Maslenitsa runs from Monday March 8 to Sunday March 14 this year. It is celebrated eight weeks before Russian Orthodox Pascha (Easter), the last week before Great Lent, in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and other countries with large Russian populations. Like Mardi Gras and Pancake Day, it's marked by eating pancakes, butter (the name translates as 'butter week'), and all sorts of indulgent delicacies forbidden during Lent. Blinis are a main attraction, or celebrate with Russian Pirozhki and Horseradish Vodka.