Honest, extensive and cheerful Maslenitsa (Butter Week) described by Russian writers

“There is no holiday more attractive, more varied and more delightful than the folk Maslenitsa in St. Petersburg”, - writes Alexander Vlasyevich Tereshchenko, ethnographer of the first half of the 19th century in his book “The Life of the Russian People” posted on the Presidential Library’s portal, - evening balls, masquerades and twice a day theaters. At home, like during Christmas holidays, pacing disguised, but there is noisy and tireless hospitality everywhere. On Sunday evening, Maslenitsa is carried out, and after dinner they conclude it in some places with a sleigh ride until almost midnight”.

Honest, extensive, cheerful – this year Maslenitsa begins on March 4.

The essay by Ivan Nikolaevich Bozherjanov “How people celebrated and celebrate Russian Christmas, New Year, Epiphany Day and Maslenitsa”, published in 1894, tells about the traditions of Maslenitsa from the time of Peter I. Masked balls were arranged for these merry days , merry-go-rounds and slides, to which “anyone were invited” ... And, of course, pancakes were baked from morning to evening.

It should be noted that many writers turned to the "pancake" theme. Anton Chekhov, for example, even at one time in his story “On the frailty” (Maslenitsa theme for the sermon)”.

And the story “Stupid Frenchman”, a certain Monsieur Purqua, going to dinner at a tavern, was shocked by the number of plates filled with burning pancakes, which Muscovites absorbed as if nothing had happened. “Oh, wonderland! - thought Purcua, leaving the restaurant. - Not only the climate, but even the stomachs do their wonders! Oh, country, wonderful country!”. By the way, if you are a lover of Chekhov's works, be sure to look through the book “Anton. Chekhov: Lost Works” (1925), posted on the Presidential Library’s portal.

The abstract “The individual author's peculiarity of the linguistic picture of the world by I. S. Shmelev: (based on the religious vocabulary of the work “The Summer of the Lord”) by  N. Podvigina available in the Presidential Library’s collections also reflects Maslenitsa traditions.

Finally… The Presidential Library’s collections include a unique edition of 1892 - “One Hundred Drawings for Nikolai Gogol's Dead Souls”, written by Agin and Bernadsky. It is available in the electronic reading room at the Senate Square, 3, or in any remote access center in all regions of the Russian Federation and in 30 foreign countries - about 900 remote reading rooms of the Presidential Library.