Russians celebrate the end of winter and the arrival of spring with
a seven day celebration known asMaslenitsa
Festival. Maslenitsa
is believed to beRussia's
oldest surviving holiday. Russian
Maslenitsa Festival has many names and is also known as Russian
Carnival, Russian Mardi Gras or Pancake Festival.
The festivities take place in early March and include masquerades,
parties, sleigh rides, bonfires, snowball fights, and a delicious
feast of Russian pancakes (known as "blini" or "blinchiki" in
Russian language resembling very thin crepes.) Also known as
a Sun
Festival, Maslenitsa
celebrates the season of renewal as the sun shines warmer and the
nature awakens from a long winter sleep. Many countries around the
world have similar spring festivals celebrating rebirth of life and
the beginning of spring. Discover how Russian people celebrate the
end of freezing cold winter and the beginning of warm sunny
spring.
