Great Maslenitsa, or Pancake Week, is an ancient Russian holiday that falls on the seventh week before Russian Orthodox Easter - a splurge before Lent. Originally marking winter`s demise and the imminent arrival of spring, the highlight of the festivities is round and golden bliny, which are traditionally taken to symbolize the sun. Capture the Season`s Best Memories Get a free Sony Cybershot 10MP camera and Sony 9" Digital Picture Frame! ElectronicsSource.us.com LATEST NEWS Russian rescuers halt search for sailors on sunken Chinese ship 13:12 20/02/2009 |Russian rescuers have called a halt to the search for eight crewmembers from a Chinese cargo ship which sank off Russia`s Pacific Coast, a spokesman for the Vladivostok rescue center said on Friday. Russian GDP down by 2.4% in January - economics minister 13:03 20/02/2009 |Russia`s GDP fell by 2.4% and industrial output decreased 3.5% in January, the economic development minister reported on Friday. Russian-Iranian trade turnover hits $3.7 bln 12:59 20/02/2009 |TEHRAN, February 20 (RIA Novosti) - Russian-Iranian trade turnover rose to $3.7 billion last year, Russia`s deputy foreign minister said on Friday. Consul not allowed onboard Russian ship detained by North Korea 11:53 20/02/2009 |Russia`s consul in North Korea has been denied permission to board a Russian vessel earlier seized by border guards off the coast of the secretive communist state, the ship`s owner said on Friday. more news This year, Maslenitsa runs from February 23 to March 1. As has be­come customary, Red Square`s Vasilyevsky Spusk will be the heart of the pancake-filled holiday. Staff clad in traditional costumes will man more than 50 stalls selling pancakes and other tasty treats. The first day is to start with a huge theatrical show featuring dance, song and circus performers. Organizers aim to top last year`s culinary endeavour, when a team of Moscow chefs concocted a world map made entirely from pancakes. Each country was baked separately and coloured using food dyes. After all countries were assembled together to create the world map it had grown to a size of 2 by 1.8 meters. This year, festivities are planned to take place in every city district at a total of 133 different locations. Top spots for bliny gobbling, however, include Sokolniki, Kolomenskoye, Tsaritsyno and Poklonnaya Gora, the sites of the largest festivities. No matter which venue you choose, the entertainment program should be similarly fun-filled. Open-air celebrations are to include folk performances, plays, horse riding and sporting competitions - all with plenty of audience participation. During the week-long festival, the city centre will be filled with bliny stalls serving all kinds of Maslenitsa delights - pancakes and honey-cakes best downed with a serving of medovukha, or mead, a traditional low-alcohol honey drink. The holiday`s organisers insist that no one will go hungry, promising to distribute free pancakes and hot drinks, which seems particularly appropriate in these times of crisis.