כדי לשחזר את השיר בשפה המקורית אם אינו מופיע לאחר לחיצה על שם השיר המסומן כאן בקוו תחתון או כדי למצוא גירסות נוספות העתיקו/הדביקו את שם השיר בשפת המקור מדף זה לאתר YOUTUBE
To restore the song in the original language if it does not appear after clicking on the name of the song marked here with a bottom line or to find additional versions Copy/Paste the song name in the original language from this page to the YOUTUBE website
Notes written by Izzy Hod: The song, Tell me Maslanitsa, is the traditional flag song of the week of the traditional holiday, the most cheerful in Russia today!!!. It is speculated that the holiday is a remnant of a sad holiday from the pre-Christian era, when the Slavic tribes were still idolaters. The holiday was, in those days, a kind of carnival, in memory of the dead. At the carnival, in the fields, they burned giant straw dolls, which they had previously led around the village streets, in memory of the death and burial of the dead, and they prepared and ate pancakes, as a reminder of the refreshments after the burial ceremony. Time passed and the Russian people turned this sad holiday into a happy and cheerful one, full of street stunts and making pancakes, of many kinds, as varied as the hue of the sun. The holiday has also become a holiday of farewell to winter and the reception of spring, hoping for a plentiful and rich grain harvest. The carnival lasts seven days, starting from the second day of the week. Different ceremonies were held every day. On the first day, which is Monday of the week, they made the holiday doll out of straw, dressed it in the clothes of an elderly woman, and it was called Maslenitsa, mentioned in the song. On the third day of the holiday, which is Wednesday of the week, they prepared such pancakes in every house and the houses were open to all, to feast on pancakes. On Sunday, before the end of the carnival, they used to do three main things: ask for forgiveness from each other, visit the cemeteries of the relatives who died, and finally, celebrate the burning of a Maslenitsa doll and the remains of the pancakes. The second day of the week, the last of the carnival, was a day of fasting, in order to cleanse oneself of the delicious, but very unhealthy food, and to clean the house and household utensils of the large amount of fat, which had evaporated and stuck to the walls. The story of the words of the song is, Tell me, Maslenitsa, How did the pancakes were baked? How many Spices did you put in them? Oh, pancakes, my pancakes, Buttered pancakes, Oh, pancakes, my pancakes, Oh, my pancakes. I dissolved pancakes In cold water, Oh, pancakes, my pancakes, Buttered pancakes, Oh, pancakes, my pancakes, Oh, my pancakes. Nobody buys, Nobody takes for free. Oh, pancakes, my pancakes, Buttered pancakes, Oh, pancakes, my pancakes, Oh, my pancakes. Repeat several times.
Maselnitsa (Russian: Ма́сленица, Ukrainian: Масниця) is a popular Slavic holiday celebrated in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other Slavic countries in the last week before Lent (seventh week before Easter). The holiday is very ancient, its origins are pagan and preceded the spread of Christianity in Russia. According to Slavic mythology, the holiday is dedicated to the sun, symbolizing its victory and the end of winter. Following the arrival of Christianity in Russia, the holiday became part of Lent. According to Russian Orthodox Christian tradition, as early as this week some of the customs of fasting (due to the crucifixion of Christ) begin to be accepted, and eating meat is forbidden. For this reason, the holiday is called "Myosopustnaya nidelia" ("мясопустная неделя")-"Meat Fasting Week". The traditional dish of the holiday varies from region to region. Among the common ones are the bellini, a kind of pancakes stuffed with cheese, as well as various other dairy foods. The origin of eating pans in ancient times, and is probably related to the pagan origin of the holiday as the holiday of the sun - the round and golden dish symbolizes the sun. The pans are made of compliment, eggs and milk, which are forbidden to eat a week later-due to fasting. Other customs of the holiday include a masked ball and a sleigh race. In different regions of Russia different traditions have developed for the days of the week, such as one day dedicated to visiting relatives, another day visiting friends, a day where a procession is held with straw dolls and a day dedicated to the sleigh race. Another custom involves burning the straw doll known as "Mrs. Maslenitsa" on the last day of the week, the eve of the beginning of Lent. The last day of the week is called "Sunday of Forgiveness," and it marks the beginning of Lent. According to the custom, in the Arabic prayer of this day the worshipers ask forgiveness from one another, hence the name of the day. This day is the last day that Russian-Orthodox Christians are allowed to eat dairy products (due to Lent), so it is also called "Dairy Sunday". During the years of communist rule in the Soviet Union, the authorities did not approve of the celebration of the holiday, but the customs of eating dairy foods this week have been preserved. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, the processions were renewed in various cities in Russia, but the renewal of the processions was done as a secular festival and not as part of religious ceremonies. In countries where many Russian immigrants are marching from Selenica, as part of the preservation of Russian culture among immigrants. These processions are sometimes held on different dates from the religious holiday, and are secular in nature.
Maslenitsa, Blin!, The Food and Celebration of the Russians. By Josh Wilson. Russians revere both blini and Maslenitsa as being "truly Russian" although, ironically, neither is without multiple counterparts among world cultures. Russian blini are descended from one of mankind’s oldest and most common prepared foods: fried flat bread. Russians, in fact, always translate “blini” as “pancakes” when speaking English, although the ultra-thin, slightly tart Russian blin is more akin to the French crepe and German blintz than it is the thick, sweet American pancake. Even the Mexican tortilla is similar, as the blin is also often stuffed with filling and rolled before eating. The simplicity and versatility of the food has spread it across the planet, yet it is doubtful that Russia invented it. Maslenitsa is the oldest surviving Russian holiday; archeological evidence suggests it may have been celebrated as early as the 2nd century A.D. The week-long celebration marking the beginning of spring was one of the most important and elaborate for the pagan culture, which is a fact not at all surprising if you have ever lived through a 6-7 month Russian winter. Blini were eaten as symbols of the sun, personified by the ancient and powerful god Volos. This was done not only in thanksgiving, but also as a method of purification as it was coupled with an abstention from meat, which Russians have long regarded as a source of lust and aggression. Linguistic evidence suggests that Maslenitsa (“Butter-Week”) was formally called “Myasopusta” (“meatless,” though the word form is now archaic). At Maslenitsa’s peak of elaborateness, there was a day for sharing blini with your sweetheart, a day to give blini to the poor, and a day when mother’s-in-law cooked blini for their son’s wives. Maslenitsa was also known as a “threshold time” in folklore jargon. It was a time when rules (both societal and natural) could be broken; in addition to gorging themselves on blini, people often wore masks and clothing of the opposite gender, role-played, consumed large amounts of alcohol, and generally made merry. With the arrival of Christianity this pagan tradition was kept and is now a sort of Mardi Gras or Carnival for the Orthodox, marking the week before Lent (Velikii Post). Most Russians no longer abstain from meat (as the Orthodox church still officially requires) and Maslenitsa celebrations are now often dotted with Sashlik (Russian BBQ) stands, but meat still does not play a major role in the festivities (as opposed especially to the meat-stuffed Carnival). In fact, it seems that neither Maslenitsa nor blini have changed very much over the last few centuries, having survived the official ideologies of both Orthodoxy and Communism. This is a fact Russians will point out often and with pride if asked.
Carnival, Shrovetide, Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, Maslenitsa, by Margaret McKibben. Carnival, Shrovetide, Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, Maslenitsa-whatever the name, these are all the same late-winter festival of eating, drinking and merrymaking. As with many holidays, Maslenitsa has a dual ancestry; pagan and Christian. On the pagan side, Maslenitsa is a sun-festival-the sun is shining longer and warmer each day, and winter is clearly on its way out-surely a cause for celebration! On the Christian side, Maslenitsa marks the last week before the onset of Lent (the period of fasting which precedes Easter). Already, as a sort of warming up exercise, Orthodox Christians are abstaining from meat. Once Lent itself begins, a strictly kept fast excludes meat, fish, dairy products and eggs. Even vegetable oil is doled out sparingly. Furthermore, a strictly kept Lent excludes parties, secular music, dancing and other distractions from the spiritual life. So Maslenitsa represents the last chance for a good fling with worldly delights-another good cause for celebration! Both sides of Maslenitsa's family tree are evident in that essential element, the bliny. These buttery pancakes are as round and golden as the sun, and are made from the rich foods still allowed-butter, eggs, and milk. Besides making and eating quantities of bliny, a Russian old-time Maslenitsa might include masquerades, snowball fights, sledding, swinging on swings and plenty of sleigh rides-the sleighs tracing a semi-circular path across the snow, like the sun's path across the sky. Work would come to a halt, as people threw themselves into partying, visiting, eating and drinking. In some regions, each day of Maslenitsa had its special activity: one day for sleigh-riding, another for sons-in-law to visit mothers-in-law, another day for godparents and godchildren to visit each other. On Friday the young people might take a gaily-dressed straw effigy of "Lady Maslenitsa" to the sledding hill for a day of sliding, and on Saturday all would escort her through the village streets with songs and drinking, "to make the flax grow tall". As befits a sun festival, fire provides the final glorious moment. On Sunday evening, Lady Maslenitsa is paraded to the edge of the village, stripped of her finery, and consigned to the flames of a bonfire. Any bliny which have escaped thus far are also thrown on the fire, for once Lady Maslenitsa is reduced to ashes, and the ashes buried in the snow, Lent has begun.
There were certain rites for each day of the oil week. On Monday-the meeting of Maslenitsa, on Tuesday-the games. On the delicacies, that is, on Wednesday of the oil week, mother-in-law invited to pancakes son-in-law with wives. This custom was especially observed for young people who had recently married. I'm sure that's where the expression "to my mother-in-law on pancakes" came from. On a wide Thursday there were the most crowded luge skiing. On Friday-the mother-in-law of the evening-the son-in-law called his mother-in-law for a treat. Saturday was given to sister-in-law's gatherings. Sunday was called "forgiven Sunday" or "forgiven day." On this day, everyone visited relatives, friends and acquaintances, exchanged kisses, bows and asked for forgiveness from each other, if offended by words or actions. And also on the last day of the oily week necessarily held the ritual of wires Carnival with the mandatory burning of stuffed Carnival.
**