The Russian Butter Week, Maslenitsa, Has Just Started
The shortest month of the year is coming to an end and the longest and strictest fasting season is coming. Before beginning to fast, whether you are an Orthodox or a Catholic, you can say goodbye to winter and welcome spring with an entire week of eating. According to the tradition of Maslenitsa (Мaсленица in Russian), also known as butter week, you can give yourself one last chance to bask in worldly delights before the onset of Lent.
The Eastern Slavic religious and folk holiday, corresponding to the Western Christian Carnival, lasts for eight days. Its tradition has a dual ancestry: the pagan, to mark the end of winter, and the Christian, the last week before Lent.
Every day of Maslenitsa is devoted to special rituals. The week ends on Forgiveness Sunday, when, after a week of feasting, people ask forgiveness for all of their grievances and troubles and prepare themselves for Easter.
The traditional Russian dish to prepare and eat during the week is pancakes (блины in Russian), served with caviar, mushrooms, jam, Russian sour cream or butter. It is not a coincidence that the translation of the holiday’s name, Maslenitsa, is linked with butter: the etymology derives from the Russian word maslo, which means both butter and oil, the main ingredient of pancakes.
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