Cheesefare Week
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Maslenitsa ( be, Масленіца, russian: Мaсленица, rue, Фашенґи, uk, Масниця; also known as Butter Lady, Butter Week, Crepe week, or Cheesefare Week) is an Eastern Slavic religious and folk holiday, which has retained a number of elements of Slavic mythology in its ritual, celebrated during the last week before
Great Lent Great Lent, or the Great Fast, (Greek: Μεγάλη Τεσσαρακοστή or Μεγάλη Νηστεία, meaning "Great 40 Days," and "Great Fast," respectively) is the most important fasting season of the church year within many denominat ...
, that is, the eighth week before Eastern Orthodox Pascha. The date of Maslenitsa changes every year depending on the date of the celebration of Easter. It corresponds to the Western Christian
Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...
, except that Orthodox Lent begins on a Monday instead of a Wednesday, and the Orthodox
date of Easter As a moveable feast, the date of Easter is determined in each year through a calculation known as (). Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon, which is the first full moon on or after 21 March (a fixed approxi ...
can differ greatly from the Western Christian date. The traditional attributes of the Maslenitsa celebration are the Maslenitsa
effigy An effigy is an often life-size sculptural representation of a specific person, or a prototypical figure. The term is mostly used for the makeshift dummies used for symbolic punishment in political protests and for the figures burned in certai ...
, sleigh rides, festivities. Russians bake bliny and
flatbread A flatbread is a bread made with flour; water, milk, yogurt, or other liquid; and salt, and then thoroughly rolled into flattened dough. Many flatbreads are unleavened, although some are leavened, such as pizza and pita bread. Flatbreads ran ...
, while Belarusians and Ukrainians cook
pierogi Pierogi are filled dumplings made by wrapping unleavened dough around a savory or sweet filling and cooking in boiling water. They are often pan-fried before serving. Pierogi or their varieties are associated with the cuisines of Central, Easter ...
and syrniki.


Traditions

According to archeological evidence from 2nd century A.D. Maslenitsa may be the oldest surviving Slavic holiday.Maslenitsa, Blin! The Food and Celebration of the Russians
By Josh Wilson, Newsletter, The School of Russian and Asian Studies, 9 March 2005.
In the
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
tradition, Maslenitsa is the last week before the onset of
Great Lent Great Lent, or the Great Fast, (Greek: Μεγάλη Τεσσαρακοστή or Μεγάλη Νηστεία, meaning "Great 40 Days," and "Great Fast," respectively) is the most important fasting season of the church year within many denominat ...
.''Maslenitsa''
by Margaret McKibben, Russian Folk Group of Seattle, WA, Seattle Community Network. undated.
During the week of Maslenitsa, meat is already forbidden to
Orthodox Christians Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churc ...
, and it is the last week during which eggs, milk, cheese and other dairy products are permitted, leading to its name of "Cheese-fare week" or "Crepe week". The most characteristic food of Maslenitsa is '' bliny'' - thin pancakes or crepes, made from the rich foods still allowed by the Orthodox tradition that week: butter, eggs and milk. Since Lent excludes parties, secular music, dancing and other distractions from spiritual life, Maslenitsa represents the last chance to take part in social activities that are not appropriate during the more prayerful, sober and introspective Lenten season. In some regions, each day of Maslenitsa had its traditional activity. Monday may be the welcoming of "Lady Maslenitsa". The community builds the Maslenitsa effigy out of straw (из соломы), decorated with pieces of rags, and fixed to a pole formerly known as Kostroma. It is paraded around and the first pancakes may be made and offered to the poor. On Tuesday, young men might search for a fiancée to marry after Lent. On Wednesday sons-in-law may visit their mother-in-law who has prepared pancakes and invited other guests for a party. Thursday may be devoted to outdoor activities. People may take off work and spend the day sledding, ice skating, snowball fights and with sleigh rides. On Friday sons-in-law may invite their mothers-in-law for dinner. Saturday may be a gathering of a young wife with her sisters-in-law to work on a good relationship.


Sunday of Forgiveness

The last day of Cheesefare Week is called "Forgiveness Sunday" (Прощёное воскресенье). Relatives and friends ask each other for forgiveness and might offer them small presents. As the culmination of the celebration people gather to "strip Lady Maslenitsa of her finery" and burn her in a
bonfire A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used either for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration. Etymology The earliest recorded uses of the word date back to the late 15th century, with the Catho ...
. Left-over pancakes may also be thrown into the fire and Lady Maslenitsa's ashes are buried in the snow to "fertilize the crops". At Vespers on Sunday evening, people may make a '' poklon'' (bow) before one another and ask forgiveness. Another name for Forgiveness Sunday is "Cheesefare Sunday", because for devout Orthodox Christians it is the last day on which dairy products may be consumed until Easter. Fish, wine and olive oil will also be forbidden on most days of Great Lent. The day following Cheesefare Sunday is called
Clean Monday Clean Monday ( el, Καθαρά Δευτέρα), also known as Pure Monday, Ash Monday, Monday of Lent or Green Monday, is the first day of Great Lent throughout Eastern Christianity and is a moveable feast, falling on the 6th Monday before ...
, because people have confessed their sins, asked forgiveness, and begun Great Lent with a clean slate.


Modern times

During Soviet times, Maslenitsa, like other religious holidays, was not celebrated officially. However, it was widely observed in families without its religious significance, as an opportunity to prepare crepes with all sorts of fillings and coverings and to eat and share them with friends. After the start of ''
perestroika ''Perestroika'' (; russian: links=no, перестройка, p=pʲɪrʲɪˈstrojkə, a=ru-perestroika.ogg) was a political movement for reform within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) during the late 1980s widely associated wit ...
'', the outdoor celebrations resumed, although they were seen by some as an artificial restoration of a dead tradition. Since the
dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...
, many Russians have returned to practicing Christianity, the tradition is still being revived. With increasing secularization many Russians do not abstain from meat and Maslenitsa celebrations can be accompanied by
shashlik Shashlik, or shashlick (russian: шашлык ''shashlyk''), is a dish of skewered and grilled cubes of meat, similar to or synonymous with shish kebab. It is known traditionally by various other names in Iran, the Caucasus, Eastern Europe and C ...
vendors. Nevertheless, "meat still does not play a major role in the festivities". Many countries with a significant number of Russian immigrants consider Maslenitsa a suitable occasion to celebrate Russian culture, although the celebrations are usually reduced to one day and may not coincide with the date of the religious celebrations. On 20 March 2017, the British tabloid newspaper '' Daily Mirror'' painted the Maslenitsa as a Hooligan training ground. One of the centuries-old traditions in this folk festival is "wall-on-wall" (‘ stenka na stenku’, Ru), which involves sparring between men dressed in traditional folk clothes. This tradition was misrepresented by the ''Mirror'' in pictures and text as a collective act of violence without providing context about the Russian traditional festival. The ''Mirror'' article was titled "Russia's Ultra yobs infiltrated amid warnings England fans could be KILLED at World Cup", and was received negatively by the Russian media, which described it as fake news.


Gallery

File:SurikovSnowFortress.jpg, Vasily Surikov. Взятие снежного городка Taking a Snow Town, 1891. File:Соломаткин Масленица 1878.jpg,
Leonid Solomatkin Leonid Ivanovich Solomatkin (Russian: Леонид Иванович Соломаткин; 1837, Sudzha, Kursk Oblast, Sudzha – 18 June 1883, Saint Petersburg) was a Russian Genre art, genre painter in the Realism (art), Realistic style. Biogra ...
. Maslenitsa, 1878. File:Крыжановский Прощеный-день.jpg, K. Kryzhanovsky. Sunday of Forgiveness, 19th century. File:Scenery at Celebration of Maslenitsa 01.jpg, Scenery at Celebration of Maslenitsa File:2014. Харьков 062.jpg, Maslenitsa celebrations in Kharkiv, 2014. File:St. Petersburg, Russia, IMG 8506 (40616996172).jpg, Maslenitsa festivities in St. Petersburg, 2018.


See also

*
Candlemas Candlemas (also spelled Candlemass), also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ, the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or the Feast of the Holy Encounter, is a Christian holiday commemorating the presentati ...
* Slavic carnival *
Fašiangy Slavic carnivals are known under different names in various Slavic countries: mk, Прочка, Pročka; bg, Сирни заговезни, Прошка, Поклади, Sirni zagovezni, Proshka, Pokladi; russian: Масленица, Мясоп ...
(in Slovakia) *
Rio Carnival ) , image = File:Desfile Portela 2014 (906185).jpg , caption = A float at Rio Carnival, 2014 , celebrations = Parades, parties, open-air performances , longtype = cultural, religious , type = christian , signi ...
(in Brazil) *
Carnaval Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...
(in the Netherlands) * Fat Thursday (in Poland) *
Mardi Gras Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for "Fat ...
(in other countries) * Mărţişor (in Romania and Moldova) * Marzanna (in Poland) *
Meteņi Meteņi () or Metenis is an ancient Latvian spring waiting holiday, that ends on Ash Wednesday, which is followed by Lent. Meteņi is celebrated in February or early March, seven weeks before Lieldienas. Origins The Meteņi celebration prese ...
(in
Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
) *
Patras Carnival The Patras Carnival, Patrino karnavali is the largest event of its kind in Greece. It has more than 180 years of history. The events begin on 17 January and last up to Clean Monday. The carnival of Patras is not a single event but a variety of ...
(in Greece) *
Tsiknopempti Tsiknopempti ( el, Τσικνοπέμπτη, ) is part of the traditional celebrations of (), the Greek Carnival season. The celebration, normally translated as ''Smelly Thursday'', ''Charred Thursday'', or ''Smoky'' ''Thursday'', centers on the c ...
* Shrove Tuesday or "Pancake Day" (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) * Petrushka (ballet) *
Užgavėnės Užgavėnės is a Lithuanian festival that takes place during the seventh week before Easter (Ash Wednesday). Its name means ''"the time before Lent"''. The celebration corresponds to Roman Catholic holiday traditions in other parts of the wo ...
(in
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
) * Farsang (Hungarian carnival)
Busójárás The Busójárás ( Hungarian, meaning "Busó-walking"; in Croatian: ''Pohod bušara'') is an annual celebration of the Šokci living in the town of Mohács, Hungary, held at the end of the Carnival season ("Farsang"), ending the day before Ash ...
* Shrovetide


References


External links


Lives of the Saints
The Orthodox Church in America, undated. * {{Slavic holidays, state=collapsed Eastern Orthodox liturgical days Observances in Russia Mardi Gras Russian folklore Russian traditions Russian Orthodox Church Spring traditions February observances March observances Ukrainian traditions Belarusian traditions Folk calendar of the East Slavs Holidays based on the date of Easter Slavic holidays Slavic carnival Carnivals in Russia Carnivals in Ukraine Carnivals in Belarus Festivals in Russia Festivals in Ukraine Spring (season) events in Belarus