There was a very, very short list of things capable of making me jealous of Russians in the winter… Until I heard about Maslenitsa, an annual festival where people celebrate the week before Lent by gorging on pancakes, dressing up in costumes and having a big bonfire.
Similar to Carnival or Fat Tuesday, Maslenitsa was a way to indulge before Lent. It was forced out of popularity during the Soviet Union era, as the state persecuted religious organizations. There has since been a Maslenitsa resurgence, but now it’s more of a way to celebrate the end of winter.
“That’s one important reason why Maslenitsa is a sanity saver,” Corey Flintoff reported for NPR. “It comes along just when you think you can’t take it anymore.”
The festival has also taken on the secular nickname “Pancake Week” as celebrants eat blini, traditional Russian pancakes that represent the approaching warmth of spring.
“In some folk tales, they say you must eat as many times as a dog wags its tail, a fair challenge if you consider that the main food groups during this time are the stomach-filling, sour-cream- and caviar-covered blini,” wrote Lena Smirnova for The Moscow Times earlier this month.
The week-long celebration culminates in the burning of “Lady Maslenitsa,” a big straw figure. All leftover blini are thrown on the flames and the ashes are buried in the snow to enrich the soil before crop season.
Although the festival is most popular in Russia and surrounding countries, it’s catching on around the world. Ireland has hosted official celebrations for three years and Brits joined in on the fun this year with a massive event in London. Smaller events are held in America, but I won’t be content until everyone can enjoy the happiness that is Pancake Week. Who’s with me?!
