Belarusians dance during Maslenitsa celebrations, or Shrovetide, to say farewell to winter in the village of Otradnoye, 150 km (93 miles) south of Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, March 13, 2016. Maslenitsa is a traditional Russian and Belarusian holiday marking the end of winter that dates back to pagan times. (Photo by Sergei Grits/AP Photo)





Belarusian children eat pancakes during Maslenitsa celebrations, or Shrovetide, in the village of Otradnoye, 150 km (93 miles) south of Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, March 13, 2016. (Photo by Sergei Grits/AP Photo)





Artists watch burning an effigy of Lady Maslenitsa as they celebrate Maslenitsa, or Pancake Week, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, March 13, 2016. Maslenitsa is widely viewed as a pagan holiday marking the end of winter and is celebrated with pancake eating and shows of strength, while the Orthodox Church considers it as the week of feasting before Lent. (Photo by Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters)





People burn an effigy of Lady Maslenitsa as they celebrate Maslenitsa, or Pancake Week, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, March 13, 2016. (Photo by Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters)





People burn an effigy of Lady Maslenitsa as they celebrate Maslenitsa, or Pancake Week, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, March 13, 2016. (Photo by Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters)





A man tries to climb a wooden pole to get a prize during Maslenitsa celebrations, with the Monument to Fighters for the Soviet Power in the Far East seen in the background, in the far eastern city of Vladivostok, Russia, March 13, 2016. (Photo by Yuri Maltsev/Reuters)





Prisoners take part in a pillow fight contest during Maslenitsa celebrations at a correctional facility outside the West Siberian city of Omsk, Russia, March 13, 2016. (Photo by Dmitry Feoktistov/Reuters)





A man climbs up a 9-metre-high wooden pole to get a prize during Maslenitsa celebrations at the Bobrovy Log ski resort in the suburbs of Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Russia, March 13, 2016. (Photo by Ilya Naymushin/Reuters)





People burn an effigy of Lady Maslenitsa during Maslenitsa celebrations at the Bobrovy Log ski resort in the suburbs of Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Russia, March 13, 2016. (Photo by Ilya Naymushin/Reuters)





Men take part in a pillow fight contest during Maslenitsa celebrations at the Bobrovy Log ski resort in the suburbs of Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Russia, March 13, 2016. (Photo by Ilya Naymushin/Reuters)





People watch the burning symbol of spring, which looks like a brown bear getting out of his den, created by Hungarian artist Gabor Miklós Szoke for the festival in Gorky Park during a celebration of Maslenitsa, or Shrovetide in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 13, 2016, with the building of the National Defense Center of Russian Defense Ministry in the background. Maslenitsa is a traditional Russian holiday marking the end of winter that dates back to pagan times. (Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo)





A bonfire burns around an installation of a bear during Maslenitsa celebrations at Gorky park, with Russian Defence Ministry headquarters seen in the background, in Moscow, Russia, March 13, 2016. (Photo by Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)