked around the house, they prepared a huge amount of food and certainly pancakes, they went to visit and watch the youth have fun.”

It is no coincidence that Maslenitsa week is called “continuous”. For seven days, food was not removed from the table (in any case, traditional pancakes had to be there all the time). From morning until late evening there were festivities. Everyone - from young to old - took part in the festive fun, with the exception of only sick and infirm people.

Preparing for the holiday and meeting Maslenitsa

In many places, preparations for Maslenitsa began in advance, from the previous week. The women tried, as they said, “to clean the house from the attic to the underground,” to give it a festive look. And of course, we stocked up on food in advance. Whatever was missing was bought at local fairs or made a special trip to the city.

Maslenitsa week in the Orthodox church calendar is calledmeat-eaterorcheesyand is considered as preparation for the longest period - Lent, ending with the Bright Resurrection of Christ - Easter. This is a half-fast, when you can no longer eat meat, but you can still consume dairy products.

Sunday was considered the beginning of Maslenitsa - the “meat ritual”, when meat was eaten for the last time.

Children were the first to celebrate Maslenitsa. They loudly announced the arrival of the “dear guest.”

On Saturday or Sunday before Maslenitsa, men who had gone to the city or to the nearest fair to shop for the holiday returned to the villages. The children, having collected their worn-out bast shoes in advance, ran out to meet those returning with the question: “Are you bringing Maslenitsa?” Whoever answered: “No” was thrown at him with bast shoes.

In the Kaluga province, when she started baking pancakes, the housewife sent a boy of about eight to ten years old to celebrate Maslenitsa: she gave him a pancake, large and thick, with which he rode on horseback on a grip or poker around the garden and shouted:

Goodbye, snotty winter!

Come, red summer!

Plow, harrow -

And I'll go plow!

In other places, children on the morning of the first Maslenitsa day climbed the icy mountains and, sliding down from them, shouted: “Maslenitsa has arrived! Maslenitsa has arrived!”

Maslenitsa revelry

Perhaps the most characteristic feature of Maslenitsa was and remains pancakes. The very name of the holiday suggests that at this time they ate a lot of buttered food - “butter pancakes”.Damn good is not alone; It’s not Maslena without pancakes, it’s not a name day without pies, - the proverbs declared authoritatively.

People liked to repeat a humorous, but very correct in meaning refrain:

Like during Shrovetide week

Pancakes were flying at the ceiling!

You are my pancakes

My pancakes!

There were many humorous texts about the addiction to pancakes:

Maslena week has arrived,

Was at my godfather's for pancakes.

The godfather had a sister,

She's a master at baking pancakes.

I baked six piles of them -

Seven can't eat them.

And four sat down at the table,

Give my darling space,

We looked at each other,

And - everyone ate pancakes!

In the first days of the holiday, children walked around the yards of their fellow villagers in the morning, congratulated them on the onset of Maslenitsa, and encouraged housewives to do the direct Maslenitsa task - baking pancakes. In response to congratulations, the guys demanded refreshments:

Oh you, Domnushka,

Red sunshine!

Get up from the stove.

Look into the oven -

Isn't it time to bake pancakes?

Bring on the wide Maslenitsa!

If the hostess served little, the guys ran away saying:“Lousy pancakes a yard long!”

After lunch, children and teenagers gathered on the mountain and, rolling down it, shouted:

Wide-faced Maslenitsa!

We boast about you

We ride in the mountains,

We'll overeat on pancakes!

The Russian people knew a lot about pancakes and appreciated both their abundance and the “pancake variety.” Pancakes were baked from different flours - wheat, rye, buckwheat, oatmeal, barley; with yeast and eggs; large ones - the size of a whole frying pan, small ones - the size of a tea saucer: lush, thick and thin, almost transparent. Various seasonings were served with the pancakes: eggs, sour cream, cottage cheese, jam, fish, caviar and all kinds of mushroom and vegetable dishes.

Pancakes are the simplest, most primitive flour product, an archaic form of ritual bread; and a symbol of the sun (in appearance and color) on the eve of spring, sowing; funeral food that connects ancestors with living descendants. They are associated with the idea of ​​fertility: “The more pancakes you eat, the better the year will be.”

Particular attention was paid to the first baked pancake:« At Maslenitsa, the first pancake is for the repose". In the old days, the first pancake was given to the poor brethren to commemorate the dead or placed on the dormer window for the souls of the parents. In the villages along the shores of Lake Onega, “the pancake baked first on Maslenitsa was hidden behind the icon in order to live until the next Maslenitsa.”

Maslenitsa gluttony, of course, was not limited to pancakes. According to Russian habits and ideas about a real holiday, the table should have been bursting with hearty and plentiful food and intoxicating drinks.

The housewives did not leave the sauerkraut and the stove around the clock, cooking “butter” or “brushwood” with entire laundry baskets; they made butter rolls, shanezhki with cottage cheese and berries, “tarochki” with raisins and preserves; baked waffles, custard rolls, roses, butter nuts. They fried fish, made large fish pies, cold fish aspic, scrambled eggs, sterlet and other varieties of fish soup, etc. etc. All this was prepared for the reception of countless guests.

As a rule, guests did not sit for long. After tasting the Maslenitsa dishes, they got up, thanked the owners and went to another house, where they ate and drank again. In every house there was always someone left to receive guests.

The reason for Maslenitsa excesses in food is often seen in the desire to eat enough, to “get ready” for a long fast. We must also keep in mind the peasant’s inherent understanding of holiday time, which necessarily includes “continuous dining” (which is unacceptable on weekdays).

As for food, this week they did not eat it, did not taste it, but destroyed it, and this is a truly ritual destruction. This phenomenon is based on the magic of fertility: if you eat a lot, there should be a rich harvest.

Horseback riding

In the paintings of Russian artists B. Kustodiev, P. Gruzinsky, Maslenitsa is a sleigh with horses harnessed to them, rushing at full speed along a winter road to the rollicking ringing of bells on the arc; this is snow dust from under the hooves, songs and the playing of accordions, colorful shawls, open sheepskin coats; the whistling of the wind in your ears and flushed faces.

We rode around our village, stopping at neighboring ones, and traveled around the entire parish, consisting of a large village and the villages located in its vicinity. The famous troikas with bells filled cities and suburbs.

Among the Pomors, Maslenitsa was called “riding week,” since “walking on horses (in a number of places on the Terek coast they also walked on reindeer) took place every day and was obligatory,” and was considered the main action of the Maslenitsa festival.

In some places in the Russian North, the very name of the holiday was transferred to a string of sleighs with young people. The sleighs usually followed each other, and sometimes were connected, so that it turned out to be one long train, traveling from village to village, from village to village throughout the entire volost. The arrival of such a train, eagerly awaited, was calledMaslenitsa meeting.

A distinctive feature of Maslenitsa horse riding was the “showing off” of girls and young women, expressed in the demonstration of outfits, as well as in the desire to decorate the harness of horses and sleighs as best as possible. On Forgiveness Sunday they rode horses in the best outfits; they were required to change their outfit several times. Some details of the panache of girls and young women are interesting: when sitting in a sleigh, they “turned up their fur coat at the back to show off the expensive fur, and did not put on gloves to show how many rings they had.”

On one of the last days of Maslenitsa, the guys had to give rides to the girls they liked. “Grooms” from all over the area came to the village and lured future brides from each other, driving horses for them, trying to attract attention not only with harness and horses,but also with his daring, generosity, and willingness to “give all his best” in front of a group of girls. This custom is reflected in cheerful, mocking ditties.

Girls, Oiler is coming,

Who will take us for a ride?

At Petruni's yard

Sivka disappears.

II rode about Maslenka,

He broke three sleighs,

The crow tortured the horse,

And I took the cutie for a ride.

Don't kiss me on the street -

Kiss me in the hallway.

Don't kiss me in the hallway -

Kiss on Maslena in a sleigh!

White girls,

Get into my sleigh.

I'm a boy on the edge,

I'll ride along the street.

As part of the calendar holiday, great magical power was attributed to riding horses (the horse represented the sun). “The more active and fun the skating, the better the harvest.” Pskovites linked Maslenitsa horse riding with the length of flax fiber, with the growth rate and quality of flax and hemp. Spurring their horses and speeding up the sleigh, they shouted:“Flax, flax, be born silky golden!”Children who were specially taken around the village and who “paid” for the pleasure they received by repeatedly shouting out spells were supposed to contribute to the good growth of flax:“May your (the name of the person who allowed you to ride or ride) have long flax!”

Ice Mountains

Horseback riding was usually replaced by skiing down the icy mountains, an equally popular winter activity.

Children rode down the mountains throughout Maslenitsa, young people and adults joined them later, from Wednesday or Thursday.

While waiting for Maslenitsa, they prepared “reels”: they filled the slopes from the mountains, hills, and river banks with water and made sure to roll them in (this task was carried out with pleasure by children and teenagers). In those places where there were no natural hills, wooden mountains were built.

They rode down the mountains on sleds, sleds, icy matting, and on water-filled and frozen cow hides. The children used simple round ice cubes - pieces of ice, adapted an old large sieve - they filled it with hay, poured water on the bottom and froze it. It was especially fun to slide down on these pieces of ice, because they were spinning and spinning, although it was not easy to stay on them; it required a certain skill.

Of course, skiing is an entertainment full of thrills, joyful and fun. But there was something more serious behind it.

By descending from the mountain they judged their own fate: whoever rode down the icy mountain safely on the first Maslenitsa ride will have a good year ahead; The longer and further you slide, the longer your life will be. It happened that an elderly grandfather asked to help him climb the mountain and descend from it. The young people, laughing, picked him up under their white arms, lifted him up, sat him down on the matting, and carefully pushed him down the mountain. Below the old man was greeted:“Well, grandfather, you got off the mountain safely, which means you’ll last another year, and you’ll certainly live to see Easter Sunday!”

Young fathers took their newborn (infant) sons in their arms and went down the mountain with them - so that the heir would enter (enter) life well, be healthy, strong, brave and quick in all matters.

From the point of view of the farmer, the descent from the icy mountains was intended to “rock” nature, to wake it up from winter sleep. It was believed that the nature of spring and, ultimately, the future harvest depended on the frequency of skiing, the height of the mountains, the volume of songs and the laughter of those skiing. The length of the slope was used to judge the growth of flax and hemp. In all the places where flax was grown, there was a sign regarding the boy’s descent from the mountain on the first day, at the meeting of Maslenitsa: whoever rides further, the flax in his family will grow longer, therefore the guys, before rolling down the mountain, usually loudly proclaimed:“I’m rolling on my mother’s flax!”

On Maslenitsa, girls and boys were supposed to ride a lot and noisily from the mountains. Among the Pomors, for example, it was a rule that each girl had her own downhill sled, “since the opportunity to invite a guy to ride down the mountain depended on this, which was important in the eyes of the entire group of young people.” In the Volga region, young people “collected kisses”: a guy who sat a girl on his lap and slid down the mountain in a sleigh had the right to kiss her in public. They usually kissed for a long time and passionately, which is why by the end of Maslenitsa the girls’ lips turned black.

Fist fights and taking the snow town

Maslenitsa fun also included power games, among which the most common were fist fights and the capture of the “snow town”.

Fist fights had two main varieties: fought “on oneself” (everyone for himself, against everyone) and “wall to wall” (one group against another). Almost the entire male population took part in “fists,” as this fun was often popularly called. Such battles took place on “wide Maslenitsa” - on Thursday or Friday.

Peasants and townspeople alike loved to knead the bones during Maslenitsa week “in a fight with fists for fun, for youth”; fist fights in cities and large villages often took on a grandiose character, sometimes ending in severe injuries. The fist fighters had strict unwritten rules for combat, be it one-on-one hand-to-hand combat, wall-to-wall combat, or the most ancient type - “dump fighting” (fighters of the same party went at the enemy not in a wall, but scattered). For example, one should fight “for love,” that is, “not have a heart” for the enemy; It was forbidden to hit a person who was lying down, to strike from behind, or to pick up objects that would make the blow heavier (for example, brass knuckles, a stone). The rules of “wall” combat also included the following provision: “a person who is lying down does not fight,” which meant: “a fighter who was knocked to the ground and found himself in the rear when the opposing “wall” advanced, did not have the right to get up and enter the battle again; for To achieve this, he had to reach the limits of his “wall” by running around the battlefield.”

A special order of entering the battle was observed everywhere. A ritual beginning was obligatory - “bullying”, “bragging”: before the start of the fight, ridicule was heard from both sides at each other in order to provoke, hurt the enemy, and throw him off balance. When the verbal altercation reached its climax, teenagers aged 12-14 years old entered the battle in two parties. After the advantage of one of the sides was determined, the “adults” of 15-17 years old rushed into battle, protecting their own, while the younger ones necessarily left the game. The men followed the “adults” onto the field, and then the “real” battle began. It also followed a sequence: the first to enter the fist fight were the “grooms” - single guys aged 18-23. After some time, they moved to the flanks of two rows of adults—the “married”—who came forward. The latter were sometimes replaced by “old men,” especially if the battle became dangerous and the “grown-ups” could not stop in time; and only when the “old men” appeared on the field did the battle end.

The battle sometimes lasted several hours. At the end of it, the fighters went home, heatedly discussing the course and results of the battle. Usually no one held any grudges, and the “ransom” offered by the losers was drunk by everyone on equal terms.

Taking the snow town- a favorite pastime of Siberians. This is, so to speak, the “calling card” of the Siberian Maslenitsa.

Real fortresses with arches, towers, high walls, which were sometimes decorated with ice sculptures, were built from snow and ice blocks. To secure the structure, they poured water over it, which, by the way, made the surface of the fortress slippery and difficult to storm. The defenders of the fortress ("town"), armed with snowballs of various sizes - "bullets" and "cannonballs", fought off the attackers who sought to break into the fortification and destroy it - "take", "break the city". The boys storming the fortress were usually armed with brooms and brooms.

After the capture of a town, the leader of the attacking side (ataman) often swam in the ice hole. Then the general treat began - they brought pancakes and put out a bucket of vodka, the rest of the food - according to circumstances and possibilities. In the end, everyone went home singing.

Honoring the newlyweds and “mother-in-law pancakes”

Everywhere, Maslenitsa was considered a holiday for newlyweds, because from Epiphany to Maslenitsa was the time of weddings. Fellow villagers appreciated and blessed the new married couples, showing them attention and honor. Rituals in which the young people participatedWe were called upon to publicly demonstrate the love of the young and consolidate their union.

It happened as follows. The sleigh with the young men drove up to the mountain at a time when many men and single guys were gathering there. As soon as the young man climbed the mountain, the men shouted: “Young so-and-so up the hill!” Having heard the invitation, she got out of the sleigh and, bowing to all four sides, walked to her husband who was waiting for her. Having climbed the mountain and once again made three low bows, the young wife sat on her husband’s lap and kissed him two or three times. Those gathered on the mountain, as a rule, were not content with “such a small courtesy of the newlyweds” and held the sleigh, saying:“Again, again, lubricate it, it will go better!”, forcing the newlyweds to kiss ten times or more, and only then they released the sleigh, pushing them. Having driven down the mountain, they kissed again. Everyone counted the number of kisses, and it was called “salting saffron milk caps for fasting.” According to tradition, all young couples in a village or village had to skate once.

The young couple did not forget about the ancient custom, which is known as “Pillars”. It consisted of young couples, dressed in wedding attire, standing in rows (“pillars”) on both sides of the village street and demonstrating mutual love. The assembled people looked at them, making jokes or loudly praising them. The closest ones shouted:“Gunpowder on the lips!”what was the requirement to kiss. “Show me how much you love me!”- was heard from the crowd surrounding the newlyweds, and they had to kiss."Pillars"lasted about an hour, then everyone went horseback riding around the village, which was called“to show off the newlyweds” or “to glorify the newlyweds.”

More newlyweds, always dressed up,"went out to see people"in painted sleighs, they paid visits to everyone who walked at their wedding. The newlyweds went to their father-in-law and mother-in-law, matchmakers and boyfriends with"gifts".These were often gingerbread cookies with patterned inscriptions, such as“Whom I love, I give him,” “From a dear one, a gift is more valuable than gold,” “Honor the rank of rank, and do not forget the gift,” “For all the goodness, our low petition.”

However, the most important event associated with the newlyweds and celebrated throughout Rus' was the visit of the mother-in-law by her sons-in-law, for whom she baked pancakes and arranged (if the son-in-law was to her liking) a real feast. In some places "Mother-in-law's pancakes" fell on “gourmet” days, that is, on Wednesday, in others they were timed for Friday. The main attention was paid, of course, to the youngest, newly-made son-in-law.

A huge number of proverbs, sayings, anecdotes, songs, and everyday tales are devoted to this custom.

Son-in-law in the yard - pie on the table.

The mother-in-law is milking about her son-in-law and the mortar.

My son-in-law is coming, where can I get sour cream?

I was at my mother-in-law's, but I was glad to leave.

The mother-in-law's son-in-law is the first guest, and the first robber welcomed into the house.

There is no devil in the house - accept your son-in-law.

This is how the typical relationship between mother-in-law and son-in-law is reflected in proverbs in such different ways.

Traditional songs on this topic are mostly humorous, mischievous, and often frankly modest.

The mother-in-law was baking a cake for her son-in-law.

Salt and flour - for four rubles,

Raisin sugar - for eight rubles,

This pie cost twelve rubles.

My mother-in-law was thinking about everyone, about the guests,

The son-in-law sat down and ate the pie in a sitting.

The mother-in-law is walking around the mountain,

Mila glances at his son-in-law:

How come you didn’t get torn to pieces, son-in-law?

How come you, my dear, didn’t feel overwhelmed?

Rip, rip my mother-in-law,

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law.

Let's go, mother-in-law, and give it to me.

I have a lot of beer and wine about my mother-in-law,

There are also three clubs about mother-in-law:

The first club is birch,

The second club is spruce,

The third club is aspen.

If on Wednesday the sons-in-law visited their mothers-in-law, then on Friday they organized “mother-in-law parties” - the sons-in-law invited their mothers-in-law to pancakes.

A visit to the mother-in-law, especially in the first years of her daughter’s marriage, was preceded by an honorary invitation - the son-in-law was supposed to personally invite the mother-in-law with all her relatives the night before, and in the morning send elegant “invitees” for her. The more “invited” people appeared, the more honor the son-in-law showed to his wife’s mother.

The invited mother-in-law was obliged in the evening to send “on her own behalf” everything necessary for baking pancakes: a frying pan, a ladle, a tub for dough, and the father-in-law gave a bag of flour and cow butter. The son-in-law's disrespect for this custom was considered dishonorable and was the reason for eternal enmity between mother-in-law and son-in-law, between the husband's relatives and the wife's relatives.

“Sister-in-law's get-togethers” were hosted by the newlywed daughter-in-law. She invited her relatives to visit, focusing on the age and marital status of her husband’s sisters: for sisters-in-law, the daughter-in-law called her girlfriends, and for married ones, married couples.

Scarecrow Maslenitsa

It is generally accepted that a mandatory part of Maslenitsa fun is the straw figure of Maslenitsa. In fact, this was not recorded everywhere; in Pomerania, where straw was in short supply, as was bread, they did without the Maslenitsa effigy, and burned tar barrels. But where the stuffed animal was made, it became the central figure and concentrated many play actions around itself. They tried to make a doll (stuffed animal) from straw that was quite large in size. It could be a cross-shaped crossbar made of two sticks on which straw was wrapped, or an ordinary sheaf of straw. Its upper part was designed as the head of Maslenitsa, and the lower part became its “body”. To increase the growth of Maslenitsa, the sheaf was placed on a long pole. Such Maslenitsa was dressed up in a caftan, a hat, a sash and “shoes” in bast shoes; in other places they put a jacket, sundress or skirt on her, tied a scarf around her “head”, then seated her in a sleigh and drove her to the mountain accompanied by songs. Maslenitsa was celebrated there (depending on local traditions,on Monday or Thursday).

Our dear guest Maslenitsa,

Avdotyushka Izotievna,

Dunya is white, Dunya is rosy,

The braid is long, three arshins long,

Scarlet ribbon, two-and-a-half pieces,

The scarf is white, new-fashioned,

Eyebrows black, pointed,

Blue fur coat, red swallows,

Sandals are frequent, big-headed,

Foot wraps are white, bleached.

In some places in Russia, along with the big Maslenitsa, small, home-made Maslenitsa were also made, which were called the daughters of the common heroine of Maslenitsa week, her younger sisters. Such straw dolls with a white rag face were displayed in the window or in the yard when young people came to their “mother-in-law for pancakes”: they were supposed to symbolize strong prosperity and healthy offspring of a young family.

Maslenitsa train

To meet or see off Maslenitsa, a special train was often arranged - a string of sleighs connected or following each other, with the figure of a straw Maslenitsa towering at the front.

The Maslenitsa train could look like this: ten horses are harnessed to a large cart. The horses are harnessed by a goose one after another: a rider in torn clothes, all stained with soot, is placed on each of them; one leader holds a large whip, the other a broom; everywhere, and even on their necks, they tie cow bells and all sorts of rattles; the tent, all dirty, is hung with brooms, and a drunken man, also stained with soot and in torn rags, doused with beer, is put in it; next to him stands a keg of beer, opposite him is an open chest with food supplies. The train, accompanied by the laughter and jokes of fellow villagers, passed through the village and then went to the neighboring village.

Maslenitsa was, along with Christmastide, the “theater season” of Russian villages, villages, suburban and townspeople. The last days of Maslenitsa week brought a lot of pleasure to both those who acted out the popular mummers' skits and those who watched them. In the north of Russia, men acted out a skit in the cold about how “Mastilka steams in a bathhouse”: the man portraying Maslenka stripped naked, took a broom, entered the “boat” and steamed there for the amusement of the public. In the villages along the Chusovaya River (Penza district) the performance “Boat” was performed. According to the recollections of eyewitnesses, it looked like this: “The river vessel for transporting goods (shitik) was placed on a sled with long runners and sleds. A mast and a hut made of matting were inserted into the shitik, and the bottom was covered with rye straw. It was called “Stenka Razin’s boat.” They harnessed 5-6 horses, all of them were covered with blankets over their heads, only one horse with a rider remained uncovered. Such a fabulous crew arrived in a cheerful company from village to village. The singing of the people traveling was heard in the distance: “Iz- behind the islands on the rod...". In some northern Russian, Ural, and Volga villages, peasants performed at Maslenitsa not only “The Boat,” but also “Tsar Maximilian,” “The Imaginary Master,” “Pakhomushka” and other folk theater plays with many characters, a clear distribution of roles, prepared in advance costumes, with props made from scrap materials and objects.

Farewell to Maslenitsa

On Sunday - Forgiveness Day - they celebrated Maslenitsa. The main element of this day was the fire. In the morning, children and teenagers collected firewood for the fire to burn Maslenitsa:

Elnik, bereznik

Happy Monday!

Isn’t it firewood?

Aspen firewood,

Birch firewood!

Submit them here

On Maslenitsa,

To the mountain!

Young people in a sleigh with a scarecrow of Maslenitsa, with songs and noise, rode through the surrounding villages until dark. And late in the evening she went to a field sown with winter grain, and here a scarecrow was burned on a prepared fire.

When Maslenitsa was torn up, burned - “buried”, they sang (more correctly, chanted) songs:

Goodbye, Maslenitsa,

Goodbye red!

Lent is coming,

They will give us a radish tail.

But we don’t take radishes,

We're pulling the cat's ears!

Ay, Maslenitsa,

Liar!

Brought to the post -

She escaped on her own!

Maslenitsa, come back!

Show up in the new year!

Awe celebrated Maslenitsa,

We buried it in a hole.

Lie down, Maslenitsa, until the attack...

A lot of people gathered around the fire. They said goodbye to Maslenitsa both jokingly and seriously. Throwing straw into the fire, the children diligently repeated:“Maslenitsa, goodbye! And come again next year!”. The girls said in plaintive voices:“Madame Maslenitsa, reach out!”The guys shouted, lighting the fire:“Get out, you ragged, dirty old woman! Get out while you still can!.

The remaining pancakes were thrown into the fire:“Burn, pancakes, burn, Maslenitsa!” It was explained to the children who watched the flames consume the last pancakes, and sometimes the milk poured into them:“There will be no more pancakes, milk, butter - everything is burned! Be patient until Easter."

Guys, boys, having fun around the fire, deliberately smeared themselves with soot and tried to dirty others, first of all, of course, the girls. They were joined by their sons-in-law, young men who took great pleasure in smearing their mothers-in-law with soot: “Mother-in-law, Lyuli, fry the pancakes!”

The dying fire was a sign of the end of fun, jokes, madness by the fire, riding from the mountains and on horseback. Maslenitsa songs fell silent - until next year.However, the real finale of the Maslenitsa ritual was the removal of ashes and the remains of the fire. They were scattered across vegetable gardens and fields, conveying the “hotness” and power of the Maslenitsa fire to the still cold, unawakened earth.

The last act of the Maslenitsa celebration was the ritual of forgiveness and farewell, which gave the name to the final day - Forgiveness Sunday.

Saying goodbye, people seemed to be throwing a bridge from the cheerful wide Maslenitsa to the strict Lent.

The popular name for Sunday combines two meanings: forgive (give, receive forgiveness) and forgive (say goodbye). On the eve of Lent, people, trying to cleanse themselves of all sin, asked each other for forgiveness.

The younger ones came to the older ones and, one by one, starting with the children, bowed and said:“Please forgive me if I am guilty of anything against you”, “Forgive me, for Christ’s sake, what I have sinned against you”. The answer was:“Forgive me too,” “God will forgive, and we forgive.”The last to ask for forgiveness from the entire clan, the family, was the eldest. When they came to neighbors or friends, they knelt near the door and, turning to the owners, said:“Forgive me and your entire family for the ways in which I have been rude to you this year.”. The owners and everyone in the house answered:“God will forgive you, and we are right there.”. After this, they hugged, kissed three times, and the owners offered food. In the family circle, before the ritual of forgiveness and farewell, a dinner was held, at which the obligatory last dish was scrambled eggs.

On Forgiveness Sunday, people visited cemeteries in many places, left pancakes on the graves and, bowing to the ashes of their relatives, asked them for forgiveness.

After Maslenitsa another, new round of life begins. People entered the long Great Lent, symbolically repeating and living the path of Christ to Golgotha ​​and to the Bright Resurrection.

Everything you wanted to know about pancakes

Pancake recipes

On dough

These are traditional, classic Russian Maslenitsa pancakes. To prepare them, we take:on500 G wheat flour - two and a half glasses of milk, one and a half tablespoons of butter,1 egg, a tablespoon of sugar, half a teaspoon of salt,25 G yeast.

Put the dough: dilute the yeast in a glass of warm water, add half the flour, stir until smooth, cover with a clean napkin and put in a warm place for an hour and a half. When the dough is ready, add salt, sugar, egg yolks, melted butter (butter, vegetable or margarine), stir and gradually add the remaining flour, kneading the dough thoroughly. Then we dilute with warm milk: pour it in gradually and stir all the time. Cover the dough with a napkin and place in a warm place. As soon as it rises, stir until it settles. Put it in a warm place again and let it rise again. Then add the whipped whites. As soon as the dough rises again, immediately begin baking. For Maslenitsa pancakes we serve melted butter, sour cream, salted fish caviar.

Ambulances

They do not require any yeast dough or preparation time. Knead the dough and add it to the frying pan!

We dilute 3 egg yolks with milk (one and a half cups), add a teaspoon of sugar and a quarter of a teaspoon of salt, and one and a half cups of flour.

Knead the stiff dough. Now gradually pour inthe rest of the milk (you will need almost a liter in total). When the dough becomes homogeneous, addbeaten whites from 3 eggs, Stir one last time and bake, greasing the pan with ghee or melted butter.

We arrange the pancakes beautifully on a large platter and serve with honey, jam, sour cream, and cottage cheese. You can also separately prepare the filling from chopped ham or boiled meat, minced and fried with onions. Stir, add chopped herbs, salt and pepper, dilute with sour cream, thick kefir or yogurt. Place 1-1.5 tablespoons of filling on each pancake, roll it into an envelope, and serve with sour cream and chopped herbs. Strictly speaking, this option is not Maslenitsa, but it is also very tasty!

Pancakes "Mistress"

2 glasses flour, By a glass of kefir And milk, 1 egg, 2 tea rooms spoons Sahara, salt taste,soda, vegetable oil.

Mix kefir and milk, add flour, knead the dough to the consistency of thin sour cream. Add the egg, salt, sugar, soda on the tip of a knife, then mix everything together well again. To prevent the pancakes from sticking to the pan, add half a glass or less of vegetable oil. Mix again, bake thin pancakes, serve them with sour cream, jam, jam, honey.

With spices

Original and satisfying pancakes! Here you have both a pancake and a side dish.

400 g flour, 0.5 l milk, 40 g melted butter, 2-3 eggs, 20 g yeast, 15 g sugar, half a teaspoon of salt.

Mix 250 g of flour and half the milk into a dough and place in a warm place. When it rises, make a well in the dough, pour the remaining heated milk and butter into it, add flour, salt, sugar, add eggs, mix everything well.

In the meantime, prepare the baked goods. They can be very different: fried mushrooms with onions; fried or boiled meat, minced or sliced; chopped eggs with onions; crushed pulp of boiled or fried fish; chopped heart, liver or any vegetables fried with onions, etc. The easiest way to prepare pancakes with toppings: spread the toppings in a frying pan, pour in the dough, and put on fire. It’s better not to turn it over, but to finish it in the oven. Another option: pour less dough into a heated and oiled frying pan than usual. When the pancake is browned on the bottom, add the bake and pour in a new portion of dough so that the bake is inside. Turn over to the other side and fry as usual.

Oat pancakes “Valeria”

2 cups of rolled oats flakes, 2 cups of boiling water, 2 eggs, one and a half cubes of chicken broth, frying oil, onion.

Pour boiling water over Hercules and leave for a while so that the cereal swells. Saute the chopped onion in a frying pan in oil. Grind the broth cubes. Beat the eggs into the cooled flakes, add the onion and powder from the cube, mix well. Pour into a hot frying pan with a spoon and bake on both sides. Serve the pancakes with butter and sour cream.

Pancake appetizer “Farewell to winter”

400 g flour, 0.5 l milk, 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons sugar, teaspoon salt.For filling:chopped herring fillet, hard-boiled eggs, boiled meat, bacon or smoked lard, dill and parsley, egg whites.

Ideally, you should serve the pancake appetizer in portioned pans, each holding 3 pancakes. But you can, of course, transfer the pancakes to plates. The main thing is this: each portion of the snack consists of three pancakes with different fillings.

We prepare pancakes like this: mix eggs, sugar, salt, beat, add milk, then flour. Mix well, add vegetable oil. We bake pancakes in a well-heated frying pan in the usual way. On the first pancake we put a filling of chopped herring mixed with chopped hard-boiled egg and green onions (you can season with vegetable oil).

On the second - ground or finely chopped boiled meat (it can be seasoned with mayonnaise or onions fried in oil). On the third - smoked lard, cut into small pieces (it can be seasoned with horseradish sauce or mustard).

We wrap the pancakes, place these “three heroes” in a frying pan, greased with oil, cover with beaten egg whites, add salt, sprinkle with chopped herbs and put in the oven for 5 minutes so that the whites “set” and brown. Any minced meat, vegetables, rice, mushrooms, and sauerkraut are also suitable for filling.

Swedish pancake pie

A tablespoon of onion, parsley and oil for frying, a glass of minced meat, 1 yolk for the filling and 2 for the sauce, salt, pepper to taste, half a glass of sour cream for the sauce.

Fry chopped onions and parsley in hot oil. Add a glass of pre-boiled or fried meat, minced through a meat grinder. Mix well, let cool slightly, season with egg yolk, salt and pepper. Place the baked pancakes one on top of the other, covering each with the prepared filling, place in a heat-resistant dish, greased with oil, pour in sauce (sour cream, beaten with egg yolks and salt) and bake for half an hour in the oven over medium heat. We offer green or vegetable salad as a side dish.

Romanian: spicy straws

We bake thin pancakes according to any recipe, but without sugar. For the filling, grind cottage cheese with sour cream, egg, flour and salt, cover the pancakes. We bend two opposite edges of each inward, then roll it into a tube. Place in a ceramic form, pour in sour cream diluted with salted milk, sprinkle with grated cheese and bake in the oven for half an hour.

For the filling: 300 g cottage cheese, 1 egg, a tablespoon of sour cream, a teaspoon of flour, salt. For the sauce: a glass of sour cream, half a glass of milk and grated cheese.

French: light

Dilute milk (300 ml) with warm water (200 ml), pour into sifted flour (250 g), mix, add a tablespoon of melted butter and a large pinch of salt. Mix well again and let stand for an hour. Then add another 100 g of melted butter, 5 egg yolks and 5 whites, whipped into a stiff foam and lightly salted. Stir until the dough becomes smooth and light.

Fry the pancakes, as usual, in hot oil, on both sides, sprinkle each with sugar. You can use jam or thick sour cream instead of sugar - then roll the pancakes into a tube.

Hungarian: with cabbage

Finely chop a small head of white cabbage, pour boiling water over it, then cold water. Squeeze, sprinkle with salt and pepper, simmer in a frying pan in melted butter or vegetable oil.

We prepare pancake dough according to the usual recipe, only a little more salty. We put the prepared cabbage in it, mix well and bake pancakes, a little thicker than light pancakes. Without folding, place them on a plate one on top of the other. You can add tomato sauce or sour cream to these pancakes.

Pancakes in questions and answers

Why do you need to knead the dough?

To remove part of the carbon dioxide formed during fermentation from the dough and replace it with air, the dough will rise faster, the pancakes will turn out more loose and fluffy.

Is it possible to put the dough in the evening to save time?

It’s not worth it: if the dough stops resting, lactic acid bacteria multiply and suppress sugary substances, turning them into lactic acid, which will give the pancakes an unpleasant sour taste. For the correct approach, 3-3.5 hours is enough.

Why sift flour?

To remove possible impurities, and most importantly, to saturate it with air so that it becomes light and fluffy. In addition, the sifted flour acquires a uniform density, and now it can be measured with the necessary accuracy.

What is the best way to use the dough - milk orAndwater?

Pancakes are especially loose and plump when the dough is mixed with water, but pancakes with milk are tastier and more tender: milk makes the dough more viscous and flexible, activates its loosening, because. “reinforces” alcoholic fermentation caused by yeast, lactic acid.

What to do if the whites are not whipped well?

First of all, check the cleanliness of the container in which you beat them - there may be traces of fat invisible to the eye on its walls, then it’s a disaster, the whites will not rise. Professional chefs, before beating an egg, wipe a chilled bowl, even if it looks sparkling clean, with a slice of lemon. By the way, a drop of lemon juice helps the whites whip up quickly. Yolks, on the contrary, need to be ground with sugar and in a warm room.

And the second danger: it is impossible for even a drop of yolk to get into the separated whites, then it will be impossible to beat them. To prevent this from happening, you can use a special spoon: it will hold the yolk in the recess and let the white pass into the bowl.

If a recipe calls for whipped egg whites and whipped cream to be added to the dough, what should you add first?

First, mix the whipped whites with the whipped cream, and then add everything together to the dough.

What to do if the dough is too thick?

Do not try to dilute it with milk - you may completely ruin the consistency! Separate 2-3 tablespoons of thick dough into a bowl, stir them with milk (a little thinner than necessary) and pour into the total mass. If the desired effect is not achieved, you can do it again.

How to tell if yeast is fresh?

They should be soft to the touch and have a slight smell of alcohol.

What is the ratio of fresh to dry yeast?

20 g dry yeast= 50 g fresh. To dissolve dry yeast, sprinkle it with sugar and moisten it with warm water. By the way, sugar will not harm fresh or frozen yeast.

To make pancakes a success, you need:

-dry, sifted high quality flour;

-fresh yeast;

-separate frying pans (2 pieces) for frying pancakes;

-melted ghee for greasing pancakes and vegetable oil for greasing pans,

-salt, sugar, milk, heated to 35-40 degrees;

-if we use dry yeast rather than fresh, dilute it exactly according to the instructions on the package;

- do not pour oil into the frying pan - it will prevent the dough from spreading in an even layer, but only grease the frying pan with half an onion on a fork, which we dip into vegetable oil before each pancake;

-at all stages of preparation, beat the dough, mix, rub thoroughly so that there are no lumps;

-Place the finished pancakes in a stack in a deep bowl, brushing each one with melted butter;

-we also serve it with melted butter, sour cream, red fish, caviar or with honey, jam, berries and homemade fruit slices;

- as they say, you can’t tear yourself away from the Maslenitsa table. Everything is so tasty and so plentiful! But this is the last “food holiday” before the long and harsh Lent, so it’s not a sin to eat to your heart’s content!

Scenarios for Maslenitsa

Pecherskaya, A. N. Maslenitsa // Pecherskaya, A. N. Holidays in kindergarten: Scenarios, games, quizzes. &‐ M.: Rosman, 2000. - P.35-42.

Rozanova, E. G. Wide Maslenitsa // Rozanova, E. G. Holidays at school and at home: Scenarios, quizzes, games. - M.: Rosman, 2000. - P. 88-94.

Shangina, I. I. “Wide Maslenitsa”: Material for the holiday // Shangina, I. I. Russian children and their games. - St. Petersburg: Art-SPB, 2000. - P. 222-336.

Scenario for the Maslenitsa holiday

http://www.metodkabinet.eu/BGM/Szenarii/Szenari_Masleniza.htm

Milovsky, A. S. “Not life, but Maslenitsa!” // Milovsky, A. S. Song of the Firebird: Stories about folk holidays. - M.: Det. lit., 1987. - pp. 174-190.

Nekrylova, A. F. Russian folk city holidays, entertainment and spectacles. The end of the 18th - the beginning of the 20th century. - 2nd edition, add. - L.: Art, 1988. - P. 16-20.

Pankeev, I. A. Customs and traditions of the Russian people. - 2nd ed. - M.: OLMA-PRESS, 1999. - P. 364-370.

Snegirev, I.M. Russian common holidays and superstitious rituals. Part 1. - M.: Sov. Russia, 1990. - pp. 67-76. - (Library “To help the club worker”).

Sanzharova, O. Maslenitsa // Peasant woman. - 2010. - No. 2. - P.30-33.

Yunina, A. Happy farewell // Be healthy!. - 2002. - No. 3. - P. 70-73.

Polonsky, O. Walk - I don’t want to? March // Shift. - 2000. - No. 3. - P. 270-275.

Augustine (Nikitin), Archimandrite Maslenitsa // Neva. - 1998. - No. 2. - P. 214-216.

Kruglov, Yu. Spring! Spring is red! // Science and life. - 1992. - No. 4. - P. 120-122.

Compiled by: Svetlana Smychkova, librarian of the city library named after. L.A. Gladina.

Candidate of Philological Sciences I. GRACHEVA (Ryazan).

Maslenitsa is an ancient Slavic holiday that we inherited from pagan culture. This is a cheerful farewell to winter, illuminated by the joyful anticipation of imminent warmth and spring renewal of nature. Even pancakes, an indispensable attribute of Maslenitsa, had a ritual meaning: round, rosy, hot, they were a symbol of the sun, which was burning brighter, lengthening the days. Perhaps pancakes were also part of the memorial rite, since Maslenitsa was preceded by “parents’ day,” when the Slavs worshiped the souls of their departed ancestors. Centuries passed, life changed, with the adoption of Christianity in Rus' new church holidays appeared, but the wide Maslenitsa continued to live. She was greeted and seen off with the same uncontrollable daring as in pagan times.

Mummers in Kolomenskoye. Photo from 1996.

A favorite pastime at Maslenitsa, swinging, still lives on today.

Sack running is, perhaps, a new type of competition.

Mummers. Only today they use modern transport. But it’s much more pleasant in the troika.

Street bargaining near the Kremlin at the end of the 18th century. From an engraving by Kolpashnikov.

View of the Kremlin from Zamoskvorechye. From an engraving by Makhaev. 1764

Fist fight. From an engraving by Geisler. XVIII century.

Some historians believe that in ancient times Maslenitsa was associated with the day of the spring solstice, but with the adoption of Christianity it began to precede Lent and depend on its timing. And the ethnographer of the last century I.M. Snegirev believed that Maslenitsa in pagan times accompanied celebrations in honor of the pagan god Veles, the patron saint of cattle breeding and agriculture. In the Christian era, Veles's day, which fell on February 24 according to the new style, became the day of St. Blaise. In folk sayings, the memory of the traditions of ritual offerings to Veles-Vlasiy has been preserved: “Vlasiy has oiled his beard.”

However, this is not all about the meaning of Maslenitsa. For the Slavs, for a long time it was also the meeting of the New Year! After all, until the 14th century, the year in Rus' began in March. And according to ancient beliefs, it was believed that as a person greets the year, that’s how he will be. That is why the Russians did not skimp on this holiday with a generous feast and unbridled fun. And people called Maslenitsa “honest”, “broad”, “gluttonous”, and even “ruiner”.

Neither the adoption of Christianity nor the change in the time of the New Year's countdown forced Rus' to abandon its favorite holiday - hospitable and wildly cheerful, which seemed to reflect Russian nature, which sometimes knows no limits and will not restrain. We can judge this from the testimonies of contemporaries that have come down to us - domestic and foreign. The Englishman S. Collins, who served as a doctor to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in the middle of the 17th century, wrote in his notes: “At Maslenitsa, before Lent, Russians indulge in all kinds of amusements with unbridledness and in the last week (before Lent - note by I.G. .) drink so much as if they were destined to drink for the last time in their lifetime." According to Collins, after this holiday, mournful carts with the lifeless bodies of victims of the reckless revelry stretched across Moscow. Some drank to death, others fell into the snowdrifts and froze, while others died in fist fights, a favorite Maslenitsa pastime. “Two or three hundred people were transported in this way during the fast,” Collins wrote.

The Saxon G. A. Schleissinger, who visited Moscow at the end of the 17th century, said: “At this time they bake pies, rolls and the like in butter and eggs, invite guests to their place and drink honey, beer and vodka until they drop and become insensible.” . In terms of their temperament, Schleissinger notes, Muscovites are perhaps akin to Italians: “Maslenitsa reminds me of the Italian carnival, which is celebrated at the same time and in almost the same way.”

Even the swings that Russians loved to arrange at Maslenitsa often became the cause of self-harm and even death for desperate daredevils. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich tried to calm down his daring subjects using the strictest measures. The governors sent tsar's decrees to towns and villages, either prohibiting private distillation, or demanding that Russians not gamble, "not have fist fights among themselves, and not swing on any swings."

But neither the formidable royal decrees nor the instructions of the patriarch were able to cope with the overflowing joy. Young Peter I, opening the Maslenitsa festivities in Moscow and forgetting the strict instructions of his father, enthusiastically swung on a swing together with the Preobrazhensky officers.

This was also noticed by the secretary of the Austrian embassy, ​​I. G. Korb, who arrived in Russia at that time: at Maslenitsa, “all respect for the highest authorities disappears, the most harmful self-will reigns everywhere.” Much to Korb’s surprise, the young king himself set the tone for this overthrow of all kinds of authorities. Korb witnessed a curious and at the same time mocking ceremony: the newly built Lefortov Palace was consecrated on Maslenitsa by the clownish patriarch, the “Prince-Papa,” who headed the “all-joking and all-drunk cathedral.” The palace was consecrated in honor of Bacchus, tobacco smoke was incense, and the “patriarch” blessed everyone with a cross made of crossed tobacco pipes. Then a cheerful feast began in the palace, which lasted two days: “Moreover, it was not allowed to go to sleep in their own homes. Foreign representatives were allocated special rooms and a certain hour was assigned for sleep, after which a shift was arranged, and those who were rested in turn had to go in round dances and other dances."

F.V. Berchholtz, who arrived in Russia in the retinue of the Duke of Holstein, especially remembered Maslenitsa in Moscow in 1722. On the occasion of the celebration of the Peace of Nystadt, Peter organized an unusual procession, which moved from the village of Vsesvyatsky and passed through Moscow. Amazed Muscovites saw the Russian fleet cruising through the snow-covered streets of their ancient city. Boats, yachts, ships were placed on sleighs pulled by horses.

Berchholtz left a detailed description of this train. There was also the “prince-papa” with his jester retinue: “Bacchus sat at his feet, riding on a barrel, holding a large glass in his right hand, and a vessel of wine in his left.” Neptune followed him: “He sat in a sleigh made in the form of a large shell, and had two sirens at his feet.” The emperor himself rode on a large ship, which continually fired cannon salutes. The ship's crew was made up of lively, agile boys (obviously, students of the navigation school). Berchholtz said: “His Majesty was having fun like a king. Not having the opportunity here in Moscow to rush through the waters like in St. Petersburg, and despite the winter, he nevertheless did with his little dexterous boatswains on the dry route all the maneuvers possible only on sea. When we rode with the wind, he spread all the sails, which of course helped the 15 horses pulling the ship a lot."

The Empress followed the ship in a beautiful gilded gondola. In the procession there were mummers portraying Turks, Arabs, Spaniards, harlequins, even dragons and cranes. There was a sleigh pulled by a gear of bears. They were ruled by a man sewn into a bearskin. This was probably an invention of the Romodanovskys, who were famous for their trained bears. Berchholtz counted over 60 sleighs in the procession. The celebration ended with a feast and fireworks.

But in 1724 in St. Petersburg, Maslenitsa was not a success. Peter intended to organize a funny sleigh procession here, too, but the entire holiday week there was a snowstorm and there was severe frost. For several days, participants in the procession in costumes and masks arrived at the gathering place, but, becoming numb along the way, they went to warm up in someone’s hospitable home. The gambling sovereign did not lose hope of carrying out the fun he had planned, but, alas, the elements prevailed.

On the occasion of her coronation, Catherine II, imitating Peter I, organized a grandiose masquerade procession called “Minerva Triumphant” in Moscow during Shrovetide Week. For three days a masquerade procession traveled around the city, which, according to the empress’s plan, was supposed to represent various social vices - bribery, embezzlement, bureaucratic red tape and others, destroyed by the beneficial rule of the wise Catherine. The manager of the holiday was the famous actor F. G. Volkov, poems and texts for choirs were written by M. M. Kheraskov and A. P. Sumarokov. The procession consisted of four thousand actors and two hundred chariots. This amusement cost the life of Volkov, who caught a cold during the holiday. And the vices that Catherine intended to fight, by a strange irony of fate, blossomed even more magnificently under her scepter.

When Catherine II waited for the birth of her grandson Alexander, to whom she secretly intended to transfer the throne, bypassing her unloved son Paul, the empress, to celebrate, organized a truly “diamond” Maslenitsa for her entourage. The English ambassador, Lord Harris, reported: “The Empress was pleased to organize a holiday during Maslenitsa, which in its splendor and grace surpassed everything that could be imagined in this way. At dinner, dessert was served on precious dishes sparkling with stones worth up to two million pounds sterling.” Those who came out on top in the games started after dinner were given a diamond by the Empress. Over the course of the evening, she gave away about 150 diamonds to her entourage, which amazed the Englishman with their price and rare beauty.

The Dane P. Haven, who visited Russia in the 18th century, said: “In addition to the various games usual for Maslenitsa, the Russians this week arrange entertainment for themselves, which seems more dangerous to foreign observers than fun.” He meant skiing from high icy mountains, which became an integral part of Maslenitsa fun. At first, natural terrain was used for this - high river banks, ravines and hillocks, which were filled with water.

Hanoverian Envoy F.-H. Weber, who visited Russia during the time of Peter I, shuddered at this favorite pastime of the Russians. At the steep, icy descent of the river, fun was already in full swing. At the top there was a table with vodka, which - “for the track” - was treated to those skating. An orchestra was located under the mountain, and crowds of spectators gathered around. Several people sat in single file, holding each other, on a straw mat. For a safe descent one had to have extraordinary acrobatic abilities. The skiers rushed down the mountain at great speed, sliding over the icy potholes at the “fifth point” and raising their legs up so as not to injure them and not come down naked: according to Weber, during the rapid descent from friction, “the trousers, if they were not strong, tore apart". As soon as the mat with the skaters was pushed from above, “timpani and trumpets began to play, the sound of which was accompanied by the screams of the spectators and those descending themselves. And I can confirm from my own experience,” Weber continues, “that when I was forced with everyone else to also make this descent and I finished the race happily, I couldn’t hear or see anything due to dizziness.”

Over time, "skating fun" in cities improved. Wooden slides with elegant pavilions began to be erected on the ice of the river or in squares, and the descent path was fenced with sides. The slides were decorated with multi-colored flags, spruce and pine branches, even wooden sculptures. Instead of matting, special sleds appeared, which at first resembled boats placed on runners and upholstered inside with cloth. But some reckless drivers preferred to go down the slides on skates or simply on their own soles. In St. Petersburg at the beginning of the 19th century, the mountains of the merchant Podoznikov were famous. They were built on the Neva opposite the Senate and reached 26 meters in height. Skiing from the city's improved mountains has become paid and in the last century it cost a penny.

Near the icy mountains there was a brisk trade in hot sbiten, tea from smoking samovars, sweets, nuts, pies and pancakes. The audience was amused by buffoons and their favorite folk hero, Petrushka. Soon these performances were replaced by booths, in which acrobats and jugglers performed, trained animals and Chinese shadows were shown, popular comedies, extravaganza performances, and “living pictures”, popular in the 19th century, were staged.

The owners of the booths were sensitive to changes in the entertainment needs and tastes of the public. As soon as word of the triumph of K. Bryullov’s painting “The Death of Pompeii” spread throughout St. Petersburg, they began to show a “living picture” on this topic in one of the booths. The effects were impressive: bright flashes of a volcanic eruption, smoke, roar, picturesque groups of extras... True, the half-naked “Pompeians” were shaking desperately in the frozen booth, but undemanding spectators interpreted this as horror before the formidable elements.

If in Moscow and St. Petersburg common people hurried to booths during Maslenitsa to watch “The Battle of the Russians with the Kabardians” or “The Capture of Kars,” then the residents of small provincial towns and villages themselves became the protagonists of an unusual battle - the capture of a snowy town - remember the bright, dynamic picture of Surikov ? Having gathered from young to old, they unanimously built a fortress out of snow with intricate towers and two gates. Most often they placed it on the ice of the river and cut through the middle with wormwood. Then the participants of the game were divided into two parties. Horsed daredevils besieged the fortress, and its defenders fought back with snowballs, waved twigs and brooms, scaring the horses. The winner who broke through the gate first was faced with a test: he was forced to swim in an ice hole. Then all participants in the game were given a treat, and the winner was awarded a gift.

A common Maslenitsa pastime, especially in the outback, was fist fights. S. V. Maksimov in “Essays on Folk Life” talked about the traditions of one of the district towns of the Penza province: “On the last day of Maslenitsa<...>All the peasants, young and old, gather in the market square in the morning." It begins with the traditional "wall", when fighters of the two parties line up against each other. And it ends with "everyone fighting, crowded into one heap, without distinguishing their relatives , no friends, no acquaintances. From a distance, this heap of floundering people looks very much like an intoxicated monster, which sways, roars, screams and groans from the passion of destruction that has gripped it. How hot these fights are can be judged by the fact that many fighters leave the battlefield almost naked: both their shirts and their ports are torn to shreds.”

The wide Maslenitsa flaunted everything in complete frankness: family wealth, which was judged by outfits and food; and the savagery of ignorant souls, turning a holiday into a drunken scuffle, and the ineradicable craving of human hearts for the beauty and joyful poetry of existence. Maksimov wrote: “Everywhere is fun, lively, everywhere life is in full swing, so that the whole gamut of the human soul flashes before the eyes of the observer: laughter, jokes, women’s tears, kisses, a stormy quarrel, drunken hugs, strong language, a fight, the bright laughter of a child... "

But the most beloved and beautiful Maslenitsa ritual was sleigh rides. Everyone who had a horse rode out, and various teams of horses raced through the streets of cities and villages: the rich sported sleek trotters and painted sleighs covered with a carpet or bearskin, followed by clumsily galloping peasant horses, cleaned to a shine, decorated with colored ribbons and paper flowers. . Horse hooves rattled, bells and bells rang, harmonicas sang... The boys blew into clay whistles with pleasure, producing bird trills and not even suspecting that imitating the voices of birds is also a remnant of the pagan rites of invoking the Red Spring. This bright joy and festive diversity of colors was brought to us by the paintings of B. Kustodiev, who loved to paint Russian Maslenitsa.

The young Englishwoman M. Wilmot, who came to visit Princess Dashkova, enjoyed participating in Maslenitsa skating in Moscow in 1804. She wrote in her diary: “The merchant women especially shone. Their headdresses are embroidered with pearls, gold and silver, their golden silk salops are trimmed with the most expensive furs. They are very white and blush, which makes their appearance very bright. They have magnificent carriages, and there is no animal more beautiful than their horses. Beautiful riding is a matter of rivalry<...>The lovely Countess Orlova was the only woman who drove the team, acting as her father's coachman. In front of their carriage rode two horsemen in scarlet, the postilion drove two, and the countess four horses. They rode in a tall, light, extremely beautiful phaeton, like a shell."

Lady Bloomfield described the Maslenitsa of 1846 in St. Petersburg as follows: “The entire space of the large Admiralty Square was covered with temporary barracks and wooden theaters, as well as circuses, carousels, ice mountains, etc., built for the entertainment of the people. The road opposite the Winter Palace was occupied by continuous line of carriages, which stretched as if in a procession, and were mostly filled with children. In general, it was a beautiful and cheerful spectacle, like a great fair. During Maslenitsa, people of all classes seemed to completely lose their heads, thinking only about how to fill more this week of pleasures and entertainment."

A long-standing folk custom gave special poetry to luge skating: the “young couple” who got married in winter rode through the streets to “show off” and made visits to relatives and friends. Often, engaged grooms took out their beautiful brides for all honest people to see. “Newlyweds” and engaged couples were recognized immediately: by their happy faces, and by their smart outfits, and especially by the fact that they were supposed to ride around hugging each other. In the "Notes" of A. T. Bolotov there is an interesting episode dating back to the reign of Catherine II. Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich, who had just gotten married, followed the folk custom and, “picking up his bride and putting him in an open sleigh, alone, without a bollard, without any distant gatherings or ceremonies, he rode and rode around the city during Maslenitsa and showed off his bride to everyone; and "The people liked it. They say that the empress found out about this and she was displeased that he violated etiquette, so she did not order him to give horses without her knowledge."

The main treat at Maslenitsa is pancakes, which were baked and eaten in countless quantities. In famous St. Petersburg and Moscow restaurants this week, efficient floor workers, along with a menu card, placed printed congratulations on Maslenitsa on the tables, often written in verse and decorated with bright drawings. For each day of the Holy Week there were certain rituals. On Monday - Maslenitsa meeting, on Tuesday - flirting. On Gourmet Wednesday, mothers-in-law invited their sons-in-law for pancakes. On Thursday, the busiest sleigh rides took place. On Friday - mother-in-law's evening - the sons-in-law invited the mother-in-law for a treat. Saturday was reserved for sister-in-law gatherings.

Sunday was called "forgiveness day." The Frenchman J. Margeret, who served in Russia at the beginning of the 17th century, said that on this day Russians “go to visit each other, exchanging kisses, bows and asking forgiveness from each other if they offended with words or deeds; even meeting on the street, at least Having never seen each other before, they kiss, saying: “Forgive me, I beg you,” to which they answer: “God will forgive you, and forgive me too.” In the 17th century, on this day, kings and their entourage came to “say goodbye.” to the patriarch, who, having performed the necessary ceremonies, treated the distinguished guests with fortified honey and Rhine wine.

However, each locality developed its own traditions of the Shrovetide week. So the celebration of Maslenitsa in some provinces began already on Friday, in others it was postponed until Sunday evening. A procession with a straw effigy of Maslenitsa moved through the villages with songs and sentences, which was honored, invited to return again next year, and then taken to the outskirts, where it was burned at the stake. In some places, during the farewell, they carried a sleigh with a wheel mounted on a pole; a ruddy, strong man sat on the wheel, holding a bottle of wine in one hand and a roll of bread in the other. The wheel probably symbolized the cycle of the annual solar movement. As for the figure of a man with a roll, researchers of folk life saw in it either the personification of Maslenitsa or a memory of a pagan deity, the patron of fertility and family wealth.

It is quite possible that the Maslenitsa processions, so beloved by Peter I, had their origins connected with these common folk traditions. Peter himself tried to play a modest role in such processions, dressing up as either a skipper or a drummer, and his wife was often dressed as a Dutch peasant woman. But during Shrovetide, a peasant could turn into a king. At the end of the 17th century, the Tver landowner N.B. Pushkin reported that his peasants on Saturday at Maslenitsa chose a “tsar” for themselves, took him around the villages with great triumph and “made alarms with banners and with drums and with a gun.” The frightened landowner saw political sedition in the playful action of seeing off Maslenitsa.

Playwright A. N. Ostrovsky, having decided to introduce a scene of farewell to Maslenitsa in the play “The Snow Maiden”, recorded ritual holiday songs heard in Russian villages. And in “The Snow Maiden” the Berendey tribe, who lived in “prehistoric times,” said goodbye to Maslenya week in the same way as the playwright’s contemporaries, as, perhaps, they are still saying goodbye to it in the Russian outback:

Farewell, honest Maslyana!

If you're alive, I'll see you.

Wait at least a year

Yes, you know, you know

That Maslyana will come again...