KAMENETS DISTRICT, 21 February (BelTA) - The Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park celebrated Maslenitsa and bid farewell Snegurochka [Snow Maiden] until next winter, BelTA has learned.
The folk festivities took place on the grounds of the Archaeological Museum under the open sky. Games, contests, and amusements were organized for the guests. What is Maslenitsa without pancakes? Belovezhskaya Pushcha cooks use a signature ingredient to prepare them. The forest air makes the pancakes fluffier and tastier. The treats are served with various fillings.
“It's our first time here for Maslenitsa, and actually, we had never been to Belovezhskaya Pushcha during winter before. The impressions are very good: the holiday and the weather are wonderful, and the pancakes are delicious,” said Tatiana and Renat, a couple from the town of Vysokoye. Throughout the week, they happily indulged in pancakes. “Wherever you go for Maslenitsa, you're greeted with pancakes everywhere. We're teaching our children about our traditions,” the young couple said.
Maslenitsa is celebrated in different corners of Brest Oblast, each with its own unique flavor. Danuta and Elena from Bereza, after studying the options, decided to go to Belovezhskaya Pushcha. “We had long wanted to come here for Maslenitsa. Our expectations and reality matched. We are waiting for spring, warmth, and flowers. Today we are seeing off winter. We are having a lot of fun; the atmosphere here is great. We tried the pancakes (made with kefir and cranberries), and we liked them,” the girls said.
Many people came to the festival in large groups. Among them was a family from Drogichin - Aleksandr, his wife, and their four sons. “We love riding bicycles in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, but we had never been here in winter. We came specially for the little one to meet Grandfather Frost. The mood is good, the atmosphere is fantastic. We love Maslenitsa for a pancake feast, for the fact that spring and warmth are coming soon. These are our traditions; we love and respect them. We are instilling this attitude in our children. The school and kindergartens also do a lot in this regard,” said the head of the large family.
In Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Maslenitsa was combined with a ceremony to bid farewell to Snegurochka [Snow Maiden]. The granddaughter of Grandfather Frost, together with Mother Winter and her daughters Blizzard, Cold, and Snowstorm, departed for the South Pole. “In winter, I help Grandfather Frost. I pay more attention to the little children. Soon the warm weather will come; such weather is difficult for me, so I am leaving for the South Pole with Mother Winter and the whole family. Of course, parting is always hard, but time will fly by quickly, and we will meet again next December," Snegurochka said. 
Photos by Violetta Yuzhakova/BelTA
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