“We invite everyone to our spring festival with all our hearts, we will create a mood for you – laugh, rejoice, dance!” With such poetic lines and jokes with witty remarks, Lepel residents were invited last weekend to folk Maslenitsa festivities, which unfolded in the city park...
Representatives of collectives treat Lepel residents and city guests with pancake masterpieces, pies, and hot tea.
The festivities were accompanied by round dances, songs, dances, rituals, and games.
Have you ever wondered why pancakes are baked specifically for Maslenitsa? Our ancestors revered the sun as God, as it gave life to everything. People rejoiced at the sun, which began to appear more and more often as spring approached. Therefore, the tradition arose to bake flatbreads, round in shape, resembling the sun, in honor of the spring sun. It was believed that by eating such a dish, a person would receive a piece of sunlight and warmth. Over time, flatbreads were replaced by pancakes. Round, ruddy, hot pancakes are a symbol of the sun, and therefore, of renewal and fertility.
One of the main events of the Maslenitsa festivities in the city park were contests in which various city organizations participated.
In the competition for the best Maslenitsa effigy: the Sports and Tourism Sector took first place, the Centralized Library System took second, and Lepel Gymnasium took third.
In the competition for the best courtyard: Lepel MKК won, Lepel Bakery took second place, and Secondary School No. 3 took third.
The holiday left all participants with a lot of positive emotions and impressions.
The culmination of the folk festival was the ritual of burning the Maslenitsa effigy.
Burning the effigy is a beautiful and symbolic tradition that embodies saying goodbye to winter and welcoming spring, the renewal of nature, and the beginning of a new life cycle.