Maslenitsa is a pagan holiday that has been adapted to Christian traditions. The whole week Russians dedicated to preparations of the scarecrow which was burnt yesterday, on Sunday.
The scarecrow is usually made from old scraps of clothing and straw, Berdsk local website reports. The scarecrow always looks like a woman because it symbolizes winter to which people want to say goodbye.
The bonfire symbolizes the imminent arrival of warm weather and its victory over the winter cold. It is believed that fire renews every person, giving him a chance to improve his life. Suffering, quarrels, misunderstandings go away with the fire. People believe that the flame will warm up the soil after winter cold as well as it will warm the hearts of every person before the Great Lent. Therefore, burning a scarecrow is a farewell to winter and all the problems, illnesses, and failures of the last year.
Ru-Main, 15.03.2021
