On March 16 and 17, 2024, the Izmailovo Kremlin in Moscow hosted the traditional festivities "Shirokaya Maslenitsa", dedicated to the people's favourite Slavic holiday of winter farewell.
Maslenitsa is an ancient pagan holiday. It is believed that originally Maslenitsa was associated with the day of the spring solstice, but with the adoption of Christianity it began to precede Lent and depend on its timing.
The Kremlin in Izmailovo is a unique centre of culture and entertainment, a cosy corner of artificially recreated ancient Moscow, in which Russian history and fairy tale are intertwined with modernity.
The guests of the Maslenitsa Festival came to the festival with whole families on this day. Here you could taste traditional Russian dishes such as pies with various fillings, rolls, tea from a samovar and, of course, the main dish of the holiday – pancakes. On this day, they were cooked in huge quantities and with different fillings, with honey, caviar, chocolate paste, ham and cheese, meat and many other famous fillings.
For the guests of the festival, national musical and dance groups performed on stage, which performed well-known Russian folk songs such as Kalinka-Malinka, Gori-Gori Yasno and others.
A large interactive program was also organized, in which visitors could participate themselves. For example, a real blacksmith showed and taught everyone his skills. He showed how the ancestors created horseshoes for horses.
For everyone who wants to try their hand at dexterity, a "Maslenitsa Pillar" has traditionally been installed in the centre of the square. The "Maslenitsa pillar" is rightfully one of the most beloved amusements, which was not only popular in the old days, but is still a delight for many people. It is a wooden pole made of very smooth wood, topped with a wheel, on which various gifts are hung. During paganism, the "Maslenitsa pillar" was not only very popular for its complexity and excitement, but also had some spiritual background. The fact is that his conquest meant passing through several degrees of enlightenment, starting with the lower stage, which is located on earth, and ending with the spirit world, which was symbolized by the top of the pillar. It was there that a person received a kind of material gift from the deity, which was personified by various prizes.
Another traditional fun for men was Wall-to-wall fist fights.
The finale of the holiday was the traditional burning of an effigy of Maslenitsa. This ceremony symbolizes the beginning of the long-awaited spring, after the long cold Russian winter.
