Last weekend Kyivans and guests of the capital were made welcome in city parks and other places where the Masliana (Butter or Pancake Week before Lent) was celebrated, marking the departure of winter and the coming of spring (traditionally greeted with food and drink, especially all kinds of pancakes). The Day’s journalists visited the National Exhibition Center (on the premises of the former Exhibition of Advanced National Economic Achievements) Saturday morning to take part in the festivities.
It was snowing lightly, adding to the festive mood. Small groups of people were approaching the central entrance, to be greeted by long rows of stands selling beekeepers’ products. Back of the “central square” an open-air stage was being assembled. All along the perimeter braziers were being lit up and chicken pierced with skewers.
Pancakes were available in the furthest kiosk where the ingredients were supplied in plastic bags. One was immediately reminded of last year’s Masliana in Pyrohovo. The scenario was the same. What about tradition?
Instead of troikas, round dances, samovars, etc., here was a typical modern bazaar with pancakes fried in microwave ovens and the ever-present grilled chicken; instead of horse-driven sleds were power-driven mini-jeeps for children. Marketplace bears were replaced with Kodak photos with birds. Perhaps the only traditional element was the sledgehammer and anvil where one could show one’s physical strength after paying five hryvnias. Meanwhile, people were confidently taking seats at the tables by the kiosks. Word was spread that the festivities in Holosiyeve would begin at midday.
Holosiyivsky Park is better equipped for the Masliana festivities than the National Exhibition Center, with hills for sleds, the woods, merry-go-rounds, and a stationary open-air stage. Also, fewer people were in attendance. But! They had stands selling real pancakes fried on real frying pans.
Two stoves were manned by girls handling them with a true virtuosity, serving various dressings. The customers were happy and the line to the kiosk was endless. Yuriy, the proprietor, told us that they had some fifty kilos of dough, meaning they could serve about four hundred pancakes. Judging by the line of eager customers, they would run out of stock in a couple of hours.
In contrast with the National Exhibition Center, no hard drinks were available in Holosiyeve and pancakes with caviar were served under the counter (the sanitary authorities had banned caviar as a perishable) and people were encouraged to take part in traditional festivities. There was an actor dressed up as a bear (the costume betraying the ravages of time) calling out to children by the open- air stage, inviting them to join in a round dance. Some would but showed little enthusiasm. People visiting with their sleds and skis mostly ignored the stands and kiosks, headed for the snow-covered hills. The risk-loving ones headed for the Ferret wheel.
The overall impression was that this year’s Masliana was mostly enjoyed by bottle-friendly men; that pancakes were mostly replaced with hotdogs and samovars and bublik bagels with pizza and beer. Shrove Saturday was followed by Shrove Sunday and the city fathers ought to have apologized to the populace for such attitude to tradition.
