4 days before that was Orthodox Easter. They took off Good Friday, too, and Easter Monday. May 1 is the first day to slaughter any animals. I think people are wholly Slav under the three religions. In this sense, viewing the war as simply ethnic is far too shallow.
People usually take a lamb.
I ate lamb all yesterday afternoon. This guy has a big barbeque spit and chimney in his garage. Small orchards and precise gardens. 2 balconies on each house. I imagine that parts of Italy look like this.