Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 24

Thread: Масленица

  1. #1
    Завсегдатай Ramil's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Other Universe
    Posts
    8,499
    Rep Power
    30

    Масленица

    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
    Send me a PM if you need me.

  2. #2
    Почтенный гражданин
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Торонто (столица мира), Канадская Советская Социалистическая Республика (КССР)
    Posts
    633
    Rep Power
    14
    А у нас в нашем университете русские (да и русскоговорящие) будут праздновать масленицу. Я тоже буду участвовать в этом празднике. Думается, будет интересно..
    "С чий очи сънувам, чий е този лик обречен?
    Смъртен глас ми се причува и отеква с вик далечен
    Как да зърна да погледна, чуждий образ да прегърна,
    на лицето ми студено грях в надежда да превърна.."

  3. #3
    Старший оракул
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Somewhere on the planet
    Posts
    776
    Rep Power
    12
    На костёр язычников -)
    http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g2...us/mage7yu.jpg
    God granted me the serenity to accept the things
    I cannot change
    Courage to change the things I can
    And wisdom to know the difference

  4. #4
    Почтенный гражданин
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    170
    Rep Power
    13
    Quote Originally Posted by Scrabus
    На костёр язычников -)
    What does this mean? Refer to discussion about "stupid idioms"
    DO IT YOURSELF!

  5. #5
    Завсегдатай Ramil's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Other Universe
    Posts
    8,499
    Rep Power
    30
    Quote Originally Posted by Siriusly
    Quote Originally Posted by Scrabus
    На костёр язычников -)
    What does this mean? Refer to discussion about "stupid idioms"
    "Burn the pagans" (a widespread practice in early medieval Russia).
    Send me a PM if you need me.

  6. #6
    DDT
    DDT is offline
    Завсегдатай DDT's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    I have given up the Gambling, the Wine and the Cows!.. I'm in St Petersburg Russia
    Posts
    3,368
    Rep Power
    17

    Re: Масленица

    Quote Originally Posted by Ramil

    On Wednesday, every married man can come to the house of his mother in law and demand to be provided with one of her other daughters. His mother in law is obliged to provide them without question
    Hmmm.....I think this is a better custom. No?
    Let me be a free man, free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose, free to choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to talk, think and act for myself. - Chief Joseph, Nez Perce

  7. #7
    Завсегдатай Ramil's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Other Universe
    Posts
    8,499
    Rep Power
    30

    Re: Масленица

    Quote Originally Posted by DDT
    Quote Originally Posted by Ramil

    On Wednesday, every married man can come to the house of his mother in law and demand to be provided with one of her other daughters. His mother in law is obliged to provide them without question
    Hmmm.....I think this is a better custom. No?
    A very pagan rite indeed

    About your signature:
    Если жизнь вручает тебе лимон, попроси Текилу и соль!!
    I can suggest a slightly modified one:
    Если жизнь подкладывает тебе свинью, попроси хрен и горчицу. That will be more Russian . A wordplay with the idiom "подкладывать свинью". It generally means to do smth. bad to someone, to cause trouble.

    And горчица и хрен (mustard and horse-radish) are the best with the pork.

    (There's an interesting entry in Multitran about this: is says that it's close to the Australian slang phrase "to queer smb.'s pitch")
    Send me a PM if you need me.

  8. #8
    DDT
    DDT is offline
    Завсегдатай DDT's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    I have given up the Gambling, the Wine and the Cows!.. I'm in St Petersburg Russia
    Posts
    3,368
    Rep Power
    17
    http://www.worldtimeserver.com/current_ ... U-MOS.aspx

    It is 1:35 AM in Moscow right now! What are you doing awake?

    PS I'm not sure if that slang expression is used much anymore in Australia.
    Let me be a free man, free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose, free to choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to talk, think and act for myself. - Chief Joseph, Nez Perce

  9. #9
    Завсегдатай Basil77's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Moscow reg.
    Posts
    2,549
    Rep Power
    19
    Quote Originally Posted by DDT
    http://www.worldtimeserver.com/current_time_in_RU-MOS.aspx

    It is 1:35 AM in Moscow right now! What are you doing awake?

    PS I'm not sure if that slang expression is used much anymore in Australia.
    Reading this topic, for instance BTW, I must be at work tomorrow... today at 9:00 am. Only 7 hours left
    Please, correct my mistakes, except for the cases I misspell something on purpose!

  10. #10
    Завсегдатай kalinka_vinnie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Sunnyvale, Cali
    Posts
    5,771
    Rep Power
    18

    Re: Масленица

    Quote Originally Posted by Ramil
    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
    Oh, so the Barber of Siberia didn't lie then Fistfights! I've seen a couple on youtube, are they the same as... what was the name... мачах?
    Hei, rett norsken min og du er død.
    I am a notourriouse misspeller. Be easy on me.
    Пожалуйста! Исправляйте мои глупые ошибки (но оставьте умные)!
    Yo hablo español mejor que tú.
    Trusnse kal'rt eturule sikay!!! ))

  11. #11
    Завсегдатай Basil77's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Moscow reg.
    Posts
    2,549
    Rep Power
    19

    Re: Масленица

    Quote Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie
    Oh, so the Barber of Siberia didn't lie then Fistfights! I've seen a couple on youtube, are they the same as... what was the name... мачах?
    Fistfights become history. When bolsheviks came to power, they declared this tradition barbaric and forbided it. It's a shame, isn't it?
    Please, correct my mistakes, except for the cases I misspell something on purpose!

  12. #12
    JJ
    JJ is offline
    Властелин
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Ural, Russia
    Posts
    1,390
    Rep Power
    15

    Re: Масленица

    Quote Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie
    what was the name... мачах?
    Махач, махача - от слова "махать" [руками].
    Gib immer 100% bei der Arbeit: 12% am Montag, 23% am Dienstag, 40% am Mittwoch, 20% am Donnerstag, 5% am Freitag ...

  13. #13
    DDT
    DDT is offline
    Завсегдатай DDT's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    I have given up the Gambling, the Wine and the Cows!.. I'm in St Petersburg Russia
    Posts
    3,368
    Rep Power
    17

    Re: Масленица

    Quote Originally Posted by Basil77
    When bolsheviks came to power, they declared this tradition barbaric and forbade (one of our many exceptions ) it. It's a shame, isn't it?
    Yes, it is a shame.
    Let me be a free man, free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose, free to choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to talk, think and act for myself. - Chief Joseph, Nez Perce

  14. #14
    Старший оракул
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    Гражданин мира
    Posts
    914
    Rep Power
    15
    Quote Originally Posted by Ramil
    Quote Originally Posted by Siriusly
    Quote Originally Posted by Scrabus
    На костёр язычников -)
    What does this mean? Refer to discussion about "stupid idioms"
    "Burn the pagans" (a widespread practice in early medieval Russia).
    Hmm... People were never burned in Russia, this is a Western Catholic tradition, and not very early one, may be 15 century, not earlier. There were special scholastic discussions and the burning was decided the best method of killing since it doesn't spill the blood on the earth (for whatever reason it was considered to be bad). So at that time it was very logical and civilized,
    as is everything in the Western civilization...

  15. #15
    Завсегдатай Basil77's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Moscow reg.
    Posts
    2,549
    Rep Power
    19
    Quote Originally Posted by Propp
    Hmm... People were never burned in Russia...
    Ой ли? Да хотя бы вспомни квакера Квирина Кульмана, сожжённого в Москве публично в начале правления Петра Первого. Стругацкие его сделали прототипом своего Фёдора Симеоновича Киврина.
    Please, correct my mistakes, except for the cases I misspell something on purpose!

  16. #16
    Старший оракул
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    Гражданин мира
    Posts
    914
    Rep Power
    15
    Quote Originally Posted by Basil77
    Quote Originally Posted by Propp
    Hmm... People were never burned in Russia...
    Ой ли? Да хотя бы вспомни квакера Квирина Кульмана, сожжённого в Москве публично в начале правления Петра Первого. Стругацкие его сделали прототипом своего Фёдора Симеоновича Киврина.
    Ну, так то же уже было далеко не "medieval Russia", а с точки зрения Европы вообще уже Новое время.

  17. #17
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Russland
    Posts
    9,874
    Rep Power
    22
    Quote Originally Posted by Propp
    Ну, так то же уже было далеко не "medieval Russia", а с точки зрения Европы вообще уже Новое время.
    XVII в. в России - это позднее русское Средневековье.
    In Russian, all nationalities and their corresponding languages start with a lower-case letter.

  18. #18
    Завсегдатай kalinka_vinnie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Sunnyvale, Cali
    Posts
    5,771
    Rep Power
    18
    Quote Originally Posted by Basil77
    Quote Originally Posted by Propp
    Hmm... People were never burned in Russia...
    Ой ли? Да хотя бы вспомни квакера Квирина Кульмана, сожжённого в Москве публично в начале правления Петра Первого. Стругацкие его сделали прототипом своего Фёдора Симеоновича Киврина.
    точно, точно. Только что читал про это в "Петр Первый" сегодня утром!
    Hei, rett norsken min og du er død.
    I am a notourriouse misspeller. Be easy on me.
    Пожалуйста! Исправляйте мои глупые ошибки (но оставьте умные)!
    Yo hablo español mejor que tú.
    Trusnse kal'rt eturule sikay!!! ))

  19. #19
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Russland
    Posts
    9,874
    Rep Power
    22
    Quote Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie
    читал про это в "Петре Первом (or в романе "Петр Первый")" сегодня утром
    In Russian, all nationalities and their corresponding languages start with a lower-case letter.

  20. #20
    Почтенный гражданин capecoddah's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    Cape Cod, MA пляж
    Posts
    648
    Rep Power
    13
    Hmmm... Russian Mardi Gras
    Getting blazing drunk in New Awlins without puking, passing out or getting arrested while trying to bring an intact Hurricaine glass from Pat O'Brians back to the boat.... Ah the good old days.

    http://www.mardigrasday.com/
    http://patobriens.com/
    I'm easily amused late at night...

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Масленица
    By randir in forum Culture and History
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: February 21st, 2008, 10:08 PM
  2. Масленица
    By kalinka_vinnie in forum General Discussion
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: March 10th, 2005, 11:00 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  


Russian Lessons                           

Russian Tests and Quizzes            

Russian Vocabulary