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A pancake week as it is called in English is an ancient folk festival that is held a week before the beginning of the Great Lent and seven weeks before the Easter.
Its origins are lost in our pagan past, but every year folk thus says goodbye to Winter and anticipates the coming of the Spring.
There are many "formal" rituals which should be observed during this week. These include the pancakes (a pancake symbolizes the sun which begins to bring warmth), snow fortresses and snowball fights, sled rides, fistfights, masquerades, and at the end, on Forgiveness Sunday (this day everyone should ask his relatives, friends and God for forgiveness) -- the burning of the Maslenitsa figure made of straw which symbolizes the old pagan spirit of the Winter.
It's an illustration of how pagan and christian customs merge in the slavic culture.
After the Forgiveness Sunday comes the Great Lent that will hold for seven weeks right untill the Easter comes.
But for now - let's make a hundred or so pancakes and celebrate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslenitsa
On Wednesday, every married man can come to the house of his mother in law and demand to be fed with pancakes. His mother in law is obliged to provide them without question
But on Friday she can pay you a return call
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Originally Posted by Scrabus 
