About
Maslenitsa, or Butter Week, is an East Slavic festival of seeing off winter, kept in the last week before Lent when meat was already given up but butter and milk were still allowed. Its customs of pancakes, sledging and burning a straw effigy almost certainly carry older seasonal traditions, though the festival as recorded is shaped by the church calendar. The last day, Forgiveness Sunday, is for asking pardon of family and friends.
Customs
- Making and sharing bliny, thin pancakes often seen as symbols of the sun
- Sledging, snow fights and outdoor games
- Burning a straw effigy of Lady Maslenitsa to see winter off
- Visiting family, especially in-laws, for pancake meals
- Asking and giving forgiveness on the final Sunday
Food
- Bliny with butter, sour cream, honey or jam
- Tvorog (curd cheese)
- Smoked fish
- Hot tea from a samovar
A simple ritual
- Make a stack of pancakes and set the first one aside as an offering for the ancestors or the birds.
- Share the rest with family or friends.
- Make a small figure from straw, paper or twigs to stand for winter and anything you are ready to leave behind.
- Burn it safely in a fire pit or metal bowl outdoors, well away from anything flammable, or tear it up and compost it.
- Before the week ends, ask forgiveness of someone and offer it in return.
Never leave candles or fires unattended, and keep them away from pets and children.