(16 Feb 2007)
++NIGHT SHOTS++
1. Kremlin tower, zoom out to wide shot of crowd by Kremlin wall
2. Various of youngsters dancing on stage
3. Low angle shot of children dancing to the music
4. Various of pancakes being cooked and eaten inside tents
5. Various of people eating pancakes
6. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Olga, Vox Pop:
"We Russians have a very big heart, and in general we adore holidays, and, perhaps in ancient times, someone started making bliny, and since then all Russians who love drink, eat bliny, and everything like this."
7. Various of people enjoying festival, dancing, drinking "sbiten" (Russian beer made of honey)
8. Couple kissing
9. Wide top shot of Kremlin
STORYLINE:
Hundreds of people came to Moscow's Red Square on Thursday evening to mark the beginning of Maslenitsa, a weeklong national festival that is also known as pancake week.
In dozens of tents, cooks served pancakes, known locally as bliny, dressing them with honey and jam.
The tradition to make and eat pancakes at this time of the year dates back to pagan times, when people marked the first signs of spring after Russia's long winter.
The festival also has Christian connections, being the last week before Lent.
Celebrations like Maslenitsa as well as other traditions associated with or directly linked to the Russian Orthodox calendar have experienced a recent resurgence in Russia.
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