Do not be afraid, and do try not to be confused, if some Russian tells you that March 1st is the first day of spring in Russia. It may be hard to believe if you take a look around; especially with below zero temperatures lingering in many parts of the country and most of it still covered in thick blankets of snow. But since winter has been a gloomy and frosty reality for over four months already here it is easy to understand why one would want to rush the arrival of spring. Usually the traditional Slavic holiday of Масленица [derives from the word масло, meaning ’butter, oil’ and is usually translated into English as “Pancake Week”, “Cheese fare Week” or “Butter week”] is celebrated in February, but this year due to Orthodox Easter falling on the end of April, a month later than Easter in Catholic and Lutheran countries, it is celebrated when spring has already ‘officially’ arrived. Though to jump to conclusions and assume that Масленица is a Christian tradition would be making a mistake – it may have been well adapted to new rules and regulations when good old Русь [Rus'] took on Christianity, but it is still as pagan as can be.
