When, why and how Maslenitsa is celebrated

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The history of the Slavic holiday and instructions for those who want to spend it according to all the rules.

What is Maslenitsa and when is it celebrated

Shrovetide is a traditional celebration of the arrival of spring, common among the Slavic peoples. Shrovetide dates depend on what day Easter falls, and therefore change every year. In 2021, this is the week of March 8-14.

The tradition of noisily celebrating the end of winter is characteristic of the Carnival pre-Lent festival for many Catholic European countries: lavish carnivals are held in Italy and Germany, and Eastern Europeans celebrate the three-day Celebrating Masopust, The Czech Republic's Crazy Carnival, very similar to Shrovetide.

How did the holiday appear

Most of the Maslenitsa traditions are associated with pagan cults, but now many people associate the holiday with the beginning of Orthodox Great Lent. The history of Shrovetide explains this bizarre combination.

Why did the pagans celebrate Shrovetide

Historians and folklorists have several versions of the origin of the holiday. Some researchers connect Rybakov B. A. Until the end of the 15th century, the arrival of the new year was celebrated at this time.

According to another version, Maslenitsa is a red beauty, Russian braid Maslenitsa festivities arose thanks to the celebrations in honor of the Slavic god of agriculture and cattle breeding Veles. They just happened at the end of February. These days, it was accepted Kotovich O. V., Kruk I. I. Golden rules of folk culture, 2014. to cook pastries, pray for a rich harvest, the safety of livestock and family well-being.

There is also a darker theory by V. Ya. Propp. Russian Agrarian Holidays, 2000, according to which Maslenitsa is a kind of memorial rite. This is evidenced by the festive customs characteristic of Tryzna Trizna - ritual actions in memory of the deceased among the Slavs: visiting cemeteries, plentiful feasts and fistfights. Before the beginning of spring, it was necessary to remember the dead and ask them for a good harvest. According to the beliefs of the Slavs, they were in another world and could affect the fertility of the soil.

Regardless of the theory, it is obvious that this holiday with ancient roots was very popular among the people and was always celebrated widely. The proverb “At least lay yourself down, but spend Shrovetide” quite accurately reflected the attitude of people to the celebration.

How Shrovetide is related to Christianity

Ritual burning of effigies, round dances and plentiful feasts remain for many the main attributes of the holiday. And all this has nothing to do with Christianity. The participation of the Orthodox in any pagan festivities was condemned by the Rules of the Holy Apostles and Ecumenical Councils with interpretations, and priests could be defrocked for such an offense. Now the attitude of the church representatives to the holiday has softened much. Let's talk about Shrovetide, but they still urge not to associate Shrovetide with Christianity.

The week before Lent is called Cheese Week by the Orthodox in the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary Cheese Week. It is connected not with the holiday and fun, but with repentance and abstinence. At this time, believers should prepare for fasting: read prayers, attend services and refuse meat. The basis of the diet and the main source of protein for them all week was dairy products - hence its name.

The people's love for Maslenitsa was so strong that the holiday did not disappear, but, as it were, superimposed on Cheese Week even after the widespread spread of Christianity in Russia.

Why is it customary to cook pancakes for Shrovetide

From childhood, we know that a round and ruddy pancake symbolizes the sun returning after winter. But scientists consider Propp V. Ya. Russian Agrarian Holidays, 2000.that this widespread interpretation is unfounded. And it is impossible to answer with confidence why the dish became the main one on the festive table.

Folklorists suggest VK Sokolov spring-summer calendar rituals of Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians of the 19th - early 20th centuries, 1979, that pancakes were simply popular and easy baked goods for celebrations. For example, they were traditionally prepared for funeral feast, which also testifies in favor of the "memorial" theory of the origin of Maslenitsa. Even according to the ancient custom, the first Pancake pancake was “for peace”: it was given to the poor or simply put on the window to honor the memory of the dead.

Kovalev N. I. Russkaya Kulinariya, 1990. not thin, but thick yeast pancakes are considered to be primordially Russians. They were often made with buckwheat and rye flour.

Making dough for festive pancakes was a whole ritual. In some regions, I. N. Bozheryanov was used for it. How the Russian people celebrated and celebrate Christmas, New Year, Epiphany and Maslenitsa: a historical sketch, 1894. thawed snow. The hostesses kneaded the dough at night and, with the help of conspiracies, asked the month for the dough to turn out magnificent.

It is interesting that not all Slavic countries bake pancakes on Maslenitsa. For example, in Belarus and Ukraine, SM Tolstaya is molded to the festive table. Polesskiy folk calendar. M., 2005 dumplings.

Why is a scarecrow burned on Shrovetide

Another symbol of the holiday is a straw doll, which is burned at the stake at the end of the week. An effigy of Maslenitsa is most often made in the form of a woman, although in the Vitebsk region they make “Grandfather's funeral” for the holiday - the Belarusian rite of the first day of Maslenitsa and the grandfather is buried.

A doll made of straw and scrap materials is decorated, dressed in old clothes and set on a high pole. By the end of the Maslenitsa week, the scarecrow is burned or buried.

Similar rituals are held during folk festivals in various European countries. According to some scientists Adonyev S. B. Ritual effigy: a projective principle of ritual practices, the effigy personifies the death and rebirth of all nature or a specific deity - usually associated with agriculture.

Every year, with the onset of spring, the old, obsolete straw was burned by VK Sokolova. Spring-summer calendar rituals of Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians of the 19th - early 20th centuries, 1979, returning it to the land. And in return she was supposed to be reborn and bear fruit. Therefore, sometimes the remains of a scarecrow were scattered by Frazer, J. Golden Branch, 1928. across the fields and placed in a manger for livestock so that the harvest and offspring were better.

There is also the theory of Adonyev S. B. Ritual effigy: a projective principle of ritual practices, according to which the doll is considered as the embodiment of winter, evil spirits, death and disease. It is burned to cleanse and get rid of all the accumulated troubles.

How to spend the Maslenitsa week

Maslenitsa is divided Maslenitsa Sosnina N. N. Russian Ethnographic Museum into narrow and wide. The first lasts three days and is dedicated to preparing for the holiday, and the second is completely occupied with feasts and festivities. It was not accepted to work on a wide Shrovetide. For each day there is L. N. Lazareva History and theory of holidays, certain traditions and rituals. Some of them are easy to repeat now.

Monday. A meeting

On the first day of the narrow Maslenitsa, they planned the whole week: they decided who would visit whom and when, in which festivities they would participate. On Monday, they began to cook treats, make a stuffed animal, build swings, snow slides and other holiday attractions.

Tuesday. Flirt

On Tuesday, everyone went downhill and had dinners with pancakes and sweets. During these entertainments, young people looked for a couple to get married and get married in a few months.

Wednesday. Gourmet

On the last day of the narrow Maslenitsa, it was customary to come to dinner with the wife's mother. Mother-in-law treated her son-in-law and other relatives. The hostesses tried to demonstrate their culinary skills and put as many different pancakes on the table as possible. They were served sour cream, caviar, honey, homemade jams and other fillings.

Thursday. Take a walk

The wide Maslenitsa begins. Thursday was a bad omen for doing work and household chores. All day long people just had fun: they played snowballs, went to the fair, danced in circles, organized horse races and sports competitions. The climax was the capture of the snow town.

Friday. Mother-in-law evenings

On the fifth day, the noisy festivities subsided a little. Mainly young people remained in the squares and fairs. The rest began to visit their relatives. On this day, the mother-in-law with friends came to the son-in-law's house, where he was supposed to set a generous table for her.

Saturday. Sister-in-law gatherings

Communication with relatives continued on Saturday. Now her husband's sister and her friends were waiting for them. Saturday gatherings were a test for the young daughter-in-law: the guests evaluated how well she cooks and whether she knows how to conduct a conversation. On this day, it was also customary to exchange small gifts.

Sunday. Forgiveness Sunday

On Sunday, they repented and asked for forgiveness for the wrongs inflicted throughout the year. The main event of the last day of Maslenitsa is the burning of the effigy. Old things and leftovers of food were sent to the fire with him. Untouched pancakes and pies had to be handed out or burned. It was a bad omen to just throw away the food. In the evening, they visited cemeteries to commemorate the dead, and took a steam bath.