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So, with the beginning of Maslenitsa week, practically inevery house starts to bake pancakes. In the past, only wheat flour and water were added to the dough. And at the present time there are no pancakes, they are sweet, with stuffing, and even pancakes are. The pancake embodies the sun, which everyone is waiting for after a long winter. The tradition is pancakes on Shrovetide - means to swallow a piece of warm and gentle sun. Another tradition is related to the number of baked pancakes. The more pancakes the village dwellers will be able to bake, the sooner spring will come. The sun is round in shape, so many ancestors believed that the circle has magical properties. Hence the tradition of driving dances to Shrovetide. The wider the dance, the hotter the sun, and, correspondingly, the richer the harvest. In addition to roundelays, the youth often harnessed their horses and sledged around the village in a sleigh. This was done so that the spring would soon come to their village. Another symbol of the sun was fire. So, in the villages the inhabitants chose the largest wooden wheel, set it on fire and rolled along the road to the slope, so that it fell into a ravine. Anyone who can turn his wheel to a ravine without falling, will live the whole year happy and in abundance. Another popular feature was associated with the fun of Shrovetide. It was believed that the person who will not have fun and participate in the festive jokes will be unhappy until the next spring arrival. Another pancake tradition was fistfight. And the bravest winners had to fight the bear. After all, in the winter season, the bear sleeps in its lair, and wakes up only with the beginning of spring. Hence the tradition - to overcome the bear, to wake him from sleep. Well, and of course, not a single stroll to Shrove Tuesday could not do without burning a straw effigy. Throughout the whole week, the stuffed man, symbolizing the Carnival, was taken around the village, offered him treats and entertained him in every possible way. After all, the stuffed pancake is not only the embodiment of the holiday itself, but also the evil winter and death. Therefore, on a farewell day, he was burned at a ritual fire, thus saying goodbye to the bad and greeted the good.