Saturday, March 16, 2013

Shrovetide, Samovar and Scarecrow, Part 3

Shrovetide week comes to an end, and people traditionally drink tea with pancakes.  (See Shrovetide Part1 and Shrovetide Part 2 ) In the old days a samovar used to boil water, it was always in any at home. This kitchen item came to Russia more than 200 years ago. 
I have never had a samovar in my home, but I read that it was necessary to put burning coals in a samovar center pipe. 



Here are some photos (Internet source) of samovars. The white samovar on the left is electrical one, porcelain. The next one has a small tea pot on top.The typical samovar is a metal one in the center below. The other painted samovars are souvenirs.

It was a tradition to fill a small teapot with tea leaves and boiling water from a tap and then to place it on a top of a samovar. I can imagine how delicious tea was with pancakes at Shrovetide, when it was cold or snowstorm outside.
Here are some traditional scarecrows made nowadays in different areas of Russia. This Shrovetide I decided to make my own scarecrow and to burn it in my garden.


Some typical scarecrows made ​​of straw or wooden sticks, dressed in different clothes and shawls (Internet).
 
To realize my idea I prepared sticks, some rags for clothes and  the scarecrow’s head. By tradition scarecrow should be dressed in women's clothes (don't know why!).
I've taken some old rags to make the head. Then I've painted her face, put "a dress" on and “a headscarf”.  I've liked it, turned out not bad.



Then I installed scarecrow in snow and  set on fire. Oh. scarecrow was burned well. The tradition means spring will be warm! (I think, in these ancient traditions is something of pagan rituals).



The audience appeared, they all wanted to spring come soon!







66 comments:

  1. what a cute face and wonderful makings of this cute squirrel

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  2. Hello Dear Nadezda!
    Great post. Tradition is always the most important.
    You dummy thrown into the river on March 21.
    The old pagan application. It is believed that the winter sail to the sea.
    Samovars are beautiful.
    Guests arrived, tits and a squirrel.
    I send greetings.
    Lucia

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    1. Lucia, your tradition is very interesting! Let winter sail to the Baltic sea!
      Thank you1

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  3. Stunning pictures, Nadezda! I love those scarecrows. You made one by yourself! I especially like those squirrel and bird pictures. My mother and aunt have a samovar.

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    1. How nice -- the Russian samovar in Finnish family! But why am I surprised? we are neighbors!
      Thank you, Satu!

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  4. Hello Nadezda girl !
    Those samovars are absolutely beautiful ! The detail to the decoration is gorgeous .. it must have been a very special occassion to have the tea served so beautifully.
    I love the art work of the scarecrows ... and you were also very artful in your own scarecrow! she was cute : )
    Beautiful bird pictures and I think your squirrels are so cute with the tufts on the ears .. our squirrels are not as pretty.
    Great 3rd posting on your traditions !!
    Joy : )

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    1. Joy,you're right, the samovars are nice but in last centuries they were basic kitchen items in every family. I love those cute squirrels too. Thank you!

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  5. Thanks for the award Nadezda, another great post. Those scarecrows look scary and I think this is definitely a pagan ritual. Beautiful shots of the birds and squirrels.

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    1. I think those scarecrows looked scary because it was a winter image and people wanted winter would been over.
      Thank you, Karen!

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  6. Thank you so much for the nomination for Versatile Blogger!

    I have enjoyed your fun Shrovetide posts. And this one was great with your cute scarecrow (really, you burned it up??) and the audience waiting for spring!

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    1. Oh, yes, I really burned my 'nice-face' scarecrow to spring come sooner and be warm. Thank you, Laurrie!

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  7. Beautiful pictures of a wonderful tradition! The samovars are gorgeous! I love your cute audience. The squirrel and birds are different colors from the ones we have. Very sweet!

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    1. Peter, the squirrels have brushes on their ears here, in Northern Europe. The tits have green-yellow breasts and black 'hats'. Thank you!

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  8. Hi Nadezda
    Another lovely Shrovetide post with lots of wonderful pictures and interesting information.
    Thanks very much for the Versatile Blogger Award but I already have that one :)
    Astrid

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    1. Asrid, sorry, I didn't know you have got this award!
      I'm glad you liked my post about Shrovetide traditions, thank you!

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  9. So interesting to learn about your traditions. Shrovetide sounds like a very happy period.
    I love your audience!
    Have a lovely sunday,
    Marian

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    1. Yes, this 'audience' is lovely and very curiously!
      Happy birthday to your daughter and you, of course!

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  10. I’ve enjoyed your Shrovetide posts. Every country celebrates this season, perhaps a little differently from each other, but it must be something to do with people wanting winter to be over. It is lent here nw and we are waiting for Easter.

    It’s still cold and wet unfortunately.

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    1. Here Lent began today, after Shrovetide week. We have Easter on May 3, this year.The spring is not hurry, we have still cold weather. Thank you, Frico!

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  11. Dear Nadezda, I really hope your ritual of burning the scarecrow will help bringing spring to us all, I really need some warm weather now :-) I loved those pictures of the samovars, I am not a tea drinker, but I would love to have one just for decoration. Have a nice Sunday, and congratulations on your award!

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    1. These souvenir samovars are really nice, decorated in Russian style, with flowers and berries. I watched on TV the Russian Shrovetide was held in London park yesterday, with pancakes, samovars and tea, of course.Thank you, Helene!

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  12. Hello Nadezda - first thanks for your awards - I am very happy that you awarded me .......
    Nice pictures you show a little fun with a Russian tea makers, "samovar" this word we often meet in a crossword. Wish you a good Sunday :) Hugs Hanne Bente

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    1. I have not never imagined that the word 'samovar' meets in Danish crosswords!Thank you, Hanne Bente!

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  13. I enjoyed this Shrovetide post again. Beautiful scarecrows, love the paintings on them. And your last photos of the squirrel, he looks so cute.

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  14. Congratulations on the award,Nadezda!
    Curious tradition, the scarecrow woman I was very well :))
    I like the pictures of the birds and squirrels, are beautiful.
    Good Sunday.
    a kiss.

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  15. The samovars are lovely, as is the bird and squirrel. The bird looks a little bit like our chickadee but more colorful - what is his name? And your squirrel is much cuter than the ones we have, looks like a cross between one of our squirrels and a rabbit. Congratulations on your award!

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    1. Jason, the wiki says about the bird on my photo:
      'Great tit (lat. Parus major) is the largest and most numerous of all occurring in Russia. It's found in Europe, Asia and North-West Africa. In the wild, is found in forests, usually in open areas, forest edges, along the banks of the water'
      about squirrels: 'Common squirrel is a small, beautiful and clever animal with an elongated body and a very fluffy tail. They have a round head with large, expressive dark eyes, the ears are long, with brushes, they are especially pronounced in winter'. I'm sure nobody crossed your squirrel and rabbit, never!
      Thank you!

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  16. Hello Nadezda. Thank you for your comment on my recent post. I hadn't realised that you had a second blog. I've been following your Gardening blog which I have enjoyed. Now I have found you here and it's wonderful. So much history and I've looked back on your last few posts about the Shrove tradition and find it fascinating. I've just become a follower on this blog too and look forward to reading more.
    Patricia x

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    1. I'm glad, Patricia, you liked to read my blogs, thank you!

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  17. That's ok Nadezda, thanks for thinking of me, it was very nice of you.

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  18. Wow! Your photos of the animals are amazing!!! I hope it will be a good spring too and hearing about tea and pancakes is making me feel hungry. What a lovely post : ) Thank you for sharing.

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    1. The birds and squirrels were attracted by the smoke when my scarecrow was burned. Thank you, Anna!

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  19. Thank you for reminding me of these wonderful traditions. We used to have a fake samovar :) which we plugged into an outlet to boil water. Congratulations on your award.

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    1. You're welcome, Masha! There is a 'fake' samovar too, on the first photo: the first one the left, porcelain, with electrical lead. None wants to use the coal now.

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  20. I think your scarecrow looks great! I hope your spring is warm. :o) Your squirrels are much cuter than our squirrels. I have many painted souvenirs from Russia but none of them are samovars. It's a much more interesting way to make tea than just boiling water on the stove.

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    1. Tammy, I wish you to have a nice samovar, you could ask Santa :)Our squirrels are the same cheeky as elsewhere!
      Thank you!

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  21. So glad to see this presented. Thank you, Nadezda. I have learned a lot about this practice. Beautiful photos!

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  22. Hello Nadezda - thanks for your comment. My mushrooms is photographed in a forest last week ...... do not know whether they are new or old. But can fungi survive the winter / frost from December to now? or perhaps it is new because we have had up to 12 grades heat for 8 days ago?
    Wish you a good day / good new week :) Hugs Hanne Bente

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    1. I think they are new if you had a such warm weather!

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  23. Dear Nadezda,congrats for your award!!You realy decerve it!I have a samovar in my living room!And i love it!!Wonderful pictures!!I like the photos with the squirrels !!They are so cute!Hope you have a wonderful week!
    Dimi..

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    1. Dimi, If you drink 'samovar' tea with cake in Easter, it would be very delicious!
      Thank you!

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  24. Congrats on your award!! I hope you had a great St. Patrick's Day Nadezda!!

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    1. Optimistic Existentialist, unfortunately few people celebrate St. Patrick's Day here. This Irish holiday is not common in Russia among Orthodox Christians. I watched on TV this holiday and I liked the Irish dances! Thank you!

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  25. Those tits and squirrel are so cute!!

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  26. Fantastic pictures!!And very, very interesting.
    Thank you so much for that award, Nadezda!
    Please look at my blog, there's a picture for your with our Samowar. Haha!

    Every day snow and snow and storm, tomorrow is start of spring.hahaha

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    1. Meggie, I liked your samovar! think it's enough old, it shape is unusual. I hope spring will come soon to your place!

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  27. Thank you for visiting. What a delight to come here! My grandparents came from Czarist Russia to America as small children. Your post stirs some memory in me. Can;t wait to see what you post next :)


    ALOHA from Honolulu
    Comfort Spiral
    ~ > < } } ( ° > <3

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    1. It's interesting, Cloudia, your grandparents were from Russia! Thank you for stopping by!

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  28. What wonderful traditions you have, Nadezda... and your audience surely thinks so, too! Love that little bird and oh my, your squirrel has the cutest ears. So nice to "meet" you. I look forward to coming again.

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    1. Yes, here these squirrels have 'brushes' on their ears. Thank you, Carolyn!

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  29. I liked reading Russian novels when I was younger, and have often read of a samovar, but have never seen one before now. You have shown us some beautiful examples. I am curious as to why the scarecrow is burned. Does it have to do with spring renewal ( out with the old/in with the new) or does the tradition have some other folklore behind it?

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    1. Jennifer, I'm glad you've seen different types of samovars and may be one day you could obtain one as the souvenir! The scarecrow is the symbol of winter (I don't know why it's in a woman's dress!) So when the scarecrow is burned, it means winter goes away. More often this tradition was held in the Day Equinox, today, 20-21st of March in pagan times. Nowadays the Shrovetide week depends of date of Easter and Lent. Thank you!

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  30. You can see just as we are desperate for spring to finally arrive, so it has been throughout time. I love all the ceremonies associated with celebrating spring's arrival like the one you have mentioned here. Nadezda I am in love with the pink-cheeked squirrel you have photographed! It is so cute and makes many adorable faces for you :)

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    1. Rosemary, there is this kind of squirrels, some of them have gray back and tail, others are mostly red. I love them but they are so cheeky! Thank you!

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  31. I looked at your past posts and enjoyed all your pictures and the paintings showing troikas and happy gatherings. My grandmother in Istanbul had a samovar in her house. My mother brought it back to Paris and when I was growing up it was always on top of a big sideboard we had. But we never used it. I think my mother gave it away. It was big. My grandfather was an antique dealer and maybe he had bought it in Russia.

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    1. Vagabonde, it's pity you haven't got the old samovar now! It had interesting history, traveling around the world. I love such old things, they remind the family history. Thank you!

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  32. This has been so interesting reading about the traditions surrounding Shrovetide; I had to go back and read parts I and II as well. I wonder, too, why the scarecrow is traditionally a woman; we always talk about "old man winter," so a male scarecrow would make more sense to me:) Love all the photos of your squirrel--he's adorable!

    I have been away from blogging for a couple of months, but now that spring is almost here I hope to catch up--can't wait to see everyone's spring blooms soon.

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    1. Rose, I'm glad you are with us again!
      I think the scarecrow was dressed in woman's clothes because the word 'winter' (зима) is in feminine in Russian. But I prefer the scarecrow should be a man!
      Thank you!

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  33. Just inside and say hello and wish you a good weekend :) Hugs Hanne Bente
    Ps! Thanks for The comments on my blog.

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