Pancake week festival annually held in Ukraine at different times. It depends on the date of the beginning of Lent, preceding the blessed holiday of Christ's Resurrection.
The carnival celebrations in 2015 in Ukraine were carried out in the period from 16 to 22 February. Pancake week is continuing 7 days, each of which has its own name. Traditionally in Ukraine at this time people see off the winter and welcome spring, accompanying it with traditional rites. Despite the pagan roots, it is now - Orthodox holiday. Its traditional dish is pancakes, and within a week it is allowed to eat dairy products, fish and butter. So it is named - "Carnival- Pancake week."
During Pancake week there were held various ritual action games. Young people partying, tied at festivals pads logs the boys and girls who were not married. To Pay off the pads on could solving tasks: girls sang songs, danced; guys showed their strength and agility.
That foreign students of the Center for International Education NTUU "KPI" decided to take part in the celebration, and on February 21 went on an excursion to the open-air museum "Mamaev Sloboda".
In the museum complex all plunged into the atmosphere of fun. Girls, well dressed in traditional Ukrainian clothes, tied unmarried men in the left hand logs and offered them to "pay off". For this young man had to show what they are able to do. The boys took up the challenge and showed their skills in walking on stilts, strength in lifting weights and agility in Ukrainian folk dances.
The tourists were amazed by the craft of the blacksmith, who opened for them the secret of manufacturing knives that were amulets Scythians.
Foreign students visited Ukrainian yard and were surprised by the variety of embroidered towels in the homes. Students rode old Ukrainian swing. A more joyful emotions they received from a trip to the real Ukrainian cartload, which was drawn by a bay horse.
Yes what is Pancake week without the pancakes! At the end of the tour, foreign students regaled delicious pancakes with sour cream and with poppy seeds.
Students left the museum tired but happy.