The soul of the Russian people is wide. Songs, festivities, gypsies with bears, balalaika and vodka - this is what Russia associates with foreigners, although we know that this is far from the case - at least now on weekdays. At all times, Russian people loved to celebrate their holidays: from Easter to Shrovetide. Times passed, the rituals were modernized, changed in accordance with the eras, hid, but remained in our hearts. And the holidays that came from hoary antiquity are still the most beloved. Even the most fashionable hipsters can not resist grandmother's pancakes, and people who are obsessed with health are happy to treat themselves to Easter cakes. All this is an occasion for corporate events: they are loved both at school and in the office. Currently, the Internet is full of articles and scenarios for Shrovetide week. You can gather every day for a coffee break that matches the theme of the day, or you can spend the whole week on the last day of Shrovetide. And if you decide to engage in the celebration, you need to study its history, main traditions and customs, as well as figure out how to make a stuffed animal on Shrovetide.
Greasy week
It started quite quietly. By Monday ice and snow entertainments were being prepared, participation in which was strictly obligatory if you did not want to spend old age in the mountain and crippled. The daughter-in-law went to her parents, and in the evening the elders discussed who to call and what to treat. The first pancake was given to the poor. All the fun began at Zaigrysh - eat from the belly, make fun, have fun, joke and look closely at the brides ... And the next day the son-in-law went to his mother-in-law - for a glass, and for pancakes too. These relatives were the main characters of all representations. This day is not in vain called Gourmand - after all, on Wednesday they indulged in gluttony. On Thursday, unbridled fun began with fistfights, fun and games. The scarecrow of Shrovetide already saw the light and rode through the streets. On the fifth day of the week mother-in-law with friends paid return visits to the husbands of their daughters - as a mother-in-law, the mother-in-law loves and respects. And on Saturday, hiking and festivities continued. The daughter-in-law invited guests, mainly relatives of her husband. All this was accompanied by the presentation of gifts and delicious dinners. On Forgiveness Sunday, peasants went to church. On this day, it was customary to apologize to everyone to whom a person had inadvertently done harm in order to join the Fast with a clear conscience. The fun gradually subsided, half-eaten pancakes and treats were burned, dishes were rubbed to a shine. And of course, the effigy of Shrovetide was burned as a symbol of death and rebirth.
Traditions today
Despite the fact that the week is not a day off, they still have fun. Of course, everything has changed since then: pancakes and a stuffed Pancake week, and even then not always - that’s what we associate with Fatty Week. Each housewife has her own recipe, with which she pleases home and guests at least a couple of times in a hearty week. Stuffed winter on Shrovetide is not so common. In a large city, the ritual of burning is weakly possible. But if you want to revive traditions, then from this article you will learn how to make a scarecrow on Shrovetide and beat its appearance.
The main character
So, they love to celebrate this event in schools. All kinds of matinees are held. And then parents have to puzzle over the question: “How to make a scarecrow?” And not just make it, but also include it in the holiday. As a rule, all days of the week are played out in one evening, on the same stage. How to make a scarecrow on Shrovetide the main character of the productions? Put it in the center of the stage: periodically refer to it in the transitions between passages of the script, drive round dances and so on. Making a Shrovetide scarecrow is not a very time-consuming task. And then we will get acquainted with this process.
Craft "stuffed", made with your own hands
First you need to correlate the size of the place where you will burn the scarecrow, and the size of the doll itself: after all, if you hold a celebration in an open field, then the larger the figure, the better. Then find the base: it can be a stick or a wooden pole, high enough and strong. Then it’s small. For stuffing stuffed animals it is best to use straw. Next, take an old grandmother's sundress or an unnecessary tunic and turtleneck that is already small for your child. You will have to sew the hands out of the fabric - choose natural and light. So, start the jacket with straw so that Shrovetide is really solid, magnificent, so that everything is with her. Do the same with mittens or linen brushes. Sew them to the sleeves. Put a sundress or tunic on top so that the stuffed animal is in maxi. Sew your head yourself - like a flat round pillow. Stuff it with the same straw. You can put on a wig, or at least a couple of curls, so that they knock out from under the scarf, which would block the transition from the body to the body. Put on the pole the main part of the stuffed animal, then the head. Hide the transition with a handkerchief. On the face of a stuffed animal, bring beauty: red lips, cheeks, eyes, failed charcoal. Be sure to go into the open space, follow safety precautions! Create a small recess for the stick, light it up ... Have a round dance! Be sure to cook something for every fireman (literally): sand or water.
The option with dry branches is also suitable - they can be arranged as in a doll-motanka, common among the people. It can be done more, and out of paper - a bright outfit. A broom is also suitable for the base: disassemble it, that is, pull out all the strings. The widest part of the broom is the skirt. Take part of the rods and set them aside, cutting off the ends with which they sweep. Next, insert these rods just above the middle of the dense part. Tie the broom at the base of the wide part, and secure the "hands". Now put the stuffed animal on something bright. You can make an outfit from paper, then leave a maximum of "wooden" space and do not draw a stuffed face. Or make a head yourself, as described in the previous method. On a very small scale, make Shrovetide from pencils. Take the pencil cross as a basis, and then - as in the previous methods. You can stuff a scarecrow with cotton. You can make a cone out of paper so that it reaches the intersection of two pencils. This cone is a skirt. Next, sew an outfit of bright shreds.
How to make a scarecrow on Shrovetide in the office?
Naturally, such a wide walk around the office staff will not work, but you can also have fun. Choose one day when you bring all together pancakes, gingerbread cookies, jelly and so on. Get to know the traditions or play skits with colleagues: stock up on this old and ridiculous clothes. For Shrovetide to be a success, a scarecrow is needed - but how to make it and even more so to burn it? For this, different options are suitable. Make your stuffed one out of unnecessary paper, which is enough in the office. Go outside - and only there, in the smoking area, burn your scarecrow. Attention! Always consider safety precautions. Build an origami woman from sticker paper. Remember how in childhood you made “snowballs” from paper for a matinee? From the same lumps of paper, blind a woman - that’s a scarecrow. If you don’t want to burn anything at all, but you need to pay tribute to traditions, as well as destroy the scarecrow, then make a woman from chicken or something edible. For example, a chicken with a delicious crust can be dressed in vegetables, put potatoes on the neck and tie a napkin with a handkerchief. The main thing is a beautiful design, and then the farewell to winter will be a great success. Make a scarecrow of balls and cram them into the same old dress and scarf - and "pop" them.
Stuffed pinata
To conduct a “hot” Pancake week, you can use the idea of a papier-mâché stuffed animal. But we will not burn it. Spend a piñata - a game that consists in hitting a blindfold with a stick as hard as possible on a scarecrow in which candies and other small surprises are hidden. Children are especially happy about this, but adults are also happy to play such fun.
Away the flaws!
With a stuffed Carnival you can spend not only winter. Saying goodbye to winter, we say goodbye to what bothers us the most. So, for example, you can send our flaws downwind with a scarecrow. To do this, write down what you do not like or interfere with your dream. Make a bag for the scarecrow and stuff the wish-papers into it. The scarecrow will burn, and at the same time lightness will come, the main thing is to believe in your strength and the help of Fatty Week.
Wide week
Shrovetide is a mixture of pagan rites. Today it does not bear such a load, because we do not ask the earth and the ancestors of fertility. However, everyone loves to feast on pancakes, and that's great. After all, traditions are not forgotten, which means that we will bring them to the future, and our children will be even happier. And why is there no reason to have fun just like that, in the midst of a winter depression?