Pancakes.

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There was only one thing I wanted to do today. I was a boy who loves pancakes, in a country that loves pancakes, on pancake day. Today is the end of a very big Russian celebration. From Sarah Brown's email to me from Petersburg:

"There's a festival this week called 'Maslenitsa', which is the Russian 'Pancake Week'. It started on monday and goes right through to sunday, which is the start of the fast before Easter. Traditionally something different happens each day.

On monday a straw scarecrow is made, dressed in women's clothing, and carried around the neighbourhood by singing people.

On the tuesday families invite friends around and perform a small concert/play for their guests. On these two days it is forbidden to eat pancakes ('blini'); this can only be done from wednesday, so on this day it is tradition to eat these with a variety of fillings.

On the thursday, men gather in a field or park, form 2 'teams' and fight each other. Also on this day by tradition men must invite their mother-in-law to their house. The next day, on the friday, the men cook pancakes for their mother-in-law to gain their full respect!

On the saturday the wife of your brother or son gives presents to the sister of the husband, or something like that, it's quite complicated! The scarecrow is also burned on this day in order to bid farewell to winter and welcome spring.

Finally on sunday you're supposed to eat and drink as little as possible in order to prepare for the fast. People ask each other for forgiveness and it is seen as a day of cleansing."

Myself and Claire, her friend Alexandre from France, Anya and eight Russian flatmates of Claire's met in her flat at mid-day. We gathered in their big communal kitchen. Olya and Natasha made a huge pile of blini, creating a mixture in a big bowl and them spooning lumps into a pan, before frying and neatly folding them into plastic bowls for everyone to collect. They were delicious but four was my limit; I had only managed four hours sleep which made the need to go back to my room and sleep them off even greater!

I joined them all an hour later at the town park opposite the theatre. It was where about 5000 people were celebrating 'maslenitsa'. It also means that spring will soon be here, which for the people who have slugged yet another winter out - it was minus 30 for a fortnight - is a big cause for a party. Everyone was in a cheerful mood. Children in brightly coloured coats were playing on swings, ice slides and jumping in the snow, teenagers with Russian flags painted on their cheeks crowded around a stage to watch an all girl pop band from the university mime to the latest Russian hits, adults keeping half an eye on their children but never straying far from the beer tent. Elderly couples slow dancing to the drum and bass music coming out of the DJ van. A macho sour cream eating contest on a makeshift podium. Everyone else was busy moving from place to place. There was popcorn, ice-cream, shashlyki, hot cups of tea to revive freezing hands. I walked through the crowd with Anya and we stopped for a coffee on the way. She is always good for my mood, but the scars on her left wrist give away that her life is a little harder for her away from her friends. I left them at 5.30 while Claire and Roma swinging each other round neat the front of the stage.

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Photos

Slippery tree game from Maslenitsa.
One of a hundred half-naked contestants trying to climb a greased pole to get to the goody-bags at the top. They all fell but had a good time trying. A story to tell their mates once they had sobered up.

Horse rides through town during Maslenitsa.
I want to know if her mum chose that horse because her daughter was wearing that coat, or if they rushed home to change when they saw the horse.

Shashlyk man.
Making Georgian kebabs for the crowd.