A story about what Maslenitsa is. About Maslenitsa - for children

Maslenitsa - a cheerful and life-affirming holiday of seeing off winter and welcoming spring, which is celebrated with pleasure by both children and adults. But we must remember that Maslenitsa is an ancient, pagan holiday that was preserved after the baptism of Rus'. This is a holiday with its own special traditions, the meaning of which may not be clear to children. For example, do you know why Maslenitsa is such a loud and noisy holiday? Because the earth needs to be awakened, and then spring will begin, it will be possible to plow the earth and sow grain. Try to find time and tell your children about Maslenitsa: why the holiday is called that; why Maslenitsa is always celebrated on a different date; about why they burn an effigy and, of course, about the famous Maslenitsa pancakes.

Why doesn't Maslenitsa have a fixed date?

Maslenitsa- a moving holiday and does not have a constant date, it is celebrated 7 weeks before Easter, in the last week before Lent. Maslenitsa is celebrated for a whole week, which is called Maslenitsa week. For example, in 2015 Maslenitsa will be celebrated from February 16 to February 22. On the last day Maslenitsa week folk festivals are held.

Why is the holiday of farewell to winter called Maslenitsa?

During Maslenitsa week they no longer ate meat, so the body began preparing for Lent (7 weeks). And the holiday is called Maslenitsa because butter could still be eaten along with other dairy products (Maslenitsa from the word “butter”).

Why do they bake pancakes on Maslenitsa?

Invite your child to guess why pancakes are baked at Maslenitsa, and not pies or cheesecakes. Because the round, rosy and golden pancake looks so much like the sun. And there is no spring without the sun.

How was Maslenitsa celebrated in Rus'?

In Rus', Maslenitsa has always been widely celebrated.

From Monday to Wednesday, Maslenitsa was called “narrow”; on Thursday, “wide” Maslenitsa began - everyone went to visit each other, rested, and it was forbidden to work.

During Maslenitsa week, each day had its own name and had its own entertainment and rituals.

Monday- Maslenitsa meeting. They made a doll, decorated it, put it in a sleigh and took it up the hill. We greeted the doll with her songs. The children always came first. Starting from that day, the kids rode down the slides every day.

Tuesday- flirting. Adults and children went from house to house, congratulating them on Maslenitsa and asking for pancakes. Everyone came to visit, sang songs and had fun. To get started, fun, games, and horse riding began.

Wednesday- gourmet. Adults also started to ride the slides. A troika with bells drove around the village. On this day it was customary to visit relatives with the whole family. For the delicacy, people ate an abundance of various Shrovetide delicacies.

Thursday- take a walk-four. The razgulyai had the most games. Horse racing, fisticuffs, wrestling - all this is fun for fun. There were sleigh rides down the mountains.

The mummers entertained the people as best they could. They walked from morning to night, danced in circles, danced, sang ditties. Friday

- Mother-in-law's evening. On this day of the week, sons-in-law treated their mothers-in-law to pancakes. At noon the girls brought out pancakes in a bowl and walked to the hill. The guy who liked the girl was in a hurry to try her pancakes to find out whether she would make a good housewife. Saturday

- sister-in-law's get-togethers. Young families invited their relatives to their gatherings. They talked about life, and if someone was in a quarrel, it was necessary to make peace. We remembered deceased relatives and friends.

Sunday

- forgiven day. On this day, Maslenitsa was celebrated. They made a large fire out of straw and burned a Maslenitsa doll on it. The ashes from that fire were scattered across the fields so that there would be a rich harvest in the fall. On Forgiveness Sunday, people made peace and asked each other for forgiveness. It was customary to say: “Please forgive me.” To which they answered: “God will forgive you.” Then they kissed and forgot the insults forever.

Maslenitsa fun for children

It will be especially interesting for children to learn about folk Maslenitsa fun.

Round dance "Sun" for kids

You need to stand in a circle and hold hands, the leader in the center depicts the sun. Children lead a round dance and sing:

Shine, sun, brighter -

Summer will be hotter

And the winter is warmer (the circle is shrinking),

And spring is nicer (the circle is expanding).

Then the presenter suddenly shouts “I’m burning!!!” This is a signal for the children to run in different directions. And the leader catches them.

"Burners"

Children are divided into pairs and stand in a column. The leader stands at the front of the column. Children sing:

Burn, burn clearly

So that it doesn't go out!

Look at the sky

Birds are flying

The bells are ringing:

At the last words of the song, the first pair of children tries to run away from the leader (the burner), and he tries to catch them. The rest of the children say: “One-two, don’t be a crow, but run like fire!” If those running away manage to stand at the end of the column and join hands again, then the leader remains. And if the burner catches one child, then he stands in a pair with him in a common column, and the one who lost the pair becomes the leader.

"King of the Hill"

Both children and adults gathered near a snow-covered mountain, and then, at the command of the leader, began to climb it. Whoever climbs the mountain first is the winner.

And after descending from the mountain they even predicted who would have what year. If you drive off safely (don’t roll over or hit yourself), then the year will be successful. And the further you travel, the longer you will live.

Proverbs and sayings about Maslenitsa

There are many proverbs and sayings about Maslenitsa; try to explain their meaning with your children:

“A pancake is not a wedge, it won’t split your stomach,”

“It’s not all about Maslenitsa, there will be Lent too,”

“Not life, but Maslenitsa”

“Maslenitsa is a waste of money, a waste of money,”

“At least pawn everything from yourself and celebrate Maslenitsa,”

“So that you are up to your elbows in trouble, and so that you get your fill.”

To make Maslenitsa memorable for your child, one story about the holiday will not be enough: try to put at least part of your story into practice. You can go to a museum for a thematic exhibition, ride horses like in the old days, learn songs, bake pancakes according to old recipe(made from buckwheat flour). Or maybe a whole one children's party arrange, with games, round dance and songs. And the present make a stuffed animal with your own hands It's also not difficult at all. And of course you need to go to Sunday folk festivities so that the child can see everything with his own eyes.

Maslenitsa is a pagan holiday that has survived to this day. People believed that Spring needed to be helped to overcome the cold Winter, and for this purpose they organized mass cheerful festivities with chants and various games. The celebration of Maslenitsa begins a week before Lent and 7 weeks before Easter, and lasts 7 days.

Maslenitsa traditions and customs

The main treat for Maslenitsa has always been pancakes, as they symbolize the Sun. The finished pancakes were drizzled with butter and served with various dairy products. It was believed that in order to convey your warm feelings to the guests, the dough must be kneaded in a good mood and with good intentions.

The celebration of Maslenitsa in the villages was very fun. People organized various competitions, danced and sang songs. The most common pastimes were fist fights, eating pancakes against time, swimming in an ice hole, playing with a bear, sledding and ice slides.

The culmination of the holiday was the burning of the effigy, a ritual that is still observed today. A large doll representing Winter was made from rags and straw. Women's clothing was put on the effigy, and throughout the celebration it decorated the main street. On the last day of the holiday, the doll was solemnly removed and taken outside the village, where it was torn into pieces, burned or drowned in an ice hole.

Features of the celebration

Each day of Maslenitsa is celebrated in its own way, as it has its own special meaning. The celebration begins on Monday - Maslenitsa Meeting. On this day, preparations for the holiday were completed, a scarecrow was made and pancakes were already being prepared. According to legend, the first baked pancake was given to a beggar so that he would remember the departed.

Tuesday was called Flirting. They started holding celebrations there, went down ice slides, and invited the first guests to pancakes.

The third day is called Lakomki, it is symbolic in that it was on Wednesday that the mother-in-law invited her son-in-law and other relatives to visit.

On Thursday, which is also called Shiroky or Razgulay, mass festivities, cheerful carnivals and noisy feasts began.

On Friday, it’s the son-in-law’s turn to invite his mother-in-law to visit and treat her with pancakes and other delicacies, which is why this day is called Mother-in-Law’s Evening.

And on Saturday, the daughters-in-law showed their hospitality to the sisters and other relatives of the husband. That’s why Saturday is Sister-in-law’s get-togethers.

On the last day, according to tradition, an effigy of Winter was burned. In addition, on this day they ask for forgiveness from loved ones for the insults they have caused, which is why it received the name Forgiveness Sunday.

Brief information about Maslenitsa.

At the moment of the end of the cold winter and the awakening of nature from the winter cold, an unusually colorful, rich in rituals and traditions, the most delicious holiday appeared among the Slavic peoples - Maslenitsa. From generation to generation, our ancestors passed on the wonderful traditions of this rollicking folk fun, connecting them with farewell to winter.

The main attribute of the holiday, in addition to songs, round dances, mummers, skating and stuffed Maslenitsa, were pancakes. Their round shape symbolized the sun. In addition, pancakes were used in memorial rites, because during this period the Russians remembered, or rather, commemorated the spirits of their ancestors.

Picture. The history and traditions of Maslenitsa.

There is no exact date for the beginning of Maslenitsa. The festivities start seven weeks before Easter. This usually occurs at the end of winter, and sometimes at the beginning of spring. Noisy festivities associated with this noisy and tasty holiday continue throughout the week. It is these seven days that are called butter or cheese week.

Do you know the history of such a bright celebration? The history and traditions of the holiday go back to pre-Christian times. Yes, Maslenitsa existed even before the advent of Christianity in our lands, during pagan times. It was celebrated on the spring equinox, when the day took the lead from the night and the twilight receded.

Any element of the holiday in those distant times had its own meaning, from which traditions later developed. For example, to glorify the bright sun, which brings warmth and life to people's homes, and also to demonstrate the irreversibility life cycle. As already mentioned, they also played an important role when remembering the souls of the departed. In Slavic culture, deceased ancestors were treated with special reverence and, according to tradition, the first pancake was given to the poor so that they would remember their deceased relatives.

Picture. Maslenitsa celebrations.

Our ancestors also had a cult of purification by fire. Therefore, the burning of the disgusted straw doll Morgana (Zimushka) was the main event at these festivities. The ancient pagans believed that in this simple way they drove away winter and brought the onset of warmth closer. The dressed up and decorated personification of winter was carried through the entire village, and then, with merry games and festivities, they were thrown into the fire, illuminating the earth. Less often, it could be immersed in an ice hole or crushed into pieces and scattered on the surface of the earth. For people living at that time, nature was animate. Therefore, Maslenitsa was celebrated to appease the gods of the earth, for a better harvest.

Picture - History and traditions of Maslenitsa. Burning an effigy of winter.

Maslenitsa is a noisy and cheerful holiday, a farewell to winter, the burning of effigy and general celebration. But today for many children it’s more of a reason to eat delicious pancakes. The tale of Maslenitsa has long been the subject of use by marketers for their own purposes. During the week before Lent, offers to try delicious pancakes with various fillings are heard from all cafes. Sales of frying pans are growing, and trainers are rubbing their hands, expecting a crowd of “athletes” losing weight for the summer. What should you tell children about Maslenitsa so that for them the ancient holiday will be truly valuable and understandable?

A tale about Maslenitsa for children

Kirill woke up in the morning, got out of bed and looked out the window. It was very cold outside and I didn’t want to go to school. I really wanted to lie under the covers and go back to sleep. The boy checked whether his parents had gone to work. There was no one at home.
“I’ll stay at home today,” Kirill decided. – You can’t go outside in this weather. I'll just have breakfast first.
In the kitchen the boy found a whole mountain of pancakes. At first he was surprised, and then he remembered some holiday during which everyone eats pancakes.
“What a good holiday,” the boy said, rubbing his stomach.
At that moment he heard someone in the entrance crying loudly. Kirill carefully opened the doors and saw a girl in a white dress hugging her knees. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
- Girl, come to me quickly! – Kirill said, realizing that it must be very cold in the dress. - What is your name?
“Maslenitsa,” answered the beautiful young lady and went to Kirill.
- What are you doing here? Why are you crying?
“My uncle, the sorcerer, experimented with different potions. He did something and sent me into the future. But he said that it would be easy for me to return, it would be enough to be filled with the energy of the holiday during the celebration of Maslenitsa. But I see that no one here has heard about this holiday. There is no Maslenitsa in the future,” after these words the girl began to sob again.
Kirill took the baby to the kitchen, brought her a blanket, and brewed warm tea.
- Why don’t we know? We know. Maslenitsa is a holiday of pancakes.
— Is your story about Maslenitsa really so sad?
- What is yours?
— For us, Maslenitsa is a noisy holiday. You need to make noise and rejoice that winter is leaving. You need to jump and dance so that the ground shakes. If you do not awaken the soil, then in the spring it will be unsuitable for plowing and sowing. There will be a bad harvest. And spring will not come to those who are not glad that winter is leaving.
- And this cold will remain with us forever?
- And the cold. And I'll have to stay. After all, only during general fun can I fly back into the past.
Kirill realized that he had a difficult task ahead of him. We need to make sure that the fairy tale about Maslenitsa becomes a reality. He called all his friends and acquaintances and told them about the great significance of the pagan holiday. When his parents arrived, he told them about the importance of Maslenitsa. Together they began to organize a celebration to celebrate real Maslenitsa this weekend. Not only with pancakes, but also with burning effigy, songs, dances, laughter. Many people came to the holiday. Everyone was having so much fun that their energy was enough to send the girl home into the past. Since then, Kirill organizes Maslenitsa celebrations every year and tells everyone about its significance. What do you know about the holiday?

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