Maslenitsa is one of the oldest holidays in Russia. It was celebrated even in pagan times, long before the adoption of Christianity, bidding farewell to winter and welcoming spring.

It marked the arrival of spring—the agricultural work season was approaching, and it was important for the harvest to be plentiful. Therefore, people asked nature itself for help, and Maslenitsa customs were filled with fertility symbols aimed at increasing crop yields.

Pagan Origins

Maslenitsa is an ancient pagan holiday. It is believed that originally Maslenitsa was associated with the day of the spring solstice, but after the adoption of Christianity it came to precede Great Lent and its timing became tied to the Lenten calendar.

The word “Maslenitsa” is first mentioned in the 16th century in diplomatic correspondence of Ivan the Terrible.

Historians assert that this celebration is part of a whole chain of pre‑Christian agrarian rites. It was observed not only among the Slavs but virtually everywhere the year was divided into cold and warm months. In the territory of modern Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine, Maslenitsa was celebrated on the day of the spring equinox—approximately March 21‑22 on today’s calendar (the beginning of the new year according to the Slavic calendar). At that time the lingering cold finally gave way to warmth, nature awoke, and this annual miracle of life’s renewal and the hope for a good future harvest were the main reasons for the celebration.

Origins of the Name “Maslenitsa”

There are several explanations for the name. One version holds that at the end of March the first post‑winter milking of cows began, and households had enough milk. Women churned butter, made sour cream, cheese, baked pies, curd cakes, and pancakes. Hence the names — Maslenitsa (from “maslo,” butter) and Blinnitsa (from “bliny,” pancakes).

Another version attributes the name to the abundant feast itself, whose main dish was pancakes—symbols of the sun that has awakened after winter. The pancakes were drenched in butter, a way our ancestors appeased the daylight sun, asking for its favor toward people and the harvest.

Connection with Goddess Morena & God Veles

According to scholars of ancient Slavic culture, Maslenitsa traces back to an old festival honoring Veles, also called Volos, who represents  a "hairy" god of nature. Butter or oil was offered as a sacrifice to this pagan deity so that he would ensure a good increase in livestock throughout the season.

Later this tradition transformed into Christian “Vlasiy Day.” In this tradition, butter was also brought to the church to protect the cattle. From this practice comes the proverb “Vlasiy’s beard is in butter.” Later, the celebration of Maslenitsa was shaped equally by the pagan god Veles and the Christian saint Vlasiy, a blending helped along by the similarity of their names and by the fact that both were celebrated roughly at the same time of year.

Another version holds that among the Baltic‑Slavic peoples there was a winter‑and‑death goddess named Morena. A straw effigy of her was allegedly destroyed during the spring celebration as a symbolic triumph over her.

Dvoeverie | Integration with Christianity

Maslenitsa did not disappear with the arrival of Christianity. The holiday was incorporated into the new religion, and gradually a tradition developed of beginning the celebrations a week before Great Lent. People needed a good rest, to gather strength, and most importantly—to eat abundantly.

After Christianity was adopted in Rus’, it turned out that the traditional time of the holiday fell during Great Lent. Since the popular “feast for the whole world” conflicted with the spirit of the fast, Maslenitsa was shifted to the last week before Lent. The holiday lost its original sacred meaning, retaining only its characteristic merriment and outward trappings.

Pre‑Lent Festivities

The Maslenitsa week fit harmoniously into Christian traditions. Maslenitsa began to be celebrated on the eve of Great Lent. During the week before Great Lent, eating meat is already prohibited, but that isn’t a major problem because pancakes (blini) are baked for Maslenitsa. They are more than enough to keep people satisfied and to avoid suffering from the lack of meat. This provides a wonderful opportunity for Orthodox believers to eat well before the onset of Great Lent.

In the Orthodox interpretation, the Maslenitsa week is not so much a week of merrymaking as a week of preparation for Great Lent—of forgiveness and reconciliation. It is a time that should be devoted to good interaction with family, friends, and charitable activities.

Annual Calendar of Maslenitsa

Maslenitsa does not have a fixed calendar date—it changes each year and depends on the date of Easter. Great Lent begins 47 days before the principal Orthodox feast, and the Maslenitsa week precedes it. Because Easter is celebrated on different days according to the lunar calendar, Maslenitsa’s dates shift annually.

The week is divided into a Narrow and a Broad  Maslenitsa. The first three days—Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday—are considered preparatory; people can still attend to household chores, and the main festivities are just getting started. Starting on Thursday, Broad Maslenitsa begins, during which heavy labor and work are prohibited, and all attention turns to entertainment, gatherings with relatives, and lively feasts. These days feature folk celebrations, competitions, fairs, and traditional rites associated with bidding farewell to winter.

Maslenitsa Across Europe & Beyond

Maslenitsa is celebrated not only by Eastern Slavs. Spring is welcomed throughout Europe, at varying times and under different names, but the festivities traditionally end before Great Lent.

The Western European counterpart of the Slavic Maslenitsa is the carnival or “Myasopust", which can be translated as abstinence from meat.

In many countries there is a custom of dressing up and burning straw effigies and holding carnivals—this is how people celebrate in Germany, France, Greece, the former Yugoslav states, and Poland.

In England, for example, there is Shrove Tuesday, also called Fat Tuesday. On this day pancake races take place across England. In France the “Mardi Gras” (Fat Tuesday) is also observed—the day before the fast, when people eat pancakes and pies.

In East Asian countries, such as China, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, there is an official holiday falling on the 29th lunar day before the spring new moon, when it is customary to exchange gifts, prepare festive foods, and carry out a thorough house cleaning.