Archive for 'Culture'
What’s a Russian Picnic Without Kebabs? Posted by yelena on Jun 16, 2011
What is one summer must-do thing that is «романтично» [romantic], hot, takes place «на природе» [out in nature, outdoors] and can’t be done «без мужчин» [without men]? It is, of course, «шашлыки» [shish-kebabs] – favorite past-time for the short Russian summer. If there were a single maxim about «шашлык», it would be «шашлык это не…
Ай да Пушкин! Posted by yelena on Jun 6, 2011
Today is a special day. «Вы знаете, что случилось в этот день в далёком 1799-ом году?» [Do you know what happened on this day in the distant year of 1799?] If you Google this date in Russian – «6 июня 1799 года» – the top result is the birth of «Александр Сергеевич Пушкин» [Alexander…
Fairy Tale Living Posted by yelena on May 26, 2011
Do you love reading about Russia and all things Russian, however quirky they might be? Do you love «русские народные сказки» [Russian fairy tales]? Are you interested in the latest developments in «русско-украинские отношения» [Russian-Ukrainian relations]? Do you enjoy looking at «занимательные картинки» [entertaining pictures]? If you answered «да» (do I really need to…
And the Winner Is… Posted by yelena on May 20, 2011
Warning: This is a very long post and the winner is announced at the very end of it. «Время подводить итоги конкурса» [It’s time to wrap up our contest]. Before I announce «победитель» [the winner], I got to say this – Russian blog readers ROCK! The total of 83 comments is a new record…
Moscow, Again, or What Is It That Flows Together? Posted by yelena on May 18, 2011
Alexandr Pushkin, that most famous of the Russian poets, wrote «Москва… как много в этом звуке Для сердца русского слилось!» [Moscow… how much there is in that sound That flows together for the heart of the Russian!] If we approach the problem from a strictly «количественный подход» [quantitative approach], there are «почти девять миллионов» [almost…
Russian Gestures – Silence is Golden Posted by yelena on May 13, 2011
And now I’m thinking of a Russian 4-letter word that starts with «ж»… Nope, not that one! The word I’m thinking about is «жест». As so many Russian words it has more than one meaning. «В переносном значении» [Figuratively], it means “an act intended for external effect”: «Его решение жениться на Марии было лишь благородным…
May in Russia – Celebrate, Study, and Plan for Summer Posted by yelena on May 6, 2011
«Май» [May] is my second «самый любимый месяц» [most favorite month] to be in Russia. The first one is «август» [August], «по личным причинам» [for personal reasons]. «Весна в разгаре» [Spring is in full force] or to recall the famous line of a fairly obscure poet: «Это май-баловник, это май-чародей» [It is May the…