The winter is almost over, its the middle of February now, the weather in Ukraine is getting better, the snow has melted almost everywhere, the days have become longer. Starting from the first week of spring we celebrate Masljannitsa, traditional carnival, pancakes, burning of scarecrows, fist fights and a lot of other cultural events will amaze all travelers coming here at the beginning of March. Scarecrow symbolizes winter and thus, burning it, Ukrainians symbolically say goodbye to the cold. In the main squares of all cities will be organized fair, you will see people in traditional clothes, who will dance and sing. If you come to Ukraine in the week-long period of Masljannitsa, you have a chance to get acquainted with the Ukrainian culture. Visitors can buy souvenirs, listen to folk songs and learn more about folklore.
By the way, Masljannitsa is an old pagan rite, which Ukrainians have preserved as part of their culture. The form of pancakes is a pagan symbol of the Sun.
Masljannitsa was a very sacred period for the ancestors of Ukrainians.
And modern Ukrainians love and honor their traditions and have preserved a lot of pagan rituals and you can feel the spirit of ancient times, which has been carried over to nowadays.
In the сity centers you might see a beautiful picture, music, wonderful decoration of a holiday, staging of dances and puppet theater, but if you want to feel the real fairy tale and to see, how Ukrainians say goodbye to the winter far from curious eyes of tourists, cameras and professional organizations of events, go to the Carpathian mountains or small towns, or better villages of Ukraine. Their people celebrate Masljannitsa with soul, in the company of family and friends, in a cozy atmosphere, not among traffic jams, huge stone jungle, and neon lights.
UkrainianGuide 