SX Magazine cover story, 2003. By Katya Holloway
Pancake Week Festival is Russia’s latest attempt to attract tourists to Moscow, but will it ever become the next Mardi Gras? Katya Holloway investigates.
The rusty sound of a poorly recorded Russian folk song blasted from a pair of loudspeakers as a squad of five female dancers stepped single file onto the stage. Robed in brightly adorned dresses and gold scarves wrapped around their hair, the plump figures looked like live replicas of Russia’s traditional wooden Matryoshka dolls.
It was March 11 in Moscow and snowflakes were furiously blowing through the darkening sky. On stage, Blue Peter-style cut out suns and neon-coloured cat figures made up the amateurish props, tacked to the walls like the décor of a trance nightclub. Meanwhile, a straw scarecrow strapped sadistically to the end of a long pole galloped through the crowd alongside a woman performing circus tricks with her poodle.
It was the grand opening ceremony of Pancake Week’s 2002 festival, and a couple hundred onlookers – decked out in fur hats and puffer jackets – had gathered at the base of the stage in Revolution Square.
Although it is one of Russia’s oldest traditions, this is the first year that Moscow City Hall has promoted the Maslenitsa Festival to the world. Having spent US$1 million (31 million roubles) on its week-long performances, the tourism committee hopes that Pancake Week will one day become the next Mardis Gras.
The festival developed during the 16th century when the Russian Orthodox church declared the event an official religious holiday in an attempt to Christianise the remaining pagan beliefs in Russia. Since then, Pancake Week has evolved into a gluttonous preparation for the seven-week Lent before Easter.
This is the time for saying goodbye to the long winter and hello to spring. And what better way to do it than by eating copious amounts of pancakes and washing it down with shots of vodka?
Shivering amongst the crowd in my woolly winter clothing, I tucked into a hot pancake (blini) slathered with sturgeon caviar. Symbolising the sun, the blini has become the central emblem of Maslenitsa and vodka the unofficial drink.
A tourism brochure promoting the festival reads: “Vodka flows like a river. The Russian soul is so given to feasting as to forget everything.”
This custom was becoming increasingly evident throughout the day, as I staggered appreciatively to folk tunes blasting out of the tinny speakers.
And then it all went off. A thunderous bassline burst into the ancient diddy and the crowd went ballistic. At the base of the stage, a sort of mosh pit was forming, where a group of teen punks decked out in Mohawk haircuts and black leather danced enthusiastically with assorted traditional dance moves.
But my eye was distracted once more as I noticed two men strip down to their trousers and start pounding each other. A crowd of bedraggled spectators gathered around them, cheering excitedly in Russian. It was a mock fist fight, an event the organiser assured me. All part of the fun and games.
Other events that take place during this week of debauchery include troika rides, tobogganing down ice hills and horse riding.
On the second day of ceremonies, an event larger crowd gathered for an entertaining midday performance from folk actors and singers from all over Russia. The sun was out, accordion music was being amplified from the stage, and people dressed up as Russia’s famous storybook characters were frolicking merrily throughout the crowd.
And then I saw it. Next to a rusted up blue van was a frazzled looking grizzly cub, tied to a dog leash and growling meekly at its tamer.
They said the bear was associated with the pagan god Veles, which possesses a magical healing power. They believed that bears were stronger than the devil and were able to chase away evil. To protect their home from burning down, people would lead a bear around their property as a form of insurance.
These days, the bear performance is one of the best attended events of the Pancake Week festival. So as the plate-spinning act tottered towards its grand finale, the tamer proceeded to lead the animal up the stairs toward the stage. And it went something like this:
Act 1: Bear performs a jig to a folk song.
Act 2: Bear jumps skipping rope.
Act 3: Tamer wrestles bear.
Act 4: Tamer celebrates his survival with a few shots of vodka.
AT this point, the crowd joined into the festivities by slamming back vodkas and jigging arm in arm with the costumed characters. It was only day two of what was sure to be a mirky week of drinking, dancing and endless stacks of pancakes.
Nestradovia!
Katya Holloway travelled to Moscow courtesy of the Tourism Committee of the Moscow City Government, the Moscow Association of Travel Agencies, and Tari-Tari travel agency.