Moscow Maslenitsa Festival

Maslenitsa festival is one of the most awaited festivals of Russia. It is otherwise known as Butter Week, Pancake week, or Cheesefare Week. 

This festival has got a very significant inner meaning which connects it to the celebration of the end of Russia's long winter. At the same time, the dual ancestry of the event as both a Pagan and a Christian celebration adds extra flavor to it. 

Though this festival goes back to Pagan times, the present-day celebrations have assimilated the Christian tradition of Shrovetide pancakes.

It is a week-long carnival where you would find traditional troikas through the snow-filled streets, parades of Russian fairytale characters, open-air theatre, dancing, fireworks and folk songs. 

Each day of the week-long festivities has a specific theme around which the activities revolve. The long craved season is welcomed with the torching of the scarecrow of winter. 

Click on the link below to find out more about this fascinating event. 

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