Here’s a shorter version:
Maslenitsa is a week-long Russian festival that marks the end of winter and the approach of spring, taking place before Lent. Its emblem is the blini, round pancakes symbolizing the sun, eaten with butter, sour cream, jam, or caviar. The days are filled with family gatherings, feasting, singing, games, ice slides, and folk dances, and the last day features bonfires and the burning of a straw effigy of winter to chase away the cold. Beyond food, Maslenitsa is about warmth, laughter, forgiveness, and preserving ancient traditions.
If you’d like it even shorter, here’s a one-sentence version:
Maslenitsa is a week-long Russian festival before Lent that celebrates the end of winter with sun-like pancakes, family feasts, dances, and the burning of a straw winter effigy to welcome spring.