Every winter in all Slavic countries adoptedto celebrate Shrovetide - the last week before the stern Great Lent, which is the most important and responsible for Christians. The main task of this period is to prepare the soul and body for Easter. Believers remember the last days of Jesus Christ, spent in the desert. Here the Savior prayed and fasted 40 days before the crucifixion, showing the disciples that spiritual and physical cleansing give a person a chance to eternal life after death.
In Russia, this event has always been considered cheerfulholiday. After the Maslenitsa Great Lent lasted as much as 48 days, so the believers tried to enjoy from the bottom of their hearts the last moments filled with ordinary joys of life: delicious food and mass walks. The people spent these days in a noisy, happy and triumphant atmosphere: the housewives baked pancakes with curd and meat fillings, the young people rode on triplets of snow-white horses ringing with bells, the old men were drinking tea from samovars, and the kids dressed in masks and cheered people day and night.
As in ancient times, so in our days itrequires a competent approach and special seriousness. Fasting after the Maslenitsa is very long, therefore, in order not to harm the body from a severe restriction in nutrition, dieticians are advised to arrange a day before themselves to unloading days. For example, experts recommend a smooth transition to vegetarian food. Celebrate Shrove Tuesday is better on Monday and Tuesday, after which you should prepare the gastrointestinal tract to refuse from the fast. On Wednesday, you can exclude meat, on Thursday remove the dairy products from the menu, on Friday - fish dishes, on Saturday - alcohol. Observing these simple recommendations, on Sunday you will be completely ready to start the post.
How long does the post-Maslenitsa last?Its time frames are always the same: 48 days, incomplete 7 weeks. The first 40 days are called the Fourtyday, which ends with Lazarev's Saturday - it precedes the Palm Sunday. After him comes Passion Week - the last pre-Easter week, during which fasting is the most severe and severe.
During the Lent,meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, including mayonnaise, ice cream and yogurt. Prohibited baked goods and any sweets, alcoholic beverages, including beer and wine, are also prohibited. On the biggest holidays - Palm Sunday and Annunciation - you can diversify the menu with fish. In addition, on all Saturdays and Sundays allowed the consumption of seafood, cheese and wine - in small quantities. On Friday last week, you should completely refrain from food.
So that it was like that, eat everything withoutexcept vegetable products. They contain irreplaceable substances: iron, magnesium, potassium, beta-carotene, vitamins C, B, E and K, dietary fiber. The rules of fasting after the Carnival are full refusal of products of animal origin. Despite this, you can replace them with nuts, cereals - they have a lot of proteins and carbohydrates. As for vegetables, fruits and berries, they will become a source of mineral substances and vitamins.
It also should not be forgotten.What post after Maslenitsa? The answer is obvious: very strict and long. Therefore, when Easter presents various delicious sausages, cakes and fatty delicacies on the menu, starving Christians simply attack them, at the risk of earning indigestion or other health problems.
Dieticians advise not to get carried away with pork andcakes. A small piece of curd Easter, a handful of muffins and two chicken eggs - that's all you can afford to break up. Remember: there is a whole week of celebrations ahead, so you'll have time to fill your stomach to the eyeballs.
Doctors have their own recommendations, both graduallyreturn to normal diet. To ensure that the post-Maslenitsa end safely, in the first few days they advise to refrain from eating chips, crackers, nuts, straws, carbonated drinks, strong tea and coffee. Postpone also "for later" the savoring of fish of fatty varieties: herring, vobla, mackerel. Do not eat fatty cream, butter, cream products.
The period of spiritual purification and prayer was calledOur ancestors are the time after the Maslenitsa. Fasting was the impetus that guided Christians to the path of a pious and righteous life. They spent a lot of time thinking about the essence of good and evil, studying morals, trying to become more honest and unselfish.
Interestingly, but the use during the Greatthe post of white peeled flour at the beginning of the XX century was considered a great sin. After all, unlike whole wheat bread, rich in amino acids, vitamins and fiber, it was considered an absolutely empty and even harmful product. At the same time, untreated flour was banned for sale during the Soviet era. This product was popular for making Easter dishes: they tried to survive with the spirit of the holiday, which was also under severe taboo. Despite this, people learned to get out of the difficult situation: instead of flour they used the ground rice. As a result, such healthy dishes as osovo and kutia, lost their healing and dietary value for the health of the Russian people.
