Caroline described this best for me. A female scarecrow is burned in the fields to get rid of the winter and purify the dirt for the summer planting.
And so that is exactly what we did at the office. It was quite fun and interesting. And it made me do some research on another Ukrainian holiday I had never heard of. At least next year such holidays will seem like common place.
Maslenitsa, also known as Butter Week, Pancake week or Cheesefare Week), is a Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian religious and folk holiday. It is celebrated during the last week before Lent which is also the seventh week before Pascha (Easter). Maslenitsa has its origins in both pagan and Christian traditions. In Slavic mythology, Maslenitsa is a sun festival, celebrating the imminent end of the winter.
On the Christian side, Maslenitsa is the last week before the onset of Great Lent. It is the last week during which milk, cheese and other dairy products are permitted, leading to its other name of "Cheese-fare week" or 'Pancake week. During Lent, meat, fish, dairy products and eggs are forbidden. Furthermore, Lent also excludes parties, secular music, dancing and other distractions from the spiritual life. Thus, Maslenitsa represents the last chance to partake of dairy products and those social activities that are not appropriate during the more prayerful, sober and introspective Lenten season.
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