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Wooden Tower Burned at Maslenitsa Festival in Russia

By Reuters

A giant wooden tower was torched on Saturday as part of the Maslenitsa folk festival celebration in Russia's western Kaluga region.

The theme of this year's festival was the French Revolution and the wooden tower was inspired by the Bastille, the site of the former fortress and symbol of the Bourbon monarchy, that was stormed in 1789.

Millions of Russians celebrate Maslenitsa, or Pancake Week to mark the end of winter, which the Orthodox Church has accommodated as a week of feasting.

Maslenitsa week began as a pagan ritual and has been absorbed into Russian Orthodox Christian tradition as a holiday marking the last day before Lent, according to the eastern Orthodox calendar.

Read more about: Festival

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