From March 7-13, Ukrainians will celebrate one of the most joyful holidays of the year – Maslyana, marking the coming of spring and the beginning of a new life cycle.
Originally a pagan holiday, Maslyana is celebrated during the week
before the Great Lent. In pre-Christian times the holiday was celebrated
on the day of the spring equinox. From the 16th until the middle of the
20th century, Ukrainians associated the holiday with procreation and
celebrated it with a series of premarital rituals.
“A community
‘punished’ unmarried young people, both girls and boys, by making them
wear a special marking called ‘kolodka’ (from Ukrainian ‘koloda’ meaning
a ‘log’). Kolodka could be a log, or anything else – a craft or
ribbon,” says ethnographer Nataliya Khomenko.
The singles got the “punishment” because they did not give birth to new generations yet.
Kolodiy
(also derived from Ukrainian “koloda” – “log”) is another name of
Maslyana in Ukraine, as well as a name of a Slavic god of marriage,
love, health and harmony.
Since the 16th century and up until the
middle of the 20th century, women in Ukrainian villages used to
celebrate the holiday by bringing a log that symbolized Kolodiy to a
local pub, according to Liudmyla Horatska, ethnographer of Kyiv’s
Pyrohovo Museum of Rural Life. The celebration went on for a week,
during which Kolodiy symbolically lived a life: like Solomon Grundy from
a famous nursery rhyme, Kolodiy was “born” on Monday and “died” by the
end of the week.
The birth and death of Kolodiy might indicate the cycle of nature, according to Khomenko.
Since
women played the leading role in the rituals during Maslyana,
ethnographers believe that the holiday may have roots back into
matriarchate times.
“It was the time when Ukrainian women had fun in
pubs while men had to do all the household chores and could not
contradict them,” Khomenko says.
The tradition of women’s Maslyana
celebration was still alive until the middle of the 20th century but
died out thanks to Soviet authorities’ politics of Russification
resulted in its replacement by the Russian way of celebration – eating
pancakes and taking part in the outdoor festivities.
In Russia,
Maslyana (Maslenitsa) was associated with the cult of sun, and the
holiday’s food, yellow round pancakes, are the solar symbols. In Ukraine
Maslyana, as a woman’s holiday, is related to the moon worship and is
embodied with lunar symbols, according to Khomenko. That’s why the
traditional holiday food in Ukraine is the moon-shaped varenyky.
“During
the Maslyana holiday, Ukrainians used to eat varenyky stuffed with
cheese – a ritual meal symbolizing both the Moon and a pregnant woman.
No pancakes were eaten then,” Khomenko adds.
Where to celebrate
Cossack village Mamayeva Sloboda
Maslyana
celebration in the folk park Mamayeva Sloboda includes a demonstration
of folk rituals, competition on fast consumption of Ukrainian varenyky,
and sledding. Besides varenyky, guests will be treated to pancakes,
cheese pies, and cheesecakes.
When: Starts at noon on March 12, 13
Where:
2 Mykhayla Dontsya St. To get there, take a trolleybus from Petrivka
metro station or a minibus number 201 or 232 from Shulyavska metro
station to the Mykhayla Dontsya Street bus stop.
Price: Hr 50 for adults and Hr 25 for pensioners and students
Pyrohovo National Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Life
The
museum offers lots of entertainment on Maslyana like outdoor folklore
groups performances or eating pancakes and varenyky with cottage cheese
in the ethnic restaurants located in Pyrohovo. Craftsmen will sell their
best works all day long.
When: March 13 at 13:30 p.m.
Where:
The museum is located in Pyrohovo village. To get there from Kyiv, take a
trolleybus No. 11 from Lybidska metro station, a minibus No. 172 from
Druzhby Narodiv metro station, a minibus No. 496 from Lukyanivska metro
station or a minibus No. 576 from Akademmistechko metro station.
Price: Hr 30 for adults, Hr 15 for retirees and students
Kyivan Rus Park
On
the Maslyana weekend, there will be traditional round dances, old-time
games and contests. Guests will enjoy theatrical performances and an
unforgettable fire show. Local restaurants serve Ukrainian and European
cuisine.
When: 10 a.m. on March 12
Where: The Kyivan Rus Park is
located in Kopachiv village. Take a minibus from the Vydubychi metro
station to Kopachiv village. The bus departs three times a day – at 10
a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.
Price: Hr 195 for adults, Hr 60 for schoolchildren.
