1) Установите соответствие между заголовками 1 — 8 и текстами A — G. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании один заголовок лишний. 1. То forgive and forget
2. How Maslenitsa is celebrated
3. The recipe for the holiday dish
4. Various functions of the holiday
5. How the holiday got its name
6. Why pancakes are essential at Maslenitsa
7. It is celebrated not only in Russia
8. Tasting competition
A. In the old days Maslenitsa was for remembrance of the dead. But in time, the Russian longing for fun and entertainment turned the sad holiday into the jolly Maslenitsa with blini — round, yellow and hot as the sun, sledding and horse sleigh riding, fistfights and chatting with the mother-in-law. The rituals of Maslenitsa are very unusual and interesting because they combine rituals for the end of winter and ceremonies for the start of spring, which were to promote a rich harvest.
B. Maslenitsa is one of the nicest holidays in Russia. The word Maslenitsa is derived from maslo, which means butter in Russian. It came from the tradition of baking pancakes (blini). Hot, round, and golden pancakes look like little suns. It is believed that they help to warm up the frozen earth. In the old days, pancakes were cooked from buckwheat flour, which gave them a red colour. Those pancakes symbolised the victory of the sun over the winter cold.
C. The circle has always been considered a holy shape in Russia. According to old beliefs, it protected people from evil. On Maslenitsa, the Russians made pancakes, decorated the wheels of their carts, and danced the khorovod (the round folk dance). The aim of all those ceremonies was to please the Sun so that it would be kinder to people. Nowadays, not everyone remembers about the symbolic meaning of the pancakes, but everyone enjoys their taste.
D. Nowadays, Maslenitsa lasts for a whole week. It has turned into a fun festival with different folk entertainments such as sledding, burning scarecrows, bonfire jumping, and eating pancakes. Each day of the Maslenitsa festival has its name and programme. For example, Tuesday is called zaigrysh (game day). From that day all sorts of activities started: sleigh riding, folk festivals and puppet shows.
E. For simple, thin pancakes, a dough is prepared from flour, milk, eggs and some salt and sugar. The first thing you should do is to separate the yolks from the whites. Then stir the yolks with sugar, slowly adding milk while stirring. Add the salt and the hot, melted butter. Then start adding the flour (very slowly), stirring the mixture. As the last step, add the stirred whites. Now everything is ready for baking pancakes on the hot frying pans.
F. And during the last day of Maslenitsa, Russian Jack-straw, the symbol of winter, is burnt. People bid farewell to winter till the next year. There is another important tradition on Sunday — you have to ask for forgiveness from all your close relatives and friends. That is why Russians call each other on the phone or send messages and ask to forgive them for all the bad things they have done during the year.
G. The Russian Orthodox Maslenitsa festival, which marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring, has its origins in ancient sun worship. Every year since 2009, Russian pianist and producer Olga Balakleets has organized a week-long celebration of Russian culture around London. By chance or not it coincides with Maslenitsa. This festival included an impressive series of musical, cinematic and other events, along with a reception in the House of Commons.