Maslenitsa

First of all, I'm going to talk about Maslenitsa, an ancient Slavic holiday that was imbibed by the Russian culture from heathenism

Even if it is said that Russians are grumpy and they think the same about them, during Maslenitsa, you won't see anyone unhappy !

Maslenitsa is one of the oldest russian tradition, datig back from before religion arrived in russia (christianism)

It celebrates the final crossing from cold to warm, after which the spring triumphs over the winter.

All over the country you will see big wooden sculptures burning and people around dancing and enjoying their time with blinis, a traditional russian food.

This is what people could see this year in Gorki park during this event.

The festivities last for one week. So during it they build wooden sculptures and eat a lot of blinis and then, the last days, they burn the sculptures, dance and just enjoy ! It was still cold but we had a really good time ! It took place between the 12th and the 18th of february.

If you want to learn about this traditional holiday, here is a link to a website which will give you all the information you want ! :

Maslenitsa: the meaning, history, and traditions of "Russian Mardi Gras" - Nicholas Kotar

Russians generally have a bad rap as being dour and grumpy. Some Russians will even agree with this characterization, making a point to ridicule how Americans always smile. But there's a few weeks in the year when no Russian will pretend to be anything but joyful. One of these is, obviously, Easter Week.

http://nicholaskotar.com