Fun games and competitions organized on Maslenitsa are a great way not only to celebrate the end of winter, but also to disperse the blues. Sledding, singing ditties, running in sacks. Here is just a small part of the entertaining holiday program. Universal fun attracts and captivates not only children, but also the older generation. No one remains indifferent when looking at the dancing mummers, and even if someone has no desire to participate in competitions, they still have the opportunity to enjoy pancakes with various fillings and taste hot tea. So you are unlikely to remain hungry and sad.
Rules for organizing the holiday
It's no secret that folk games on Maslenitsa were sometimes a bit rude. Just remember the wall-to-wall fist fights, after which many had to have their black eyes treated and their noses turned to one side straightened! It is characteristic that even before the revolution, hardcore fun was tried more than once to be banned, but they were never able to cope with it: the desire of the Russian men, who dispersed at the end of Maslenitsa week, was very great, to show their prowess, and to stretch the bones of themselves and the enemy.
In our time, battles between one “end” of the city and the other, fortunately, are not practiced. But this does not mean that good fellows who have become naughty (and beautiful girls, by the way, too, it’s not for nothing that we live in the age of emancipation) will not inflict injuries of varying degrees on each other. Therefore, take care to minimize possible risks.
How to organize a holiday without hurting anyone:
- There should be no heavy objects among the game equipment. Even a bag of straw can cause painful bruises if you hit with all your heart! Do you want to have a funny fight on a log? Either make sure the shells are not stuffed too tightly, or replace them with old, half-empty down pillows if you find such a rarity. It is even safer to use long balloons for battle, especially when it comes to children and teenagers.
- A pillar with gifts - a traditional Maslenitsa fun - should not be additionally watered with water. So you risk being left without a winner, and the spectators will be rewarded with bruises and bumps in memory of unsuccessful attempts to get to the hotel.
- It is advisable not to allow drunk people and young ladies in long skirts to jump over fires.
- When running in bags, you should choose a rough, non-slip fabric on snow.
- A well-organized holiday requires a clear distribution of responsibilities. No matter how dizzy the atmosphere of general fun may be, no matter how much you want to join it, relax and let everything go along the beaten path, remember that such events should always have an organizer (or better yet, several) who keeps a cool head even in the midst of a snowstorm. fortress and burning of Maslenitsa effigy. Sober - in every sense.
Games for real men
Taking the snowy town was a special kind of Maslenitsa fun that invariably attracted crowds of spectators. It is not for nothing that Vasily Surikov captured it so vividly and reliably on his famous canvas.
Big snow games were preceded by big preparations. The so-called fortress was carefully built from snow and ice in the center of the main city square, and in villages - right in the middle of a frozen river or lake. This structure necessarily included reliable thickened walls, high towers, and gates with straight crossbars or arches.
Before the start of the game, the participants were divided into two groups: the defenders of the fortress and the attackers. The assaulters were allowed to use horses, while the besieged fought off attacks with twigs, sticks and shovels, scared off the “cavalry” in every possible way and bombarded the enemy with snowballs. The battle stopped as soon as the fortress was destroyed. The winner was the one who was the first to solemnly burst into it. After which the hero faced another test - swimming in an ice hole. And only after that could he and his “army” receive a well-deserved treat.
Outdoor games during Maslenitsa
One of the main conditions that applies to outdoor games on Maslenitsa: they must be as mobile as possible in order to prevent the participants from getting cold. Fortunately, old folk games fully meet this requirement, so you only have to modernize them slightly:
- Wall to wall
. A new variation on the theme of hard fun can be a harmless but exciting game. Two opposing teams line up in two rows opposite each other on a wide area with pre-trodden snow. The members of each group clasp their elbows tightly to form a chain, and then, at a signal, both teams step on each other. It is forbidden to open your hands, punching and kicking are also prohibited. Breaking through the enemy's defenses should be done exclusively by force. The winner is the team that manages to push the enemy out of the area or make a hole in his defense - that is, break the chain. - Horse fight
. Participants are divided into horse-rider pairs. If boys and girls play, the horse, according to tradition and logic, becomes the guy, since he will have to hold his rider on his back for a long time. Well, it’s better to choose light, miniature young ladies as riders, so that the “horses” don’t have to strain themselves. At a sign from the leader, the “riders” begin to fight, trying to push each other “out of the saddle.” The couple that lasts the longest is declared the winner.
You can also organize fun relay races. This fun has so many options that it can serve as an excellent Maslenitsa game for adults and children. It all depends on the conditions set for the participants.
Choose according to your taste:
- Each of the players must run, or rather jump, from point A to B, putting their feet in the bag;
- You need to drive the entire route in a children's sleigh backwards, pushing off the snow with your feet or ski poles;
- The relay participants are given a frying pan with a pancake, and they must not only carry it to the end of the route safe and sound, but also toss it along the way, as housewives do when baking;
- Players of one team need to stand in pairs back to back, lock elbows and, without opening their arms, hobble to the finish line;
- Again, the method for a pairs race is to tie the participants' left and right legs together and send them on their way;
- Together, you can not only run, but also drive, when one of the players drags his partner on the ice, trying not to knock over the obstacles placed on the way - plastic bottles with multi-colored water, brooms stuck in a snowdrift, buckets;
- For a mass race between two teams, the players of each group need to line up in single file, grab the person in front by the belt and not open their arms until the entire route has been covered.
Note! Interesting Maslenitsa games for adults and teenagers will be the already mentioned jumping over a fire, climbing a pole for gifts, pillow fights, during which fighters stand on a fallen log or one leg, tug of war, throwing snowballs at a target.
Game "Blind Man's Bluff"
This is an old Russian game. The "driver" - the "blind man's buff" - is blindfolded and turned around several times, thereby disorienting him. The rest of the players sit quietly and try not to reveal their location to the blind man's buff. The “driver” first listens, then stretches out his arms and walks in the direction where, in his opinion, there is a player. The goal of the game is not to fall into the hands of the “blind man’s buff”, who must catch the player and also recognize him. It is important that at the beginning of the game, when the “blind man’s buff” is untwisted, the players scatter in different directions, and then do not move while the “blind man’s buff” is looking for them.
Homemade fun for Maslenitsa
If the weather is not conducive to having fun or for some other reason you had to celebrate the holiday at home, this does not mean that it was a failure. There are many ways to have a good time within four walls.
A newfangled hobby - quests - has been occupying an honorable place among competitions and games for Maslenitsa for several years now: they very easily fit into the general playful mood of the holiday. Especially with such a rich topic!
An example script might look like this:
- Monday-Meeting
. The teams are given the task: how to celebrate Maslenitsa and list 7 items each, one way or another connected with it. Comical and resourceful answers are welcome, for example: “Napkins - because on Maslenitsa everyone eats pancakes and wipes their mouths” or “Scales, because after the holiday everyone will need them.” - Tuesday-Flirting
. Since in Rus' on this day guys tried in every possible way to attract the attention of girls, and they willingly responded to advances and tried to dress up one another more beautifully, the participants of the competition will also have to bring beauty. True, the participants in the game will dress up not themselves, but Maslenitsa. Players are divided into 2 or more teams. Each is given a set of various items of clothing: scarves, beads, felt boots, skirts, vests, mittens - the main thing is that all this is bright and easy to put on. Then each team chooses Maslenitsa and begins to dress it up at speed. Whose “stuffed animal” ends up being the most elegant and funniest, wins. In a competition for adults or teenagers, you can use cosmetics to make the colored Maslenitsa even more elegant. But it’s better not to take risks with kids, otherwise, in a hurry, distracted young artists may hit their model in the eye with a brush and cause tears instead of laughter. - Wednesday-Gourmand
. Without a doubt, pancake competitions are not only one of the most fun, but also the most delicious indoor Maslenitsa games. For the competition you will need 2 stacks of ready-made thin pancakes and several bowls with fillings: cheese, ham, caviar, pickles, fruit, jam, etc. Players are divided into 2 teams, receive their own set of products and quickly wrap the fillings in pancakes. The one who completed the task first, did not tear the pancakes in the chaos, or came up with the most delicious filling is the winner. - Thursday-Revelry
. The real fun begins! Offer the players to go through a relay race, and since there won’t be enough space to properly walk around in even the largest apartment, compensate for the lack of length of the route by making it difficult to complete. Let the participants of each team split into pairs, in which one will “run” to the set mark on his hands, and the second will hold his legs. Or they will try to gallop a measured distance on one leg. Or, while running, they carry an egg in front of them in a spoon (boiled, otherwise you will be tortured to wash the floor!). - Friday - Mother-in-law's party
. And again pancakes! This time, the competitors take turns approaching the table with the pancakes prepared at Sreda-Lakomku, pick up a delicious envelope with filling and try to bite off the largest piece of it. While they are chewing, they say some adjective that characterizes pancakes (delicious, fluffy, rosy), Maslenitsa (fun, riotous, noisy), spring (warm, early, sunny). Since Friday is called Mother-in-Law, all married men come up with adjectives addressed to their beloved mother-in-law during the game. - Saturday - sister-in-law's gatherings
. The sister-in-law, the husband’s sister, also wants to be beautiful, so you need to help her get herself in order, namely, braid her hair like a girl. To complete the task, all players are divided into groups of 4 people and receive at their disposal 3 long (about 2-3 m) ribbons, tied at one end with a knot. One person from the group, usually a girl, stands motionless, holding the knot at the back of her head with her hand, and the other three, holding the free ends of the ribbons, begin to braid the braid. Believe me, they will have to work hard to figure out who should move and where! Whose braid turns out neater and longer wins. - Forgiveness Sunday
. In the end, it’s worth choosing a quieter task in order to calm down the noisy revelers. Play a “Question and Answer” game with them on the Maslenitsa theme: what does the pancake (the sun) symbolize, what kind of flour are pancakes made from (wheat, rye, oatmeal, rice, buckwheat), what kind of pancakes are there (thin, fluffy, openwork, with baking, with filling), how the first pancake turns out (lumpy), which pancakes cannot be eaten (pancakes on a bar), which of the heroes of Russian fairy tales said: “Here’s your pancake, but don’t bark” (the Evil Stepmother from the fairy tale “Morozko”), and in what poem “The crocodile stewed the blue sea with pies and pancakes and dried mushrooms” (Chukovsky’s poem “Confusion”), what do French crepes, American pancakes, Dutch pannekoken, Scandinavian lefse and Indian DOS (all these are pancakes) have in common?
Note! It is not difficult to guess that during the existence of the Maslenitsa holiday, a great variety of games with pancakes were invented. If you want to make the action more fun, consider this option: one of the players is tied with his hands behind his back, and the other with his eyes, after which the “blind” must feed the “armless” at random. As soon as the first pancake is eaten, the place of the pair that completed the task is taken by a new one and the competition continues until all team members are at the table. Whose group finishes first wins.
Using the tips collected above as a basis, you can write your own script for Maslenitsa with games and competitions. And don’t forget to sum up the results at the end of the quest and give out comic prizes.
Game "Grandfather Horn"
For this game, you need to find a place where you can run without interference, for example, a sports ground, a football field, a clearing in the forest. The game begins by choosing a leader - the “driver”. It is better to do this with the help of a counting rhyme. The “driver” in this game is called “Grandfather Horn”. A house is determined for him by marking this place with a pebble, a flag or a drawn circle on the ground. Until a certain moment, the grandfather sits in his house. The remaining players are divided equally into two teams and also mark their place as “home” to the right and left of the “driver’s” house, at a distance of 15-20 steps from it. The larger the field between the “homes” of the two teams, the more interesting the game will be. Everything is in place, the game can begin. “Grandfather-horn” asks: “Who is afraid of me?” And all the players answered him: “Nobody!” And they immediately begin to run from one house to another across the field, and “Grandfather the Horn” comes out of his house and begins to catch the players. The first one the “driver” grabs becomes his assistant and also begins to catch players running from house to house (if a player is in the house, he cannot be touched). And so on: the one who is caught must help “Grandfather the Horn”. The game continues until there is one uncaught player left. To distinguish a simple player from an assistant “Grandfather-horn”, it is necessary to agree, for example, that the “driver” holds a small stick (“horn”) in his hand or simply keeps one hand in his pocket.
Old joys in a new way
Many folk pastimes of the past have been preserved in one form or another and are held on Maslenitsa today. These include a spectacular sports entertainment called the “Pancake Pillar” or “Ice Pillar”. Its essence is probably familiar to you. A massive wooden pillar several meters high is installed in the center of the square, and a trophy is fixed on its top. In the old days it could have been a roasted rooster or a pig. Today, the value of the prize depends on the generosity of the organizers. Sometimes the task is made more difficult by greasing the pole or dousing it with water so that it freezes in the cold.
Modern Maslenitsa can surprise with more advanced entertainment. For example, an outlandish team game of broomball, or broomstick hockey. The sticks here, as hard as it may be to guess, replace brooms, and a small rubber ball is used instead of a puck. Skates won't be useful either, because you'll have to run around the field in sneakers. Otherwise, the essence of the game is quite predictable - hit the enemy’s goal often and accurately.
Fist fights have been replaced by bloodless, brave fun, which, however, also allows you to feel like a fearless warrior. Particularly popular are fights on logs with pillows and improvised military battles with wooden swords and shields. Prefer more peaceful activities? Then you will certainly enjoy competitions such as throwing felt boots, jumping in bags, running on brooms or eating pancakes at speed.
