Maslenitsa!
Maslenitsa (Pancake week) is the only purely Russian Holiday that dates back to the pagan times. For seven days Moscow jingles with bells, sings with garmoshkas and glares with gaily-painted dresses. The people are letting the long-annoying winter out and the long-awaited spring in.
The counters in the Maslenitsa town are groaning with various dainties. There are the paunchy samovars with mellow tea, bunches of sweet-scented barankas, nuts and honey pies with different signs: “Whom I love – to those I give”, “A present of the sweet-heart is the dearest”. Salted foods, various fish, caviar – choose and eat anything however much you like!
But the essential elements, of course, are pancakes (bliny). Pancake is a symbol of sun. It is as round, gold and warm as the sun. Pancakes are served hot with either butter, or sour cream, or caviar, or mushrooms, or sturgeon – to any exquisite taste.
On the last day of the Great Maslenitsa the feasting and drinking ends up by burning down the scarecrow symbolizing winter thus saying goodbye to winter till the next year.
For the Russians Maslenitsa is like a carnival for the Italians, especially because the initial sense of festivals is the same: the Italian word “carnival” (carne-vale) means “farewell the beef!”, and Maslenitsa that precedes the Great Lent, in old time was called “Myasopust” because it was forbidden to eat meat during this week.
Maslenitsa has a dual ancestry: pagan and Christian. 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. During Maslenitsa week, meat is already forbidden to Orthodox Christians, making it a “meat-empty week” or “meat-fast 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.
The last day of Maslenitsa (Sunday) is called the Forgiveness Day. Everybody ask one another for forgiveness in order to redeem themselves from their sins before the Great Lent. They bow to one another and say, “God will forgive you”. Maslenitsa is over and so is the winter giving way to the spring.
Everybody knows what the Russian Soul is! This is prowess, dare-devilry, and, of course, the famous Russian hospitality. Everybody is welcome to Moscow to see the Russian winter off!
Photographer: Billy (StylishFetish.com).
March 2nd, 2009 at 18:21
Сыр, рыбка, икра и чай (с блинами) – это правильно! Мы в прошлое воскресенье масленицу отметили
March 2nd, 2009 at 18:55
I love the suit and your hair, Aurora
. Are you going to eat all the pancakes?
March 2nd, 2009 at 22:04
Hi Aurora,
What a treat it would be to have such a feast with such a perfect setting and the beautiful friend in that nice suit. It could not be more delicious then that!!! Enjoy !
March 3rd, 2009 at 0:32
Did you make all prepare all these food sweet Aurora? I am hungry, send some here in Greece.
March 3rd, 2009 at 0:39
I saw one picture on Chroma’s page with the snowball fight, and Billy told me about it. Was the snowball fight part of Maslenitsa for you two?
Of course, your Maslenitsa is a bit like Carnivale or Carnival as you mentioned, but also Mardi Gras in New Orleans. However, Mardi Gras was last Tuesday, being the fact that the Western Christian calendar is about a week ahead of the Eastern Orthodox calendar.
You also call it “Pancake Week.” Are there many IHOPs (International House of Pancakes) in Russia? I’d bet if there were, they’d be very busy during that week.
March 4th, 2009 at 2:45
После Кей мы увидели снежки с другой стороны
Склоняюсь все же ко второму варианту ^__^ Такие блины и в радость и в сладость 
Интересно, что выглядит аппетитней: накрытый стол или хозяйка?
March 6th, 2009 at 0:48
Hi Aurora! Sorry it’s been so long since you’ve heard from me.
You look SO PRETTY in your pink catsuit.
I REALLY like the outdoors photos. I always enjoy seeing the pictures you post of the beautiful Russian landscape and wilderness. Hope you continue to post more.
In photo number 4, you’re sitting at a table with your zentai-covered hands grabbing onto what appears to be a drinking glass filled with some kind of dark liquid. I’m curious —what exactly IS that liquid? Coffee, dark beer, Pepsi-cola?
I was very sick throughout the entire year of 2008 (which is why you didn’t hear from me for so long) with severe disease in my digestive tract. I was in the hospital several times between February 2008 and January of 2009. At one point, I became so sick that my family gathered around my bed and I was given the Last Rights.
But fortunately I was able to BOUNCE BACK and have now made a full recovery! Not THIS time, Grim Reaper!
Anyway, all during the time I was sick I faithfully viewed your blog and —as always— enjoyed seeing all your pictures and reading all your comments
Your photos are the GREATEST, the settings are always interesting and your poses and modeling are truly inspired. I absolutely LOOOOVE all your gorgeous costumes (especially the latex) and all your great masks (love to see more mask shots). I think you look SO BEAUTIFUL with your head shaved and —most importantly of all— I think you’re a very gifted and creative artist.
Hope you’re doing great! I’m glad I survived my medical troubles so I could send you this long, crazy letter!
Almost forgot — that food looks GREAT! And what exactly IS that dark liquid in the glass?
March 6th, 2009 at 5:22
About the “dark liquid”. My guess that it was sweet tea
March 7th, 2009 at 17:27
Well, it’s neither tea nor cola. It’s Kvas
Do you know what’s this?
March 7th, 2009 at 17:39
Its been a very long time since I have posted here, and anything I would say would just be mirroring what the above people have already said
Aurora and Billy (and Chromakey) do absolutely astounding work, both in front of the camera and promoting the wearing of zentai and encasement.
I have always enjoyed viewing their photos.
For this current set, my only question is…
for the outside pictures, what is Aurora wearing over her head?
March 7th, 2009 at 18:19
Tightsguy, it looks to me like a zentai hood with a stocking cap on the top, but this photo-image is very small on my computer so I could be mistaken.
Billy, I have never heard of “Kvas.” What exactly is it?
By the way, those Lara Croft photos you guys posted last year were stupendous!
Aurora looked INCREDIBLE!
But then, of course, she ALWAYS looks incredible!
March 8th, 2009 at 14:53
Were you wearing zentai, or is it a stocking pulled tight over your head? Is that a grey catsuit or a top and tights? And it looks like your wearing stockings/legwarmers and long gloves over the top of this. Did you have other gloves underneath these gloves? It would be great if you could describe all you’re dressed up in here.
Btw, love to see you casually in the kitchen wearing a gloved catsuit!
March 11th, 2009 at 12:19
Thanks for the write-up Aurora, nice to learn about other traditions and how people celebrate different occasions.
Nice pick zentai suit as well – great post.
Cheers,
Wayne.