Fastelavn (from Vastel-avent — «the evening before Lent») is celebrated before the start of Lent. It should be noted that Norwegian Maslenitsa, like many other holidays, combines both Christian and pagan traditions. Many rituals have been preserved since ancient times, when people celebrated the spring holiday.
Norwegian « Maslenitsa week» traditionally consists of three days: fleskesondag — literally «fat Sunday» (or « Maslenitsa Sunday» — fastelavnssondag), fleskemandag — «fat Monday» (or blamandag — « day off») and hvitetirsdag — « white Tuesday» (or feitetirsdag — «fat Tuesday»). As is clear from the names, these days they were supposed to amuse themselves with fatty, abundant food. It was a kind of «last indulgence» before long abstinence. On the other hand, such «eating» had a ritual function associated with fertility. Surrendering to gluttony, the peasants, thereby, as it were, called out« for the upcoming bountiful harvest, so that next year they could eat just as tasty and satisfyingly.
This was especially true for the last day of Maslenitsa — «fat Tuesday». On this day we were supposed to eat to our fill. All the best and most satisfying things were served on the table: meat, lard, dairy products (hence the other name «fat Tuesday» — «white Tuesday»). The taste of a sandwich with butter had an emphatically ritual meaning: the more they took a bite from it —, the larger the harvest was expected. At the same time, the women said: «Let the sickle reap the same amount as I bit off!», and the men: «Let the ax and braid bite as well as I bit!».
Another Maslenitsa custom has an ancient origin: — whipping with a «maslenitsa branch» (fastelavnsriset). The — branch is usually birch — wrapped in colored paper and decorated with paper flowers, feathers or gilded berries. It was customary to go from house to house with this branch and whip «son», pulling blankets off them, sparing no effort, with songs and jokes. «Punished» had to pay off with pre-prepared buns.
The meaning of this ritual from a Christian point of view is seen in the fact that «victim» thus «participates» to the suffering of Christ, trolls« and other obsessions are driven away from it ». According to pre-Christian traditions, this ritual was intended to awaken the forces of spring and the forces of fertility. It was not for nothing that peasants whipped primarily women (as a rule, those who did not yet have children), animals and trees with a branch.
There was also a custom when guys broke into girls’ houses in the morning and woke them up with the same Maslenitsa branch. This rite, which was emphatically erotic in nature, also came from pagan antiquity.
In addition, during the Maslenitsa celebrations, games with weapons, military fights and ritual squabbles were widespread. A ritual battle began between winter and summer, which invariably ended in victory for the warm season.