Hello, Maslennitsa!

So ended the last week of winter, and with it, hopefully, and February frosts. A holiday has come to us - Maslenitsa. Since childhood, it is associated with the delicious smell of pancakes, cheerful wires of winter and the meeting of spring.

In the last week before Lent, it is allowed to eat butter, dairy products and fish. From here, Maslenitsa got its name. This holiday means the revival of nature, its awakening from a long winter sleep, the arrival of spring, and with it - the sun's heat.

Ancient people considered pancake a symbol of the sun, as it is also yellow, round and hot. They believed that with pancake they ate some of its warmth and power. Therefore, it is customary to prepare pancakes on Maslenitsa.

And also this holiday was celebrated by sledging and burning stuffed animals. On the last day of the holiday there is a custom to ask forgiveness from each other. Previously, families did not go to bed without reconciliation.

Maslenitsa is widely celebrated in Yekaterinburg, and I think 2011 will be no exception. Many fun events are expected from Orthodox parishes and secular organizations. A lot of interesting things are being prepared in schools.

Universities plan to hold carnival in the city park Green Grove, next to which there are various university buildings. In previous years, the organizers invited everyone. Students danced and rolled off the slides. I hope this year will be no less fun. It will be noisy on college campuses too. Everything is as it should be: pancakes, stuffed and good fun. Also concerts, dances and all sorts of competitions.

To celebrate such a holiday, the main thing is wonderful weather and good mood. You need to spend time in the fresh air, play and have fun. You can dance, participate in the capture of a snow town, eat hot pancakes with various fillings and just have a good time with friends.

Ekaterina Soldatchenkova

Source: http://www.uralstudent.ru/news/preview-1257-248.html