The Maslenitsa - The Butter Week. Масленица

It looks like winter has decided not to leave the northern hemisphere. We have snow and frost again.

We have preserved the ancient holiday, which is called "Maslenitsa" and now we have started the Butter week. Its name comes from the word "butter" (масло - maslo). In this day is usually baked pancakes, which abundantly greased with butter.

Zvorykin Borys. Before 1917

These pancakes cajoled master of the forest, the bear. In Ancient Russia was a lot of forests and of course bears) This tradition probably made sense. Hungry and weakened bear came out of the lair in early spring. The people left him additional food, in order that he might not wandered in villages and towns.

Brown bear

And on that day people burned an effigy of Maslenitsa, which symbolized the winter. They sang songs around the campfire, calling the spring.

Kustodiev Boris, 1916. Maslenitsa