СМИРНОВА НАДЕЖДА ЛЬВОВНА УЧИТЕЛЬ АНГЛИЙСКОГО ЯЗЫКА МОУ СРЕДНЯЯ ОБЩЕОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНАЯ ШКОЛА №6 г.Кинешма Ивановская область

Pancake Week, which comes just before Lent and seven weeks before the Orthodox Easter, is a holiday that glorifies the joy of living. Its pagan message is: farewell to winter and glory to the awakening sun.

During the festive week people gather on public squares and in parks to enjoy traditional masquerades, music, street shows, ritual burning a straw effigy of Winter, and rides in three-horse sleighs, known as troikas.

So let`s travel one hundred years back. The plank structures on Devichiye Pole stand in long rows, with scattering of shops selling spice cakes, nuts, pancakes, pies and tableware. All week long the huge square swarms with people, mostly artisans and townsfolk. Small brass bands fill the air with steady boom. Accordions and hand organs inject higher notes. Bells ring tirelessly outside sideshows, announcing the show is about to begin. Merrymaking involved everyone in those days. Children, teenagers, young ladies and dignified merchants whirled on the merry-go-round and soared into the air in the swings.

If you fear the Russian frost, you can warm yourself with hot tea, pies and round pancakes. All are sold in the street or in cafes in the vicinity. Last century Pancake Week amusements with merry-go-rounds and puppet shows were arranged along with shops on the ice of the Moskva River near the Kremlin wall.

Pancakes are one of the main Russian hot appetizers and Pancake Week's indispensable dish and symbol. The round, golden pancakes fried during the week represent the awakening sun.

Pancakes are made of wheat, buckwheat or millet flour. Whatever the dough, there's only one way to fry them. The dry surface of the pan is covered with a thin layer of fat, sprinkled with coarse salt, warmed, then cooled, wiped with a clean cloth, and heated again. Then the dough is spooned onto it and fried.

The pancakes are served with black and red caviar, creamery butter, lightly salted fish, and sour cream. They are offered not only as an appetizer but also as dessert with strawberries, jam, or honey.

There are also pancakes with fillings. These are prepared from thin unleavened dough. Each pancake is fried on one side, then wrapped around the filling and fried again. The fillings can be stuffed fish, ham, meat, onions, eggs, and pate.

Each day of Pancake Week bears a name that describes its character. On Monday, Meeting Day, boys would run outdoors early in the morning to build snow cities. On Tuesday, Fun Day, streets swarmed with crowds as wandering minstrels treated passersby to pancakes. Young men joined in the snow building and made swings to entertain the girls. On Wednesday, Gourmet Day, every household started feasting.

On Thursday, Feasting Day, the feasts gained scope. On Friday, Mother-in-laws Day, men went to visit their mothers-in-law in the evening to be treated to pancakes. On Saturday, Sister-in-law's Day, married women invited their husbands' sisters to their homes.

On Saturday and Sunday outdoor merrymaking reached a climax. People went riding in three- horse sleighs. Children had fun sledding on the snow-covered banks of rivers and ponds.

Оn Sunday, the day of farewell and forgiving, according to Orthodox tradition, people meeting each other in the street asked each other for forgiveness. The accepted reply was: "God will forgive you."

The seasonal festivities gives you a chance to join in the fun of bidding farewell to winter with an amusing straw effigy, songs, bonfires and fireworks. Merrymaking involves everyone in these days. Everything rattles, laughs and jangles. Everyone has a good time.