Blog about Urals

Today, in one of sunny spring days we want to tell you how russian people greet spring.
Since earliest times the Shrovetide is celebrated in Russia in honour of spring coming – a holiday week with pancakes baking and street festivities.

The tradition to bake pancakes came to us from slavs. They took spring as a source of new life and hallowed the sun which gives light and warm for everything alive on the earth. First they baked unleavened cakes in honor of the sun, and when they learnt how to make a batter they baked pancakes. Pancakes were considered as a symbol of the sun, because they are also yellow, round and hot. Slavs believed they ate a piece of the sun, its heat and power.

Besides pancakes baking other traditions have been saved which make this celebration special. E.g. in the last day of the Shrovetide week people give a send-off to winter by burning
the Shrovetide scarecrow (or the scarecrow of winter in another words). Usually the scarecrow is made of straw which is dressed in frock and headscarf. A fire with the Shrovetide scarecrow symbolizes a death of winter with all obsolete and old together with a birth of spring and nature renewal.

The Shrovetide is usually celebrated on the last week before the Great Fast of Lent, seven weeks before Easter. This year the Shrovetide week was in the middle of February, and supposedly especially for the celebration cold winter weather temporarily retreated.
In Yekaterinburg the Shrovetide was celebrated in lots of places. Even in yards people went out, burnt the Shrovetide scarecrow, baked and ate pancakes. But two main centers of celebration were in parks, and we decided to visit them with our camera.

First of all we went to the Haritonov’s park, as it’s nearer. In spite of we arrived to the park before the celebration was opened, there were a lot of people. They were walking over the park and especially organized trade fair. Children were playing on the snow fort, built for the celebration. Some people were staying near the scene and waiting for the official opening of the celebration.

the Shrovetide scarecrow

walking people

The Shrovetide fair

About 11 a.m a herald climbed the scene and began reading out a decree about the Shrovetide. Such jocular decrees became popular at the end of 18th century. They usually contained directions about the celebration, made fun of famous people present at the celebration and last town events.

After reading the decree the Shrovetide train stately arrived. It was led by a horse with a sledge carrying the scarecrow. A procession in traditional old russian clothes went after the sledge and sang folk songs. They left the scarecrow near the scene to burn it later and the celebration continued.

Then the concert with folk groups and performers began. They sang russian national songs about the Shrovetide and spring and danced. Near the scene playgrounds were opened for the valiant entertainments: wrestling contests, the competition “play accordion”, a theatre for children, riding, sledge riding, snowmobiles and others.

folk performance

traditional russian funs

As the favourite russian national fun “fight wall on wall” was started after 2 o’clock, we decided to go to another celebration place – the central park of culture and rest.

We could walk over the park all day long – so many places with different entertainments were there, but it was time to return to the Haritonov’s park to watch fights “wall on wall”.

The fight “wall on wall” is a traditional russian national fun. Its sense is in fist fight between two lines of people. Men in the age from 18 to 60 can take part in the “wall on wall” fight. The amount of fighters can vary from 10 up to hundreds. The goal of the fight is conditioning and rising of a fight spirit of russian men.

Each group of fighters had its own practice to prepare to the fight and its own stimulus to raise the morale.

Before the fight there were funny small fights between pairs. One man from the pair held his partner by legs and a partner moved by hands. The aim of this competition was to knock down the opposite pair.

Despite the fight sometimes looks like a random fist fight “each with each”, it has the rules: don’t hit on a head, don’t attack from the back, hit only by hand, save comrads and if you burst over the opposite wall, you have to go around the fight to your wall. It is assumed that a wall of fighters wins the fight after it has moved the opposite wall from its territory.

Fights “wall on wall” in the Haritonov’s park were amazing. We successfully took photos from inside of the fight.

ready to fight

inside the fight

Finally it was time to burn the Shrovetide scarecrow and say goodbye to winter. The scarecrow was burning, people were happy to meet warmth and the sun. They circled dances around the fire and ate pancakes. Here we ended our immersion to national funs and came home a little tired but happy.