What is the name of Shrove Tuesday in the church. Maslenitsa

The next week from March 7 to March 12 is cheese week (Shrovetide), the last one before Lent. IN Orthodox calendar it is called a cheese week because, according to the charter, you can eat only raw milk food, eggs and fish. In common parlance, this week is called Maslenitsa and numerous events are associated with it. folk traditions. How can an Orthodox celebrate Shrovetide and prepare for Great Lent? This is the advice of Orthodox priests.

Advice one: do not burn an effigy (Archpriest Maxim Pervozvansky).
Pancake week reminds us of the closeness of fasting, of the need to meet it with dignity. Therefore, it is clear that there is no need to go on a rampage, get drunk, do not burn an effigy. The latter is still a ritual action. Although they do not seem to attach much importance to it, in fact, this value does not go anywhere. And I would not advise the Orthodox to participate in such a ceremony.
What should be done? Visiting each other: "Teschiny Evenings", "sister-in-law gatherings" and so on is a good tradition that helps to establish good relations with everyone. Pancakes can also contribute to this, but not as a pagan symbol of the sun, but as a kind of tradition. Pancakes are great. Especially for children: they are looking forward to Maslenitsa, they know that there will be many different pancakes.

Tip two: have fun for the future (Archpriest Alexy Uminsky).
The last week before Lent is the time when we say goodbye not only to certain foods, but also to various entertainments. Entertainment is not necessarily something sinful, wrong, bad. In St. Vladimir's Gymnasium, during this period, holiday concerts are usually held. It is as if we are trying with the children to rejoice in a good way and have fun for the future. When we sit together at the table, sing songs, play something, listen to each other - it works for creation, teaches us, among other things, to love each other. During Shrovetide, all this is experienced, it seems to me, especially sharply. Because we are also parting with this, we are also refusing this to some extent. To focus on God, learn to love him.

Tip #3: Become closer friend to a friend (priest Vitaly Ulyanov).
Maslenitsa, which is called Cheese Week in the church calendar, tells us that Great Lent is very close, introduces us to it. Already - a ban on meat food, the sacrament of the wedding is no longer performed. In churches, the penitential prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian is read with kneeling.
On Sunday evening, the rite of forgiveness is performed in temples in order to enter the fast, having reconciled with everyone. It is worth preparing for Forgiveness Sunday all week. After all, the tradition of going to relatives for pancakes (with whom, perhaps, they did not particularly communicate) is an opportunity to get closer, to forget the grievances and discontent that have accumulated over the year.
On the carnival holiday, which is organized by our parish, not only residents of the estates come, but also guests from other cities and even regions. I think that people are attracted not only by a cheerful concert, a treat with pancakes, sweets, with porridge on field kitchen but also something else: an opportunity to get closer to each other….

Fourth tip: stock up on calcium and reconcile (Archpriest Fyodor Krechetov: Shrovetide for Orthodox Christian- the wise establishment of the holy fathers, preparation for fasting, including in the bodily plane. For example, the moment that a person consumes a lot of dairy and fish food for the last week before fasting, enables his body to “stock up” with the calcium and phosphorus it needs in order to endure the upcoming feat without harm to health.
And speaking in a spiritual context: in the family of my parents there was a tradition at the end of Shrove Tuesday to meet with relatives and ask each other for forgiveness, bowing to the ground. Now this is not always possible: we serve in different churches ... but if it is not possible to do this on Forgiveness Sunday itself (although this is very desirable), then we can meet a little earlier - to make peace before fasting. That is, the meaning of Shrovetide is reconciliation with people, for which there was a custom to visit each other during this period, so that later during the fast to repent and reconcile with God.

Tip five: do not abuse (priest Sergiy Zvonarev:
Since this week is a preparatory week before the Great Lent, I would like to remind you that the fun that usually accompanies it should not exceed the permissible limits, and the celebration itself should not turn into abuse, serve as an excuse for sin.
During the wide festivities on Shrove Tuesday, one must be wary that they would interfere with the preparation for fasting. Any abuse distances a person from God and from acquiring those qualities of the soul that a Christian aspires to. No one says that you should not attend the festivities at all, or go there, but with a lean face. Rejoicing is permissible for a Christian. It is important that the proposed entertainment industry does not harm the human soul. Source. Orthodoxy and the world.

Almost everyone knows about this holiday. But if you ask a specific question: what is Maslenitsa, the answers will sound quite different. For some, it is associated with fun and mass celebrations, someone sees in it one of the stages of preparation for. Well, someone will remember the famous cartoon by Robert Saakyants "Look, you, Maslenitsa."

All the above answers will be correct, because Maslenitsa is a holiday with many faces and contains a huge number of meanings and symbols. And yet, what is Maslenitsa? Where did she come from? How was it celebrated before?

Maslenitsa: the history of the holiday. Why do Christians celebrate Maslenitsa?

The last day of Cheese Week is called. It completes a series of preparatory weeks for Great Lent. In total, the “introductory” period lasts 22 days, and during this time the Church sets the believers in the right spiritual mood.

Such close attention to the Lenten cycle is quite natural, because it is the core of the entire liturgical year in most Christian Churches. Fasting is a special time. This, as the poetess Natalya Karpova very aptly put it, "seven slow weeks, bestowed on you for repentance." This is a special rhythm of life. Naturally, radical changes in the soul are not made overnight, and serious preparation is needed here - both of the mind, and of the emotions, and of the body.

If we delve into history, we will see that Cheese Week is the oldest among the weeks before Lent. It appeared under the influence of Palestinian monastic practice - local monks spent almost the entire forty-day period before Easter alone, dispersing to desert places. By the beginning of Holy Week, they met again, but some did not return, dying in the desert. Realizing that each new post could be the last in their lives, the day before parting, the Chernorizians asked each other for forgiveness and exchanged warm words. Hence the name of this day. Forgiveness Sunday.

The tradition of eating dairy throughout the week - even on Monday, Wednesday and Friday - is also of monastic origin. After all, what is a desert? This is the lack of food, and sometimes - and water. Naturally, before such a test, you need to accumulate strength. Of course, we are not talking about the fact that these days the monks overate on quick meals. Just in view of the ascetic period ahead in their lives, fasting on Monday, Wednesday and Friday was canceled.

The laity adopted and developed this monastic tradition, but at the same time it received a slightly different meaning. A Christian layman does not need to go to any desert, therefore, the need for preliminary reinforcement of oneself with protein food disappears. But there is another point - there are many temptations in the world, and it is risky to refuse them immediately. Therefore, fasting restrictions began to be introduced gradually, and Cheese Week is one of those stages when it is no longer possible to eat meat and play weddings, but you can still have fun and get the joy of communication. However, do not get too carried away, remembering that the post is coming soon.

Pre-Christian history of Maslenitsa

Shrovetide is a primordially pagan holiday, known in Rus' even before the adoption of Christianity and rooted in pre-Slavic times. Let's make a reservation right away - the Church tradition does not consider it "one's own", and there is no position with that name in the Orthodox calendar. But there is cheese week and week (Sunday) Cheesy, and they have a completely different meaning than the folk Maslenitsa.

I think, if we talk about the Slavic heritage, then here we can rather talk about why the Church nevertheless consecrated the pagan holiday and filled it with new ideas. The answer is very simple - Christianity is perhaps the most tolerant religion on Earth. It may sound strange against the backdrop of frequent statements from the outside about the intolerance of Christians, but it is true. Christianity is a religion of transformation, which does not level everything that comes into contact with it, but cleanses from sinful dirt and rethinks in the key of the Gospel.

The Church did not include Maslenitsa in its calendar, but, nevertheless, it melted it down, and it was this centuries-old influence of Christianity that made the once pagan holiday that bright and grotesque period that has been known for several centuries. Through the efforts of the Church, Maslenitsa lost its former sacred meaning and turned into a simple week of rest and fun.

Maslenitsa: the meaning of the holiday

Let's start with the fact that in ancient times this holiday was much more multifaceted than in pre-revolutionary times. It was based on a cyclical perception of time common to all pagan cultures, and the more archaic a civilization was, the more attention it paid to emphasizing this idea of ​​cyclicity.

Proto-Slavic Maslenitsa was celebrated at the beginning of spring - on the day of the vernal equinox, when the day finally won the advantage over the night. According to the modern calendar, this is approximately March 21 or 22. In the middle lane, on the territory of present-day Russia, in Belarus and Ukraine - the regions where, in fact, oilseed customs originated - the last days of the first spring month were always unpredictable. Either the thaw will come, or the frosts will press. “Spring and winter are fighting,” our ancestors used to say. And it was precisely on Maslenitsa that a certain milestone was held, until which the world was dominated by cold, and after that heat finally came. Everything was back to normal again, and this return of life was one of the main objects of celebration.

And where there is life, there is its multiplication. Shrovetide, in addition to the idea of ​​cyclicality, carries elements of the cult of fertility. The earth resurrected, absorbed the last winter snow, filled with juices. And now people had to help her, to give this process some sacred basis. In a more familiar language, the rites of Shrovetide are designed to sanctify the earth, fill it with strength so that it gives a bountiful harvest. For the peasants, who formed the basis of ancient Russian society, the harvest was the main value, so it is not surprising that special attention was paid to the Maslenitsa ceremonies. Shrovetide was a kind of pagan liturgy, only the role of God here was played by nature itself and its elements, to which the Slav brought an impromptu sacrifice.

The third is no less important point- procreation. The fertility of the earth finds its continuation in those who live on it and feed on its plants. If you eat the food that Mother Earth gave you, then you must give life to another. The idea of ​​the cycle of life, its bestowal and transmission to children was the key to pagan consciousness. Life itself was a fundamental value, and everything else was just a means to achieve it.

And the last thing that can be said about the sacred component of Maslenitsa. This holiday was also a memorial. The peasants believed that their ancestors, who were in the land of the dead with their souls, and in the land with their bodies, could influence its fertility. Therefore, it was very important not to anger the ancestors and honor them with your attention. The most common way to appease the spirits was the trizna - memorial events, which included sacrifices, mourning weeping, plentiful meals. It was believed that the dead themselves invisibly participate in feasts.

In fact, Maslenitsa was one of the human attempts to get closer to the mystery of life and death, a kind of system in which the entire cosmos was perceived as an endless series of dying and resurrection, withering and flourishing, darkness and light, cold and heat, unity and struggle of opposites. By the way, intimate relationships, unlike Mediterranean and Western European cultures, were also perceived by the Slavs as something sacred, as a source of new life. And even the sweetness of intercourse was not a goal, but a kind of sacred background against which a new being was born. It's hard to believe now, but it's true.

After the adoption of Christianity, the sacred content of Maslenitsa practically disappeared, only its external surroundings and that gaiety that we know from the works of pre-revolutionary writers remained.

Traditions, customs and rituals of Maslenitsa

The first interesting custom is to eat milk food. We have already spoken about the fact that this is a church institution. But after all, butter, milk, cottage cheese, pancakes, sour cream stood on the tables of their ancestors long before the Baptism of Rus'! The fact is that at the end of March, for the first time after winter, cows calved, and milk appeared in the houses. Since slaughtering cattle in winter is extremely unwise, and the old stocks of meat were coming to an end, dairy food and flour products were the main source of protein. Hence the name - Maslenitsa, Masnitsa, Pancake.

Another (perhaps even more ancient) name of this holiday is Kolodiy. It is connected with the custom, which in later times in Ukraine and Belarus. During the whole Kolodochnaya week, in parallel with other ceremonies, rural women performed an amazing act - “kolodochnaya life”. They took a thick stick-block, dressed it up and imagined that it was a person. On Monday, Kolodka was “born”, on Tuesday she was “baptized”, on Wednesday she “experienced” all the other moments of her “life”. On Thursday Kolodka “died”, on Friday she was “buried”, and on Saturday she was “mourned”. On Sunday, the culmination of Kolodiy came.

Throughout the holiday, women walked around the village with Kolodka and tied it to everyone who was still single or not married. They did not forget about the parents of non-family boys and girls. Of course, no one wanted to go with such a “label”, and therefore they gave women a certain payoff. They could be colored ribbons, beads or saucers, booze and sweets.

The next feature of the holiday - also characteristic mainly for Ukraine and Belarus - is its "femininity". Maslenitsa was called by the people - Babskaya week. It was perceived as a period during which, one way or another, it was the fair sex that played the main role in the fun rituals. In these days, engagements were held, and in an even more ancient era, marriages were concluded. That is, there is the very cult of fertility, which we spoke about above. At the same time, attention was paid to all aspects of female existence - both virginity (the idea of ​​a beautiful girl and a bride was praised), and motherhood (a mother woman, a guardian woman), and wisdom (an old woman, a woman adviser). It got "nuts" and negative qualities. For example, on Friday, the son-in-law had to invite the mother-in-law to his house, regale her, treat other guests with vodka and say: “Drink, good people, so that my mother-in-law does not dry up in the throat!”. It was a subtle allusion to the excessive talkativeness of his wife's mother. By the way, the so-called "sister-in-law gatherings" and, in general, women visiting each other are also part of the "women's" element of the holiday.

By the way, about food. This is a very important moment of all ancient Slavic holidays. When the family sat down at the table, they invited their ancestors to participate in this meal. Traditional pancakes also have a memorial origin. At the suggestion of the Russian folklorist Alexander Afanasyev, at the end of the 19th century, the view was established that a pancake is an image of the Sun. But there is another scientific version that among the Slavs pancake was the original funeral bread, which has a very deep symbolism. It is round (a hint of eternity), warm (a hint of earthly joy), made of flour, water and milk (a hint of life). The justification for the funeral origin of the familiar delicacy can be, for example, the following custom: On the first day of Maslenitsa, pancakes were placed on the attic dormer window - “to treat the dead”, or they were given directly to the beggars to commemorate the dead. So they said: "The first pancake for peace."

The funeral elements also include such customs as taking a snowy town or fisticuffs. Now this kind of fun is almost harmless, but before they were very dangerous to life. It echoes even more ancient tradition when the blood spilled during such battles was perceived as a sacrifice to the spirits of the dead or to the gods themselves. At the same time, they did not seek to kill anyone, but it was precisely such a surge of energy, riot, rollicking that was filled with sacred meaning. The victim was effigy burning winters - this ceremony was performed at the end of the holiday, and the ashes of the effigy scattered across the field, consecrating the earth. The spring songs performed by girls in the forests, on the edges, in groves and on the banks of water bodies had the same sacred meaning - they seemed to call the forces of good to the earth, asking for blessings from Mother Nature at the beginning of a new harvest year.

And, probably, the most piquant tradition was the custom in some regions of modern Russia (for example, in the Arkhangelsk Territories) to perform the following action when seeing off Maslenitsa: imitated with their movements washing in the bath. In other areas, only the "Voevoda" was exposed and in this form he delivered a festive speech, which completed the festivities. It is difficult to understand the meaning of such a “striptease” now, but the ancestors put into it not only a funny, but also a philosophical meaning. It was a symbol of death, dying and birth. After all, a person is born naked, and conceives children naked, and dies, in fact, also naked, having nothing behind his soul that can be taken with him to the grave ...

Questions about Maslenitsa:

How does the Church view the pagan ritual side of this week?

Is it generally possible for Christians to participate in mass festivities on Maslenitsa?

It is hardly possible to answer unambiguously, and here's why.

On the one hand, Christianity rejects most of the philosophical messages of paganism. For example, the Bible is alien to the doctrine of the cyclical nature of time. She says that time is linear, that it, like all being, has a starting point, and that it is based on nothing other than the will of God. Also, the gospel thought denies the idea of ​​the animation of material nature, and yet this was precisely the way of thinking among the majority of pagans.

It is quite natural that, faced with the olive rites, the Church saw in them the expression of a system that contrasted sharply with the heritage of Christ, the apostles and holy fathers. Therefore, for a very long time I had to fight with the most terrible pagan customs. For example, the diocesan authorities made sure that the festivities did not turn into orgies, and fisticuffs or the capture of the town were not as life-threatening as before. Roughly speaking, there was a gradual desacralization of the Proto-Slavic Kolodii.

But, on the other hand, Orthodoxy did not completely destroy Maslenitsa as a secular folk holiday, in which there were quite positive connotations. This is respect for nature, and a reverent attitude towards women (especially in the traditions of the peoples of Ukraine and Belarus), and reverence for ancestors, and love for the past.

Well, is it possible for Christians to participate in mass festivities? A good answer was once given by the Monk Anthony the Great, with whom such a story happened. One day, a hunter shooting game in the desert noticed how the elder was talking to the monks, and they all laughed together and sincerely. What he saw confused the man, and he began to accuse the saint of idleness. In response to the attacks, he asked the hunter to take a bow and pull the string to the limit. The archer was indignant and said that the bowstring would probably burst if it was stretched beyond the prescribed. To this the old man replied:

- If, while talking with the brothers, we strain the bowstring beyond their measure, they will soon break. So it is necessary for once to show them a little indulgence.

It is clear that the monks of Anthony rarely laughed. But if even the monks, hardened by spiritual exploits, needed relaxation, then how difficult it is for a layman to live without elementary human joys.

Maslenitsa is a joyful holiday, and if it is held in the spirit of love and kindness, then there is nothing wrong when a person has fun on a snowy hill, skating rink, at a party or at home. It is very important that the holiday unites, not divides. So that it is associated with visiting the suffering, and with giving warmth to those who do not receive it.

And you can pervert anything you want ... And if a person knows that where he goes, there will be a libation, a roundabout (by the way, this is one of the popular names for Shrovetide) and other indecencies, then, of course, it is unequivocally sinful to participate in them.

Maslenitsa in other Churches

Here again, it is necessary to distinguish between Maslenitsa and cheese week. Every nation that lives in that part of the planet where there is a clear change of seasons has a spring festival in its culture. The ideas of cyclicity, fertility, procreation and veneration of ancestors are inherent in almost all earthly civilizations, so here you can talk a lot about the spring celebrations of the peoples of the world.

WITH cheese week the case is different. It is in the calendars of all Orthodox Churches of the Greek tradition. It is also known to Western Russian Uniates - Orthodox, who recognized the primacy of Rome, but retained the Greek rite.

Latin Catholics have an analogue cheese week- Sunday, Monday and Tuesday before "Ash Wednesday" - the last three days before Lent, when it is allowed to eat fast food. In different European countries, these days have a variety of names, and in the popular mind are associated with carnivals - mass celebrations. Carnivals also have a pagan origin, and their meaning is approximately the same as that of the Eastern Slavs. In any case, it was. Now carnivals (like Shrovetide) are turning into a commercial event and a colorful show, which has completely lost touch not only with the ancient pagan, but also with the church tradition, too.

And, finally, it is worth remembering the feast of the Armenian Apostolic Church - Boon Barekendan("True Maslenitsa"). It is celebrated on the Sunday before Lent. This day is famous not only for rich treats, fairs and folk festivals, but also for the fact that the poor and beggars became the subject of everyone's attention and enjoyed the benefits of the public table. On Saturday before the True Maslenitsa, the curtain of the altar is closed for the entire period of Great Lent and opens only on the day of the Resurrection of Christ. On the day of Maslenitsa, the Liturgy in the Armenian Church is performed behind a closed veil.

Features of worship of the Cheese week

In principle, there are two such main features. First of all, the Charter forbids serving the Liturgy on Wednesday and Friday - as well as on fasting itself on all weekdays (a special service is celebrated during Great Lent on Wednesdays and Fridays). This is due to the fact that in Orthodoxy the celebration of the Eucharist is always a holiday and joy. And everyday Lenten services are permeated with a slightly different mood - the mood of "bright sadness." And secondly, these days, for the first time in a year,

    Shrovetide is a truly multifaceted holiday and is celebrated by all European nations, the traditions of the holiday were laid down in ancient times, when people lived according to the laws dictated by nature itself. It was later, when the Jews pulled off their most successful business project, called the Bible and the Church, weaving in the same hero of many folk epics under the name Jesus, and remaking folk traditions for church holidays, this model of perception of the universe was imposed on people. Imposed mainly by fire and sword or deceit. And Maslenitsa is, first of all, a farewell to the winter period, it is the awakening of nature, and for many peoples it was a celebration of the New Year. And after the holiday, an unchanging fast came (not tied to the resurrection of Christ :)) - the autumn stocks were coming to an end, and for all animals, from January to April, the period of birth and feeding of babies, so meat was excluded. And baking flour products, and among many peoples, not only among the Slavs, it is pancakes, is also a festive tradition. Of course, for all peoples, depending on their geographical location, the traditions of celebrating this event were very different. It's hard to imagine Capturing a snowy town somewhere in Spain or throwing mimosa branches on this holiday in our Urals...:)

    "Pancake week is a shameful holiday! Otherwise, they just don't worship" God "- says M Dowal. I think otherwise. It's not necessary to worship someone all the time. It's not for nothing that the Russian people say:" Make a fool pray to God - he will hurt his forehead! And even to show the joy of life means to thank the Creator, but the truth is that Shrove Tuesday has nothing to do with Christianity.

    When pagan worship is intertwined with Orthodoxy, a real hybrid comes out, not a holiday. The worship of God was replaced by the worship of nature. If the author writes that Christianity is tolerant, then why not join the ancient Slavic worship of Perun to some other Orthodox event and call it tolerance. If the Bible clearly states that it is proper for a Christian to worship God alone, then let each believer draw the appropriate conclusions for himself, and if a Christian is tolerant in everything, is this Christianity? How then will Christianity differ from the worldly?

    http://www.veronavisita.it/?p=6136

    2) Solomon in Ecclesiastes from the first lines writes "There is nothing new under the sun", but does it cancel the biblical scripture, and does it not supplement it? The life path of people is indeed similar in many respects, each of us goes through the same circles (cyclicity), but the improvement of the spirit of each and society as a whole determines the linear course of history from the Old Testament.

    I wrote what I knew. Sorry if I made a mistake.

Multi-day posts great post The duration of Great Lent is seven weeks before Easter. According to the church charter, during Great Lent, fish is allowed only on the feasts of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos (March 25, old style / April 7, new) and the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday). Vegetable oil is allowed on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as on the days of memory of especially revered saints. The first and last weeks of Great Lent must be carried out especially strictly. Petrov post There are different durations. It begins a week after the day of the Holy Trinity and is resolved on June 29 (July 12) with a celebration in honor of the supreme apostles Peter and Paul. During this fast, fish and vegetable oil are allowed daily, except Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Assumption post From August 1 (14) to August 14 (27). In terms of severity, Assumption Lent approaches Great Lent. Vegetable oil is allowed daily, except Wednesday and Friday, and fish - only on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Christmas (Filippov) post It starts from the day of memory of the Apostle Philip - November 15 (28) and continues until December 24 (January 6). During this fast, vegetable oil and fish are allowed daily, except Wednesday and Friday. After the feast in honor of St. Nicholas of Myra, the miracle worker (December 6/19), fasting is somewhat stricter: fish is allowed on Saturday and Sunday. The last days of fasting are reminiscent of Great Lent in severity. with honey) - only once, when the first star rises. One day posts Wednesday and Friday are fast days throughout the year, with the exception of continuous weeks and Christmas time. Fish is not allowed on Wednesdays and Fridays. Epiphany Christmas Eve (adverb of the Manifestation of God) - January 5 (18). Strict post. Beheading of John the Baptist - August 29 (September 11). Strict post. Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord - September 14 (27). Strict post. Solid weeks There is no fasting during continuous weeks and Christmas time on Wednesdays and Fridays. Christmas time - from December 25 (January 7) to January 5 (18). Publican and Pharisee - the first of three weeks before Lent. post. At this time, preparations for Lent begin, so oily food is excluded from the diet. Easter (Bright) is the first week of the celebration of the Holy Resurrection of Christ. Trinity is the week after the day of the Holy Trinity (Pentecost). About eating on holidays According to the church charter, there is no fasting on the feasts of the Nativity of Christ and Theophany, which occurred on Wednesday and Friday. Nativity and Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, Her Entry into the Temple, the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Apostles Peter and Paul, John the Theologian, which happened on Wednesday and Friday, and also during the period from Easter to Trinity on Wednesday and Friday, fish is allowed. Sick, traveling, pregnant and lactating women, children are allowed relief during fasting, however, in each specific case you need to consult with a priest. Complete non-observance of fasting by the church charter is rejected.

Maslenitsa is one of the oldest Russian holidays. Pagan in origin, Maslenitsa peacefully "got along" with the religious traditions of Christianity. From a week of farewell to winter, the holiday turned into a week before Lent - 7 days of rest, fun and hearty food.

Each of the days of Maslenitsa, which this year will last from March 4 to March 10, has its own name and purpose. "First Regional" tells what and where to do from Monday to Sunday on Maslenitsa week.

Monday opens the so-called "Narrow Maslenitsa" - the first half of the week. Household work is allowed on these days.

The first day of Maslenitsa is called the Meeting. According to custom, matchmakers meet, everything happens on the territory of the daughter-in-law's house. She is sent to her parents in the morning, and in the evening her father-in-law and mother-in-law come for her, at the same time agreeing on a place for a common festivities.

On Monday, the construction of snowy cities, swings and booths for a mass holiday is being completed. from straw and old clothes they make an effigy of Maslenitsa, which they carry through the streets on a sleigh.

On the same day they start baking pancakes. The first is supposed to be handed over to poor neighbors so that they, not being able to cook pancakes, commemorate the dead.

Tuesday is called Gamble. Guys and girls on this day get to know each other, ride the slides, go to each other for pancakes. Parents actively encourage this: it is customary to marry the young during Shrovetide week, because the church forbids weddings during Lent. The wedding, if successful, is played on Krasnaya Gorka - the first Sunday after Easter (in 2019 Krasnaya Gorka falls on May 5).

Lakomki is the third day of Shrovetide Week and the last day of the Narrow Shrovetide. On this day, the mother-in-law meets her son-in-law and his friends with a rich treat, and she herself watches the passing feast. By taste preferences son-in-law can determine his character. It is believed that if a man reaches for pancakes with salty filling, his character is not easy. Sweet lovers are soft and affectionate.

On Wednesday you can eat plenty of pancakes.

Thursday, or Razgulyay, is the first day of the "Wide Maslenitsa". On this day, it's time to stop chores and start festivities.

Both young and old go out into the street to ride a sleigh, watch fistfights, battles for snowy cities, or become participants in them, sing. On this day ritual bonfires are burned and people jump over them.

Friday is called Mother-in-law evenings. On this day, a man meets his wife's mother. She should be formally invited. The mother-in-law comes to his house with her friends. At the table - songs, fun, good advice about family life.

True, the wife prepares treats for all those gathered.

The day of the sister-in-law, the husband's sister, falls on Saturday. It's called Zolovkin's gatherings. On this day, a woman should call her husband's relatives to her, the main of which is her sister. If she is unmarried, then it is supposed to invite unmarried friends to the house, but if she is married in the church, family people should be next to her. All guests are treated to pancakes, and the sister-in-law is given a nice gift.

The last day of Maslenitsa Week is the Seeing Off. On Sunday, the effigy of Maslenitsa is taken on a sleigh to the field. This is called the "Shrovetide train". Then the effigy is burned - this is the "funeral". The ashes are scattered over the fields so that the year is fertile. From now on, winter should leave, giving way to the sunny and warm spring.

With the advent of Christianity, the Shrove Tuesday became known as Forgiveness Sunday. On this day, it is customary to perform the rite of forgiveness in temples, to ask each other for forgiveness for all the offenses of the past year. In the evening, as on Monday, the dead are commemorated, if possible they visit the cemetery.

Keeping all the traditions of pancake week is fun and delicious. But in order for Maslenitsa to be a joy, and not a burden, you need to eat in moderation and choose only the right pancakes. How to do it, read

To the Glory of the True Orthodox Lord!
Chapter:
Russian Orthodox cuisine
Traditions, prayers, recipes
8th page

Russian Orthodox
Shrovetide-2020
from February 24 to March 1
Cheese or meat-fat week

KEY INFO SUMMARY:

  • Maslenitsa is NOT a pagan holiday and does NOT have any pagan roots - this holiday was introduced by the church in the 16th century to oust the pagan meeting of spring from the popular consciousness, which marked (the beginning of astronomical spring).

  • “Cheese” or “meat-fare” week (its popular name is Shrovetide), introduced by the church to replace the hitherto traditional pagan celebration of Komoyeditsa, is one of the elements of the holy struggle of Christianity against paganism (with religious competitors).
    The fact that some people during the celebration of the church Maslenitsa do not observe strict church regulations and indulge in drunken revelry does not in any way make this holiday pagan, i.e. relating to the original ancient religion of the Slavs.
  • Maslenitsa (Shrovetide Week) - Christian Lenten holiday preparations for, in which, after the Sunday of the "meat conspiracy", it is forbidden to eat meat, but fish, dairy products and butter are still allowed;
  • from here in the 16th century, shortly after the introduction of the “cheese week” (“meat-empty week”) by the church, its popular name appeared - Shrovetide.
  • The dates of the Maslenitsa celebration are "movable", because are rigidly connected with those determined by lunar calendar"mobile" and the previous 7-week - this is the last week before Lent.
  • Ancient pagan edible symbols of the sun, which are certainly used in the celebration of Maslenitsa, are pancakes and cheesecakes, as well as round bagels.
  • On the last day of Maslenitsa, "Forgiveness Sunday", they burn a straw effigy of the bored Winter (Marena), and not Maslenitsa, as many mistakenly believe.
  • In Catholicism, the church holiday of Maslenitsa is called.
  • pagan holiday The spring equinox has been preserved in Islam - this is a holiday.
  • , the great pagan of our ancient Slavic ancestors, always remains in its place (this) and can be merrily celebrated every year by everyone who wants to honor the traditions of their ancient ancestors; in some countries it Public Holiday and day off.

  • About the history of ancient Komoyeditsa and Shrovetide in Rus', details about Shrovetide week, traditions and games of the Russian folk Maslenitsa, Shrovetide carnivals of the peoples of Europe, as well as a great many recipes for pancakes, pancake pies, fritters and various Shrovetide dishes and drinks, see the section:
    .
    About dishes, history, traditions of Russian cuisine, feast customs, see the section:
    - p., etc.

    Church Maslenitsa begins 8 weeks before and lasts 1 week from Monday to Sunday (Forgiveness Sunday).

    Folk Maslenitsa begins a day earlier - on Sunday for the so-called "meat zagovenie", when the Orthodox are allowed to eat meat for the last time (that is, it lasts 8 days).

    After Maslenitsa, the holiday begins, lasting until Sunday. More precisely, Great Lent lasts 7 weeks without one day (48 days), from Clean Monday, which is after Forgiveness Sunday, until the pre-Easter Great Saturday inclusive.

    According to the definition of the First Ecumenical Council, Easter is always and everywhere celebrated between March 22 and April 25, old style (between April 4 and May 8, O.S.)- on the first Sunday after the Easter full moon (the first full moon after the vernal equinox), or at a week later, that the Christian Easter should be celebrated after the Jewish one (but not coincide with the Jewish one).

    Exact dates of Catholic and Orthodox Easter:

  • In 356, for the first time, a single date for the celebration of Easter was established for all Christians.
  • Since 1582, Catholics and Orthodox begin to use different algorithms to calculate the date of Easter.
  • Year 4099 AD - this is just the limiting number included in this calculation program.
  • The principle of calculating the date of Easter has never been something static, unchanged.

    It is likely that one day another reform will take place. church calendars and all Christians on Earth will again celebrate Easter on the same day.

    Orthodox Easter and passing holidays:

    Enter year since 1583(the first year of the separate celebration of Easter by Catholics and Orthodox)

    In the right column - a constant number of days from the date of Easter

    Year Orthodox
    Easter
    Catholic
    Easter
    2006 23 Apr 16 Apr
    2007 08 Apr
    2008 27 Apr 23 Mar
    2009 19 Apr 12 Apr
    2010 04 Apr
    2011 24 Apr
    2012 15 Apr 08 Apr
    2013 May 05 31 Mar
    2014 20 Apr
    2015 12 Apr 05 Apr
    2016 May 01 27 Mar
    2017 16 Apr
    2018 08 Apr 01 Apr
    2019 28 Apr 21 Apr
    2020 19 Apr 12 Apr
    2021 May 02 04 Apr
    2022 24 Apr 17 Apr
    2023 16 Apr 09 Apr
    2024 May 05 31 Mar
    2025 20 Apr
    2026 12 Apr 05 Apr
    2027 May 02 28 Mar
    2028 16 Apr
    2029 08 Apr 01 Apr
    2030 28 Apr 21 Apr
    2031 13 Apr
    2032 May 02 28 Mar
    2033 24 Apr 17 Apr
    2034 09 Apr
    2035 29 Apr 25 Mar
    2036 20 Apr 13 Apr
    2037 05 Apr
    2038 25 Apr
    2039 17 Apr 10 Apr
    2040 May 06 01 Apr
    2041 21 Apr
    2042 13 Apr 06 Apr
    2043 May 03 29 Mar
    2044 24 Apr 17 Apr
    2045 09 Apr
    2046 29 Apr 25 Mar
    2047 21 Apr 14 Apr
    2048 05 Apr
    2049 25 Apr 18 Apr

    Dates of Russian Maslenitsa (and Catholic Fat Tuesday) for the coming years:
    2014: February 24 to March 2 ( Fat Tuesday March 4)
    2015: Feb 16 to Feb 22 (Fat Tuesday Feb 17)
    2016: March 7 to 13 (Fat Tuesday February 9)
    2017: 20 to 26 February (Fat Tuesday 28 February)

    Easter Day in any year (the date will be obtained according to the new style) can be determined by the formula:
    (4+c+d) April or, if the sum is greater than 30, then [(4 + c + d) - 30] May.
    Calculating the number c for a formula
    To get a number With, it is necessary to divide the number of the year with the remainder by 19 , then multiply the resulting remainder by 19 , add 15 and divide the resulting amount with the remainder by 30 .
    Number With will be equal to the remainder of this division.
    Calculating the number d for a formula
    Number d equal to the remainder of dividing the number (2a + 4b + 6c + 6) per number 7 ,
    Where:
    a- equal to the remainder of dividing the number of the year by 4;
    b- equal to the remainder of dividing the number of the year by 7;
    With- calculated earlier.

    To check your calculations, enter the resulting date of Easter in the form below and make sure that it is Sunday.

    Calculation of the day of the week for a given date (according to the new style): To determine the start date of Maslenitsa it remains only to count from the day of Easter eight weeks ago - until Monday the beginning of the church Maslenitsa or until Sunday ("meat conspiracy") the beginning of the folk Maslenitsa.

    Calendar of "mobile" Orthodox holidays
    for 2009-2019 (dates are given according to the new style)
    Forgiveness Sunday - the last day of the Maslenitsa week

    Year Start
    triodi
    Forgiven
    Sunday
    Entrance to
    Jerusalem
    EASTER Ascension
    Lord's
    Saint's day
    Trinity
    Petrov post
    2010 January 24 The 14th of February March 28 April, 4 may 13 May, 23rd 42 days
    2011 February 13 March, 6 April 17 April 24 2 June 12 June 22 days
    2012 February 5th February 26 April 8 April 15 May 24 June 3 31 days
    2013 24 February March 17 April 28 5 May June 13 June 23 11 days
    2014 February 9th 2nd of March April 13 20 April May 29 June 8 26 days
    2015 1st of February February 22 5th of April 12th of April May 21st May 31 34 days
    2016 February 21 March 13 April 24 1st of May the 9th of June June 19 15 days
    2017 February 5th February 26 April 9 April 16 May 25 June 4 30 days
    2018 28 January 18th of Febuary April 1 April 8 May 17 May 27 38 days
    2019 February 17 10th of March April 21 April 28 June 6 June 16 18 days




    PRAYERS BEFORE AND AFTER TASTING FOOD

    BEFORE TASTING
    Our Father, Who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as in heaven and on earth. Give us our daily bread today; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. The eyes of all in Thee, O Lord, trust, and You give them food in good time, You open Your generous hand and fulfill every animal goodwill.

    AFTER TASTING
    We thank Thee, Christ our God, for Thou hast satisfied us with Thy earthly blessings; do not deprive us of Your Kingdom of Heaven, but as if in the midst of Your disciples, Thou hast come, Savior, give them peace, come to us and save us.

    SECRET PRAYER BEFORE EATING FOOD FOR THE UNTEMPTABLE IN DIET
    (prayer for weight loss)

    I also pray to You, Lord, deliver me from satiety, voluptuousness and grant me in the peace of my soul to reverently accept Your generous gifts, so that by eating them, I will receive strengthening of my spiritual and bodily strength to serve You, Lord, in the little rest of my life on Earth.

    Traditional thank you phrase:
    "Angel to you for the meal!"


    • Monday - Meeting
    • Tuesday - "Tricks"
    • Wednesday - "Gourmet"
    • Thursday - "Razguly", "Wide Shrovetide"
    • Friday - Mother-in-law evening
    • Saturday - "Zolovkin gatherings"
    • Sunday - "Seeing Off", "Forgiveness Day", "Forgiveness Sunday"
    Shrovetide has a church name cheese week. This is the last week before Lent, when they no longer eat meat, but throughout the week, not excluding Wednesdays and Fridays, they eat fish, eggs, and dairy products.

    This week, the Church commemorates the expulsion of the forefathers from paradise for disobedience and intemperance to believers in order to more clearly present the importance of the upcoming feat of fasting. Unfortunately, the depth of the spiritual meaning of this preparatory week was not comprehended by everyone. Therefore, on Maslenitsa, people indulged in fun fun - riding troikas, skiing from the mountains, street festivities and dancing, valiant fun, home feasts with beer and pancakes, etc.

    Throughout pancake week pancakes are supposed to be served. Therefore, they were baked in the old days in different ways - either from different types of flour, then from yeast or unleavened dough, or even in different shapes (round, rectangular, etc.). On Maslenitsa, brushwood, cakes, cookies were always baked, various curd mixtures were prepared. In the southern regions of Russia and Ukraine, dumplings were invariably prepared for the festive table, and Ukrainians baked verguns instead of brushwood. Not the last place festive table occupied by fish.

    Maslenitsa ended with Forgiveness Sunday. Fasting should begin by forgiving people of their sins. From this came the custom of Orthodox Christians to ask for forgiveness from each other and go to the graves of the dead for the same purpose.

    On this day, a solemn ceremony of mutual forgiveness is performed in monasteries, cathedrals and temples. In monasteries, it takes place after the farewell meal. With humility of heart, Orthodox Christians bow to the ground before each other, asking for forgiveness for the offenses they have caused. “Forgive me,” asks one. "God forgives and I forgive," replies another.



    Even in the 19th century before last, ancient customs were observed in our fatherland, when on the day of Forgiveness Sunday, pious people went to monasteries, ancient cathedrals to bow to holy relics and especially revered shrines; they went to receive a blessing to the bishops, rectors of churches, venerable monks; visited the homes of relatives and acquaintances, everywhere and from everyone asking for forgiveness and blessings.

    As a sign of mutual peace, forgiveness and consolation, people sent each other special bread - ukruh, specially prepared for that day. It was rye bread with a crispy crust, sprinkled with sugar, raisins and prunes.

    This day is also called Syropust, because on this Sunday the eating of cheese, eggs and fish ends.


    SHIRT CONVERSATION

    Maslenitsa is one of the brightest and widely celebrated holidays. Everywhere they look forward to it with great impatience. Various amusements are arranged on the streets: riding from icy mountains, in troikas, snowball fights, fist fights, festivities with songs, dances, mummers. On Maslenitsa, it was customary to "eat until you hiccup, drink until you get dandruff, sing until you enjoy it, dance until you drop."

    Maslenitsa, which in Orthodox Christianity is called cheese or meat-fare week, is celebrated just before Great Lent, seven weeks before Easter. Each day of the Maslenitsa week had its own name, according to established traditions. In accordance with these days, customs and entertainments have changed.



    On Monday from early morning, the housewives began to bake pancakes - "without a pancake, there is no Maslyana." This day was called "Meeting". Residents of neighboring villages met on snow and ice slides, where laughter and fun reigned. They dressed up a straw effigy of Maslenitsa in a sheepskin coat, a hat and a sash, drove it for a long time in a sledge through the streets and by the evening set it up on a high place outside the village.



    On Tuesday they walked around the yards with ritual songs in goat masks and straw hats with a naked broom on a long pole. For a small fee (usually pancakes), it was possible to tie a ribbon to the rods of this broom with a slander from ailments and other adversities: the mummers would leave and take away all sorrows with the broom. On this day, the youth gathered in a spacious hut for new acquaintances, so Tuesday was called "Fun". On the same day, in the morning, the girls and fellows went to ride on the hills. In rich houses, mountains were arranged in the middle of the yard, and the mother sent relatives and friends to call "daughters" and "sons" with the order: "we have the mountains ready and the pancakes are baked - please welcome."


    On Wednesday the mother-in-law invited her son-in-law and other relatives to pancakes at her house. The name of the third day of Maslenitsa is "Gourmet". The housewives showed their culinary skills on this day. Each housewife had her own secret of making pancakes, which she kept in strict confidence. It was believed that no one should even see how the dough was kneaded, otherwise the pancakes would be hopelessly spoiled. On Wednesday, pancakes were taken outside and treated to all neighbors and those who wished.



    Thursday was called "Rampant" or " Wide Maslenitsa”, because the revelry of fun unfolded in full breadth and all the Orthodox people indulged in the most varied amusements and noisy feasts. On this day, beer and mash, as well as wine, were put on the table. Old things were carried and stacked to a straw effigy outside the outskirts. They also brought a broom with slander and stuck it nearby. With laughter and songs, young people rode on a sleigh pulled by dashing troikas until the morning.



    On Friday- "Teschiny evenings." The sons-in-law treated their mother-in-laws with pancakes, inviting them the day before, and tried to show them as much respect as possible. The dressed-up son-in-law on a smartly decorated sleigh drove up to the mother-in-law's house and personally invited her to his place for pancakes.



    Saturday called "Zolovkina gatherings", daughters-in-law invited her husband's relatives. It was a real test for young housewives. The best supplies were put on the table. They started the meal with soups, then they served fried and baked dishes of fish, mushrooms and vegetables, and, finally, all kinds of pancakes. The hills were especially crowded that day. The youth, laughing and squealing, rode down in pairs on sledges, overturned benches, and even on ice plates cut from river ice. They also competed in riding troikas with bells. In large villages, where people flocked from the surrounding villages, fairs were held.



    Sunday - the last day of Maslenitsa- called "Seeing" or "Forgiveness Sunday". On this day, a note of sadness was added to the fun. During the day they visited the graves of their parents and left pancakes on them. When they met, they bowed to each other and humbly asked for forgiveness. It was necessary to forgive insults and ask for the same yourself. Forgiveness was supposed to be sealed with a kiss.

    On the evening of that day, having cleansed the soul of all insults and taking a bundle of straw from the house, everyone gathered outside the village at Maslenitsa and, having said goodbye to it until next winter, solemnly burned it. Together with a straw effigy, old junk was burned, and at the same time a broom with slander. They believed that all troubles would be carried away by millions of sparks from this fire. The youth jumped over the flames with a running start. Gradually the fire burned down, the fun holiday ended.

    After the burning of Maslenitsa, no one lit a fire in the house, even a candle was not lit that day. And in the morning, the ashes from the fire were scattered over the fields for a rich harvest. All the remaining bread treats were given to cattle, or even thrown away. Even the poorest person would not eat anything from Shrovetide leftovers.

    But Maslenitsa is famous not only for its numerous rituals and amusements. She is no less famous for her rich feast. Shrovetide is the days of plentiful treats, when the traditional Slavic hospitality and hospitality manifested itself in all its breadth.

    We will also use some old recipes for cooking dishes for the Shrovetide feast.


    FISH VINAIGRET

    Ingredients :
    600 g of fish, 100 g of pickles, 100 g of pickled mushrooms, 10 olives, 1 lemon, 15 g of gelatin, 3 tbsp. tablespoons of vinegar, 3 tbsp. tablespoons of vegetable oil, pepper and salt to taste.

    Cooking

    Clean the fish from skin and bones, fry and cool.
    Boil broth from fish heads, bones and skin, strain, add salt, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of vinegar, gelatin. Boil, pour half and cool in the cold.
    In the meantime, cut pickled or pickled cucumbers, pickled mushrooms, lemon, pitted olives, season this mixture with vegetable oil, 2 tbsp. tablespoons of vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.
    Put part of the prepared mixture on the bottom of a deep dish, pour the remaining warm broth, cool, then put the fried fish fillet on top, pour the broth again, cool - and alternate several times.
    Refrigerate the filled dish.
    Before serving, tip the vinaigrette in a slide onto another dish, decorate with the remaining frozen broth, cutting it into small cubes.


    HERRING WITH APPLES AND BREAD

    Ingredients :
    300 g herring, 300 g rye bread crumb, 2-3 apples, vegetable oil.

    Cooking

    Finely chop the boneless herring, mix with the crumb of rye bread and chopped apples.
    Pound all this until a homogeneous mass is obtained, add a little vegetable oil and serve on a herring dish, laying in the form of a fish.


    PIKE CAVIAR

    Turn the caviar in a meat grinder so that the films remain on the knives. Then pour hot, but not boiling brine (cool saline solution in which the egg floats). Hold in it for 10-15 minutes, tasting for salt.
    Throw caviar on gauze, decant. Then put it on a dry linen napkin with a thin layer and slightly stir (each caviar, as it were, wipe dry from all sides).
    After that, add vegetable oil, a little vinegar - beat everything well and refrigerate for a day.
    Before serving, add finely chopped onion.


    SNACK DELICATE

    Ingredients :
    50 g fat cottage cheese, 2 tbsp. tablespoons of butter, 40 g of walnut kernels, garlic, salt, pepper to taste.

    Cooking

    Chop the peeled walnuts. Grind the garlic with salt.
    Sprinkle cottage cheese with pepper, add melted butter, walnuts, garlic to it and mix thoroughly until a homogeneous mass is formed.
    Serve with lightly oven-dried slices of white bread.


    CABBAGE FESTIVE

    Ingredients :
    2 kg of white cabbage, 2-3 carrots, 1 beetroot, 1 head of garlic, ground black pepper.
    For pouring: 1 liter of water, 1 cup of sugar, 2 tbsp. tablespoons of salt, 1 glass of sunflower oil, 1 glass of vinegar.

    Cooking

    Chop cabbage, grate carrots and beets on a coarse grater. Add garlic, finely chopped beforehand, and ground black pepper. Dissolve sugar, salt, sunflower oil and vinegar in water (pour it last), combine and boil.
    Pour boiling liquid into cabbage with carrots, beets and spices (you can put dill and parsley).
    When it cools down, serve it to the table.
    The remaining filling is a good addition to borscht, okroshka, to cold borscht. You can even drink instead of kvass.


    SOUP WITH COTTAGE CHEESE cold

    Ingredients :
    1 cup cottage cheese, 2 cups tomato juice, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of vegetable oil, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, 1 egg, salt, black pepper or cumin, citric acid, parsley.

    Cooking

    Grind cottage cheese with tomato juice. Add vegetable oil, sugar, salt, black pepper or cumin and citric acid taste.
    Sprinkle the soup with finely chopped parsley and a hard-boiled egg cut into cubes.
    This soup can also be served warm, with finely chopped croutons.


    EAR

    Ingredients :
    1 kg of fish trifles, 500 g of large fish, 1 onion, 1/2 parsley and celery roots each, 6 black peppercorns, 1-2 bay leaves, 1/2 lemon, salt, herbs.

    Cooking

    Prepare a spicy broth, add fish fines to it and cook for 1 hour to boil the fish.
    Prepare and cut into portions larger, non-boney fish, after freeing it from skin and bones.
    Strain the spicy broth, put it back on the fire and, when the broth boils, dip the prepared portions of large fish into it. Boil for 15-20 minutes.
    Sprinkle with herbs before serving.
    Put a piece of fish and a few slices of lemon without seeds on each plate.


    HERRING HOME

    Ingredients :
    500 g lightly salted herring, 50 g diluted mustard, 150 g vegetable oil, herbs.

    Cooking

    Peel the herring, remove the fillet from it, grease with mustard on both sides, roll each fillet with a tight roller and put in a glass jar.
    Pour the prepared semi-finished product with vegetable oil (olive or sunflower) and refrigerate.
    Before serving, put the contents of the jar into a herring box and garnish with sprigs of greens.
    Separately, serve hot boiled potatoes sprinkled with parsley or dill.


    FISH TRUCK IN UKRAINIAN

    Ingredients :
    500 g fish fillet, 50 g butter, 100 g bread, 2 eggs, 40 g flour, 1 onion, tomato sauce, salt.

    Cooking

    Divide the fish fillet into two parts. Beat one part and, in turn, divide it into four parts, and pass the other through a meat grinder with the addition of soaked bread and onions.
    In the minced meat, break the egg, add salt and spread it into beaten sirloins.
    Roll each in the form of sausages, dip in an egg, roll in flour, fry in butter and stew in tomato sauce.
    Serve with boiled hot potatoes.


    VOBLA DRIED BOILED

    Ingredients :
    500 g dried vobla, 1 carrot, 1 parsley root, 1 onion, 1 Bay leaf, a bouquet of greenery, 1.5 tbsp. tablespoons of butter, chopped parsley.

    Cooking

    Soak dried vobla in water. After 6 hours it will be ready for cooking. Pour the soaked vobla cold water, add onions, carrots with parsley, herbs, bay leaf and cook for 15 minutes.
    Put the finished fish on a dish, pour with melted butter, sprinkle with chopped parsley and put hot boiled potatoes around.
    White sauce can be used in place of melted butter.


    Dumplings from pike perch or carp (carp)

    Ingredients :
    200 g fillet of pike perch or carp (carp), 50 g boiled milk, 1 onion, salt, pepper, dough for dumplings, herbs.

    Cooking

    Pass the fish fillet through a meat grinder with a large grill, add finely chopped onion, black pepper, salt, mix well, adding milk for juiciness.
    Knead the dough as for ordinary dumplings.
    Boil prepared dumplings in a broth made from the head, fins and bones of fish, lightening it with herbs or dry fried onions.
    Serve ready-made dumplings in broth or with butter (sour cream).


    FISH SAUSAGE

    Ingredients :
    1.5 kg of fish (perch, bream, carp, catfish), 200 g of bread soaked in milk, 100 g of milk, 2 eggs, 2 onions, 1 head of garlic, 50 g of butter, 4 bay leaves, salt, pepper taste.

    Cooking

    Peel the fish, remove the bones, pass it through a meat grinder with a fine grate along with garlic and 1 onion, add milk, butter, salt, pepper and mix well.
    Put minced fish on a damp napkin, chopped boiled eggs mixed with fried onions on it, and use a napkin to form it into a sausage shape, tying the ends with twine.
    Boil the sausage in fish broth for 30 minutes, cool without removing it from the broth, then put it on a dish, freeing it from a napkin, cut into portions and serve with mashed potatoes.


    VARENIKI HOMEMADE

    Ingredients
    For the dough: 630 g of wheat flour, 2 eggs, 300 g of kefir, 10 g of salt, 2 g of soda.
    For minced meat: 600 g of fresh cabbage, 370 g of potatoes, 180 g of onions, 100 g of fat or vegetable oil, salt, pepper to taste.
    For watering: 200 g of bacon, 100 g of onions.

    Cooking

    Kefir and eggs mix thoroughly, add salt, soda, sifted flour and knead the dough. Leave it to stand for 30-40 minutes, then form rollers, cut into small pieces and roll out cakes 1-1.5 mm thick from them.
    Minced meat preparation. To do this, chop fresh peeled and washed cabbage, put a layer of no more than 3 cm in a pan with melted fat and fry until cooked in the oven at a temperature of 180-200 ° C.
    Cool cooked cabbage. Boil the peeled potatoes, put them in a colander and rub them through a sieve while still hot. Combine potatoes with cabbage and season with browned onions.
    Spread the minced meat on the prepared cakes (it can be replaced with cottage cheese or berries) and pinch the edges. Boil dumplings in salted water until they float (6-7 minutes).
    Put the finished dumplings in a deep bowl and top with sliced ​​\u200b\u200band lard fried with onions.


    omelette curd

    Ingredients :
    2 eggs, 50 g low-fat cottage cheese, 2 tbsp. spoons of milk, 1 teaspoon of flour, 1 teaspoon of butter, salt to taste.

    Cooking

    Mix raw eggs, cottage cheese, milk and flour until a homogeneous mass is formed, salt, pour into a pan with warmed butter and bake in the oven.
    Serve hot on a platter.


    CHEESE MASS WITH HONEY

    Ingredients :
    100 g low-fat cottage cheese, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of butter, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 egg yolk, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of sour cream.

    Cooking

    Grind raw egg yolk with sugar and honey, combine the mixture with softened butter and beat until a fluffy cream is formed, which is then mixed with mashed cottage cheese.
    Serve with sour cream.


    WHEESE MASS ORDINARY

    Ingredients :
    100 g low-fat cottage cheese, 2 tbsp. tablespoons of butter, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of powdered sugar, vanillin.

    Cooking

    Beat the softened butter with powdered sugar and vanilla added to it until a fluffy cream is obtained, then, continuing to beat, add grated cottage cheese in small portions.
    Put the finished mass into a mold and cool.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *



    Pancakes were the main treat for Maslenitsa. Good housewives baked them all week. Breakfast began with pancakes, guests were invited to pancakes, they were generously treated everywhere. This is also indicated by sayings that have come down from ancient times: “Without a pancake - not Maslyana”, “Ride on the mountains, roll in pancakes”, “Pancake is not a wedge, the belly will not split.”

    Pancakes were eaten with sour cream, butter, honey, jam, planed meat, salted fish, and caviar. They were baked from rye, buckwheat and wheat flour. Real pancakes were made from yeast dough, and pancakes, pancakes, pancakes were baked from unleavened, with milk and eggs.

    It is better to bake pancakes and pancakes in a thin frying pan, and pancakes - only in a cast-iron pan. Before baking, it should be well calcined by pouring coarse salt on the bottom, then wiped with a dry, clean cloth and greased with vegetable oil, otherwise the pancake will turn out to be lumpy.




    BUCKWHEAT-WHEAT PANCAKES - THE BEST

    Ingredients :
    2.5 cups of buckwheat flour, 1.5 cups of wheat flour, 2.5 cups of water, 25 g of yeast, 2 cups of milk, 2-3 eggs, 50-60 g of butter, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and sugar .

    Cooking

    From warm water, yeast, 1.5 cups of buckwheat and 1.5 cups of wheat flour, put a dough.
    When the dough has risen, add the remaining buckwheat flour, knead well and let it rise again.
    An hour before baking, brew the dough with hot milk and knead until elastic. When the mass has cooled, put salt and sugar into it, add eggs, butter, stir well and let it come up.
    After that, you can start baking.


    PANCAKES RED

    Ingredients :
    4 cups wheat flour, 800 ml milk, 25 g yeast, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of butter, 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons of sugar, 100 g of cream, salt.

    Cooking

    Prepare a dough from two glasses of wheat flour, warm milk and yeast.
    After the dough has risen, beat it, put salt, melted butter, egg yolks, pounded with sugar, and about two glasses of wheat flour to taste.
    Beat the mass well, add whipped whites, cream, stir, let the dough come up and bake pancakes.




    BUCKWHEAT PANCAKES

    Ingredients :
    4 cups of buckwheat flour, 2.5 cups of water, 2 cups of milk, 20-25 g of yeast, 1 teaspoon of sugar, salt to taste.

    Cooking

    Pour 2 cups of flour into the pan, pour 2 cups of boiling water, stir well so that there are no lumps. Dilute the yeast in 0.5 cups of warm water and pour it into the brewed flour.
    Beat the dough well, cover with a towel and put to approach in a warm place. When it increases in volume by 2-3 times, add flour, milk, sugar, salt to it, beat again and put in a warm place.
    Bake pancakes in the usual way.




    oat pancakes

    Ingredients :
    2.5 cups oatmeal 1.5 cups wheat flour 3 cups milk or water 1/2 cup cream 3 eggs 2 tbsp. spoons of sugar, 2 tbsp. tablespoons of butter, 30 g of yeast, salt to taste.

    Cooking

    Pour a little warm milk into the pan and dilute the yeast in it.
    Mix wheat and oatmeal in a bowl, pour it into a saucepan with milk and stir well. Add sugar, butter, salt.
    Separately, beat the egg whites, cream, combine them and carefully fold into the dough. Let it come up again.
    Bake pancakes in the usual way.




    PANCAKES ROYAL

    Ingredients :
    3 cups of buckwheat flour, 2 cups of wheat flour, 1 cup of cream, 1 liter of warm milk, 200 g of sour cream, 25 g of yeast, 100 g of butter, 5 yolks, 5 proteins, 1 tbsp. spoonful of sugar, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of salt.

    Cooking

    In two glasses of warm milk, dilute buckwheat flour and yeast.
    After 1-1.5 hours, when the dough rises, add the yolks, mashed with butter and sour cream, wheat flour, the remaining milk, salt, sugar.
    Knead everything until the dough falls behind the spatula, put in a warm place for 1.5-2 hours.
    Separately, beat the whites and cream, combine them with the dough, let stand for 10-15 minutes and bake pancakes.




    BISCUIT PANCAKES

    Ingredients :
    0.5 l of kefir or curdled milk, 3-4 eggs, 1 teaspoon of soda, 3 tbsp. spoons of sugar, salt to taste, wheat flour.

    Cooking

    Break the eggs into a bowl and beat them with a whisk with sugar and salt. Add kefir and stir. The dough for pancakes must be beaten only with a whisk. Pour in enough flour so that the mass turns out to be the consistency of thick sour cream, the dough should not spread quickly in the pan.
    Lubricate the pan with vegetable oil, heat well and, spreading the dough with a spoon, level it over the entire surface of the pan. The thickness of the pancake should be about 5 mm.
    Bake, be sure to cover with a lid, browning on both sides.
    Put the finished pancakes in a deep bowl, covered with a lid.
    Serve with sour cream, honey.




    PANCAKES WITHOUT FLOUR

    Ingredients :
    3 eggs, 0.5 l of kefir or curdled milk, 4-5 tbsp. spoons of starch, 1/2 teaspoon of soda, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of vegetable oil, sugar, salt.

    Cooking

    Knead the dough from eggs, kefir or yogurt, starch, soda, sugar to taste. Add vegetable oil.
    Bake without greasing the pan.
    Pancakes should be thin, with holes.


    PANCAKES LACE

    Ingredients :
    100 g wheat flour, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of powdered sugar, 3 eggs, 300 g of milk, 75 g of melted butter.

    Cooking

    Pour flour into a large dish and mix with powdered sugar. Make a well in the center and break the eggs into it. Add some milk to the eggs and mix.
    Gradually mix with flour from the edges to the center and beat, add enough milk to make the dough the consistency of whipped cream.
    Beat well, mix with melted butter and remaining butter and then use as a batter for regular pancakes.



    PANCAKES

    In the old days they said: a dry pancake tears up the throat. This means that Shrovetide pancakes must be seasoned. As a rule, they were served with sour cream, butter (melted, warm, it was applied with a spoon on a hot pancake), special dressings, the recipes of which are offered below.
    Mushroom. Discard pickled mushrooms, finely chop, with onions, season with vegetable oil.
    Potato with herring. Boil potatoes, ceiling, cool, mix with chopped salted herring.
    Herring caviar. Finely chop the salted herring fillet, grind with butter and melted cheese. Add chopped boiled carrots and mix.
    Salted fish. Fish (salmon, chum salmon, notothenia, halibut, silver carp, etc.) cut thinly. In the store, it is sold already cut in vacuum packaging. Spread hot pancake with melted butter, and put fish plastic on top.
    Green onions with eggs. Finely chop a bunch of onions and hard-boiled eggs, season with sour cream or mayonnaise, salt, pepper and add sugar.


    SCRIED EGGS FOR PANCAKES











    crepe maker

    Put the baked buckwheat or wheat pancakes in a frying pan in a pile, brushing each pancake with a raw egg, and then bake in the oven.
    Cut the finished pancake into pieces, pour over with melted butter or sour cream and serve directly in the pan.


    ROLL PANCAKES

    Bake a pancake in a frying pan, grease with melted butter and put the filling in layers; a layer of boiled rice or millet with chopped eggs, a layer of cottage cheese.
    Roll the pancake into a roll, put in a mold, brush with egg and bake in the oven.


    PANCAKE PIE

    Bake pancakes. Spread them with melted butter, stack them in a greased and sprinkled with breadcrumbs form, layering each pancake with boiled rice with green onions and boiled eggs (or fried mushroom, minced fish).
    You can use several types of minced meat at once.
    Grease a stack of pancakes 10 cm high from the sides with a mixture of eggs, flour and milk, and spread sour cream on top. Put in the oven for 30 minutes.
    Turn the finished cake onto a plate and cut into portions.


    PANCAKES

    Ingredients :
    6 eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 tbsp. tablespoons of butter, 600 g of milk, 1.5 cups of wheat flour, minced meat, pepper, vegetable oil.

    Cooking

    Grind 2 yolks with salt, sugar and butter. Whisking constantly, gradually pour in the milk.
    The resulting mixture is also gradually, with constant stirring, pour into wheat flour, stir until smooth, combine with 2 egg whites, whipped into a strong foam, and bake thin pancakes, browning them on both sides.
    Fold the pancakes on a sieve, cool, trim with a knife, giving them a quadrangular shape.
    Grease the edges of each pancake with an egg, and put the fried minced meat mixed with chopped eggs and pepper in the middle.
    Bend the edges of the pancakes inward, roll them into a tube, bread them in an egg and a grated stale bun, brown in a boiling deep fat, remove with a slotted spoon, put on a dish and serve.


    PANCAKES

    Ingredients :
    3 eggs, 3 egg yolks, 1 cup wheat flour, 2 cups milk, salt.

    Cooking

    Beat eggs and yolks, add wheat flour, a pinch of salt and pour in milk (to get a dough of the consistency of liquid sour cream).
    Fry pancakes in a very hot pan, greasing it each time with fat and pouring the dough so that it covers the bottom. After frying a pancake on one side, it must be turned over and fry on the other.
    Serve with sour cream or sprinkle with powdered sugar, pouring syrup from any berries or fruits.


    PANCAKES WITH CURD

    Rub fresh non-acidic cottage cheese through a sieve, grind with eggs (2 eggs per 600 g of cottage cheese), salt a little, spread pancakes and roll up.
    Grease the saucepan with oil, lay out with ordinary pancakes, then lay pancakes with cottage cheese, pour a little oil over each layer, pour sour cream, put in the oven until browned.


    UKRAINIAN APPLE SALT JARS

    Ingredients :
    1.5 cups of wheat flour, 10 eggs, 1 cup of cream, 1 cup of butter, 1 cup of sugar, 500 g of apples, 2 teaspoons of dry lemon peel.

    Cooking

    Grind egg yolks, cream, sugar, butter and lemon zest well, combine with flour, mix thoroughly. From the resulting dough, bake 5 pancakes in a large frying pan.
    Peel the apples from the skin and seeds, cut into strips, fry in butter with sugar and simmer until tender.
    Stuff pancakes with them, roll them into rolls, put in a pan, pour over beaten egg whites, sprinkle with sugar and bake in the oven.


    POLTAVA SALTERS

    Ingredients :
    1.5 cups of wheat flour, 8-10 eggs, 1 cup of cream, 1 cup of butter, 1 cup of sugar, 200 g of jam, 300 g of apples, 2-3 teaspoons of dry lemon peel.

    Cooking

    From the yolks, cream, sugar, butter, zest and flour, prepare the dough, bake 5 pancakes in a large frying pan.
    On pancakes, alternating, put jam and stewed apples.
    Pour stacked pancakes with whipped egg whites, sprinkle with sugar and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

    Secrets of good pancake baking

  • If the dough has not fermented enough, the pancakes are bland, heavy, and if fermented - sour and pale.
  • Yeast must be fresh and not in excess.
  • The dough at all stages must be beaten and rubbed very carefully.
  • It will not be necessary to grease the pan every time if you pour 2 tbsp into the dough. tablespoons of vegetable oil.
    But before the first pancake, the pan still needs to be lubricated and be sure to heat it up well - you can even until a light haze appears.
  • When baking pancakes, stir the dough periodically.
  • So that by the time the last pancake is ready, the first ones have not cooled down yet, you need to fry the pancakes in two pans, and put the third on a slow fire. Put pancakes on it and grease with warmed butter.
    Turn the stack of pancakes from time to time.

  • BUCKWHEAT FLOR PANCHES FOR SHIRT

    Ingredients :
    2 cups wheat flour, 1 cup buckwheat flour, 2 cups water, 25 g yeast, 1 cup milk, 2 eggs, salt.

    Cooking

    Mix warm water with yeast and wheat flour, mix well with a wooden spoon and put in a warm place.
    Add boiling milk, buckwheat flour, eggs, salt to the risen dough, let it rise again and knead again.
    Fry small pancakes in a pan.
    Serve hot with butter, caviar or sour cream.


    LUKOVNIK

    Ingredients :
    800 g flour, 400 g water, 50 g yeast, 2 tbsp. spoons of sugar, 2 tbsp. tablespoons butter, 8 onions, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, salt.

    Cooking

    Prepare yeast dough. Put in a warm place and let rise. Then make as thin cakes as possible from the dough (the size of a small frying pan), put them on top of each other in a form greased with vegetable oil or a metal pan, while sprinkling each cake (except the last one) with onions fried in vegetable oil.
    Bake in a well-heated oven.
    Put the finished onion on a dish and serve.


    POTATO PIE WITH PRUNE

    Ingredients :
    400 g potatoes, 50 g butter, 4 eggs, 1/2 cup cream or milk, sugar, salt, flour, prunes.

    Cooking

    Rub the steamed potatoes, rub the butter with the eggs and combine with the potatoes. Add cream or milk, salt, sugar to taste and enough flour to make a not too stiff dough.
    Roll it into a layer, cut out cakes with a glass and put steamed, pitted prunes on each.
    Make pies, grease them with protein and fry in a pan.
    When serving, sprinkle the pies with sugar.



    BRUSHWOOD

    Ingredients :
    I option
    3 cups wheat flour, 2 tbsp. spoons of sugar, 1/2 cup milk, 3 tbsp. spoons of sour cream, 3 yolks, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 cup of powdered sugar for sprinkling, 1/3 bag of vanilla sugar, 500 g of frying fat.
    II option
    3 cups wheat flour, 1/2 cup milk, 50 g butter, 4 egg yolks, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of cognac or vodka, 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/3 bag of vanilla sugar, 500 g of frying fat.
    III option
    3 cups wheat flour, 1/2 cup milk, 25 g butter, 3 egg yolks, 1/3 sachet vanilla sugar, 2 tbsp. spoons of condensed milk, 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, 500 g of fat for frying, 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

    Cooking

    From the sifted flour and all other products (except powdered sugar and vanilla sugar), knead the dough of a thick consistency, let it rest for 10-15 minutes, then roll it out on the table with a rolling pin into a layer 1.5-2 mm thick and cut it out with a glass or a special cut circles, which are rolled out again before frying in fat.
    One circle should be dipped into boiling fat; when immersed and frying, the circles must be held with a slotted spoon.
    Fry the slices until pale golden.
    Sprinkle ready-made brushwood, the shape of which resembles shells, with powdered sugar mixed with vanilla sugar.


    VERGUNS

    Ingredients :
    1.5 cups wheat flour, 1 egg, 2 tbsp. spoons of sugar, 80 g butter, 4/5 cup sour cream, soda on the tip of a knife, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of vinegar, salt, fat for frying.

    Cooking

    Mix butter thoroughly with sifted flour and soda. Make a well, pour the beaten egg, sour cream, vinegar, salt into it and knead the dough.
    Then roll out thinly, cut into strips 3-4 cm wide, which in turn are cut into strips of 1.5 cm.
    In the middle of each strip, make a cut 3 cm long with a knife and stretch one end through it, then align and immediately fry in in large numbers fat on both sides. Cooking

    Knead a stiff dough from sugar, pounded with butter, egg yolks, flour and wine.
    Roll out a thin large cake, cut out different figures of cookies, fry them in boiling oil on both sides.
    Serve hot with coffee.


    FINGERS

    Ingredients :
    4 eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of butter, 400 g flour, powdered sugar, vegetable oil for frying.

    Cooking

    Grind sugar with butter, eggs, add flour, knead the dough.
    Make thin sausages from the dough (a finger thick), cut them into pieces 4-5 cm long, lower them into boiling deep fat and fry until they are browned.
    Take out, put on a sieve to drain excess fat.
    Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.



    COTTAGE RINGS

    Ingredients
    For the dough: 1 cup wheat flour, 5 eggs, 25 g butter, 1 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon salt.
    For the filling: 400 g cottage cheese, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 sachet of vanilla sugar.
    For sprinkling: 30 g powdered sugar.

    Cooking

    Pour water into the pan, put oil, salt. When the liquid boils, gradually add flour in a thin stream, stirring constantly, and cook over low heat until boiling, but do not boil.
    Remove from heat, cool to 70 ° C, beat the eggs one at a time, kneading thoroughly, into the dough.
    Put the finished dough on a baking sheet with rings. Bake at 200°C for 30 minutes.
    Mix cottage cheese with egg yolks, sugar and vanilla sugar.
    Carefully cut the cooled rings into halves without disturbing the shape. Ingredients :
    1 loaf of rye bread, 3-4 kg of sugar, 10 liters of water, yeast solution (100 g of yeast per 10 liters of water).

    Cooking

    Rye bread cut and dry. Then pour hot water and bring to a boil, filter, cool to the temperature of fresh milk.
    Pour the yeast solution into the wort and leave to ferment.
    When foam appears, add sugar and put on fermentation.
    After 8 days the drink is ready.



    About Maslenitsa

    Cheese week (Maslenitsa), last preparation week to, is dedicated in the Christian sense to one goal - reconciliation with neighbors, forgiveness of offenses, preparation for the repentant path to God.
    This is the Christian component of Maslenitsa.

    Shrovetide Week, Maslenitsa is the colloquial name for Cheese Week, the last week before Lent. During Maslenitsa, meat is no longer eaten, but fish, eggs and dairy products can be consumed. Maslenitsa is a continuous week, fasting is canceled on Wednesday and Friday.

    In Rus' Maslenitsa was celebrated as a joyful holiday. At the word "Maslenitsa", pictures of cheerful winter days, filled with din and noise, delicious smells of pancakes, the chime of bells that adorned smart threes. Domes of churches shining in the sun, copper samovars burning like fire, festivities, booths and ceremonial tea parties under the festive light of the icon lamps.

    It is widely believed that Maslenitsa is a pagan rather than an Orthodox holiday. This is wrong. Maslenitsa is a church holiday and has no pagan roots. It was introduced by the church in the 16th century as an element of the struggle against the remnants of paganism and is called the Cheese (or Meat-fat) week.

    In pre-Christian times, many peoples of Eurasia, who had a common religion for them, the Druids / Magi, incl. Slavs, festively celebrated the Day of the vernal equinox and the beginning of astronomical spring on the planet (in different years it's March 20 or 21). This celebration of the meeting of spring was called komoeditsa and was celebrated for 2 weeks - a week before the Spring Equinox and a week after. On the Day of the vernal equinox, the Slavs also celebrated the Slavic New Year.

    Also on this day, the ancient peoples honored the great Honey Beast - the bear, which the ancient Slavs, Greeks and other peoples called "Kom". In the morning, before breakfast, in a cheerful noisy procession, the first baked pancakes were solemnly carried into the forest to the bears waking up at this time and laid out on stumps. Hence the rule - komam first pancake(i.e. bears). In Greece, in pre-antique times, this holiday was called Komoid. And and was accompanied by funny stage performances. Later, these performances, after the name of the ancient holiday, began to be called the word "comedy".

    After the introduction of Christianity, the folk holiday of the meeting of spring, Komoyeditsa, which arose in deep pre-antique times (paleolithic), fell on Great Lent, when festivities and amusements were prohibited by the church.

    After a long and not very successful struggle against the pagan Comedition banned by the Church, instead of it for the people, the church celebration of the “cheese” (or “meatless”) week was introduced, determined by the church for the last week before Great Lent, i.e. long before the spring equinox. Therefore, the desire of some to interpret the church Cheese Week in the ancient pagan way, as a meeting of spring, is false. At this time, there is no reason to meet spring, and it is too early among the snows, blizzards and winter cold.

    Shortly after the introduction of this lean church holiday, according to the name of the butter allowed at the Cheese Week, it acquired the popular name Shrovetide (in the same 16th century).

    Maslenitsa is a time that, according to the church, should be devoted to good fellowship with neighbors, relatives, friends, and doing good.

    The Church calls to remember that at no time should you have fun, losing your head and conscience.

    Let us remember the instruction of St. Tikhon Zadonsky:
    “Cheese week is the eve and the beginning of fasting, and therefore the true children of the Church should act in this week in everything much more abstinently than in previous days, although abstinence is always needed.
    Do Christians, however, listen to the sweet words of the loving Mother of their Church? She bequeaths these days to be more reverent, and they are more outrageous. She commands abstinence, but they indulge more intemperance. She commands to sanctify the body and soul, and they defile them more. She orders to complain about the sins committed, and they add more iniquity. She inspires to propitiate God, and they more anger the Almighty. She appoints a fast, and they overeat and revel. She offers repentance, and they are more rampant.
    I will say again that whoever spends Shrove Tuesday in atrocities becomes a clear disobedient to the Church and shows himself unworthy of the very name of a Christian.

    “Of course, Maslenitsa is a time when, according to tradition, people go to visit, communicate over a meal. But you should not destroy yourself with drunkenness or dangerous games at any time, especially in this week of repentance, which prepares a person for Great Lent,” Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, emphasized in an interview.

    Lenten services begin in churches. On Wednesday and Friday, the Divine Liturgy is not served, the Lenten prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian is read: “Lord and Master of my life, the spirit of idleness, despondency, lust and idle talk, do not give me! But grant the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to me, your servant. Yes, O Lord the King, let me see my sins and do not judge my brother, for you are blessed forever and ever. Amen". This prayer is repeated many times during all Lenten services.

    The last Sunday before the start of Lent is called the Church of Cheesefare Week (it is on this day that the consumption of dairy products ends), or Forgiveness Sunday.

    On this day, after the evening service in the temples, a special rite of forgiveness is performed, when the clergy and parishioners mutually ask each other for forgiveness in order to enter Great Lent with pure soul reconciled with all neighbors.

    The next day called Clean Monday, the Russian Orthodox begin Great Lent.

    In addition to the Russian Orthodox Church, there are more than 19 different independent autocephalous (headed by patriarchs) and autonomous (headed by metropolitans or bishops) Orthodox churches in the world (the Russian Orthodox Church is listed as the 5th among them), which have their own traditions and their own rules for celebrating Maslenitsa.

    For example, in Orthodox Greece Maslenitsa (in Greek. Apokries; Greek "apo kreas" - "without meat" corresponds to the Russian "myasopust") lasts 3 weeks before Lent. The entire Apokries Greek land shudders from mass festivities and processions, and the sky of Greece is illuminated with festive fireworks and salutes. Wise Greeks know how to work little and celebrate a lot.

    In the Catholic Church Maslenitsa is called carnival(from lat. carne vale, "farewell, meat") and is celebrated with massive merry festivities.

    Of course, the Russian Maslenitsa is still far from the scope of the celebrations of the world-famous Maslenitsa carnivals in Venice, Rome, Nice, Las Palmas (Gran Canaria), Cologne, Mainz, Basel, Patra, Xanthi, Tenerife (Canaries); South American in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro), Argentina (Gualegugachu), Bolivia (Oruro), Uruguay (Montevideo), Paraguay; in Jamaica (Kingston), in the USA in New Orleans, in Indian Goa.

    These carnivals traditionally attract a lot of tourists from all over the world. Those who have the means to celebrate for a long time and with taste go to the famous Argentine carnival in Gualeguyacha, where fun carnival festivities begin on the dates set by the church, but continue throughout Great Lent and after it.

    Many tourists and locals prepare luxurious carnival costumes for the holiday, which makes the famous carnivals amazingly fabulous and colorful.

    special luxury carnival costumes and masks is different. Since the Middle Ages, many Catholic priests from all over Europe have come to this carnival, who, using hiding their appearance Carnival masks and costumes, were drawn out according to the full festive program.

    The Vatican has never made any special claims against the Venetian entertainments of its priesthood, reasonably believing that once a year it is quite permissible for the charitable priesthood to violate certain strict Catholic regulations.

    Priests have made a significant contribution to the creation of the mysterious and refined sophistication of Venetian carnival costumes and masks. Every entertaining Catholic priest who took the sacred vow of celibacy (celibacy) tried these days to be especially attractive to ladies walking at the carnival, including ladies from the highest classes hiding under masks and wanting entertainment.



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