Winter is a test for every person: a short light day, cold winds, snow, slush. Therefore, the arrival of spring is a long-awaited event, which must be noted. Previously, people believed that the young Spring is too weak to overcome the old cunning Winter and to help her drive away the cold it is necessary to arrange merry festivities. These festivities were called Maslenitsa because people tried to fertilize, "cajole" the spring. On this day the people praised Yarilu - the deity of fertility and sun. The deity appeared to Rusich in the form of a young man, dying and resurrected from year to year. Yarilo gave the sunny spring heat, which was the guarantee of an abundant harvest. The story of the origin of the Shrovetide festival contains many more interesting facts, which we will discuss below.
History of the Shrovetide feast
The cheerful seeing-off of the winter cold, illuminated by the expectation of the approaching warmth and renewal of nature, has always been the occasion for noisy festivities. On Shrovetide, even the history of pancakes, which had a ritual significance, arose: hot, round, they were the personification of the sun, which flared up brighter, lengthening the light day. Pancakes were also part of the funeral rituals, since before the Carnival was a "parental day", when Rusich worshiped the spirits of ancestors.
There are several facts about Shrovetide, which every person who decides to celebrate this holiday should know:
- Date of the Carnival . The traditional Maslenitsa festival is celebrated throughout the whole week (sometimes three days). The date of the beginning of the celebration depends on the date of Easter . As a rule, the week of oil is celebrated in the last week before Lent.
- Traditional rituals . For every day of the celebration, different rituals are invented, which, in essence, boil down to matchmaking. The holiday starts on Monday and until Thursday they go to visit friends, treat their friends with pancakes. On Thursday, the Shrove Carnival starts, the youth jumps through the bonfires, organizes noisy parties. Sunday is the apogee of celebration. Close people ask for forgiveness for the wrongs done, go to confession to the church.
- Church attitude to the holiday . In the Orthodox Church, the oil week is called Cheese Week. These days there is a "release of meat", that is, the Orthodox can taste the products of animal origin for the last time before Lent. During this period it is necessary to try to reconcile with neighbors, to devote time to communication with friends and relatives.
According to historians, the ceremonial side of this holiday includes traditions that refer to the time of the year (vernal equinox) and the cult of ancestors (veneration of the dead). In ancient times Pancake week was tended to stimulate fertility and was a pledge of a rich harvest. Today, Pancake Week is more like an echo of the past and another reason for fun.
History and traditions of Maslenitsa
For seven days, the hostess is trying to bake as many pancakes as possible, which embody the sun and the coming spring. In addition, there are other rituals dedicated to the worship of the sun. At all times, various ritualistic rites were performed, based on the magic of the circle. The boys prepared a sleigh, harnessed the horses and circled the village, and the girls decorated the wooden wheel on the pole with colored ribbons and walked with him through the streets.
The main heroine of the celebration was, of course, Maslenitsa, represented in a scarecrow. She was solemnly burned on the last day of the oil week, singing solemn songs and calling the spring. Historians believe that the effigy personifies a deity who dies and informs the earth of fertility.