http://www.vocativ.com/world/russia/vide...
It celebrates a week of blini. (blins- crepes) The "scarecrow" is not a scarecrow, but has pagan connections to a fertility goddess.
It was mostly forgotten during Soviet times, having become a religious holiday. After the effigy of Maslinitsa is burned, the ashes are spread to symbolically "help the crops".
Tongue in cheek, I have heard some say that after a week of blini, every day, they burn an effigy of the cook! It is difficult to tire of blini, though. They can be eaten with fruit jams, sour cream, or meat filling. My favorite- Chopped sausage, cheese, olives, mushrooms, pickled or fresh cucumber, adjika (a pepper sauce preparation), and about anything you find tasty.
No just burning a scarecrow in general ( Obama just Russians the wrong way) Usually the pancakes are actually crepes.
As someone our fathers forgot what&when (if you didn't know, this holyday will one month later, the vernal equinox) is really Maslennitsa, somewhen our children will forget why need to bake pancakes at that day. It's everywhere. For example, you live among children of who forgot their tradition almost for one monent, but it doesn't make you surprised.
Shame on Russians! Russians must love Obama, not burn his scarecrow! He told truth about Americans. The President said, “America is made up of all kinds of people: young and old, weak and strong, smart and dumb. And when the really dumb ones get up and act like total clowns, I still love them, because they are part of America. In fact, a REALLY BIG PART.”
http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-...
that is modern Russian-Ukrainian tradition nowadays, and not only Obama fell as its victim:
scarecrow of Putin and Yanukovich:
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-p...
Putin:
http://abcnews.go.com/International/phot...
http://www.ukrosrach.ru/?q=7yD15TazRms
Yushenko, Timoshenko, Poroshenko:
http://korrespondent.net/ukraine/events/109829-v-donecke-sozhgli-chuchela-yushchenko-timoshenko-i-poroshenko-obnovleno
Yanukovich:
http://odnako.su/news/politics/-284347-v-mariupole-sozhgli-chuchelo-yanukovicha/
Dzhemilev:
http://fakty.ictv.ua/ru/index/view-media/id/3981
Putin+Medvedev:
http://ru.tsn.ua/svit/v-rossii-zaschitniki-himkinskogo-lesa-sozhgli-chuchela-putina-i-medvedeva.html
Кучмы:
http://www.kp.ru/daily/22488/7486/
Лукашенко:
http://obozrevatel.com/abroad/80761-v-rossii-kaznili-chuchelo-lukashenko.-foto-video.htm
etc...
