Public Project
Traditional folk holiday Maslenitsa in the south of Russia.
Traditional Russian folk fun, an analogue of the European carnival, originating in the pagan past of ancient Russia. The main meaning is the expulsion of the gloomy cold Winter and the meeting of the sacred Spring, bringing light, warmth and the awakening of nature.
Now it is a street festival held on the first Sunday of March every year and accompanied by songs of folklore groups, dancing, eating pancakes, folk competitions and contests in which a splash of energy, violence and rollicking is welcomed. The finale of the holiday is the enchanting burning of a huge straw effigy.
In the south of Russia, where I live, there is no cold snowy winter that "needs to be driven out" and never has been, because in two winter months (January and February) snow falls for only 2-3 days, and daytime temperatures in February can reach +20 degrees Celsius.
In addition, the pagan Eastern Slavs, whose culture includes the Maslenitsa holiday, have never lived and do not live here. But, to tell the truth, most people don't care about any culture and traditions, modern people just go to Maslenitsa as another free street entertainment.
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