Enjoyed at Shavout when the people who practice Judaism have made it a tradition to have dairy dishes. The word blin comes from Old Slavic mlin, that means to mill , compare the Ukrainian word for blin млинець, mlynets’. Read more . Blins had a somewhat ritual significance for early Slavic peoples in pre-Christian times since they were a symbol of the sun, due to their round form. They were traditionally prepared at the end of the winter to honor the rebirth of the new sun (Pancake week, in Russian Масленица). This tradition was adopted by the Orthodox church and is carried on to the present day. Bliny are also served at wakes, to commemorate the recently deceased. Blins were borrowed into Yiddish as בלינצע (blintse) and came into English in the form of blintz .