MASLENITSA MOSCOW

FROM FEB 8TH - FEB 14TH

Mardi Gras, Carnival, Carnaval, Karneva… that’s Maslenitsa by any other name. And if you haven’t heard of it, no one would blame you—it wasn’t celebrated to much extent for 85 years in Russia. However, Maslenitsa is back in full force. Since 2002 it’s been officially organised in the city and is again becoming a mainstay of Moscow’s holiday calendar.

Maslenitsa week began as a pagan ritual and has since been absorbed into the Eastern Orthodox religion. As it stands, Maslenitsa serves many purposes, it signals the exit of winter and heralds the coming of spring. As a part of pre-Lenten celebrations, it is also a pre-emptive strike to the upcoming fast, as meat and dairy would traditionally be forbidden, Maslenitsa is the time for feasting (especially on pancakes). The name of the festival has its roots in the Russian word for butter, “maslo.”