Shrovetide and its traditions. Due the Christian tradition
people ate pancakes (and a holiday was also called a 'Pancake day') or
special rich foods, salted meat and peas, or green pea soup and
pastry. It was 'fatty' day before the fasting season of Lent. Some
days one could see street processions, famous pancake race and fancy
dresses. This
year the Shrove Tuesday is on March 4th.
I've read the Marian's post 'Peter Bruegel' and I've found
his painting 'The Fight between Carnival and Lent', 1559. I think it's
interesting to examine people, every details, food, drinks, clothes,
etc and to learn more about Shrove Tuesday traditions in 16th century.
click to enlarge
Orthodox Shrovetide is on Sunday March 2d this year. In Russia people
often cooked pancakes during a week before Lent. The famous samovar was used for making tea. Mostly families have electric samovar now and they boil
water for tea in samovar in Shrovetide week. If you wanted to boil water in any
old samovar you would need burning coals to put in its center pipe.
Another
old Russian traditions were a scarecrow burning, tobogganing
and tug of war. Years ago it
symbolized the end of winter, cold season and the start of spring, sunny
and warm days.
I'd like to show you the painting
'Shrovetide time' by Leonid Solomatkin, 1867.
click to enlarge
I
believe that the irony which both artists Bruegel and Solomatkin have depicted
people celebrating Shrovetide brings these two paintings. How
I did my scarecrow burning last year I wrote here
What
do you think about these old traditions? Do
you cook special food in Shrovetide?
These are wonderful traditions and the paintings are beautiful. Your culture fascinates me and I hope someday to visit Russia! Many people eat pancakes here on Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. In some parts of the country there are big mardi gras celebrations.
ReplyDeleteI love make and eat pancakes as well, Peter. This Shrovetide I bought special mix for pancakes, it's needed only to add water or milk in this mixed powder. Thank you!
DeleteWonderful seasonal post!
ReplyDeleteALOHA from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
=^..^= <3
Thank you Cloudia!
DeleteThanks for all the info, it is so fun to hear about other countries’ traditions. Living here in London I don’t really upheld any of the old traditions, but back when I lived in Norway we used to celebrate ‘Fastelavn’. Here is info from Wikipedia:
ReplyDelete"Fastelavn evolved from the Roman Catholic tradition of in the days before Lent. After Denmark/Norway became Protestant nations, the holiday became less specifically religious. This holiday occurs seven weeks before Easter Sunday and is sometimes described as a Nordic Halloween, with children dressing up in costumes and gathering treats for the Fastelavn feast. The holiday is generally considered to be a time for children's fun and family games. The term Fastelavn comes from Old Danish fastelaghen, which was a borrowing of the Middle Low German vastel-avent, meaning "fast-evening", or the day before Lent. The word has cognates in other Germanic languages, including Limburgish Vastelaovend, Dutch Vastenavond and Scots Fastens-een."
In Norway, we gather birch twigs and take indoors and decorate them with coloured feathers for fastelavn. It is custom for the children to 'spank' their parents with the decorated birch twigs on this one day a year, as this is the children’s day so the roles are reversed!! – although parents no longer spank their children, the tradition is upheld for fun. But pancakes have no role in this, we eat pancakes all year round. We have a special fastelavn bun though, with lots of cream inside. Yum!
Interesting tradition, Helene. I can imagine the children enjoying Nordic Halloween! And what do the parents feel when their children have the birch twigs in their hands? Funny!
DeleteThank you!
I had not seen the work of Leonid Solomatkin, but I like it very much. I am a big fan of Breughel and wish we had more originals in England, as they are large paintings. I love your hyacinth header by the way, such wonderful blooms as if they are made from wax. I forgot to do pancakes this year. Shrovetide customs aren't really kept up much in England.
ReplyDeleteThis hyacinth blooms in February in my 'winter garden' and I decided to change wintry header to vernal one. Glad you liked it, Jenny. I love Peter Breughel very much, I've seen some of his original paintings in Vienna.
DeleteThank you!
En España el carnaval se limita a disfrazarse y desfilar por las calles pasándolo bien. Los más famosos son los de Tenerife y Cadiz. No cocino nada especial en carnaval Nadedza.
ReplyDeleteMe gustan los cuadros es una buena representación de esa cultura.
Buen jueves amiga ;))
Un beso.
Yo he visto una pelicula sobre el carnaval en Tenerife, era muy grande con mucha gente y carros preciosas.
DeleteGracias, Laura!
Dear Nadezda,i'm glad we have the same traditions!Our Orthodox Shrovetide is on Sunday March 2d too!The week,before we prepare food with cheese and milk!Not meat!I also have a Russian Samovar!!Wish you a happy Shrovetide !!
ReplyDeleteDimi...
Yes. you're right Dimi, our traditions are similar. I hope you have fun in Shrovetide with samovar and special food!
DeleteWelcome Nadezda!
ReplyDeleteI love traditions. This is our Slavic culture.
In Poland we eat donuts. U you pancakes.
Also delicious.
Very interesting post.
I wish you a nice celebration.
Lucia
Hope you have a nice time in Tłusty Czwartek!
DeleteThank you, Lucia!
These are some absolutely fascinating paintings. Wow. I especially love the last one - lots going on there :)
ReplyDeleteAnd now I really want some pancakes!
Keith, I think you will be able to eat as many pancakes as you wish!
DeleteHere we celebrate carnaval in this time of year, but that's different from Shrovitide I suppose. I remember your interesting post of last year and..... I love eating pancakes with strawberries and chocolate.
ReplyDelete....with strawberries and chocolate, with sour cream, caviar, jam, salmon, just butter, etc. It's a long time to make them and the eating is very fast!
DeleteThank you, Janneke!
In French, Shrove Tuesday is "Mardi gras". Traditionally it was the last day you did not have to fast before the beginning of Lent.
ReplyDeleteThank you for showing us the Solomatkin painting. It reminds me of a Canadian painter also of the XIXth Century - cornelius krieghoff. Look him up on Google, you will see the resemblances.
Alain, I saw the paintings by Cornelius Krieghoff and I liked ones of the life outdoors, the paintings look like those by Leonid Solomatkin, you're right!
DeleteThank you!
This time of year we like to make special stuffed cookies called hamentashen, they are something like kolacky.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your tradition, Jason!
DeleteWe don't have a Shrove holiday here, but I think we will have a pancake day to celebrate with you. We'll top our pancakes with Raspberry syrup made from the berries we harvested last Fall. Yum!
ReplyDeleteI think the pancakes with your own raspberry syrup are delicious, Carolyn!
DeleteIn Germany on the Rhine it is still Karneval until Ash Wednesday, which is next Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteFrom then on it’s lent and traditionally, people fast. It’s not done now but people give up some foods like chocolate etc. for lent.
You're right, Friko, traditions are changing but Karneval is still popular in Germany. Thank you!
DeleteThis time of year is so full of celebration. Your Shrove holiday sounds so lovely. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteYour posting today was excellent! This week I visited with a friend from Russia and she talked about pancakes and a celebration. I had no idea what she was trying to tell me until she explained Lent. Wow, your posting could not have come at a better time. Thanks so much. Jack
ReplyDeleteMy post is in a right place and in right time, Jack! :))
DeleteGlad you liked it, thank you!
°º♡♡彡
ReplyDeletePassei para uma visita.
Post muito interessante, é muito bom conhecer as tradições de outros países.
Aqui não temos o dia das panquecas.
♡♬° ·. Bom domingo!
Ótimo mês de março!
Beijinhos do Brasil.
°º♡♡♬° ·.
Hi Nadezda
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post about Shrovetide. I will think of you as I eat crepes on Pancake Tuesday!
I'm sure you enjoyed the Pancake Tuesday, Astrid!
DeleteI don't do anything special for Easter or Lent. But many people here do, depending on their religion or personal beliefs. We just hope for good weather so we can enjoy the day outdoors.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Tammy, we all wait for good weather and have many plans for this spring. Thank you!
DeleteI enjoyed reading about these old traditions. It's intriguing to exam the beautiful paintings.
ReplyDeleteYour pretty header holds a promise of joys to come.
Betty
PS It's also interesting to read the comments from your readers to learn the various ways this time is marked.
I do like reading and to answer the comments, Betty. The new blooming white hyacinth is on my header, I love it.
DeleteThank you!
Nadezda, great images ! I love traditions. And I love pancakes with cottage cheese, served with strawberries taste perfectly.
ReplyDeleteGreetings :)
Oh, I have to make pancakes with cottage cheese, hope it's delicious, Ela. Thank you for your recipe!
DeleteVery interesting post, love much, full informatie,greeting from Belgium, havea nice time karnaval.
ReplyDeleteHope you had fun on Shrove Tuesday as well!
DeleteThank you for stopping by!