Maslenitsa is one of Russia's best-loved religious/cultural festivals, and is the traditional pre-Lent festival in the Orthodox Christian calendar. Maslenitsa translates roughly as Butter Week, the aim being to consume as much buttery, rich food as possible before the Lenten fast begins. A typical Maslenitsa treat is pancakes (bliny) stuffed with caviar, honey and sour cream – washed down with an obligatory glass of vodka. In addition to the gluttony, the celebrations include mass snowball fight ... Read more »