# Maslenitsa (DD-575) > Maslenitsa, also called Butter Week or Cheesefare Week, is an Eastern Slavic religious and folk holiday observed mostly in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, and by their diaspora communities. It falls in the last week before Great Lent, the eighth week before Eastern Orthodox Easter, so its date moves every year. In 2025 it ran from February 24 to March 2. In 2026 it ran from February 16 to 22. Wikipedia describes it as a Christian observance that keeps many elements of older Slavic mythology. Meat is already off the table that week for observant Orthodox Christians, but butter, cheese, eggs and other dairy are still allowed, so the signature food is blini, thin pancakes. Ukrainians and Belarusians also make varenyky and syrniki. Customs include visits to family, sleigh rides, sledding, snowball fights, the storming of a snow fortress and, in some regions, a different tradition for each day. The week ends on Forgiveness Sunday, when people ask one another's forgiveness. A straw effigy, Lady Maslenitsa, is stripped of her finery and burned in a bonfire, and the next day, Clean Monday, Lent begins. Large public celebrations faded after 1917 under Soviet state atheism, returned in a more secular form in the 1960s and 1970s, and grew again after the Soviet Union ended. Moscow has held a yearly festival near Red Square since 2002. The footage shows masked revelers in horned and antlered costumes and huge wooden towers burning in the snow in front of a crowd. - Department: History - First published: 2025-05-19 - Last updated: 2025-05-19 - Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/maslenitsa/ - Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department ## On the timeline - **2002**: Moscow begins a yearly Maslenitsa festival near Red Square - **Feb. 24, 2025**: Maslenitsa 2025 begins - **March 2, 2025**: Forgiveness Sunday ends Maslenitsa 2025 - **Feb. 16, 2026**: Maslenitsa 2026 begins Full timeline: https://detailenjoyer.com/timeline/?case=maslenitsa ## Quick facts - **DD-575-F01**: Maslenitsa is held in the last week before Orthodox Great Lent. _(Write-up · Exhibit A (The week before Lent))_ - **DD-575-F02**: Maslenitsa ends on Forgiveness Sunday with the burning of a straw Lady Maslenitsa. _(Write-up · Exhibit D (Lady Maslenitsa burns))_ ## Write-up Burning winter in effigy. Maslenitsa week ends with a straw Lady Maslenitsa going up in flames. 1. **The week before Lent**: Maslenitsa is the last week before Orthodox Great Lent, so its date follows Easter. In 2025 it ran February 24 to March 2. 2. **Butter week**: Meat is already given up, but dairy and eggs are allowed, which is why blini are the signature food. 3. **Old and new customs**: It is a Christian observance that keeps elements of older Slavic folk ritual, from sleigh rides to snow-fortress battles. 4. **Lady Maslenitsa burns**: On Forgiveness Sunday, a straw effigy of Lady Maslenitsa is burned in a bonfire to see off winter. 5. **Revival**: Public celebrations faded in the Soviet era, returned from the 1960s, and Moscow has held a yearly festival since 2002. ## Related case files - [Winter in Harbin (DD-034)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/winter-in-harbin/): Another big winter festival - [Independence Day (DD-726)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/independence-day/): Another holiday with deep national traditions ## Reel vs. record - **Note**: 'Held the week before lent': correct. It's the last week before Great Lent, the eighth week before Orthodox Easter, so the date moves every year (February 24 to March 2 in 2025). - **Note**: 'Foods like butter, cheese, and eggs before the fasting period': correct, with one detail: meat is already given up that week, which is why it's also called Cheesefare Week. Blini (pancakes) are the signature dish. - **Note**: 'Mixes pagan and Christian customs': this is the usual description. Wikipedia calls it a religious and folk holiday that retains elements of Slavic mythology. - **Missing**: the week ends on Forgiveness Sunday, when people ask each other's forgiveness before the effigy is burned. Lent begins the next day, Clean Monday. ## Video: Maslenitsa: Burning Winter in Effigy - Duration: 26.0 s · Published: 2025-05-19 - File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DJ2LywGSDyR.mp4 ### Transcript DID YOU KNOW? The Maslenitsa festival is a traditional Slavic Celebration marking the end of winter and the arrival of spring. Held the week before lent in Eastern Orthodox tradition, Maslenitsa mixes pagan and Christian customs, combining feasting, sleigh rides, folk music, dancing, and games. People enjoy rich foods like butter, cheese, and eggs before the fasting period, and festive activities include snowball fights, sledding, and burning a straw effigy of Lady Maslenitsa to symbolize winter's farewell. NOW YOU KNOW! ## Questions & answers **Q: Which period does Maslenitsa come right before?** A: It's the last week before Orthodox Great Lent. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (The week before Lent) · Wikipedia: Maslenitsa)_ **Q: What is the signature food of Maslenitsa?** A: Dairy and eggs are still allowed, so pancakes rule. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Butter week) · Wikipedia: Maslenitsa; OrthodoxWiki: Cheesefare Week)_ **Q: Which food is already given up during Maslenitsa week?** A: That's why it's also called Cheesefare Week. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Butter week) · Wikipedia: Maslenitsa; OrthodoxWiki: Cheesefare Week)_ **Q: What is burned at the end of Maslenitsa?** A: It sees off winter. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Lady Maslenitsa burns) · Wikipedia: Maslenitsa; National Geographic: What is Maslenitsa? The butter-soaked holiday that says goodbye to winter; OrthodoxWiki: Cheesefare Week)_ **Q: What is the last day of Maslenitsa called?** A: Clean Monday, the start of Lent, comes next. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Lady Maslenitsa burns) · Wikipedia: Maslenitsa; National Geographic: What is Maslenitsa? The butter-soaked holiday that says goodbye to winter; OrthodoxWiki: Cheesefare Week)_ ## Sources - [Wikipedia: Maslenitsa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslenitsa) - [National Geographic: What is Maslenitsa? The butter-soaked holiday that says goodbye to winter](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/maslenitsa-butter-week-slavic-orthodox-christianity) - [OrthodoxWiki: Cheesefare Week](https://en.orthodoxwiki.org/Cheesefare_Week) ## Cite this case file Easterling, Marcus. "Maslenitsa." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-575, last updated May 19, 2025. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/maslenitsa/