Money signs for Maslenitsa week. Signs and customs for Maslenitsa. Interesting signs for Cheese Week

The symbol of Maslenitsa has always been pancakes. According to tradition, pancakes are baked throughout Maslenitsa week. Previously, baking pancakes was a whole ritual. This delicacy was prepared according to special recipes and with special rituals and spells. Each housewife kept her recipe secret. It was believed that if you reveal the secret of the pancake recipe for Maslenitsa, then family well-being you will lose.

There are many signs and beliefs associated with Maslenitsa pancakes, which people tried to observe to attract good luck and happiness.

Signs and customs associated with Maslenitsa pancakes

  • The first baked pancake was intended for the souls of deceased relatives. One of the traditions of this holiday is the remembrance of the departed. Therefore, the first Maslenitsa pancake was left on the window, given to the poor or fed to the birds. It is customary to place the last pancake in the hand of a Maslenitsa effigy, which is then burned.

  • For our ancestors, cooking pancakes was a special sacrament. The dough was kneaded on the street near the well, while reading the plot.
  • If pancakes were successful on Maslenitsa, then this predicted a good and rich year. If the pancakes turned out to be tasteless and ugly, then there would be troubles and troubles.
  • The more pancakes you bake for Maslenitsa, the happier and more profitable the year will be. In general, it was not customary to save money on Maslenitsa. Main feature This holiday was that during the week you need to walk to the fullest, then the whole year will be successful.
  • There is a belief that pancakes must be eaten either whole or torn with your hands. We didn’t eat pancakes using cutlery. The pancake could not be pierced with a fork or knife - this could bring bad luck.
  • There was a sign: if you eat pancakes on Thursday and peas on Wednesday, then the money will not be transferred all year.
  • During Maslenitsa week, it was customary to tell fortunes using pancakes. To do this, the hostess gave the rooster a pancake. If he pecks it all down to the crumbs, the year will be poor. It turns out that the rooster pecked away family well-being and prosperity. If the rooster refuses such a treat or eats everything, then the year will be successful.
  • Ancient pancake recipes for Maslenitsa

    In the old days, pancakes for Maslenitsa were baked from oatmeal. Later they began to use buckwheat, wheat and rye flour. Pancakes were filled with various fillings or smeared with butter. Particularly popular were pancakes with meat, fish, mushrooms, cottage cheese, honey, onions, sour cream, caviar and potatoes.

    • Oat pancakes recipe
    • 1.5 cups wheat flour, 2.5 cups oatmeal, 3 cups milk or water, half a cup cream, 3 eggs, 2 tbsp. spoons of sugar, 2 tbsp. tablespoons butter, 30g. yeast, salt to taste.

      Pour warm milk into a saucepan and dissolve the yeast in it. Mix wheat and oatmeal in a separate plate, then pour into a saucepan with milk and stir. Afterwards you need to let the dough rise properly. Then add egg yolks mashed with salt to the dough, melted butter. Stir everything well. In a separate bowl you need to beat the whites, and the cream separately. Then mix them and pour into the dough. After this, the dough must be allowed to stand again.

      • Cheese pancakes recipe

      2.5 cups flour, 5 eggs, 100 g sugar, 200 g butter, 3 cups milk, ¾ teaspoon salt, 300 g cheese.

      Grate the cheese and separate the egg yolks from the whites. Beat the yolks with milk and add flour, salt and cheese. Beat the whites separately and add to the dough. It is better to bake such pancakes in small sizes. You need to fry until golden brown.

      • Recipe for yeast pancakes with whey

      1 - 1, 2 l. whey, 3 eggs, 2 tbsp. spoons of sugar, flour, 10g. live yeast, 2 tbsp. spoons of vegetable oil.

      Mix eggs with sugar, add yeast, add half a liter of warm whey and vegetable oil. Stir everything and add flour and salt. The dough should be as thick as pancakes, preferably without lumps. Then you need to add the remaining whey and mix everything again. As a result, the dough turns out liquid, like pancakes. Place the dough in warm place for about an hour.

      Despite the fact that Maslenitsa is one of the oldest holidays in Russia, pancakes became a traditional dish only in the 8th century. Previously, honey gingerbreads were baked on Maslenitsa. It is believed that the historical predecessor of pancakes was oatmeal jelly. One day they decided to heat it over the fire, and the result was the first pancakes. We wish you a merry Maslenitsa, and do not forget to press the buttons and

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On March 4, 2019, we celebrate one of the most fun and delicious holidays - Maslenitsa! Maslenitsa is one of the most anticipated holidays for both children and adults! Of course, you can have fun and eat pancakes with jam and honey for a whole week!

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Friends, we congratulate you on a wonderful, cheerful, tasty, original Russian holiday - Maslenitsa!

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May every pancake you eat on this appetizing and delicious holiday allow you to fulfill one cherished wish! Remember, as in the children's fairy tale - a spoon for mom, a spoon for dad!

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But I want to say differently: the first pancake is for joy, the second is for happiness, the third is for love. And then you still need to eat a pancake for faith, understanding, patience, health, fidelity, luck, luck, devotion, wealth and fulfillment of dreams!

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It would take a long time to list the things we live for. We wish you that bright holiday Maslenitsa, which ends winter, brought you what you dream of. Let there be a lot in your life - a lot happy days, love and peace live in the soul, and happy sparkles shine in the eyes!

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In 2019, Maslenitsa will begin on March 4 and last until March 10. This holiday precedes Lent, and popularly it is called the people's meeting of spring. Children and adults say goodbye to the cold and snow, rejoicing that the days have become much warmer.

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From time immemorial, Maslenitsa was considered a joyful holiday. This holiday week was associated with the pleasant ringing of bells on troikas and delicious pancakes. Tea parties and folk festivals are also an integral attribute of this holiday.

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In the villages this holiday is celebrated on a grand scale. Swimming in ice holes and sledding along with fist fights are very common here.

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Many people believe that Maslenitsa is a pagan holiday, however, this is not so. In fact, this week should be used to achieve reconciliation with your neighbor and prepare for repentance before the Almighty.

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Maslenitsa is a time to communicate with your friends and family.

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This holiday has several names. For example, Cheese Maslenitsa, because there is simply plenty of cheese on the tables these seven days, or Meat week, because people refuse to eat meat these days.

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Maslenitsa is a time of fun. If you celebrate this holiday in a different way, then, according to beliefs, whole year there will be no joy in your home, and you will live in poverty. The most important treat of this week is pancakes, which are prepared by housewives in every home every day. They come with a lot of fillings. You can add cottage cheese, raspberry or other jam, honey, cheese....

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Maslenitsa falls on the week preceding Lent. Therefore, at this time a person vents his soul on the eve of the difficult and long Lent. And there is nothing shameful in enjoying, tasting the most delicious food at this time. variety of dishes and do not deny yourself anything. Unbridled Maslenitsa gluttony and fun are considered as a magical harbinger of future well-being, prosperity and success in all business, household and economic endeavors.

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Even pancakes, an indispensable attribute of Maslenitsa, had a ritual meaning: round, ruddy, hot, they were a symbol of the sun, which was burning brighter and brighter, lengthening the days. Centuries passed, life changed, with the adoption of Christianity in Rus' new ones appeared, church holidays, but the wide Maslenitsa continued to live. She was greeted and seen off with the same uncontrollable daring as in pagan times.

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Each day of Cheese Week has its own name:

  • Monday – Meeting;
  • Tuesday – Flirting;
  • Wednesday – Gourmand;
  • Thursday – Revelry;
  • Friday – Mother-in-law Vespers;
  • Saturday – Sister-in-law’s gatherings;
  • Sunday is Forgiveness Day.

People have always loved Maslenitsa and affectionately called it “killer whale”, “sugar lips”, “kisser”, “honest Maslenitsa”, “cheerful”, “quail”, “perebukha”, “overeating”, “yasochka”.

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Maslenitsa is a week-long holiday, a holiday-rite with round dances, songs, dances, games, and most importantly - with the ritual of glorifying, feeding and burning a homemade effigy of Winter. Children are told about the ritual significance of Maslenitsa chants and games, explained why they need to burn Maslenitsa, lure the Sun with pancakes, glorify Spring, and ask for a good harvest.

Farewell to Maslenitsa ended on the first day of Lent - Clean Monday, which was considered the day of cleansing from sin and savory food. Men usually “rinsed their teeth,” that is, they drank copious amounts of vodka, supposedly in order to rinse the remnants of the food from their mouths; in some places, fist fights, etc. were organized to “shake out the pancakes.”

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On Clean Monday they always washed in the bathhouse, and women washed the dishes and “steamed” the dairy utensils, cleaning them from fat and remnants of the milk.

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Read more about each day of Maslenitsa!

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Signs and traditions of Maslenitsa:

*At Maslenitsa they wondered: a girl takes one of the first pancakes and goes out into the street and treats the first person she meets and asks his name. Why? Because that’s what the betrothed will be called;

*Forgiveness Sunday is the last day when drinking alcohol was allowed;

*Ritually eating a pancake is for the glory of Spring and the fertility of the earth. Pancakes originate from the sacrificial bread of the ancient pagans, and the circle was considered a sign of the Sun;

*Pancakes started baking on Monday. The night before, when the stars appeared, the eldest woman in the family went out to the river, lake or well, quietly from the others, and called on the month to look out the window and blow on the dough: “It’s a month, your golden horns! Look out the window, blow on the dough!”

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*The first pancake was not eaten on Monday, it was left for the souls of the departed; they carried him out onto the porch with the words: “Our honest dead people, here is a pancake for your souls!”- or given to the poor so that they could pray for peace.

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*Another sign is the need to bake pancakes all week. They should be eaten not only within one’s own family, but also as a treat to relatives, friends, and, if possible, even strangers.

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*So that the mother-in-law and son-in-law find common language, the mother-in-law should treat him to her pancakes. To strengthen the relationship, the son-in-law should invite the mother-in-law to his place for pancakes on Friday. If you try to follow these traditions for at least one year, then the signs say that the relationship between the newly-minted relatives will definitely improve.

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*How many pancakes the hostess bakes, so many happy and sunny days she will attract for her family. Be sure to select the most delicious pancakes for Maslenitsa and cook them during Maslenitsa week.

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*It was believed that if there were very few pancakes, then the future harvest would be small. But if you bake too many pancakes, then the future harvest may die from drought, because there will only be sunny days in the year. Therefore, the housewife must find a middle ground and try to stick to it.

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*Thursday during Maslenitsa week was considered the day of veneration of the patron god Veles (Volos) livestock. Therefore, on this day, before baking pancakes for the family, they baked pancakes for their cow-nurse. While treating the cow to such a pancake, they read prayers and incantations. On this day it was also necessary to ride around young horses.

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* An obligatory attribute of folk festivities on Maslenitsa is a straw effigy symbolizing winter. Everything is held around this effigy mounted on a pole. public events during the week, and on Sunday the effigy is burned. Burning an effigy is not only a farewell to winter, but also a sign of getting rid of everything bad and unnecessary in your life.

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*On the last day of Maslenitsa - Sunday - they sat down at the table seven times, according to the number of weeks in Lent. And in the evening the entire family had to last time Before fasting, treat yourself to food of animal origin.

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*After dinner, nothing was removed from the table, everything left was covered with a white tablecloth, and then sheep skin fur side up. All this was done so that there would be no quarrels or disagreements in the family for a whole year.

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*On this day people asked each other for forgiveness. The ceremony of forgiveness took place in the evening, after dinner. Addressing each other, people said: “Please forgive me if I’m guilty of anything to you”. Next could be a list of all possible grievances and offenses for which they asked for forgiveness. Forgiveness ended with mutual forgiveness and kissing.

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This custom has been preserved to this day, and on the last day of Maslenitsa they ask for forgiveness from their loved ones and relatives.

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*Before sunset on this day we went to the cemetery, left pancakes on the graves and bowed to the ashes of our relatives. On this day we tried to drink less alcohol.

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*On Forgiveness Sunday, you must fall asleep before midnight, then you will wake up easily in the morning.

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*After Maslenitsa ended, we went to the bathhouse - ahead was “Clean Monday,” the first day of Lent.

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*There is one sign about Maslenitsa. If a person spent the Maslenitsa week boring and poor, did not have enough money and time even to bake pancakes, he will be unlucky all year and live in poverty.

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In order not to attract failures and lack of money into your life, bake pancakes throughout Maslenitsa week, go to visit and invite guests to your home!

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Maslenitsa is one of those holidays that our ancestors celebrated and which is still celebrated in modern world very wide.

Traditionally, Maslenitsa is celebrated for a whole week. This is what is called Maslenitsa week. In 2018, Maslenitsa should be celebrated from February 12 to 18.

Maslenitsa 2018: history of the holiday

Many people mistakenly believe that Maslenitsa is an exclusively pagan holiday. However, this is not entirely true. The history of Maslenitsa and the traditions of celebrating Maslenitsa week are closely connected with Orthodoxy and Orthodox traditions.

For a long time, the Slavs celebrated Maslenitsa, which in those days was truly part of pagan culture. After the Baptism of Rus', the church added this holiday to the list religious holidays, but with some amendments.

Maslenitsa week in Orthodoxy is called Meat Week. It precedes the onset of Lent. During this period, Christians can afford to eat dairy products. Therefore, most often during these seven days it is customary to cook pancakes with milk.


Maslenitsa 2018: traditions, customs of the holiday

Most main tradition on Maslenitsa, which has survived to this day, is the preparation of pancakes. The custom of burning an effigy on the last day of Maslenitsa week has also been preserved.

Our ancestors believed that pancakes were a kind of symbol of the Sun. To hasten the onset of spring and warmth, housewives traditionally baked this tasty delicacy, treating it not only to their household, but also inviting guests to the house.

Fun is an integral part of Maslenitsa 2018. According to tradition, mass Maslenitsa festivities will take place on Sunday, February 18, because this is the date that will end the Maslenitsa week in 2018. On Maslenitsa, people dance in circles, sing songs and ditties, organize various competitions, and eat pancakes. And the culmination of Maslenitsa 2018 will be the burning of an effigy.


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Maslenitsa: celebration traditions

In the first three days of the holiday, active preparations for the celebration took place:

  • they brought wood for the fire;
  • decorated the huts;
  • built mountains.

The main celebration took place from Thursday to Sunday. People came into the house to enjoy pancakes and drink hot tea.

In some villages, young people went from house to house with tambourines, horns, and balalaikas, singing carols. City residents took part in festive festivities:

  • dressed in their best clothes;
  • went to theater performances;
  • We visited booths to watch buffoons and have fun with the bear.

The main entertainment was children and youth sliding down ice slides, which they tried to decorate with lanterns and flags. Used for riding:

  • matting;
  • sled;
  • skates;
  • skins;
  • ice cubes;
  • wooden troughs.

Another fun event was the capture of the ice fortress. The guys built a snow town with gates, put guards there, and then went on the attack: they broke into the gates and climbed the walls. The besieged defended themselves as best they could: they used snowballs, brooms and whips.

On Maslenitsa, boys and young men showed their agility in fist fighting. Residents of two villages, landowners and monastery peasants, residents of a large village living at opposite ends could take part in the battles.

We seriously prepared for the battle:

  • steamed in the baths;
  • ate heartily;
  • turned to the sorcerers with a request to give a special spell for victory.

Every day of Maslenitsa has its own name and rituals

Monday – “Meeting”. On this day, housewives began baking pancakes, the first of which was given to the poor to honor the memory of the dead. In some regions it was customary to prepare dumplings with cheese and sour cream, cheesecakes, and pancakes. Housewives treated them to invited relatives and guests. Residents of the villages walked around the courtyards, holding a scarecrow of Maslenitsa in their hands, and sang songs. Children visited houses, the owners gave them things to burn later, writes C-ib. In the squares settlements slides and swings were installed. In the morning, the mother-in-law sent the daughter-in-law to her parents' house, and in the evening they themselves visited them.

Tuesday – “Flirting”. On this day, young people began to organize sledding, snow fun, and competitions for the length of descent from ice slides. Bridal viewings were held.

Wednesday – “Gourmand”. The day was accompanied by eating a traditional dish - pancakes, made from various types of dough with various fillings. Pancake competitions were held to determine who made the tastiest pancakes. Also on Wednesday, it was customary to go to visit your mother-in-law with treats.

Thursday – “The Turning Point of Maslenitsa (Wide Walk).” The day was filled with festivities from morning to evening, round dances, and fist fights. Housewives baked products from flour in the shape of birds. On Thursday it was forbidden to sew.

Friday - "Mother-in-law's evening." Sons-in-law treated their mothers-in-law to pancakes, who were invited to visit by elegant envoys.

Saturday – “Sister-in-law’s get-togethers.” On Saturday, it was customary to invite your sister-in-law (sister of your spouse) to visit and give her a gift, as well as simply visit relatives and friends.

Sunday - " Forgiveness Sunday(Seeing off, Tselovnik).” Churches hold services on Sundays that precede Lent. On this day people asked for forgiveness and to forget bad deeds. The ritual ended with a kiss and a bow. It was customary to visit the graves of relatives and bring them pancakes as a treat. People took baths to wash away their sins. In the evening, there was a tradition of burning a Maslenitsa effigy on the outskirts of the village. This ritual symbolized the welcome of spring. Maslenitsa ended with cleaning: washing dishes, burning leftover holiday food.

There are several names for this holiday:

  • meat-empty Maslenitsa is called because during the celebration people refrain from eating meat;
  • cheese - because they eat a lot of cheese this week;
  • Maslenitsa - because they consume large number oils

Many people anxiously await the onset of Maslenitsa, the traditions of celebrating which go back deep into our history. Today, as in the old days, this holiday is celebrated on a grand scale, with chants, dances and competitions.

The most popular entertainments that used to be held in villages were:

  • fist fights;
  • eating pancakes for a while;
  • sledding;
  • climbing a pole for a prize;
  • games with a bear;
  • burning an effigy;
  • swimming in ice holes.

The main treat, both before and now, are pancakes, which can have different fillings. They are baked every day in large quantities.

Our ancestors believed that those who do not have fun on Maslenitsa will live the coming year poorly and joylessly.

What can you eat on Maslenitsa?

Cheese Week precedes Lent, so in holidays There are gastronomic restrictions for Christian believers. The last Sunday before the holiday week is called “meat Sunday”. This is the last day when you are allowed to eat meat products. On Maslenitsa you can eat fish, dairy products (milk, cheeses, butter, sour cream, cream), eggs. It is believed that such a diet was formed before the spread of Christianity. By the beginning of spring, the peasants were running out of meat and the calving period of livestock began. Dairy products served as an alternative to protein foods.

Signs and beliefs

  • If the weather is frosty and clear on Maslenitsa, then summer will be warm and rainy.
  • Anyone who does not have fun and have fun on Maslenitsa will spend the year in melancholy and sadness.
  • If you bake a lot of pancakes for Cheese Week, then the year will be prosperous and fruitful.
  • In the middle holiday week The mother-in-law should treat her son-in-law to pancakes so that there is peace and mutual understanding in the house.
  • Thin pancakes portend Maslenitsa easy life, and fat ones mean difficulties.
  • Maslenitsa – ancient Slavic holiday, which combines elements of pagan and Christian culture. All week long people have fun, sledding, and fortune telling. A popular tradition and an integral attribute of the holiday is baking pancakes.

Proverbs and sayings for Maslenitsa


Maslenitsa is a Slavic holiday that originated in ancient times. They used to look forward to it. Special signs and customs of Maslenitsa week made it possible not only to find out what to expect in the near future, but also to influence it.

Maslenitsa is a particularly favorite holiday among the people. For our ancestors it was a special time, which was greeted in a special way. The customs of Maslenitsa week have survived to this day. Most people think that this holiday, symbolized by the sun, is exclusively pagan, but this is not entirely true. In fact, these days of celebration are used for a truce with family and friends, as well as for preparation for Lent among Orthodox people.

National signs and customs accompany many celebrations. As for Maslenitsa, this is a special time that can tell a lot about the life of our ancestors, about ourselves and about our future. This holiday is nothing more than turning point between winter and summer. The rich and cheerful celebration of Maslenitsa is one of the key customs. It used to be that the way you celebrated Maslenitsa was how you would spend the year.

Folk traditions and customs on Maslenitsa

The most enchanting and spectacular event of this period is the burning of a straw effigy, or, in other words, the funeral of winter. The straw doll, which is a symbol of the passing frosts, was made on the first Maslenitsa day - Monday. Burning an effigy is an ancient custom that helped people not only drive away the cold, but also free themselves from negativity.

Baking pancakes is a long-standing tradition, and without it Maslenitsa itself would not be Maslenitsa. Pancakes are associated with the hot Sun, capable of melting cold snow with its heat, letting light and warmth into everyone’s life. The cult of the Sun among the ancient Slavs was widespread. There is a theory that even the word “Slavs” itself means “those who descended from the Sun.” The Slavs believed that they were followers of the Sun, which means they were connected with it and inseparable. The daylight was revered as the Lord of heaven, earth and people, so people tried to appease him. Each housewife kept in her arsenal several secret recipes for making Maslenitsa pancakes, which they passed down from generation to generation for many centuries. Everyone was treated to pancakes, because the main thing at Maslenitsa is kindness, generosity and love for others.

From Monday to Sunday in Rus', first preparations for the wide Maslenitsa were held, and then magnificent festivities. This helped people not only have fun, but also unite with family and friends, find new friends, get acquainted and get married. At this time, young people were looking for brides, and young girls secretly arranged fortune telling for the betrothed.

Each day of Maslenitsa week had its own meaning. People revered ancient customs and tried to do everything so as not to anger the gods. Festive festivities were not complete without games: “crowd against crowd”, fist fights, sledding down hills, pole climbing, as well as round dances, songs and ditties were integral elements of the celebration. Everyone always went to visit relatives in order to leave small gifts in each house.

Parents made wooden or clay whistles for their children. This custom refers to the call of spring, because the whistle from a child’s toy can be compared to bird trills. For older children there was another entertainment - carols.

Sunday is the last day of Maslenitsa, which is called Forgiveness. On this day, it was customary to visit loved ones and ask for forgiveness for all causal grievances. They asked for forgiveness not only from the living, but also from the dead. It was a time of remembrance of the dead, who, according to beliefs, protected the life and prosperity of their family.

Folk signs for Maslenitsa

Folk signs are a storehouse of knowledge left to us by our ancestors. Beliefs and superstitions helped predict the weather, the future, good or bad events. There were countless such signs for Maslenitsa week, but we have chosen the most basic ones for you:

  • If the pancakes were a success, then the year will bring prosperity, if lumpy, expect trouble;
  • The tastier the pancakes turn out for Maslenitsa, the more money and prosperous life you will have;
  • Pancakes symbolize the Sun, so one pancake was equal to one clear and warm day. The more pancakes are cooked, the better the weather will be;
  • On Wednesday, the mother-in-law needs to invite her son-in-law and bake pancakes for him. If he likes the treats, then her daughter will be happy;
  • Rain or sleet on Maslenitsa - there will be a lot of mushrooms in the fall, but if it’s cold, you’ll have a hot summer;
  • Uninvited guests on Maslenitsa - fortunately;
  • The more treats on the table, the more beautiful life will be;
  • If you burn (or throw away) unusable things on Maslenitsa, wait for new ones;
  • If on Forgiveness Sunday a person finds the strength to forgive, he will be able to change his life;
  • On Maslenitsa it was customary to ride on a swing. It was believed that the one who flies the highest will be the happiest in the world. this year. It’s the same with downhill skating - whoever goes the furthest will be lucky.

It was not in vain that our ancestors protected their traditions, because now we know a lot about our roots, which is the key to the success and prosperity of the family. Until now, Maslenitsa week obliges everyone to remember the traditions, customs and signs that will help you bring something new, bright and happy into your life. Despite the fact that Maslenitsa originated among pagan peoples, it has perfectly integrated into our normal life. We wish you good mood, happiness in life and success in everything

Carnival- This is the last and most fun week before Lent. This year Maslenitsa falls on the week from February 20 to 26. This date is calculated by lunar calendar depending on the date of Easter and the 7-week Lent preceding it. Maslenitsa is one of the brightest holidays; pagan and church rituals harmoniously merged in it.

Signs for Maslenitsa

Maslenitsa has been celebrated in Rus' since pagan times. With the advent of Christianity, Maslenitsa did not lose any of its popularity, except that some changes occurred in the celebration of this holiday. Before the adoption of Christianity in Rus', Maslenitsa began to be celebrated on March 1st, since it was on this day that in those days they celebrated not only spring, but also New Year. And now Maslenitsa is tied to and celebrated a week before Lent.

Anyone who skimps on treats will go broke within a year. At Maslenitsa we always tried to have fun from the heart. If the owner wanted prosperity in his house all year round, then he had to be ready for the arrival of guests throughout the week. Unexpected guests were always a joy this week. It was believed that they were the ones who brought good luck and happiness to the house.

On Wednesday, the mother-in-law welcomes her son-in-law. All week long, while Maslenitsa is celebrated, pancakes are baked, eaten in as many quantities as desired, and treated to family, friends and any guests. But Wednesday is a special day. Every mother-in-law should bake pancakes and invite her son-in-law to visit.

If the mother-in-law and son-in-law have a wonderful relationship, then this is simply a tribute to tradition.
But if the relationship doesn’t work out, then this is a reason to find a common language.

And on Friday, the son-in-law invites his mother-in-law for pancakes. People say that if you follow this tradition, the mother-in-law and son-in-law will always be on good terms.

As you meet, so will you reap the harvest

you will bake a lot of pancakes - you will attract wealth
you will feed a lot of guests - you will find happiness
You'll please everyone with pancakes - the table will always be full
if the pancakes don't work out - difficulties lie ahead

The best Maslenitsa signs

The number of pancakes you bake, the number of sunny days you attract. Pancakes in their shape were associated with the sun. And in paganism the sun, or Yarilo, was revered as God. It was believed that every pancake baked for Maslenitsa is one sunny day of the year. Therefore, we tried to bake as many pancakes as possible. But here, too, it was impossible to overdo it. If there are not enough pancakes, the crop will rot due to the abundance of rain, and if there are too many sunny days, the crop may die from drought. Therefore, the housewives closely monitored this. But the omen was influenced only by those pancakes that were eaten by family members during the week. And you could treat guests as much as you wanted.

Madam Maslenitsa in the snow - spring is on the doorstep. This is a pagan sign. At Maslenitsa it was customary to make a straw effigy, which was dressed up in women's dress, a scarf was tied around the head. This very scarecrow was called Madam Maslenitsa. It was customary to have a fun walk all week, and when Friday came, the scarecrow was placed on a sleigh and they went for a ride down the mountain with it. They had fun in this way until the evening, but not until dark. While the sun had not yet set, the Maslenitsa lady was removed from the sleigh and placed on the snow. It was believed that this was how they welcomed spring and persuaded the sun to shine brighter and warmer. After sunset, the scarecrow was hidden in the barn until Sunday. And on Sunday they took him out again on a sleigh and burned him. And along with the effigy, all the already damaged utensils were burned. It is necessary to get rid of everything that is broken and unnecessary so as not to drag problems into the new year.

for Maslenitsa

Oilseed festivities - sleigh rides. Traditionally, sleigh rides have always been organized on Maslenitsa. Moreover, this tradition was observed not only in villages, but also by city residents. It was an opportunity for rich people to show off their horses, and women showed off all their jewelry.

At Maslenitsa, blow a whistle and invite the birds. Wooden whistles in the shape of birds were always made for children at Maslenitsa. It was believed that when children are having fun and blowing these whistles, they are thereby calling migratory birds to come quickly. Such whistles are still made today, but not from wood, but from plastic. They can be bought at any children's store. But the purpose of this toy has long been forgotten.

We can talk endlessly about Maslenitsa. This is one of the people's favorite holidays. Orthodox Church could not wean people from celebrating Maslenitsa, so they made this holiday a cheese-free week, in the hope that people would not overeat, but would be able to prepare for Lent. But little came of this venture. It is still customary to cook a lot and delicious food for Maslenitsa.