Botanical Collection

In mid-February, the first thaw comes to replace cold weather and strong winds. The snow becomes harder and its surface is covered with ice crust. In the folk calendar, the fifteenth of February was called Zimobor (Winter’s Defeat). This is the time when spring meets winter. As the old folklore has it, if this day is warm and the snow melts, the spring will come soon, but if the day is snowy and frosty, then you cannot expect the spring to come early.

In the last week of February, people celebrate Maslenitsa (Butter and Crepe Week), which is a traditional holiday of the Eastern Slavs, marking the transition between winter and spring. The famous folklorist V. Ya. Propp believed that the main purpose of Maslenitsa rites was to improve fertility. In these days, gardeners begin to work hard: they trim shrubs, disinfect fruit trees, and install birdhouses. Starlings come flying when the ground starts to thaw. The Park becomes filled with the spring sounds: the singing of birds and the murmur of streams.