Archive for 'Traditions'
Death in Russian, continued Posted by bota on Jun 14, 2021
Remember this blog where I mentioned the Russian tradition of bringing an even number of flowers to the funeral? We will talk about that and other traditions surrounding Russian funerals as well as vocabulary that relates to death in general. Flowers So, the even number of flowers comes from old-time beliefs that even numbers symbolize…
June 12 – Russia Day Posted by Nadya on Jun 10, 2021
June 12 is Russia Day. What exactly are we celebrating on that day? Not Independence Day Russia Day (День Росси́и) is one of the newest national public holidays in Russia. It has been celebrated since 1992. This day marks the formation of the Russian Federation (Росси́йская Федера́ция) as a sovereign (сувере́нный/незави́симый) country after the collapse…
Russian Summer Sayings Posted by Nadya on May 28, 2021
We have already talked about Russian spring proverbs, winter expressions, and fall vocabulary. And, of course, today’s blog will be about summer sayings. Today, you can quickly check the weather forecast in seconds. To do this, you just need the Internet. But for millennia, people have followed the changes in nature and its phenomena. The…
DIY ideas for Paskha Posted by bota on May 4, 2021
Правосла́вная Па́сха вы́пала на второе ма́я в э́том го́ду. (Orthodox Easter fell on May 2nd this year) and I wanted to share как мы с брати́шкой и сестрёнкой первый раз кра́сили яйца (how I and my siblings dyed eggs for the first time) и как мы пригото́вили па́сху (and how we made a paskha). My…
He Said “Poyekhali!” Posted by Nadya on Apr 12, 2021
Today, Russia celebrates Cosmonautics Day (День Космона́втики), also known as The International Day of Human Space Flight. On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut (Do you want to know why Russians call their astronauts cosmonauts? Read THIS BLOG) Yuri Gagarin made the world’s first orbital flyby of the Earth (Земля́). Exactly twenty years later, the first…
Protect Your Home With Domovoi Posted by Nadya on Mar 18, 2021
If you want to protect your home, you do not have to install security cameras and alarms. You can get a domovoi. What is “домовой“ Домово́й (domovoi, domovoy, or domovoj – singular, домовы́е–domovye – plural; literally, “[it] of the house”) is a house spirit in Slavic (славя́нский) folklore (фолькло́р). You can also read about other…
The A-Z of the Russian Banya Posted by bota on Mar 15, 2021
A trip to ру́сская ба́ня (Russian banya/ Russian sauna) is a healing cultural experience for your mind and body. Many Russians have a баня (banya) on their dachas and might be enjoying the “jumping in the snow after banya” in their backyards with the last of this winter’s snow. Tips for Russian sauna: Avoid drinking…