Maslenitsa
Archaeological evidence from the 2nd century AD suggests Maslenitsa may be the oldest surviving Slavic holiday. This ancient celebration predates Christianity in Eastern Europe by many centuries. The ritual likely began as a pagan festival honoring the end of winter and the coming spring. Ancient Slavs viewed the sun as a deity that needed to be coaxed back into strength after months of darkness. They created effigies out of straw and rags to represent this solar figure. These figures were often named Lady Maslenitsa or simply Butter Lady. Communities would parade these straw dolls through their villages on poles known as Kostroma. The practice involved feeding the poor with the first pancakes made during the week. This act symbolized sharing the bounty of the coming harvest season.
The Orthodox Church adapted the existing folk traditions into its calendar system around the early Christian era. It became known as Cheesefare Week for those following the Eastern Orthodox tradition. The timing shifted to become the last week before Great Lent begins each year. Easter determines when this specific week occurs since it moves annually based on lunar cycles. Orthodox Lent starts on a Monday unlike Western Christian traditions where it begins on Ash Wednesday. This difference means the Orthodox date of Easter can differ greatly from the Western Christian date. Work becomes forbidden during this final week before the strict fasting period starts. It serves as the last chance for social activities before the prayerful and introspective Lenten season. Families gather to eat dairy products like blini, pierogi, and syrniki until the fast begins.
Monday marks the welcoming of Lady Maslenitsa in many traditional communities across Russia. Young men might search for a fiancée to marry after Lent concludes on Tuesday. Sons-in-law visit their mother-in-law on Wednesday who has prepared pancakes for a party. Thursday is devoted entirely to outdoor activities like sledding or ice skating. People take time off work to spend the day sleigh riding through snowy fields. Friday sees sons-in-law invite their mothers-in-law for dinner again. Saturday involves young wives gathering with sisters-in-law to improve relationships. In Ukraine, married women gathered to birth, baptize, and bury a wooden log called koloda throughout the week. Unmarried men and women had logs tied to their legs as playful punishment for not marrying before Maslenitsa. These specific daily customs highlighted the importance of marriage in Ukrainian culture.
The final day of Cheesefare Week carries the name Forgiveness Sunday in Russian tradition. Relatives and friends ask each other for forgiveness while offering small presents. As the culmination of the celebration, people gather to strip Lady Maslenitsa of her finery. They burn her effigy in a large bonfire to mark the end of festivities. Left-over pancakes may also be thrown into the fire along with the straw figure. Lady Maslenitsa's ashes are buried in the snow to fertilize the crops for spring. At Vespers on Sunday evening, people make a poklon bow before one another. Another name for this day is Cheesefare Sunday because it is the last day 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 after confessions begin.
Large public celebrations of Maslenitsa were no longer common by the turn of the 20th century due to cultural factors in the Russian Empire. After the Russian Revolution in 1917 state atheism policies made public celebrations even less common. Public Maslenitsa celebrations became rare though they continued in smaller private settings within homes and villages. In the 1960s and 1970s the USSR brought back some traditional folk holidays again. These events retained secular elements but added contemporary socialist grafted onto them. State authorities sought to control religious expression while allowing harmless cultural traditions to persist. The holiday survived primarily through family gatherings rather than large community festivals during these decades. Many older traditions faded away under the pressure of official state atheism campaigns.
After the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1980s and 1990s large outdoor celebrations started up again. Much of the older Maslenitsa traditions began to be revived in a modern context since then. Moscow has staged a yearly Maslenitsa festival next to Red Square since 2002. That celebration and other similar events attracted around 300,000 visitors in 2011 alone. With increasing secularization many Russians do not abstain from meat anymore. Shashlik vendors often accompany the festivities alongside traditional blini sellers. Nevertheless meat still does not play a major role in the core festivities. Many countries with significant Russian immigrant populations consider Maslenitsa suitable for celebrating culture. Celebrations are usually reduced to one day and may not coincide with the religious date. In 2012 Russian-Canadian composer Airat Ichmouratov composed an Overture Maslenitsa premiered in Chicoutimi Canada on the 24th of February 2013.
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Common questions
When did the Maslenitsa holiday originate according to archaeological evidence?
Archaeological evidence from the 2nd century AD suggests Maslenitsa may be the oldest surviving Slavic holiday. This ancient celebration predates Christianity in Eastern Europe by many centuries.
What is the significance of burning Lady Maslenitsa effigy on Forgiveness Sunday?
People burn her effigy in a large bonfire to mark the end of festivities and bury her ashes in the snow to fertilize the crops for spring. Left-over pancakes are also thrown into the fire along with the straw figure during this ritual.
How does Orthodox Lent start compared to Western Christian traditions regarding Maslenitsa timing?
Orthodox Lent starts on a Monday unlike Western Christian traditions where it begins on Ash Wednesday. Easter determines when this specific week occurs since it moves annually based on lunar cycles which causes the date difference.
Why were public Maslenitsa celebrations rare after the Russian Revolution in 1917?
State atheism policies made public celebrations even less common following the Russian Revolution in 1917. The holiday survived primarily through family gatherings rather than large community festivals during these decades under official state campaigns.
When was the yearly Maslenitsa festival next to Red Square first staged in Moscow?
Moscow has staged a yearly Maslenitsa festival next to Red Square since 2002. That celebration and other similar events attracted around 300,000 visitors in 2011 alone.