Maslenitsa in Belarus

Belarus celebrated Maslenitsa Week on 8-14 March this year. Each day of Maslenitsa Week prescribes special rituals and treats. But the main symbol of the holiday is pancakes. Round and hot, they have symbolized the sun since ancient times. Pancakes were probably part of the dead remembrance traditions as the Saturday before Maslenitsa was revered as “parental day”.

Maslenitsa is an ancient Slavic holiday rooted in the pagan past. With the advent of Christianity, it was not abandoned. In the ancient past Maslenitsa was associated with the day of the spring equinox. With the establishment of Orthodoxy the holiday was included into the church calendar as a week before Great Lent preceding Easter. This is what makes Maslenitsa similar to the Western European tradition of carnival.

Bidding farewell to winter just before the longest 40-day lent was celebrated with a lot of merrymaking and eating sprees. However this was not just about welcoming spring: Maslenitsa was a time for reconciliation with loved ones and remembrance of the dead.

Each day of Maslenitsa Week provided for certain rituals. The Welcoming was on Monday. On this day Lady Maslenitsa was welcomed, fairs organized, places for folk celebrations prepared and Maslenitsa effigy made. Tuesday was for Playing. On this day single boys and girls got to know each other better. Snow fortresses were also built on this day. Wednesday was the Sweet Tooth Day. Sons-in-law visited their mothers-in-law for a pancake treat.

Thursday was the Revelry/the Wide Thursday, the day when people went sledding and stormed the fortress where spring always defeated winter. Friday was the Mother-in-Law's Eve. Sons-in-law invited their mothers-in-law for pancakes they cooked themselves. Saturday was the Sister-in-Law’s Gathering. Young wives invited their husband's relatives and tried to impress them with their cooking and housekeeping skills, as well as with gifts.

The Forgiveness Sunday or the Forgiveness Day was the time to ask each other for forgiveness for past deeds. Maslenitsa Week wrapped up on this day with the traditional burning of a straw effigy representing Maslenitsa.

People believed that if Maslenitsa celebrations were extensive and copious, the year would be more prosperous. Belarusians of the 21st century agree: they like this holiday as much as their remote ancestors did and celebrate Maslenitsa Week on a grand scale. Here is a closer look at Maslenitsa festivities across the country.