Maslenitsa
February 16 · Level 10 · #71 of 2238
Maslenitsa is a week of pancakes, visits and outdoor festivities that bids farewell to winter. In the Orthodox calendar, it coincides with Cheesefare Week, the final week before Great Lent begins.
How it is celebrated: people share pancakes, visit relatives and join fairs, games and public celebrations. Many festivities end with the burning of a winter effigy, while Orthodox Christians ask one another for forgiveness on the final Sunday.
Under the church’s fasting rules, meat is already off the menu, but dairy products and eggs are still allowed—excellent timing for pancakes.