Changes

'''Cheesefare Week''', also known as '''Maslenitsa''' (Ма́сленица), '''Butter Week''', or '''Pancake week'''. It is celebrated during the last week before [[Great Lent]]—that is, the seventh week before [[Pascha]] (Easter). Cheesefare roughly corresponds to the Western Christian [[W:Carnival|Carnival]] ([[W:Mardi Gras|Mardi Gras]], or [[W:Shrove Tuesday|Shrove Tuesday]]), except that Orthodox Lent begins on a Monday instead of a Wednesday, and the Orthodox date of Easter can differ greatly from the Western Christian date. In 2008, Cheesefare will be was celebrated from [[March 2]] to [[March 8]].

Cheesefare is the last week before the onset of Great Lent. During Cheesefar Cheesefare week, meat is already forbidden to Orthodox Christians, making it a "meat-fast week" (Russian ''myasopustnaya nedelya'' (мясопустная неделя)). During Lent, meat, fish, dairy products and eggs are forbidden. Furthermore, Lent also excludes parties, secular music, dancing and other distractions from the spiritual life. Thus, Cheesefare represents the last chance to partake of dairy products and those social activities that are not appropriate during the more prayerful, sober and introspective Lenten season.

The most characteristic element of Cheesefare in Russian tradition is [[w:bliny|bliny]] (Russian pancakes/crepes). Round and golden, they are made from the rich foods still allowed by the Orthodox tradition: butter, eggs, and milk.