Top 5 Most Unusual Maslenitsa Dolls Burnt This Year

From mid-February to early March, Russian residents celebrate Maslenitsa, a traditional Russian folk holiday that symbolizes the end of winter. The festivities range from making pancakes to burning straw dolls. Here are most unusual Maslenitsa dolls burnt by Russians this year.
Sputnik

"Gothic Cathedral" on Fire

Residents of the Kaluga region burnt an artificial "Gothic cathedral" made of tree branches. The move has caused confusion among some religious institutions.

"Symbols of Christianity, whether they belong to the western or eastern branches of religion should be respected. We assume that this move could have caused nothing but misunderstanding among Christian believers," a representative of the Russian Church Vakhtang Kipshidze told RIA Novosti.

WADA Ritual

Residents of Perm went further and related Maslenitsa festivities to the doping scandal surrounding Russian athletes.

READ MORE: 10 Years of Russian Spring Festival in London: Maslenitsa, Pancakes & Politics

Instead of a carnival doll, they burnt a stuffed doll of Grigory Rodchenkov, an informant whose revelations led to several Russian athletes being banned from the participation in the 2018 Winter Olympics, while others were allowed to take part in the competition only under neutral flag.

Burning of a Stuffed "Poroshenko"

Slavic Pancake Festival: Maslenitsa Celebrations in Moscow
In the Ukrainian town of Chernivtsi, supporters of the former Georgian President and opposition figure Mikhail Saakashvili burnt a stuffed doll of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

In this way, activists expressed their disapproval of the Ukrainian authorities and their president.

Earlier, thousands of protesters held a march in central Kiev demanding Poroshenko's impeachment.

Guinness Record: The Biggest Maslenitsa Doll in Russia

Residents of the Russian city of Tyumen burnt a 20-meter carnival doll and got into the Guinness Book of Records in Russia.

"Yes, now we have a certificate confirming a new record — no one in Russia has yet burned a stuffed Maslenitsa doll higher than ours," Anna, a local manager who co-organized the event, said.

Maslenitsa in Goa

Russian tourists on vacation in India burnt a Maslenitsa doll made from palm leaves on the beach of Goa.

They also had a circle dance and ate pancakes, just like in Russia.

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