Maslenitsa, the Russian pagan party that precedes the Great Lent

The Maslenitsa is the Russian "fat week" (refer to Mardi Gras) : zoom on this feast that takes place during the Easter period.

The Maslenitsa (or "Crêpes Week") is a popular holiday celebrated during the seventh week before Easter. The celebration marks the last week before Lent (Great Orthodox Lent) and its origins date back to the time when the Slavs were still pagans. Maslenitsa also marks the passage from winter to spring in a festive way and has preserved for many centuries the character of a folk festival. His main symbol is blini , Russian pancake, cooked daily throughout the week.

Since people are supposed to eat so many blinis as possible during the Maslenitsa, it is customary to say that it was to prepare them for the next weeks of fasting during Lent, which is a tradition of Orthodox Christianity. Due to the joyous festivities associated with the festival, the Maslenitsa has become the favourite event for many Russians around the world, who often compare it to the Brazilian carnival.

♪ blinis warm with their round shape and golden color aim to symbolize the sun, which lacks Russians during the long winter. These treats must be cooked daily during the Maslenitsa and can be served with various fillings (from chocolate caviar, everything is allowed). Traditionally, the first blini that each family prepares is offered to a beggar to pay tribute to the memory of deceased friends and relatives.

The Sunday before the week of Maslenitsa was the last day that meat consumption was allowed. By tradition, on the same day, the father-in-law was invited to come and finish all the meat in the house.

Deroulement de la semaine de la Maslenitsa

Every day of the Maslenitsa has a special meaning and has its own name:

The first day, Monday, is the "Dating". We prepare the festivities by making ice slides and the Maslenitsa straw mascot and its costume, before everyone transports it in the streets.

Tuesday is the "Games". This is the beginning of entertainment. We are having fun, dancing, and eating blinis .

Wednesday is the "Geat" day. We eat a lot of food blinis , and the custom is to invite the sons.

Thursday is the main day of "festivities". We're taking a trip in troika (drink with horses).

Friday and Saturday are devoted to parents: the "Blinis of the Mother-in-law" and the "Sister-in-law evening".

Finally, on the last day of the week, on Sunday, is the “day of forgiveness” (we apologize to relatives and friends for the mistakes made). It is also this day that one burns on a fire of joy the great Maslenitsa after having undressed it (the Lady Maslenitsa , the effigie dressed in vivid colors).

Seven days of celebration?

In the past, the Maslenitsa was a non-worked week. Today, it is mostly celebrated in the countryside. However, do not believe those who claim that this tradition does not take place in large cities. The Russians like to party and wouldn't let that happen. Practically every bar, coffee and restaurant serves different types of blinis . The goal is not only to prepare a tasty crêpe, but also to see who makes the best accompaniment trim. Throughout the week, we can even order blinis special in most Russian trains.

Every year, the city of Moscow hosts about 500 events related to the Maslenitsa, mostly in the parks. With various competitions, folk traditions and street shows as well as skating and sledging, the capital of Russia achieves the main objective of the Maslenitsa, which is to gather families.

When the Maslenitsa takes place

The dates of the Maslenitsa change every year:

Go to Russia and stay

To go to Russia, and participate in the Maslenitsa, the ideal is to book a plane ticket to Moscow or St. Petersburg. The Maslenitsa is celebrated throughout the country but it is to these two major cities that the flights will be the cheapest. The activities offered during this festive week allow you to experience unique experiences. To find cheap flights to Russia, use the Compare Skyscanner .

To find a cheap hotel in the Russian city you have chosen, search this Compare hotels .

Did you know the Maslenitsa party?