Is it true that the proverb “first pancake lump” is connected with bears?

The Internet is widespread on the Internet that now the well -known expression is understood incorrectly - supposedly our ancestors had in mind that the first baked pancake was to be attributed to the “whom”, that is, the bear. We checked whether this is really so.

Every year, on the eve of Shrovetide, many publications appear, telling about the "real" origin of the well -known saying. The main thesis of such texts is the same: it is necessary not to say “komam”, but in the old days they called the bears, in whom the hibernation ended during Shrovetide, and our ancestors fed animals with pancakes. Hence the allegedly the “original” name of the holiday is a mosquito. Some even make the conclusion from this that the words “coma” and “coma” also come from the old Russian word with the meaning “bear”. Sometimes the authors of such publications also argue that the proverb has reached us in an abbreviated form: it supposedly sounds like "the first pancake of comers, the second acquaintance, the third distant relatives, and the fourth to me." Texts of this content are especially loved by publications in the regions, for example Rostov, Penza And Tomsk areas, as well On Yamal. Similar explanations can be found on the website of the bookstore chain "Read Gorod" and companies Bonduelle.

First you need to figure out whether in the old days the proverb “First Pancake Comes” was written differently and, therefore, could have a different meaning. One of the most famous pre -revolutionary collections of proverbs and sayings was made up by Vladimir Dal, the author of the famous dictionary. In the work published in 1862, the “Proverbs of the Russian People” he Curses This wording: "The first pancake, but lump." In a similar form, this expression was used earlier: for example, Pushkin in a letter to Vyazemsky in 1831 Reported: “Yakovlev publishes the almanac“ damn ”to Shrovetide. It is a pity if the first pancake is his lump. ” As you can see, for at least 200 years the phrase has not been connected with bears. However, the supposedly “complete” version of the proverb and even younger - these words for the first time Sounded In the song from the film "Here is my village" in 1972. The words of this composition are in no way connected with Maslenitsa or bears.

However, Shrovetide is an ancient holiday, and the horizon in two centuries is unlikely to be enough to find supporters of this linguistic assumption. Let us turn to the argument that the bear waking up from the hibernation (lump) gave the already forgotten name of Shrovetide - a mosquito. This festival was reported at the beginning of the 20th century by the ethnographer and folklorist Pavel Shein. In the work of the life of Belarusians, with reference to the priest Simeon Nechaev tells About an unusual tradition in one of the areas of the Borisov district: “This holiday always happens on the eve of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and is dedicated to the bear. On this day, special dishes are prepared, namely: dried repnes are prepared on the first dish as a sign that the bear eats mainly plant foods, herbs; A oat jelly is served on the second dish, because the bear loves oats; The third dish consists of pea ComesWhy the very day was the name "Komedita". After lunch, everyone - old and small - lie down, do not sleep, and in every minute in the slowest way they roll from side to side, as you can get to turn to turning the bear. " In the same work, Shane explains that coma are lean balls of peas or other legumes that “served at the end of food, sometimes by leaving from the table, so that Dry (that is, to have fun). " Thus, a mosquitu has nothing to do with Shrovetide, and a lump is not a bear at all.

Linguist Svetlana Guryanova Binding The emergence of erroneous folk etymology with the famous Soviet historian Boris Rybakov, who was not professionally engaged in linguistics and whose works on the history of Ancient Rus' and Slavic folklore in a professional environment more than once Passed Criticism. Rybakov He wrotethat “by March 24, the Belarusian holiday is dedicated to the“ Komeditsa ”holiday (analogy of the Greek“ comedies ”of archaic time) is the holiday of an awakening bear. The bear (Cosmos) was the beast of Artemis, who corresponded to the Russian goddess Lada. " The historian does not give any links to sources confirming such statements. As already mentioned, a mosquito gave the name a dish of peas, but the word "comedy" really is happening From the Greek root "Cosmos", it only means "walking, fun procession." Bear in Greek and at all Sounds Like "Arctos".

Returning to the formulation of the first pancake, but lumpy, Guryanov agreesthat we understand this proverb not quite like our ancestors, but the bears have nothing to do with it. In this phrase, it is important not the word “lump” at all - the fact that the pancake plays is the first role. Symbolically, he was intended for his ancestors and deceased relatives, so it was especially insulting to spoil him. So there was a saying that, with the departure of the corresponding tradition, lost its connection with the ritual.

Finally, the most logical explanation of why no pancakes were worn by the bears on Shrovetide-it was simply dangerous. Moreover, the fear of our ancestors against these animals was not only practical, but also symbolic. Linguist Esenia Pavlotsky reminds: the bears were so afraid that they did not even call them explicitly. The very word "bear", which has reached our times, is euphemism, educated From the words "honey" and "there."

Photo: Yaroslav Gunin

Not true

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on the topic:

1. https://naukatv.ru/articles/708
2. https://meduza.io/episodes/2020/07/20/drevnim-lyudyam-bylo-skuchno-molchat-i-oni -pridumal I-yazyk-razoblachaem-narodnuyu -timologiu-isnyaem-kak-razgovarivat-s-lingvofrikami
3. https://www.tymonline.com/word/bear