(9 Mar 2008)
1. Wide of band marching down street
2. Musicians walking along street
3. Mid of carnival angel on stilts
4. Pan of carnival rooster
5. Moscovites greeting carnival
6. Pan of horse carriage passing by
7. Folk singers
8. Wide of crowd on the Red square with St. Basil's Cathedral in the background
9. Close up of father and child
10. Pan from father to carnival amusement ride
11. Zoom out from pancakes to sellers
12. Zoom out from pancake being made
13. Various of people eating pancakes
14. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Sergei Shtofa, Moscow resident:
"I enjoy everything - atmosphere, tasty pancakes, and that winter is coming to end. Obviously it is a festival of soul for everyone who attends it.''
15. Various of people eating pancakes
16. Pan from Kremlin tower to a "Maslenitsa" effigy
STORYLINE:
Hundreds of people gathered in front of Moscow's St. Basil's Cathedral on Sunday afternoon to celebrate the end of the traditional Russian festival "Maslenitsa" with music, dancing, hot pancakes, known as "blini" and mead.
According to Slavic mythology, "Maslenitsa" is a sun festival which celebrates the end of winter.
This pagan tradition has survived hundreds of years and is recognised by Orthodox church as a sort of Mardi Gras or Carnival marking the week before Lent which is the period before Easter in the Christian calendar.
The Russian Orthodox Church in its century-long struggle against pagan traditions in Russia, eventually gave in and included many pagan rites and traditions in the Russian Orthodox calendar.
Sergei Shtofa, a Moscow resident, told AP Television that he always enjoys this festival, its atmosphere and the tasty pancakes.
"Obviously it is a festival of soul for everyone who attends it," he added.
An effigy of "Maslenitsa" is traditionally burned on the last day of a week-long celebration.
It is also a tradition on the last day of the festival, called the Forgiveness Day, for people to ask for forgiveness and have their sins redeemed before Lent.
Keyword wacky
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