- Статьи
- Local news
- Zaigryshi - the second day of Shrovetide: prohibitions, omens and beautiful pictures
Zaigryshi - the second day of Shrovetide: prohibitions, omens and beautiful pictures
Every year, at different times, Russians celebrate Maslenitsa, one of the most delicious holidays symbolizing the imminent arrival of spring. In 2025, it began on Monday, February 24, and will end on Sunday, March 2. On the second day of Pancake Day is a holiday, which in Russia was called Zaigryshi. It was accompanied by fun, festivities and various games. The main task of the day was the acquaintance of young people to find a soul mate and play in the summer wedding. Read more about the holiday, its traditions, omens, as well as what you need to do on February 25 - in the material "Izvestia".
February 25 - the second day of Shrovetide week - Zaigryshi
Pancake week is an ancient Slavic holiday, which has pagan roots. Despite the adoption of Christianity and the Church's struggle with paganism, the holiday has survived to the present day and is actively celebrated throughout Russia. In 2025 it will last from February 24 to March 2.
Pancake Day for the Slavs was the boundary between winter and spring, everyone waited for the awakening of nature from hibernation in the long cold months. There are different versions of the origin of this holiday. According to one of them - the holiday was dedicated to the pagan god Veles, whom the Slavs honored as the god of fertility and agriculture. To placate him, they held various rituals and prepared tasty treats.
According to another popular version, Maslenitsa symbolized the death of winter due to the fact that the holiday fell on the days shortly before the vernal equinox. It is not insignificant that in pre-Petrine Russia at this time celebrated a new year.
Regardless of what was the true history of the origin of Maslenitsa, around these seven festive days formed a lot of traditions and omens that still exist today.
Pancake Day itself is a folk holiday dating back to pagan times, and in church tradition it is known as Cheese Week, the preparatory week before Lent, when believers already give up meat.
Each of the seven days of Shrovetide has received its own name and acquired a unique meaning. Today, February 25, the second day is celebrated - Zaigryshi. It was on Tuesday that the merry festivities began. The name of the day is not accidental: all events became an occasion for young guys and girls to get acquainted with each other, grooms were looking for brides, and brides were looking for a worthy spouse. For this purpose, from the very morning maidens and young men went to visit each other, rode down the slides together, had pancakes and socialized.
Those couples who were recently married, also had to participate in the fun, hugging and kissing to prove to everyone how much they love each other.
The entertainment was chosen so that the young ones could show their skill and strength:
- horseback riding;
- tug-of-war;
- climbing a pole that had been smeared with lard;
- riding on a pair of swings;
- snowball fights;
- building fortresses out of snow.
Rolling down the slides was accompanied by bride watching. Boys called their parents and invited the girl they liked with her mother and father for a fun time. In this relaxed atmosphere everyone got acquainted and got to know each other better.
The evening was usually spent in company. Everyone gathered together to socialize and eat delicious and hot pancakes with various fillings.
During the day guys and girls could have time to socialize and get to know each other better, someone even found his or her soul mate. The word "flirtation" came to mean a period of flirting and searching for future brides and grooms. It was believed that romantic feelings that appeared on the second day of Pancake Day, promised a strong marriage to the young.
Now Shrovetide coincides with the Church Cheese Week, and then begins Lent, which in 2025 will be on March 3 - April 19. While it is going on, it is forbidden to get married, so lovers have a lot of time to make a final decision about the wedding. The first day on which church weddings are held falls on Red Mountain, the first Sunday after Easter. In 2025, Christ's Resurrection falls on April 20, so believers will have their first opportunity to get married this year only on April 27.
It is believed that the marriage concluded on this day, portends a young family long and happy years of married life.
In addition to the festivities of the young, there were other traditions of the day. Thus, on Zaigryshi they invited guests home to taste prepared pancakes. They tried to invite as many people as possible: relatives, friends and even parents of potential spouses to get acquainted. It was believed that there should be rich treats at the table. The more people and the more abundant the table, the more successful the year would be for the owners of the house.
Early in the morning it was customary for young people to go sledding down the slides, and this activity carried a certain meaning. It was believed that the one who would go farthest down the hill would have a long flax at home and the butter would be well churned. In other words, he would have a prosperous year.
On Tuesday people went to fairs, and amusing performances were staged on the square. Fun was everywhere, so with songs and with skits, the rascals went home. The important characters of Pancake Day were Petrushka and the Pancake Grandfather (grandfather-caller), whose task was to create a festive mood.
Also on Tuesday it was customary to call Shrovetide with the words: "We have snowy mountains ready and pancakes baked - please welcome!" In order to placate Shrovetide, it was necessary to roll down the hill at least once.
What you can and can not do on the second day of Pancake Day in 2025
Since now Shrovetide is closely connected with Cheese Week, at this time there are food restrictions. Since in Meat-Lent Week, as this time is also called, Orthodox Christians are only preparing for fasting, the restrictions are minor, but you can not eat meat anymore. However, you can eat dairy and fatty foods. Pancakes with fillings of sour cream and cottage cheese, fish, honey, etc. are especially popular.
In addition, Zaigryshi is one of the days of the so-called Narrow Pancake Week, when people were actively preparing for the holiday, cleaning the house and doing other important things, in order to be free by Thursday, when the Wide Pancake Week began.
On this day it was impossible to be discouraged and sad. According to the belief, the more cheerful and bright Zaigryshi will pass, the more joy the young will have in the future. Those who were gloomy on the second day of Pancake Day could live the whole year in despondency.
In addition, people believed that:
- one should not quarrel and lie - otherwise it could lead to prolonged conflicts and unhappiness;
- you should not stay alone and spend the whole day at home - otherwise you can miss happiness;
- one should postpone financial matters for another time;
- you should not tell others about your dreams - nightmares will come true quickly, but the good ones will never be destined to come true.
Flirtations: folk omens today, February 25
Since Maslenaya week was an important holiday for the Slavs, they noticed many details. Because of this, various omens were formed:
- if the second day of Maslenitsa was frosty - the harvest will be rich;
- if the day is rainy - there will be a lot of mushrooms in summer;
- to ride down the mountain you need to choose the right sled. The better they slide, the farther their owner will go, which promises a lot of luck and happiness in the year;
- housewives used to add a coin to pancakes. The one who finds it, the one in the new year will be happy and healthy.
Pictures, postcards, gifs, congratulations on the second day of Pancake Day
Have fun, people:
Maslenka is coming
With pies and pancakes
She's bringing spring under her arm!
Let's sing, let's party
Let's welcome Mother Spring!
Let's go sledding
Let's have pancakes!
How on Shrovetide week
Pancakes flew from the oven!
Hot and hot from the oven,
All ruddy and hot!
Pancake Week, please!
Everybody wants a pancake
Hot off the presses, hot off the presses!
Don't forget to praise them.
In front of all the honest people
We'll sing ditties for you,
We'll see off the winter
And we'll welcome spring.
Cheer up, fair folk,
Maslena is coming!
Welcome her with all your heart,
Treat everyone to pancakes!
On Shrovetide week
We didn't break the holiday,
All our friends danced and sang
We ate pancakes!
You'll have to forgive me.
Days of Shrovetide week
Each day of Shrovetide week has its own name and traditions. Aside from Shrove Tuesday, the other days are called:
- Monday - Meeting. The day was devoted to preparation for festivities, snow mountains were built, carousels were installed in the main squares of the city, and also one of the main symbols of Maslenitsa - scarecrow was made. Housewives on this day began to bake pancakes;
- Wednesday - Lakomka. It was believed that on this day it was necessary to eat as many delicious things as possible. Pancakes were cooked completely different. All relatives were also invited home. At fairs in town, skits about the mother-in-law and how she baked pancakes for her son-in-law were played;
- Thursday - Razgulyai. On this day, people spent the day from the very morning until late at night, and had a lot of fun. One of the main entertainment of the day was taking a snow city, which was built on the square or by the river. Fist fights were also organized. In this case, the meaning of the day was to discharge the negative energy that had accumulated over the winter;
- Friday - Mother-in-law's Vespers. On this day the mother-in-law went to her son-in-law to visit, who had to be invited the day before. The mother-in-law had to organize the food on the table;
- Saturday - Zolovkin's sit-downs. On this day it was customary for a young daughter-in-law to invite her husband's relatives to visit. If her sister-in-law had not had time to start a family, unmarried friends were called home, in the opposite case - family people;
- Sunday - Farewell. This day is also called Forgiveness Sunday. On the last day of Shrovetide they prepared for Lent, loved ones asked forgiveness from each other, in the evening they remembered the dead and went to the cemetery. It was customary to wash in the bathhouse. If there was any food left, it was burnt. At the end of the day an important tradition was the burning of the Pancake Scarecrow, the ashes of which were then scattered over the fields.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
