Archive for 'Culture'
The Russian Soul of Winter Olympics: “Русская душа зимних олимпиад” Posted by yelena on Feb 19, 2010
The Vancouver Winter Olympics started last week, on February 12. The day before “церемонии открытия” [the opening ceremony], “премьер-министр Владимир Путин” [Prime Minister Vladimir Putin] addressed the athletes, giving them a combination of pep talk and partying words known in Russian as “напутствие” (lit.: for the road): Мы все с нетерпением ждём стартов и…
Doing it Russian style means doing it «коллективно» [collectively] Posted by josefina on Jan 29, 2010
The title of today’s post might (actually have been intended to) lead my dear readers’ minds astray. Despite whatever you might have thought that this post was going to be about, let me assure you that «нет, не это я имела в виду» [no, that was not what I had in mind]. What I actually…
«Выходные в Вологде» [A Weekend in Vologda] Posted by josefina on Jan 19, 2010
The famous and magnificently beautiful «Софийский собор» [Saint Sofia Cathedral] where Shalamov’s father, «Тихон Шаламов» [Tikhon Shalamov], worked as «православный священник» [an Orthodox priest] in «Вологда» [Vologda] in the early 20th century upon his return from missionary work in Alaska. Behind it you can sneak a preview of the house where Shalamov was born, which…
«Отдыхают все!» [Everybody’s on Holiday!] Posted by josefina on Jan 9, 2010
At least «в России» [in Russia] and at least «до 10 (десятого) января» [until the 10th of January] it is true that «все отдыхают» [everybody’s on holiday]. Even though there was much talk in 2009 about finally abolishing those ten days that every Russian gets off in the beginning of every year «из-за экономического кризиса»…
«Готовим оливье!» [Making Oliv’e! (aka The Russian Salad)] Posted by josefina on Jan 1, 2010
Yes, you guessed it! (Did the (impfv.) verb «готовить» [prepare, make ready; train; make, COOK] in the title give it all away at first sight?) Today’s post is indeed «о еде» [about food], and, as you would expect, it is «о русской еде» [about Russian food] – one of the things we Russophiles (well, many…
«Искусство подарить и получить» [The Art of Giving and Recieving] Posted by josefina on Dec 29, 2009
While most of the world has already received their holiday «подарки» [gifts (plural of «подарок»: present, gift; presentation; pledge, donative)], Russia is still waiting for the main holiday of the year when it is custom to «подарить и получить» [give (pfv.) and receive (pfv.); their imperfect ‘verb comrades’ are «дарить» and «получать»]. Whereas most of…
How About ‘Dating’ in Russian? Posted by josefina on Dec 14, 2009
Recently we had a post about the tricky linguistic side to getting married in Russian – read “How About ‘Getting Married’ in Russian?” now if you missed it before – but the problems with how to define relationships in this language doesn’t end there. As a matter of fact, the trouble with love in Russia…