Traditional customs associated with carnival were present in many countries, including Russia, until a few centuries ago. The roots of this tradition date back to ancient times and were associated with spring festivities. With the advent of Christianity, the carnival tradition adapted to the time and environment and became an introduction to the Great Lent preceding Easter.
In most countries where the carnival tradition has survived to this day, traditional customs and beliefs have largely been forgotten, so carnival as a form is increasingly moving away from its roots. Today, carnival is associated with masquerades, international parades, wild parties, and more.
However, in rural areas of Russia, the tradition of carnival, called Maslenitsa, has been preserved to a greater extent than elsewhere.
Maslenitsa takes place seven weeks before Easter, lasts for a week, and precedes the week of Great Lent, combining customs of the ancient Slavs and Christian worldview. The name of the festival comes from the Russian word for butter, “maslo.” During the Lenten period, butter is not consumed. “The local food is meat dishes, and the main dish is blini – pancakes with the addition of butter, symbolizing food for both the body and the soul. Blini is given to neighbors and friends, and since they are round, it is said that they symbolize the Sun, or the desire for the Sun to return to life after winter.
During this time, people are particularly hospitable and warm-hearted, and rural homes are open for visits. The word “Maslenica” refers to both the festival itself and to the straw puppet in the form of a woman who personifies the old times, or what needs to be let go of in order to move forward. On the last day of the festival, the Maslenica puppet is carried through the village and everyone says goodbye to it. When the procession reaches the end of the village, the puppet is burned on a bonfire, melted, or cut into pieces, depending on the customs of the region where the festival takes place. At that moment, the noise subsides because this ceremony marks the end of the festival.
The burning of the Maslenica puppet, which in Russian tradition represents winter, allows the return of the Sun and the arrival of spring.” Lent. Bonfires that burn the “winter”, namely the old and unnecessary things that are left behind with the arrival of spring, connect the Earth and the Sky, thus allowing the Sun, the breath of new life, to once again approach the Earth. Maslenica symbolically announces the end of one era and the beginning of another, marking the transition from winter to spring and the start of a new year in ancient Russia.
This celebration is based on the pre-Christian old Slavic ritual in honor of the Earth, which invokes its fertility and bountiful harvest. It is a ritual of awakening the Earth from its winter sleep, invoking the underworld and offering gifts to nurture the planted seeds and enable them to grow and bear fruit.
The last day of Maslenica, the day when the effigy is burned and buried, Russians call it “Forgiveness Sunday.” It is the time to settle old debts and usually seek forgiveness from those we have intentionally or unintentionally hurt with our actions, in order to enter the new period with a clean slate.
The day after Maslenica ends, the cleaning on all levels, houses are thoroughly cleaned and care is taken for cleanliness of body, mind, feelings, and actions.
The ceremonies that accompanied the transition period between two cycles, the old and the new, winter and spring, were originally connected to inner renewal which requires us to leave the old behind with the arrival of the new period in order to make space for the new.
When Peter the Great introduced Western customs to Russia, he did not abandon traditional Russian customs such as Maslenitsa. The highlight of this celebration – the burning of the effigy – took place at the Red Gate, at the entrance to Red Square. The Tsar personally opened the celebration and celebrated with the people.
During the time of communism, Maslenitsa was forbidden, but after the perestroika, it started to be celebrated again. However, due to the long break, many important details were forgotten. But regardless of that, during the seven days of the Russian carnival in Moscow, people sing and dance, saying goodbye to winter and welcoming spring. Everyone is welcome to see the winter off. On the way out. They say that at that time Russia was even more warm and hospitable.