Upward Bound: First year. Воробьева М.Г - 177 стр.

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— 177 —
Shrovetide (Maslyanitsa)
By the end of winter, a Pancake week comes right before Lent,
it is also called a «cheese week». The Christian historians say that
those were really «mad» days in the past. People wore funny masks
and costumes, sometimes, men wore women clothing and vice a
versa. Such masquerade gave start to merry festival, when nice food
and a lot of wine was consumed. A big man of straw was burned as the
final act of saying goodbye to the already passed winter. The feast
fighting was one more great fun which helped to warm up on cold
winter days. Tsars and Grand Princes used to find a lot of fun in feast
fighting. At present special performances are held on Pancake week.
Through the whole week people cook pancakes served with
honey, caviar, fresh cream and butter. In Russian Pancake week is
called Shrovetide, this word means «butter» in English. It means that
many different food, including butter, may be eaten before the time
when Lent comes. On the whole, the pancake week may be segmented
into three parts, i.e. meeting of Shrovetide on Monday, broad
Shrovetide, or the peak of festive occasion, on Thursday, and the
last day, the good-bye day, which comes on Sunday morning.
The Easter
Like in all Christian countries the Easter Holiday is also celebrated
in Russia. Special round-shaped sweet bread (Easter cakes) is cooked.
On the Easter’s Eve the Easter cakes are on sale in nearly all bakeries.
Moreover, Paskha (rich mixture of sweetened curds, butter and raisins)
is also prepared on Easter and eggs are painted in different bright
colours. The red egg is considered a symbol of Easter. The Easter egg
has many specific purposes, it is a traditional Easter present given to
friends and relatives as an Easter salutation. There is a proverb saying
that once you wash your face in the water with the Easter egg in it,
you will always be healthy and beautiful; the fire will die, if the Easter
egg is thrown into it, etc. On Easter people usually visit their relatives.
The traditional greeting, if translated from Russian, says: «Christ is
alive», the answer is «Christ is truly alive...».
Red Hill
The first Sunday, which comes right after Easter, is called the
Red Hill holiday. This day is considered the best for wedding
ceremonies. In the past people welcomed spring during this holiday,

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