What did you do for Pancake week in Russia? How did they celebrate Shrovetide in Russia? History of Carnival in Russia

In our country there is a huge number of different holidays, which were celebrated by our ancestors. This is also the Maslenitsa. In this article, we will plunge into history a little and tell you what we did in Maslenitsa in Russia and what traditions have been preserved to this day.

Origin of the holiday

First of all, it should be said that Pancake week is still a pagan holiday that was known to people before the adoption of Christianity in Russia. Then it was the Day of the Sun, when the pancakes symbolized this heavenly body: yellow and round. It was the adoption of spring, heat, the return of the hot and tender sun, which was to revive all the plants to life. With the adoption of Christianity, this holiday has not gone away. But it should be noted that in the church calendar of such a day as Maslenitsa does not exist. But there is a certain transformed Cheese Week (or in the people - Cheese Sunday), which, however, is such a disguised folk Maslenitsa. However, the church tried to eradicate most of the pagan traditions of celebrating this day, leaving it, basically, for rest and a pleasant time of communication with God. People are trying to preserve those sacred customs and ceremonies that our great-grandmothers revered.

Meaning of the holiday

The history of Maslenitsa in Russia is very interesting by its nature. So, always this holiday was at the beginning of spring and coincided with the day of the spring equinox. This was a kind of milestone, after which, according to the beliefs of ancestors, all life on earth began to revive and enter a new cycle of development. And all thanks to the sun, which on this day was mostly revered. It was also a cult of fertility, after which everything began to be filled with fresh juices of a new life. Especially important this holiday has always been for the peasants. After all, they were responsible for the crop, which, incidentally, accounted for the bulk of their income and was pledged to full wintering.

Sledding

Interesting is what they did in Russia at Maslenitsa. The first practice is to skate and show yourself. The rich men rode horse-drawn carriages, flaunting themselves before the poor, people with small incomes enjoyed sledding. Necessarily on this day were to leave the family, who married in the winter. So they similarly talked about their new status, boasted to the residents, and on this day they were not criticized for that. The same was true of the future bride and groom: the Shrovetide, the grooms boasted to all their brides, presenting them in all the glory of the public. In some parts of Russia on sleigh it was necessary to roll midwives, as a symbol of fertility and a new life.

Catania from the mountain

In Russia on Maslenitsa it was also customary to ride the mountains on sleds. And they did it all - from small to large. However, adults joined the children only from Wednesday, skating before the end of the week. As for the newlyweds and couples, they had to leave the hill only once - so the custom said. The vehicles were also interesting. So, seldom were they single sleds, similar to modern ones. At that time, the sled was intended for skating at once about 8-10 people. Also skated on blocks of ice cut in the river, on the boards with the frozen bottom.

Deck

Another ancient name is Maslenitsa in Russia - Kolody. So, this week, special significance was the special deck, which for seven days lived its life. Helped her in this woman. So, on Monday it was born, on Tuesday - a baptismal ceremony was held, on Wednesday it lived its life, on Thursday - it died, on Friday the deck was buried, and on Saturday - was mourned. Sunday was the culmination day. So, women took this shoe and walked with her around the village, tying to all who were not married or single. It is clear that people did not like this, and they had to give ransom: pies, beads, ribbons, booze, sweets.

Women's Days

The people also used to have one more name of the holiday - the Baba Week. And all because women were the main at this time. So, in Russia on Shrove Tuesday, brides were married and married - this was considered an opportune time to create a new family. Also characteristic were "zolovkin gatherings", when young girls gathered together and complained to each other about their close women: mothers, sisters, mother-in-law, etc. On Friday, the son-in-law had to invite his mother-in-law to other guests, and The time of their regrets to say: "Drink, dear guests, so that my beloved mother-in-law does not dry up in her throat." This hinted that, in the main, the mothers of wives were very talkative and always tried to teach young people how to live better and live better.

About food

What celebration of Carnival in Russia did without a special dish - pancakes? So, from the filing of Russian folklorist Alexander Afanasyev, most people today believe that this is the symbol of the Sun. However, in Ancient Rus it was also a memorial bread, which was baked to honor their dead ancestors. It was round, which meant the endlessness of existence, warm - symbolizes earthly joy, made of flour, water and salt, that is living. On the first Monday a pancake was put on the attic window so that the souls of the deceased could eat. Or they gave pancakes to the poor, so that they would remember the dead. And it was said: "The first pancake is for the repose."

Battles

How else did they celebrate Shrovetide in Russia? Fisticuffs. Today it's an innocuous game, when everyone enters the battle, even the girls, and the fun itself is completely safe. But it was not always so. Previously, such fights were serious, they used all the strength of men, often they ended very badly. Why was it necessary? The fact is that people believed that by shedding blood in this way, they sacrifice to spirits, which for a while after that they will simply not be disturbed.

Celebrations

How did they celebrate Shrovetide in Russia? Of course, it's fun! Obligatory were various festivities, fun, dances, spring songs. Girls and guys danced and had fun. Also obligatory was the burning ceremony of a scarecrow, the ashes from which were scattered over fields and other fertile lands, which should have yielded an excellent harvest. In some areas, it was customary to undress the "Voevoda" and "Shrovetide" - the organizers of the holiday, which were supposed to simulate a bath in the bath. Now it is very difficult to understand the meaning of this action, but earlier people believed that everyone came to the world and left it naked, that is, clean, and such washing meant mental and physical purity.