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Multi-day posts Lent The duration of Lent is seven weeks before Easter. According to church regulations, during Lent, fish is allowed only on the feasts of the Annunciation Holy Mother of God(March 25, old style / April 7, new style) and the entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday). Vegetable oil is allowed on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as on the days of remembrance of especially revered saints. The first and last weeks of Lent must be carried out especially strictly . Petrov post It comes in different durations. It begins a week after the day of the Holy Trinity and is resolved on June 29 (July 12) with the celebration in honor of the chief apostles Peter and Paul. During this fast, fish and vegetable oil allowed every day except Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Dormition post From August 1 (14) to August 14 (27). In terms of severity, the Assumption Fast approaches Lent. Vegetable oil is allowed every day, except Wednesday and Friday, and fish is allowed only on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Christmas (Filippov) post It begins on the day of remembrance of the Apostle Philip - November 15 (28) and continues until December 24 (January 6). During this fast, vegetable oil and fish are allowed daily, except Wednesday and Friday. After the holiday in honor of St. Nicholas of Myra, the miracle worker (December 6/19), fasting is somewhat stricter: fish is allowed on Saturday and Sunday. The last days of fasting in severity resemble Great Lent. On Christmas Eve, pious Christians eat food - sochivo, kolivo (boiled wheat with honey) - only once, when the first star rises. One-day posts Wednesday and Friday - fast days throughout the year, with the exception of continuous weeks and Christmastide. On Wednesdays and Fridays, fish is not allowed. Epiphany Christmas Eve (adverb of the Manifestation of God) - January 5 (18). Strict fasting. Beheading of John the Baptist - August 29 (September 11). Strict fasting. Exaltation of the Holy Cross - September 14 (27). Strict post. Solid weeks During continuous weeks and Christmastide, there is no fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays. Christmastide - from December 25 (January 7) to January 5 (18). The Publican and the Pharisee - the first of three weeks before Great Lent. Cheese (Maslenitsa) - the week before the start of Great Lent post. At this time, preparations for Lent begin, so oily foods are excluded from the diet. Easter (Light) - the first week of the celebration of the Holy Resurrection of Christ. Trinity - the week after the day of the Holy Trinity (Pentecost). About meals on holidays According to the church charter, there is no fasting on the holidays of the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany, which happened on Wednesday and Friday. On Christmas Eve and Epiphany Eve and on the holidays of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord and the Beheading of John the Baptist, food with vegetable oil is allowed. On the holidays of the Presentation, Transfiguration of the Lord, Dormition, The Nativity and Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, Her Entry into the Temple, the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Apostles Peter and Paul, and John the Theologian, which occurred on Wednesday and Friday, as well as during the period from Easter to Trinity on Wednesday and Friday, fish is allowed. Those who are sick, traveling, pregnant women and nursing women and children are allowed indulgences during fasting, but in each specific case you need to consult with a priest. Complete non-compliance with fasting is rejected by church regulations.

Such a concept as Orthodox holiday Maslenitsa does not exist, since this day is not marked in any way in the church calendar. But there is such a thing as Cheese Week - the last Sunday before Great Lent, on which it is allowed to eat non-lenten food.

Is it possible for believers to celebrate Maslenitsa?

Great Lent is 40 days during which it is prohibited to eat anything meaty or fatty (according to to a greater extent), and also to humble your flesh and desires, repent before the Lord and humble yourself.

The Church understands that not all people (or rather, a few) can withstand fasting at all, not to mention a sharp renunciation of everything pleasant to the body, so it introduces parishioners into this state gradually. Last week Preparation for Lent is Cheese or Cheese Week (week), which coincides with the pagan holiday Maslenitsa.

You cannot celebrate the Orthodox holiday of Maslenitsa, since such a thing simply does not exist, but you can take part in eating pancakes and festivities before plunging into fasting. At this time, meat products are already excluded from the diet; liturgies are not performed on Wednesdays and Fridays, but instead a prayer of repentance is read.

This is the last opportunity to satisfy your flesh and have fun before an important spiritual test.

Pancakes for Maslenitsa

history of the holiday

Maslenitsa is an original pagan holiday, celebrated long before Christianity, at a time when people worshiped Yaril, Perun and other pagan gods. Therefore, the Church does not consider him real church holiday, but celebrates Cheese Week, which falls at the same time and involves eating goodies before Lent.

Maslenitsa as a holiday is very joyful and symbolizes the meeting of winter and spring, i.e. a kind of transition from death to life. The custom of celebrating it dates back to the Greek and Roman holidays, when they celebrated spring, and later these carnivals mixed with Slavic rituals during the day spring equinox.

Important! Maslenitsa has become for the Slavs a symbol of the expulsion of winter and the welcome of warmth and sun, which is why it is customary to have fun, hold competitions and games - after all, spring should be greeted with joy!

Maslenitsa has its own traditions and legends, but they are all pagan, so a believer should not delve deeply into the meaning and significance of them. It is only worth knowing that according to pagan beliefs, Maslenitsa was the daughter of Frost and her task was to expel cold weather and winter, i.e. it became a symbol of spring and the sun.

Why didn't the Church ban it initially? Christianity is simply not used to acting with such methods: it does not prohibit everything negative and incorrect, thereby not turning people away, but gives it new meaning, clean.

Of course, we are not talking about obvious sins, but if a pagan holiday can be reborn into a Christian one, why not? The Church deprived Maslenitsa of its pagan meaning and turned it into a regular week of rest. At this time, believers can prepare for Lent, meet with relatives, show their hospitality and feed the needy.

Why does the church celebrate Maslenitsa

In fact, the church celebrates Cheese Week. The Church simply did not abolish completely pagan tradition to celebrate the approach of spring and the end of winter, which was celebrated by religious rituals, so as not to turn people away, but as if it brought a different meaning to them.

The same thing happened with caroling and radonitsa and with Christmas. The Church connected Maslenitsa with Cheese Week (preparation for Easter Lent), replacing the pagan meaning with Christian content.

The semi-lenten meal on Maslenitsa reminds Christians of the imminent fast and makes them think about spiritual food. On Tuesday of Maslenitsa week, the repentant prayer of Ephraim the Syrian is read in churches, and drunken revelry is no longer compatible with this. Therefore, the Church allows people to have fun on Maslenitsa and eat delicious foods, but in moderation, in order to accumulate strength for fasting.

Of course, the vision of the Church and the people is significantly different, which is why you can still observe pagan rites and rituals on the streets, as well as widespread drunkenness, but believers should know that the Church prohibits doing this and this is a sin.

Advice! You should not spend this week in revelry and drinking, as well as gluttony.

It is the believers who should think about how they spend this week, because those who come to church only on Christmas or Easter are unlikely to be interested in Church decrees and their own spiritual life. But true believers should take care of their spirit and not associate with the assemblies of the wicked, as stated in the first psalm.

Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk once said: “Whoever spends Maslenitsa in excesses becomes a clear disobedient to the Church and shows himself unworthy of the very name of a Christian.”

The meaning of the holiday

Considering the meaning of the pagan holiday of Maslenitsa, it must be said that before the revolution it had a much broader meaning than it does now.

It was based on the time cycle and the change of seasons, which is why it was celebrated on the day of the spring equinox. In central Eurasia (Russia, Ukraine) at that time there was unstable weather: either frost or thaw, so Maslenitsa was the last frontier between heat and cold.

Important! In addition to the idea of ​​cyclicality, Maslenitsa also contains the idea of ​​fertility. People sought to help the earth to be reborn after the winter cold in a sacred way, i.e. sanctify it and fill it with strength. Maslenitsa was a pagan worship service, only people worshiped nature and the earth, and not the Lord.

The third idea of ​​the celebration was procreation and the idea of ​​the circle of life. The earth gives life to plants, people feed on them, thereby continuing life, so it is important to pass on this life to children. Life was the most important value.

Last important point Maslenitsa consisted in its memorial essence: peasants believed that the bodies of ancestors, being in the ground, could influence its fertility and, by respecting them, a larger harvest could be achieved. Therefore, memorial dinners and mourning laments were held on Maslenitsa.

After the reign of Christianity in Rus', the sacred meaning of Maslenitsa disappeared, leaving room only for external surroundings and fun.

Burning an effigy on Maslenitsa

Celebration traditions

All holiday traditions are associated with food and fun. Main tradition consists of preparing pancakes with a variety of fillings all seven days. And the Church invites Christians to eat dairy products, eggs and fish this week: everything except meat.

Also this week it is traditional to visit friends or invite them to your place. It is also important to provide food to those in need: it is at this time that street feasts make it possible to feed the homeless and give them the opportunity to participate in the common table.

Advice! An invitation to pancakes is considered an excellent reason to make peace with loved ones and improve relationships.

Traditional festivities are also important:

• carousels were installed in the squares;
• competitions and competitions were held;
• tasks for ingenuity and dexterity (getting a prize from a smooth pole, fist fights);
• tables were set with pancakes, gingerbread, rolls, samovars and sugared nuts;
• Sledding, skating and skiing were organized.

The Church is not against holiday festivities, but all this should take place in moderation and without excesses.

Rituals

Almost all Maslenitsa traditions can be classified as folk rituals. Even the custom of eating dairy foods, although this is a church institution, peasants in Rus', long before Christianity, ate dairy foods at that time. This custom has natural roots - at the beginning of March, cows begin to calve and their milk appears. This is how the name of the holiday appeared - Maslenitsa.

Its other name is “Kolodiy”, and it comes from another custom - “block life”: people dressed up a deck and presented it as a person.

This game lasted for a week:

• Monday - “birth”;
• Tuesday - “baptism”;
• environment - “living life”;
• Thursday - “death”;
• Friday - “funeral”;
• Saturday - “mourning”;
• Sunday - the holiday ended.

During Kolodiya, women tied the deck to unmarried women, i.e. they tried to pay off and gave bright beads, ribbons and scarves. So the deck became overgrown with things.

No less expressive is the custom of instilling “femininity” in the holiday. The original legend says that Maslenitsa is the daughter of Frost, and that is why it was popularly called Baba's Week. Usually, engagements and weddings took place at this time. This is how the idea of ​​procreation and childbirth was embodied.

Fist fights on Maslenitsa

Pancakes as a symbol of Maslenitsa

But most of the rituals are associated with eating. Conducted funeral meals, during which ancestors were remembered and utensils were set up for them, traditional pancakes and funeral pies were baked. Families traditionally had dinner together.

One of the main traditions of Maslenitsa (which has survived to this day) is baking pancakes V. This has become a tradition for many reasons:

• at the end of the 19th century they began to believe that the pancake is an image of the sun;
• this dish was a funeral dish among the ancient Slavs;
• it has a round shape without end, which suggests thoughts of eternal life;
• served warm, which implies earthly joy;
• it's made from familiar foods that speak to life in general.

Usually, on the first day of the week, pancakes were placed on the attic window so that dead ancestors could also treat themselves to the delicacy, or they were given to the poor, with the condition that they would remember the deceased.

The traditional custom was to organize fist fights in the squares. It was believed that shed blood (and earlier battles continued until the first blood was drawn) acted as a sacrifice to the spirits of the dead. The victim was also a doll knitted from straw, which was burned at the end of the week on main square settlements. Later this custom was transformed into the burning of winter.

Important! The Church treats these rituals as relics of the pagan past of the Slavs. Today everyone knows that there is only one Lord, and He does not require sacrifices or pancakes, He requires only a pure, sincere heart, and this is the main thing.

Watch the video about Maslenitsa

Popularly called Maslenitsa. In the church calendar this time is named Cheese week. According to the Orthodox Charter, at this time it is no longer allowed to eat meat products; one should limit oneself to dairy foods and fish. For believers, cheese week, or Maslenitsa, is a time of preparation - this is a transition from ordinary life to spiritual achievements. At this time, marriages are no longer celebrated (until Krasnaya Gorka - Sunday after Easter). Meat food is prohibited on Wednesday and Friday church service almost Lenten, with the reading of the repentant prayer of Ephraim the Syrian.

But usually the word “Maslenitsa” evokes associations with folk festivals, a scarecrow of winter, sleigh rides, taking a snow fortress and wall-to-wall battles... And the obligatory pancakes! This “northern carnival” is an echo of the ancient pagan holiday of farewell to winter, which took place over two weeks during the spring equinox (March 20). In ancient times, the holiday symbolized the onset of spring, the awakening of nature, and the power of the sun. Perhaps this is why the effigy of Winter is still burned at “farewell to winter”?

After the adoption of Christianity, our ancestors filled the ancient customs with new content. At Maslenitsa, they tried to feed pancakes primarily to the poor and wanderers; they not only went to visit relatives and friends, but also made peace, forgiving each other voluntary and involuntary grievances.

MAslenitsa in folk traditions

In the book of the writer and ethnographer of the 19th century. S.V. Maksimova « Unclean, unknown and the power of the cross“There is a separate large chapter dedicated to the traditions of Maslenitsa. The book is based on materials recorded by researchers folk culture and life in villages and villages in late XIX c., and is valuable scientific source according to the beliefs of the Russian people. We present to our reader an abbreviated description of how Maslenitsa was celebrated two centuries ago.

***

Establishing cheese week, with its semi-meat food, Orthodox Church meant to make it easier for peasants to transition from meat-eating to Lent and gradually evoke in the souls of believers that prayerful mood that lies in the very idea of ​​fasting, as bodily abstinence and intense spiritual work. But this protective care of the church everywhere in Rus' remained a voice crying in the wilderness, and in fact, our Maslenitsa not only became one of the “holidays”, but became synonymous with the broadest, boundless revelry. During this week, our modest and pious people, as it were, straighten their gigantic backs and try to drown all the worries and hardships of everyday working life in wine and fun. How uncontrollable the popular revelry can be in this case can be judged by the epithets that the people bestowed on Maslenitsa. She is called “cheerful”, “broad”, “drunk”, “glutton”, “ruiner”. Moreover, not a single week in the year is so replete with incidents of a police nature and does not produce such a significant number of small trials before magistrates.

The celebration of Maslenitsa almost everywhere begins on Thursday, although work in many places stops on Monday, as peasants, preoccupied with the upcoming holiday of gluttony, travel to neighboring bazaars and buy all sorts of food. According to the general opinion of our correspondents, purchases of this kind are, in relation to the peasant budget, very large: an average-income family of 5-6 souls spends from 5 to 10 rubles. for vodka, fish, vegetable oil, buckwheat flour and all sorts of sweets. And if we add to this the cost of new clothes for women and girls, then it will be quite clear why Maslenitsa is called the “ruiner”.

However, the peasants, for all their restraint and frugality, are not burdened by these expenses, since at Maslenitsa they have to receive guests and go out in public themselves, and, therefore, they need to treat them decently and dress in a festive way so that the neighbors do not laugh. Moreover, Maslenitsa is a favorite holiday among the peasants, when all Orthodox Rus', from young to old, has fun until they drop, and when the broad Russian nature loves to unfold with all its might. During Maslenitsa week, the more than modest physiognomy of the Russian village is completely transformed. The usually quiet, deserted streets are full of partying, well-dressed people: children, youth, old people - everything has poured out of the stuffy huts outside the gates and everyone is celebrating in their own way. Maslenitsa. Some ride on brakes and sleds, or with laughter “congratulate pancakes”, knocking a drunken man into the snow, others shout songs with annoyance and stagger along the village street, others in new sheepskin coats sit on the rubble and, remembering their youth, look to the lively groups crowded around the swings, and to the entire vociferous, noisy street, along which well-dressed girls, drunken women, half-drunk guys and completely drunk men scurry back and forth.

Everywhere is fun, lively, everywhere life is in full swing, so that the whole gamut of the human soul flashes before the eyes of the observer in just five minutes: laughter, jokes, women's tears, kisses, a stormy quarrel, drunken hugs, strong language, a fight, the bright laughter of a child. . But still in this panorama peasant life prevail bright hues: and tears, and abuse, and fights are drowned in cheerful laughter, in a rollicking song, in bravura harmonica motifs and in the incessant ringing of bells. So general impression it turns out to be fun and cheerful: you see that this whole crowded village street is singing, laughing, joking, and sledding. He rides especially eagerly: here and there, troikas of rich men with painted arches entwined with ribbons fly out of the gates, or simple firewood runs out, crowded with tipsy men and women, bawling songs at the top of their lungs. From these songs, exhausted, bony, but decorated with ribbons and copper plaques, the peasant horses tremble all over and, under the blows of their drunken owners, rush at full speed along the village street, dispersing frightened crowds of people walking.

Peasant horses never suffer as much as during Maslenitsa. Usually, peasants who are very compassionate towards their livestock take care of and care for their horses more than their own children, but on Maslenitsa, under a drunken hand, all pity for the livestock disappears. They travel dozens of miles on thin, exhausted nags to get to the so-called “conventions,” that is, grandiose skating events organized in some trading village. The extent to which these “conventions” are big can be judged by the fact that, for example, in the village of Kudenskoye (Vologda district) there are from 600 to 800 horses on the circle. In the morning, young people from all the surrounding villages come here and stop or relatives, or in those houses where there are “playing” or familiar girls. And around three in the afternoon the skiing begins. As usual, young girls are most willing to give rides, and girls, if they are given rides by a coachman from a foreign village, must get him drunk and treat him with gifts. Women also ride a lot (and, out of a vain desire to show off, they roll up their fur coats at the back to show off their expensive fur, and never put on gloves so that everyone can see how many rings they have). But most of all the “newlyweds” ride, that is, young spouses who were married to a previous meat-eater, since custom imposes on them, as it were, an obligation to go out in public and pay visits to everyone who feasted at their wedding.

There is an assumption that in ancient times Maslenitsa was a holiday specially organized only for young spouses: pancakes and pancakes were baked for them, beer and wine were prepared for them, and sweets were purchased for them. And only later this holiday of the young became common holiday. We do not undertake to judge how fair this assumption is and how great its scientific value, but there is no doubt that something similar existed in the old days. At least this idea is suggested by the existence of many Maslenitsa rituals and customs in which central place provided to "newlyweds". This, for example, includes the so-called “pillars”. “Pillars” is an exhibition of love in its own way. This custom undoubtedly belongs to the oldest, since, in its childish naivety and simplicity, it vividly recalls that distant era when the whole way of life village life didn't go beyond patriarchal relations. This custom consists of the fact that the newlyweds, dressed in their best suits (usually the same ones in which they were married), stand in rows (“pillars”) on both sides of the village street and publicly show how they love each other.

- Gunpowder on the lips! - passers-by shout at them, demanding that the young couple kiss.
Or:
- Come on, show me how much you love?

Fairness requires, however, to note that festive mood tipsy spectators sometimes creates an extremely difficult situation for the “newlyweds” (and especially for the young one): another drunken reveler will make such a full-fledged joke that the young woman will blush like a poppy. But the awkwardness of the situation quickly drowns in the general festive fun, especially since the “pillars” themselves do not last long: they stand for an hour or two and go for a ride or make visits, which are also among the ritual duties of the newlyweds. In some areas (for example, in Vologda province) visits begin on Meat Sunday (the last one before Maslenitsa). On this day, the father-in-law goes to call his son-in-law to “finish the lamb.” But more often the first visit is made by young people. Usually on Wednesday, during Shrovetide, the young man and his wife go to the village to visit their father-in-law “with an urge” for the holiday and, after the usual treats, return with their father-in-law and mother-in-law. It also happens that the Maslenitsa visits of the newlyweds are of a family nature: the newlyweds and the groom’s parents go to the house of the bride’s parents and the matchmakers begin to be treated. The young people play the role of guests of honor: they are the first to be seated at the table and they are served with food. The feast usually lasts extremely long, since Maslenitsa is a holiday of food par excellence, and the abundance of dishes is considered the best proof of hospitality. After an endless dinner, the newlyweds usually ride on a sleigh with the bride’s former friends, and at this time the matchmakers begin their drinking binge, which ends only by nightfall so that the next day it begins again at the house of the groom’s parents.

In addition to young people, Maslenitsa visits are also considered mandatory for godfathers. Parents of newborn children go to their godfathers “with abandon,” that is, they bring them “forgiven” wheat bread (this bread is prepared specially for Maslenitsa, it is baked with raisins and decorated with monograms). In turn, the godfather and the godfather pay a visit to the godson, and present him with gifts: in addition to the “forgiven”, the godfather brings a cup with a spoon, and the godfather brings a cotton shirt, while the richer godfathers give a pig, a sheep, a foal. In addition to the “pillars” and obligatory visits, in some remote corners of the northern provinces there are still remains of a very peculiar Maslenitsa custom, in which young people also appear and the origin of which dates back to the times of very distant antiquity. Thus, in the Vologda province, peasants collect tribute from young people “on the sword”, that is, simply put, they demand a ransom for a wife taken from another village. The very name of this ransom - “by sword” - shows that the custom arose back in the era when a peaceful farmer needed weapons to protect his hearth and his property, i.e. approximately in the era of appanage princes (and maybe earlier, because the very fact of paying the ransom, and not to the bride’s parents, but to her fellow villagers, allows us to conclude that the origin of the custom dates back to the natal period).

Nowadays, when there is no longer a need for weapons, the money received from a young man goes, of course, not “for the sword,” but for vodka (which is drunk by the whole world) and for tea and sugar for women. According to our correspondent, this unique tax is collected either on the wedding day or on Meat Sunday (the last one before Maslenitsa) and, moreover, it is collected according to the full severity of customs: the young man cannot get out of the ransom either by requests or by cunning. An equally original custom has been preserved in the Vyatka province. It is known under the name of the “kisser” and consists of the fact that on Saturday, during Maslenitsa, village youth who have been on a spree go to kiss the young women who live married on the first Maslenitsa. According to the established ritual, the young woman brings a ladle of beer to each of the guests, and after drinking, he kisses her three times.

In the old days, one of the most popular Maslenitsa entertainments was fist fights: peasants and townspeople alike loved to crush their bones in a fight, and the fights often took on a grandiose character, sometimes ending in more or less severe injuries. But in our time, this fun has been taken under the guardianship of the police and is noticeably being phased out. However, even now in the Vladimir province and in the bearish corners of the far north, as well as in some places in Siberia, lovers of fist entertainment have survived. For example, our Vytegorsk correspondent (Olonets province) reports that in some volosts they still organize real battles, known under the innocent name of “ball games.” This game consists of the following: on the last day of Maslenitsa, boys and family men from several outlying villages converge somewhere on level ground (most often on a river), divide into two crowds, about thirty people each, and designate places to which they should drive ball (usually the combatants stand against the middle of the village, and one party must drive the ball down the river, the other up). When the ball is thrown, everyone rushes towards it and starts kicking it, trying to drive it in their direction. But until passions flare up, the game goes on quite calmly: a heavy leather ball, the size of a good watermelon, flies back and forth along the river, and the players do not go further than light slaps and pushes. But then the ball suddenly jumped out to the side. He is picked up by some daredevil and, as best he can, flies to the intended goal: another 20-30 fathoms and the clever guy will be the winner; all the surrounding villages will glorify him, all the girls of his native village will be proud of him!.. But that was not the case.

The opposing party clearly sees the danger of the situation: with a roar and a scream, it breaks through the enemy party and rushes with all its might after the daring daredevil. A minute later the daredevil lies in the snow, and the ball again bounces on the ice under the heavy blows of the peasant's boot. It also happens, however, that the lucky person who picks up the ball is particularly fast on his feet and manages to throw the ball into his own half. Then the opposing party makes desperate efforts to snatch the ball and uses their fists. The real carnage begins. A dense crowd of human bodies, muffled kicks are heard, resounding slaps are heard, a muffled scream breaks out, and here and there on the snow there are red spots of spattered blood. But the frenzied fighters no longer see or hear anything: they are all absorbed in the thought of the ball and are throwing punches left and right. Gradually, a thick column of steam rises above the scene of the carnage, and sweat flows down the broken faces, mixing with blood... Such extraordinary excitement of this Russian “lawn tennis” is explained by the fact that losing a game of ball is considered a great humiliation: the vanquished whole year they ridicule and tease them, calling them “kilovniks” (a very offensive and humiliating nickname that denotes the height of contempt). On the contrary, the winners are generally respected, and the guy who took the ball positively becomes the hero of the day, with whom every girl considers it an honor to sit at parties. Some explanation for the excitement is also vodka, which local rich people put up for bets and then treat the winners.

In other provinces, although they do not know the game of ball, they still organize fist fights and fight with no less passion. This is what our correspondent from Krasnoslobodsky district reports on this matter ( Penza province). “On the last day of Maslenitsa a terrible battle takes place. All the peasants, young and old, gather at the market square in the morning. First the children (at least 10 years old) fight, then the grooms and finally the men. They fight for the most part, a wall and “in the face,” as the peasants put it, and after an hour-long, stubborn battle, there is a respite.” But by evening the fight, regardless of any weather, flares up with new strength and the excitement of the fighters reaches highest limit. Here the wall is no longer visible - everyone is fighting huddled in one heap, not distinguishing their relatives, friends, or acquaintances. From a distance, this heap of floundering people looks very much like an intoxicated monster, which sways, roars, screams and groans from the passion of destruction that has gripped it. How hot these fights are can be judged by the fact that many fighters leave the battlefield almost naked: both their shirts and their ports are torn to shreds. Reports from our correspondents about fist fights are very few and are, so to speak, of the nature of exceptions. This, of course, gives every reason to assume that in peasant life medieval mores gradually retreat into the realm of legends and that the success of literacy is reflected in the character folk entertainment in the most favorable way.

But if fist fights, like a remnant of the dark era of the Middle Ages, are gradually disappearing from the face of the Russian land, then full force another one has survived old custom, which, however, has nothing in common with a rough and wild fight - this is a Russian carnival. ( Interestingly, the medieval Latin word“carnival” literally means “farewell meat!” It turns out that Western carnivals and Russian Maslenitsa mean approximately the same thing - latest entertainment before the post - approx. ed.). We use this word, of course, not in the sense that is given to it in Italy or France, although we also have the Western European carnival, with its infectious, jubilant joy, with its dressed-up laughing crowd, animatedly parading in street processions - only, of course, the conditions of our climate and the peculiarities of rural life do not allow this holiday to take on the character of that magnificent celebration that we see among the peoples of the West. Our village carnival is much simpler, poorer and more primitive. It usually begins on Thursday during Shrovetide week. Guys and girls make a stuffed animal out of straw, dress it in a woman's outfit, bought together, and then put a bottle of vodka in one hand and a pancake in the other. This is the “Maslenitsa Madam,” the heroine of the Russian carnival. The stuffed animal is placed in a sleigh, and a pine or spruce branch decorated with multi-colored ribbons and scarves is attached nearby. Until Friday, the “Madame Maslenitsa” is kept somewhere in a barn, and on Friday, after breakfast, the boys and girls in a cheerful crowd take it out into the street and begin the procession. At the head of the procession is, of course, “Maslenitsa”, next to which stands the most beautiful and elegant girl. A sleigh with Maslenitsa is pulled by three guys. Behind these sleighs stretches a long line of guys-drawn sleds, crowded with elegant girls. The procession opens with a song sung by the first beauty from the front sleigh; the song is picked up in a friendly chorus by the rest of the girls and boys, and the whole Maslenitsa train moves merrily and noisily along village street. Hearing the singing, people pour out into the street in a crowd: children, adults and even elderly peasants and peasant women rush to join the procession and accompany the “Maslenitsa” to the skating mountain, where “Madame Maslenitsa” opens the skating. The same guys who brought her to the mountain get into the sleigh, and the others attach the sled to the sleigh and the whole train, laughing, squealing and screaming, rushes down the icy mountain. The ride usually continues until the evening, after which the “Maslenitsa Madam” is again installed in the barn. The next day, Saturday, “Maslenitsa” appears on the street again, but now in a sleigh, instead of guys, a horse is harnessed, hung with bells, bells and decorated with multi-colored ribbons. The girl sits down with the “madam” again, but not alone, but with a guy, and the guy has a quarter of vodka and a snack in his hands (both are bought together). As before, a sled is tied to the sled, on which girls and “playing” guys sit in pairs. This procession travels through the village, singing, and the guys take advantage of every stop to have a drink and a snack. The fun continues until the evening, and not only girls, but also women take part in skating. The latter, according to our Oryol correspondent, ride together with “Madame Maslenitsa” not so much for pleasure as for “the birth of a long flax.”

On Sunday evening, Maslenitsa is burned. This ritual is arranged with all the solemnity accessible to village youth. Even in advance, children, girls and boys carry old fences, damaged barrels, unnecessary firewood, etc. to the outskirts and build a huge fire from these flammable materials. And at about 8-9 o’clock a sad procession heads towards this fire, and the girls sing in plaintive voices: “Madame Maslenitsa, stretch.” At the fire, the “Maslenitsa” is taken off the sleigh and placed on the snow, then the ribbons and scarves are removed from the tree and divided among the girls and Maslenitsa songs are sung. When the words of the song are heard: “The little soldiers walked and passed from beyond the Don, carried loaded guns, set fire through the oak grove, all the fir trees and pine trees were burned, and Maslenitsa itself was scorched” - the guys light “Madame Maslenitsa.” The burning of Maslenitsa leaves, so to speak, the final chord of village fun, which is followed by fasting, so those present at the burning usually throw into the fire all the remnants of Maslenitsa gluttony, such as pancakes, eggs, cakes, etc., and even bury the very ashes in the snow Maslenitsa so that no trace remains of it.

This last day of Maslenitsa is called “forgiven”, and the peasants dedicate it to the ritual.

Brief summary of works of Russian literature of the first half of the 20th century (collection 2) Yanko Slava

Little devil– Novel (1902)

The Little Devil – Novel (1902)

Ardalyon Borisovich Peredonov, a literature teacher at a local gymnasium, constantly felt like a subject special attention women. Still would! State Councilor (fifth class in the table of ranks!), a man in the juice, in essence, not married... After all, Varvara... If something happens, Varvara can be sidelined. There’s just one thing: without her, you probably won’t get an inspector’s position. (The director of the gymnasium does not favor him; the students and their parents consider him rude and unfair.) Princess Volchanskaya promised Varvara to intercede for Ardalyon Borisovich, but set the condition for the wedding: it is inconvenient to intercede for the partner of her former house dressmaker. However, first the place, and then the wedding. Otherwise they will just deceive you.

Varvara was extremely disturbed by these moods of his, and she begged the widow Grushina to prepare a letter for money, as if from the princess, with a promise of a place if they got married.

Peredonov was overjoyed, but Vershina, who was trying to pass off the dowryless Marta as him, immediately besieged him: where is the envelope? Business letter- and without an envelope! Varvara and Grushina immediately corrected the matter with a second letter, sent through their St. Petersburg acquaintances. Both Vershina and Rutilov, who wooed Peredonov’s sisters, and Prepolovenskaya, who was hoping to marry his niece, all realized that their case was lost; Ardalyon Borisovich set a wedding day. Already suspicious, he was now even more afraid of envy and kept expecting a denunciation or even an attempt on his life. Prepolovenskaya added fuel to the fire, hinting that Ardalyon Borisovich’s close friend Pavel Vasilyevich Volodin was visiting Peredonov for Varvara Dmitrievna’s sake. This is, of course, nonsense. Varvara considers Volodin a fool, and a crafts teacher at a city school receives four times less than a gymnasium teacher, Peredonov. Ardalyon Borisovich became worried: he would marry Varvara, they would go to the inspector’s place, and on the way they would poison him and bury him like Volodin, and he would be an inspector. Varvara still doesn’t let go of the knife, and the fork is dangerous. (And he hid the cutlery under the bed. The Chinese eat with chopsticks.) So the ram, so similar to Volodin, looks blankly, probably scheming. The main thing is that they will inform you and he will die. After all, Natasha, Peredonov’s former cook, went straight to the gendarme from them. Having met the gendarme lieutenant colonel, Ardalyon Borisovich asked not to believe what Natasha would say about him, she was always lying, and she had a Pole lover.

The meeting gave rise to the idea of ​​visiting the city fathers and assuring them of his trustworthiness. He visited the mayor, the prosecutor, the leader of the nobility, the chairman of the district zemstvo government, and even the police officer. And he told everyone that everything they were saying about him was nonsense. Once he wanted to light a cigarette on the street, he suddenly saw a policeman and asked if he could smoke here. So that the almost already established inspector would not be replaced by Volodin, he decided to mark himself. On the chest, on the stomach, on the elbows he put the letter P in ink.

The cat also became suspicious to him. Strong electricity in wool is the problem. And he took the beast to the barber for a haircut.

Many times already the gray little thing had appeared to him, rolled at his feet, mocked him, teased him: he would stick his head out and hide. And even worse - cards. The ladies, two at a time, winked; aces, kings, jacks whispered, whispered, teased.

After the wedding, the Peredonovs were visited for the first time by the director and his wife, but it was noticeable that they were moving in different circles local society. And not everything is going smoothly for Peredonov at the gymnasium. He visited the parents of his students and complained about their laziness and insolence. In several cases, children were punished for these fictitious faults and complained to the director.

The story of fifth-grader Sasha Pylnikov turned out to be completely wild. Grushina said that this boy was actually a girl in disguise: he was so cute and kept blushing, the quiet boy and the schoolchildren teased him about being a girl. And all this to catch Ardalyon Borisovich.

Peredonov reported to the director about a possible scandal: debauchery would begin in the gymnasium. The director felt that Peredonov was going too far. Nevertheless, the cautious Nikolai Vlasievich, in the presence of the gymnasium doctor, became convinced that Sasha was not a girl, but the rumor did not subside, and one of the Rutilov sisters, Lyudmila, looked into Kokovkina’s house, where her aunt had rented a room for Sasha.

Lyudmila and Sasha became a tender but troubled friendship. Lyudmila awakened in him premature, still unclear aspirations. She came dressed, perfumed, and sprinkled perfume on her Daphnis.

Innocent excitement was the main charm of their meetings for Lyudmila. She said to her sisters: “I don’t love him as much as you think... I love him innocently. I don’t need anything from him.” She bothered Sasha, sat him on her lap, kissed him and allowed him to kiss her wrists, shoulders, and legs. Once she half-begged, half-forced him to be naked to the waist. And she said to him: “I love beauty... I wish I had been born in ancient Athens... I love the body, strong, agile, naked... My dear idol, a god-like youth...”

She began to dress him in her outfits, and sometimes in the tunic of an Athenian or a fisherman. Her tender kisses awakened the desire to do something sweet or painful, tender or shameful to her, so that she would laugh with joy or scream with pain.

Meanwhile, Peredonov was already telling everyone about Pylnikov’s depravity. The townspeople looked at the boy and Lyudmila with vile curiosity. The future inspector himself behaved more and more strangely. He burned the winking and grimacing cards in his face, wrote denunciations about the card pieces, about the flaw, about the ram posing as Volodin. But the worst thing was what happened at the masquerade. The eternal jokers and inventors of the Rutilov sisters dressed Sasha as a geisha and did it so skillfully that the first ladies' prize went to him (no one recognized the boy). A crowd of guests, excited by envy and alcohol, demanded to take off the mask, and in response to the refusal, tried to grab the geisha, but was saved by the actor Bengalsky, who carried her out of the crowd in his arms. While the geisha was being poisoned, Peredonov decided to let fire on the missing piece that had appeared out of nowhere. He brought the match to the curtain. The fire was noticed from the street, so the house burned down, but people were saved. Subsequent events assured everyone that the rumors about Sasha and the Rutilov girls were nonsense.

Peredonov began to realize that he had been deceived. One evening Volodin came in and sat down at the table. They drank more than they ate. The guest bleated and fooled around: “They fooled you, Ardasha.” Peredonov pulled out a knife and slashed Volodin in the throat.

When they entered to take the murderer, he sat dejectedly and muttered something meaningless.

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