Holiday Russian Shrovetide in Russia: history, folk traditions and rites. What is the name every day of the week of narrow and wide Shrovetide?

Where did Shrovetide come from, what is the tradition of baking pancakes and dressing up a scarecrow? You will find answers to these and other questions in our article.

Holiday Russian Shrovetide in Russia: history, folk traditions

The celebration of Shrovetide in Rus' began a very long time. It has remained since paganism. Let's delve into history to understand where this noisy and bright holiday takes from the roots.

Once upon a time, Shrovetide was called a mosquito. According to legend, the copams were called the bears. And the bears, in turn, were considered the ancestors of all people and guardians of the forest.

Shrovetide was celebrated on a special scale

There was a tradition on a mosquito bake pancakes in memory of ancestors who have long passed away. It was a kind of rite of remembrance, and the burning of a straw figure was equated to the funeral.

History from history! The first pancake was given to the bears - the coms. It was a sign of respect for these great animals. Hence the name of the holiday - a mosquito.

And to this day people honor the traditions of their ancestors

Few people know where the expression "first pancake - coms" came from. It means in fact not at all that the first pancake always looks like a lump, but that they gave the first pancake of comets - bears. This saying came to us from distant centuries, when people treated nature as a living creature, believed in spirits and worshiped the wind, water, and the sun.

The modern version of the pronunciation of the “first pancake” can also be considered correct, it is adapted for our realities and carries its meaning.

Bear, he is, the master and guardian of the forest and people

Many centuries ago, Maslenitsa has acquired a different meaning and began to be identified with the advent of spring and wires of winter. Shrovetide is greeted with joy, songs, dancing and festivities. It does not do without a traditional Maslenic treat - pancakes!

By the way, a very interesting story is also connected with pancakes. It turns out that pancakes are baked for a reason. Spring was associated in people with the sun and warmth. And damn it in shape is very similar to the sun - round, gold, hot. Therefore, baking pancakes is a kind of tribute to the sun and spring so that the crop is good.

The table for Shrovetide is always rich!

What is the name every day of the week of narrow and wide Shrovetide?

Shrovetide lasted a week and each day of this week had its own name and features.

So, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday was called a narrow Shrovetide, and Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday - wide.

Monday, the first day of a narrow Shrovetide, was called "Meeting". On this day, people dressed up a large stuffed animal, drove him on a sleigh in the villages, showing that spring came. People who were waiting for heat began to cook pancakes, make fillings for them, discuss what competitions they would arrange and when they gather with the relatives.

Tuesday, the second day of a narrow Shrovetide, was called "Zagrysh". This name is due to the fact that it was on this day that people began to have fun: they went to visit each other and to the fair, and brides arranged brisons.

Only Monday began to cook pancakes

Wednesday, the third day of a narrow Shrovetide, was called "Tarnet". On this day, everyone from the very early morning was busy preparing pancakes. The tradition demanded that the tables literally burst from the abundance of treats. The poor, poorly laid table was considered a bad form. On the same day, people finished all their affairs in order to start having fun at tomorrow.

Thursday, the first day of the wide Shrovetide. He bore the name "Walk."On this day, people did not do anything other than fun, visits to visit and eating pancakes. Particularly popular on this day were fist fights and skating from hills on a sleigh.

Pancakes were treated to everyone

Friday, the second day of the wide Shrovetide, was called "mother -in -law of the evening". On this day, the fun was already in full swing, and in the evening the mother -in -law came to the young to taste the pancakes prepared for her in advance.

Saturday, the third day of a wide Shrovetide, was called the "Zolovukins of the Gather". And on this day, the daughter -in -law prepared the mountains of treats for her husband's sisters. A poorly prepared dinner was considered a sign of disrespect to the family's family.

Relatives were greeted with pancakes, shot down and beer

Sunday, the fourth day of a wide Shrovetide, was called "forgiven Sunday". The day when people went to church and asked each other for forgiveness for all quarrels and resentment. And before that, the festivities ended in burning a straw stuffed animal, round dances, songs and dances. After visiting the church, people often went to the cemetery to remember their relatives and ask them mentally forgiveness.

Another name for the forgiven Sunday is a whole

On this note, Shrovetide ended. After it, a great post began, which is considered the most responsible in Orthodoxy.

Scarecrow burning ceremony on a straw oilfield

In the old days, Shrovetide could not take place without burning a stuffed animal. The scarecrow was cooked in advance, on the first day of a narrow Shrovetide, that is, on Monday, a cheesecake.

According to one version, the scarecrow was the image of the winter, which was burned to give the way to young spring.

There is another legend that tells us that the scarecrow is straw, or rather, the ritual of burning means a funeral. And Shrovetide is a tribute to the ancestors.

they treated the scarecrow with a special trepidation

Around the scarecrow they drove round dances, sang songs, arranged fist fights and performances with bears.

Now the celebration of Shrovetide in families rarely ends in burning a stuffed animal. In urban conditions, it is difficult for an ordinary family to organize this event. Therefore, people are limited only to pancakes.

Burning a stuffed can be called a real "show"

Celebration of Russian Orthodox Maslenitsa: mummers, bear, fair, festivities

Not a single celebration of Shrovetide was complete without mummers. People specially dressed up in costumes of the magi, beggars, brides, young couples, pregnant women, deceased, roosters, bears, buffoons.

The church did not welcome such behavior, but tradition is a tradition. The rule went from ancient times from antiquity, from the Komoyditsa. Therefore, the mummers must be burned at the evening stake on the last day of Shrovetide some part of their costume and go to church to cleanse.

Sometimes carved costumes could greatly scare people

The fair was traditionally held. A lot of food, clothes, jewelry were sold on it.

By and large, the fair was a place of accumulation of a huge number of people where anyone could have a bite to eat pancakes and drink a glass of hot knitting or tea.

treats at Shrovetide Fair

Folk festivities were in full swing from the middle of the week to the end. People had fun, danced, joked. And all this in front of the great post, which could not be entered without going to the Church on forgiven Sunday.

Celebration of Russian Orthodox Maslenitsa: Fist fights

Fist fights were famous for the whole country! In a joke, people said that fist fights were "knocked out by pancakes."

Do not confuse fist fights with an ordinary fight. There were strict rules that people were obliged to observe:

• do not beat in the back of the head, on the kidneys and liver;
• fights strictly one on one, two cannot beat alone;
• only men and boys who have reached a certain age fought;
• the rule of "lying is not beaten" acted;
• it was forbidden to use extraneous objects;

Fist fights were held in gloves to cheerful music

Traditional Russian pancakes on Shrovetide: Russian customs and rituals with pancakes

Pancakes on Shrovetide are prepared in a special way. The main component for dough is snow. Yes, not simple, but collected in the light of the month with special words.

They wondered on pancakes. For example, the first pancake was judged by the life of the family next year, and unmarried girls thus wondered if they would marry this year.

The appearance of the pancakes talked about a lot

Another interesting fortune -telling was as follows: unmarried girls gathered in the same hut and prepared many pancakes with different fillings. Then the pancakes were wrapped in such a way that the filling was not visible. Each girl chose a random pancake and, by filling, tried the qualities of her future husband. Pancakes with sour cream spoke of the cowardly character of the groom, pancakes with meat promised a rich husband, and pancakes with honey promised a beautiful spouse.

People have never refused pancakes on Shrovetide

The last day of Shrovetide is forgiven Sunday

Forgiveness Sunday is the day when it is customary to ask each other for forgiveness for everything. Parents ask for forgiveness from children, and children from parents. Now the tradition usually ends on this, but in the old days everything was different.

At first, people asked each other for forgiveness, ate pancakes, had fun, rode on a sleigh. Then there was the largest event of the holiday - burning a stuffed animal. The whole holiday was directed precisely on this last day. We escorted the winter and met spring.

After the fire, people went to church to cleanse the soul from excessive fun and gain quiet joy. After the service where everyone was obliged to take communion, the people went to the cemetery - to ask for forgiveness and remember the deceased relatives.

One of the brightest holidays

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