What could be the scenario of Shrovetide?
The celebration of Maslenitsa is dedicated to the pagan deity Yarila, who was revered by the Slavs. To see off the winter is accepted by centuries-old traditions through cultural events. The main attribute of this holiday is considered to be pancakes, which are a symbol of the Sun. Eating "particles of the sun" has a ritual significance, because, according to the belief of distant ancestors, in this way you can increase the fertility of the soil and increase your prosperity.
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Shrovetide means farewell to the frosty winter to meet the long-awaited warm spring, when nature comes to life and the frozen ground thaws. For many centuries this ancient holiday has been celebrated on a grand scale and with wild processions. In this magical time, both children and adults are equally happy.
A delicious treat, anointed with butter, condensed milk or jam, is supposed to be nourishingly treated throughout the oil week before the onset of Lent.
According to religious customs, Orthodox Shrovetide is referred to as Sulfur Week, and during this period you can eat food of animal origin.
At the celebration dedicated to the welcome of spring, people have long danced around the scarecrow, bake pancakes, play snowballs, ride down hills and take the built ice fortresses by storm. Compliance with traditions and rituals allows you to feel the connection with your ancestors and plunge into the atmosphere of the past.
To organize a fun holiday, you will need a script that will help you plan your contests and events. The game program should be full of folk songs, dances, games and competitions.
If you are planning a large-scale festival, you should seek the services of professional hosts.
The gatherings are designed for a small number of participants.
At mass events, comic theatrical performances are organized, where guests are entertained by mummers, and all kinds of contests are organized in which you can win a prize.
For this, all the necessary holiday paraphernalia is purchased and prepared in advance.
The opening of the solemn event should be accompanied by the sound of thematic music. At the initial stage, you need to collect guests, shouting barkers.
Fanfare should sound when everyone is assembled. After that, it is necessary to arrange entertainment competitions. Eating pancakes with hot tea and various sweets is a must when celebrating Maslenitsa.
Location of the holiday
Depending on where the holiday will be held, what audience will be present at it, in what number, it is necessary to draw up a game program. If Maslenitsa is held in kindergarten, this wonderful holiday can be met with the attraction of fairy-tale characters, immersing children in a fairy tale. You can give the children a performance of invited artists or animators, which will help them find themselves in a world of wonders.
Festivities involve organizing Maslenitsa on the street, so you can't do without a lot of outdoor games and exciting contests. At the end of the celebration, a scarecrow is certainly burned. On Forgiveness Sunday, fairs are held in the squares of the city or village, where everyone can enjoy freshly baked pancakes.
If the festivities are held on the street, then the main concert venue is pre-decorated with balloons and other festive decorations.
In the center of the stage, the name of the celebration is usually hung against the background of the sun with rays emanating from it in the form of multi-colored ribbons.
For pensioners, it is proposed to hold gatherings at the tables in the assembly hall. At the same time, the walls of the room are decorated with multi-colored ribbons, balls, suns and figurines of "spring flowers" made of paper. To plunge into the atmosphere of the holiday, participants are invited to recall the cultural and historical events associated with the celebration of Maslenitsa festivities. Artists should be dressed in traditional Russian costumes, which will give the holiday a special flavor. Gatherings for the elderly can include the performance of perky ditties and folk songs in the program. Elderly people will love treats in the form of pancakes with a variety of fillings.
The organizational part of the event includes the installation of equipment, hanging decorations, arrangement of shopping arcades and arrangement of playgrounds and contests. Indoors, a theatrical show is held, and outdoor festivities are held in the square and the main streets of the city.
The urban scenario of Maslenitsa implies the installation of sites according to interests, which can attract a huge number of people walking, because everyone can find entertainment to their liking. These include win-win lotteries, sports, arts and crafts trade shows, roller coasters, carousels and a host of other fun activities.
The city authorities are responsible for organizing cultural events.
Possible entertainment
The children's holiday will allow the younger generation to be introduced to the centuries-old traditions of celebration and to get acquainted with the primordial Russian traditions. The child can be asked to learn a rhyme or song to perform in kindergarten. For preschool children, you can hold a matinee with dressed-up characters.
Before the start of the children's party, the hall should be decorated with toys, crafts and flags.
At the beginning of the festival, to say goodbye to winter, children will howl a buffoon, inviting them to stand in a circle and lead a friendly round dance. Then the children begin to dance agilely, after which they move on to solving riddles and singing Shrovetide songs. Then the children are divided into groups for outdoor games. The meeting of spring ends with a tea party with pancakes.
Making a straw doll independently for its subsequent burning will become a fascinating activity for kids. Educators can, together with a group, create a scarecrow using straw, an old hat, caftan and bast shoes. It is also possible to hold a competition to determine the best example of a homemade doll. The winner will be awarded a special prize.
For schoolchildren, you can organize a spring outing within the walls of the school, where parents will be invited. To do this, you will first need to prepare the room, decorating it with the thematic attributes of Maslenitsa, and also show a theatrical performance for adults in accordance with a pre-rehearsed script. After the performance, the entertainment part of the event follows, in which games and contests are held, and then a tea party with Maslenitsa dishes is arranged.
The holding of mobile contests directly depends on the weather conditions, because during the celebration on the street there should not be a severe frost, as this will interfere with the holiday.
In any case, static contests should alternate with mobile ones, and then the participants do not have time to freeze.
The scenario of the celebration can be unusual or consist of traditional entertainment, which is determined by the imagination of the compilers. Modern programs for celebrating Maslenitsa have a place for participants of all ages, from very young children to old people. Usually, a special play area is allocated for the kids, where the organizers keep order. Children can ride on ice floes and make snowmen under the supervision of their parents.
The riotous and noisy Maslenitsa holiday ends with the traditional burning of a straw effigy, where a huge crowd of people gathers.
In this case, it is especially important to observe safety precautions and protect children from being close to a lit fire.
When the scarecrow bursts into flames, people of all ages will begin to lead a cheerful round dance, which means goodbye to Shrovetide.
Games
Celebrating Shrovetide, everyone can return to a carefree childhood. The main thing here is a great mood, a positive attitude and a spirit of competition. As is known, Since ancient times, the most popular Maslenitsa games are considered to be running in sacks, as well as jumping rope and "cockfighting". Men are not averse to measuring strength by lifting heavy weights.
The game "Winders" consists in the fact that a prize is tied in the middle of a long string, and its ends are held by two participants. The opponent's task is to get ahead of the other participant by more quickly winding the thread. Whoever gets to the prize first becomes the winner.
Fascinating competition "Fight with balloons" involves the division of children into two teams, then balls on long handles are distributed to all participants, with which they will fight until one team bursts all the balls of their opponents.
A simple game "Bast" involves tying a bast shoe on a rope. Participants of the competition stand in a circle, and the presenter is in the center with a bast shoe and begins to spin it on the floor. The competitors must jump over the bast shoes, and those whom he touched are forced to leave the game. The action is repeated until the time when the most dexterous player remains, who did not fall on the bast shoe.
The traditional game "Burners" involves the formation of pairs, which become a string. The driver is holding a red scarf. The couple, who is the last in the line, must run on different sides to the leader and snatch the "light" from him.Whoever grabs the handkerchief becomes the leader. The other two players move to the beginning of the line. The game is repeated until all pairs have been run.
In the open air, children and adults are invited to play the game of chance "Ded Moroz's shooting gallery", with which you can warm up and have plenty of fun. To carry it out, you will need to install targets designed for throwing snow shells.
The shields can be hung on the wall and fixed to the pole.
The winner is the most accurate player who hits the center target better than the others.
Another fun competition is the Broom Throwing competition. Its essence lies in obtaining primacy for the farthest throwing of a broom. Accordingly, the winner is the one who is farther than others who can throw a broom or knock down a snow figure. Another option using a broom is the "Three-Broomstick" competition. For this, skittles or other obstacles are placed on the site. Participants must ride on a broomstick along the designated trajectory, while not hitting the exposed fences. The winner is the player who knocked down the least number of obstacles and reached the finish line faster than others.
Shrovetide cannot do without the competition "Running in bags". Before the start of the competition, the players are given inventory, and on command, the participants begin to jump at speed in the bag, trying to come to the finish line first.
Contests
Undoubtedly, the most famous competition dedicated to the celebration of the wide Maslenitsa is the “Reach for Heaven” competition. This involves digging a 5-meter-high wooden pole into the ground, and hanging balls or other decorative elements from above. The winner is the participant who, having climbed to the top of the pillar, will be able to get the hanging jewelry with a gift.
The game can be complicated by the fact that the post is lubricated with a special substance that makes it slippery.
No less funny and perky competition is "Collect potatoes". As the name suggests, the participants, divided into two teams, need to use a spoon to deliver the potatoes to the cast iron bowl faster than the others. The team that fills its pot, ahead of its rivals, wins.
Quests
Modern realities have brought new colors to the Maslenitsa traditions that have been established for centuries. The quest consists of the sequential execution of certain tasks that will lead to a solution and receive a winning prize. Participation in the quest will give players a lot of impressions and help them show their resourcefulness.
An uncomplicated scenario is passing tests to collect the products needed to bake pancakes. To develop a competitive spirit, participants are drawn by lot into 2 teams. At each stage of the competition, children are greeted by parents dressed up in costumes, who give them tasks and ask riddles. The last step will be to find the Maslenitsa scarecrow located on the territory. Having found all the "ingredients", participants are invited to enjoy pancakes.
What can be added to the script
The show with buffoons will give the invited guests an unforgettable experience. Costumed girls and fellows will help organize Shrovetide fun and entertainment. The buffoons will tell ditties and jokes, as well as offer to take part in merry relay races, traditional round dances and Pancake week games.
You need to decide in advance with the actors participating in the production, prepare a speech and Russian folk costumes for them.
Parsley is the most famous Shrovetide character, designed to entertain the people - he can show a short funny scene.
With a gypsy woman, you can come up with fortune-telling and arrange incendiary dances to the sound of perky music. With Baba Yaga, you can make the performance even more exciting, because she plays the role of a mischievous woman who is trying to "steal" the holiday.
Script texts are available in sufficient quantity, so if you wish, you can use ready-made ideas or come up with something of your own. The main thing that this incomparable holiday cannot do without is fun.
If you didn't manage to prepare a well-planned script, you can resort to improvisation and change the development of the script during the celebration.
Entertainers will help with this, who will set a festive mood and attract as many participants as possible. However, it is worthwhile to prepare a list of competitions and all the required requisites in advance so that no one gets bored.
Overview of examples
For one presenter, you will need to prepare a small script. The presenter should be dressed in Russian folk costume and be responsible for the process of organizing competitions and creative contests. Elegant costumes and rehearsals according to the prepared script will be required without fail.
Despite the fact that the traditions of celebrating Maslenitsa do not lose their former relevance, some customs have still undergone minor changes. In Russia, noisy festivities did not stop all week, for today's times it is problematic to arrange such a revelry.
Every day of the week has its own rituals, but now they are rarely followed by anyone.
The custom of baking pancakes and inviting guests to delicious treats has remained unchanged in celebrating Maslenitsa. The last day of the week, that is, Sunday, even today, is met with mass festivities, spending the holiday with the ritual burning of a scarecrow. The theatrical festivities are best preserved in ancient Russian cities.
In ancient times, it was customary to erect high ice slides, from which anyone can then slide down on a sled. Specially built slides became the center of entertainment, and booths were arranged around them, swings were placed, acrobats performed. The stormy fun continued until late at night. The most popular among the population were performances with the participation of trained animals.
The most spectacular phenomenon was the storming of the snow town, because in Russia the capture of the fortress was done on horseback, and its defenders defended it from the invaders with the help of snowballs.
No less delight was caused by fistfights, but at present this Pancake week attribute is not widespread.
Evening worship in churches involves the performance of the rite of forgiveness, when the rector of the church asks for forgiveness from the parishioners, and believers ask for forgiveness from each other for the wrongs and insults caused. Already on Monday, a long fast will begin, so the Orthodox are trying to cleanse themselves of their sins, asking everyone for forgiveness.
Going for festivities in the city center, you can take part in fun relay races and win symbolic prizes by taking an active part in organized competitions. Children will especially like these entertainments, but adults can also feel like children themselves. You can eat plenty of pancakes, go for rides and visit fairs.