Масленица or Crepe week, Feb 16-22, 2026

russianinboston
Feb 15
2 min read

Maslenitsa (Масленица) is a week-long festivity celebrating the end of winter and the beginning of spring. It is celebrated in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Many ethnographers consider Maslenitsa to be one of the oldest surviving Slavic traditions. Maslenitsa is not a religious holiday, but it is celebrated during the last week before the Orthodox Lent. I read that centuries ago dates of Maslenitsa were adjusted to make sure it does not fall on Lent when Orthodox Christians are forbidden to eat many types of food.

Modern Maslenitsa celebration combines Slavic pagan traditions and elements of Orthodox Christianity. During Maslenitsa week, many cities and towns organize celebrations, and cafes and restaurants offer special menus. Maslenitsa ends on Sunday with the ritual burning of the Maslenitsa scarecrow to celebrate the beginning of spring.

Maslenitsa - Wikipedia

Bliny/ Блины

Bliny (crepes) is the main food of modern Maslenitsa. They are yellow and round and symbolize the sun. With the sun and the spring comes new life.

Maslenitsa is a perfect occasion to invite friends to your house for bliny (на блины). Bliny (bliny is actually a plural form of a noun блин) are more like crepes though the word is often translated in American English as "pancakes". American pancakes are more like oladushki (оладьи, оладушки).

The best crepes recipes

Here are two of my favorite recipes of crepes that I have been using for many years. They slightly differ in taste. If following a recipe in Russian is difficult for you, use Carina's French Crepes recipe. Or you can do both. Both recipes have videos as well.

Tip 1: cast iron skillet is the best for crepes.

Tip 2: You can also buy a wooden crepe tool from Carina's site (the link is in the recipe). I bought it a couple of years ago and it made a huge difference. I use it every time I make crepes. if you decide to use the tool, make sure you have a bowl of water for the crepe spreader to dip between spreading crepe butter.

How to serve crepes

You can serve crepes with sweet and savory feelings. Traditional ones include caviar, smoked salmon, sour cream, ground meat, tvorog (Russian cottage cheese), and jam. If you live on the east coast of the US, don't skip maple syrup. It pairs well with bliny!

Syrniki/Сырники

Last but not least, if you know how to make crepes and want to try a new recipe, try making syrniki. They are traditional cheese pancakes. Traditional syrniki are served with sour cream, jam or a sweet topping of your choice.

С Масленицей!