Shrove Tuesday and Maslenitsa

In the old days it was around Shrove Tuesday that rural families in Estonia usually ran out of meat stocked for the winter. The best-known Shrove Tuesday tradition is sledging down a slope as a somewhat magical ritual: it was believed that a long slide meant good flax harvest, which would bring prosperity to the farm. As the majority of flax processing jobs were done by women, Shrove Tuesday was when women were not supposed to work and could party and have fun, and this is why Shrove Tuesday is also known as women’s festive day.

Eastern Orthodox Christians use the Julian calendar to hold traditional festivals. The festivities last for the entire week known as Maslenitsa. This is the time to eat rich foods, pay visits, play folk games and enjoy winter pastimes before the long seven-week Lent. Setos, who are Eastern Orthodox believers, also consider this period to be meant for women’s festivities with a special celebration held on the Thursday of this week.