Archive for 'Culture'
Working hard or hardly working: Russian sayings about laziness Posted by bota on Jul 14, 2020
Not sure if it’s July heat in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan that’s making any effort to do anything three times more exhausting, or the fact that I consumed triple the recommended amount of chocolate fudge cake for my birthday (you only turn 25 once, right?) — either way, I’m feeling like the biggest sloth. So, why not…
Traditional Russian Dish That Is Loved All Over The World Posted by Nadya on Jun 29, 2020
Today we will eat like real barons. Beef Stroganoff is a dish, popular around the world, named after Alexander Stroganov, Russia’s minister of the interior, baron, and count of the 19th century. According to the main version of its history, the dish was invented by a French cook, who served the Stroganovs, Andre Dupont. However…
3 Best Russian-Language Songs of the 2010s Posted by Maria on Dec 9, 2019
Picking the top songs of the decade is tricky—how do you even determine what makes a “top” track? Is it its popularity, impact, or commercial success? In putting together this list, I’ve selected tracks that I thought were representative of Russian-language music of the “teens” in some way. Naturally, my choices are subjective and by…
Russian Spooky Folk Characters Posted by Maria on Oct 31, 2019
It’s Halloween again! This holiday is not as ingrained in Russian culture as it is in some Anglophone cultures—children don’t usually go trick-or-treating, and you won’t see many eerie decorations in people’s front yards (especially since most people live in high-rises). However, children usually learn about it in their English classes, and there may be…
Autocomplete Question: “Do Russians Believe in God?” Posted by Maria on Sep 10, 2019
Sometimes, to make sure my blog posts stay topical, I draw inspiration from popular search queries. Some of you might have seen the autocomplete interview series, where celebrities answer the most-searched questions about themselves. This time, I typed “Do Russians,” and “believe in God” was one of the suggestions. I will attempt to answer this…
Russian Outdoor Games for Kids Posted by Maria on Sep 3, 2019
Have you ever wondered what kind of outdoor activities Russian children engage in? The games (и́гры) in this post are not unique to Russia and are known in the entire post-Soviet area—and beyond. Кла́ссики This one’s a classic (pun intended)! Кла́ссики is the Russian name for hopscotch. I imagine most people are familiar with it…
Famous Russian Emigres Who Came Back Posted by Maria on Aug 22, 2019
As we have discussed in this blog, Russian speakers live in several countries around the world. Some of them might have moved abroad from Russia—but some may eventually return to their country of origin. In today’s post, we’ll look at several people’s stories of leaving and coming back. These individuals are included because I thought…