Maslenitsa
March 2, 2025
from 11.00 to 15.00
Winter has nearly outstayed its welcome, and it’s about time we sent this cold season off with a celebration and welcome spring in.
The rituals of Maslenitsa (the Shrove week of Orthodox Christians) are for everyone to make sure that spring arrives at last, and the sunlight starts warming the land. Orthodox Cristians believe that one needs to fry and eat a lot of pancakes during this festive week because they are round and yellow like the sun so that the sun understands it’s time to chase winter away.
The week of Maslenitsa is also the time for eating hearty dairy foods, singing, dancing, playing games and having fun so that you have the strength for the 40-day Lent that is about to start.
Our museum also gives you an opportunity to have a lot of Maslenitsa fun on March 2. Listen to folk musicians play, drink tea brewed in smoking samovars, play traditional games, tell the fortune by the shape of pancakes, make straw dolls for good luck, and chase away winter by burning down its straw figure.
The event is free to attend with a museum card, Tallinn Card, or an Estonian Open Air Museum annual pass!
The meadow between Setu farm and the Russian house from Peipus
Traditional games
Hot pancakes straight from the pan
Skiing on old-school wooden skis
Tea brewed in samovars
Maslenitsa bonfire
Burning the straw doll of winter