Archive for 'Traditions'
Out With the New, In With the Old Posted by yelena on Jan 13, 2012
What are your plans for tomorrow, Saturday the 14th of January? Better cancel them and instead celebrate старый Новый год (the old New Year). Today, January the 13th is yet another the New Year’s Eve. Yes, it’s another chance to finish last year’s unfinished business, to set goals and make promises, and to start afresh…
What to Do on Christmas Eve Posted by yelena on Jan 6, 2012
‘Twas the night before Christmas… when the devil stole the moon, two drunken Cossacks lost their way in a snowstorm, a village blacksmith spoke with a Russian tsarina and a young peasant girl got her wish. Since this is the night before Christmas in Russia (remember, Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on January 7) as…
How to Decorate the New Year’s Tree Posted by yelena on Dec 21, 2011
I don’t know about you, but конец декабря (the end of December) is always the busiest time for me. It’s all about getting ready for Новый Год (the New Year), мой любимый праздник (my favorite holiday). At first I wasn’t going to write about празднование Нового Года (celebrating the New Year) since we already covered…
Russian Holidays: День народного единства Posted by Natalie on Nov 9, 2011
A funny experience happened in my Russian class today, «дорогие друзья» [dear friends]. We are reading «Дама с собачкой» [The Lady with the Lapdog]. My professor said of the main character, «Гуров» [Gurov], «Он верен своей жене?» [Is he faithful to his wife?] I smiled and gave a resounding «Да, конечно» [yes, of course]…
Don’t Go to the Beach (Without Reading This First)! Posted by yelena on Jul 18, 2011
What is «лето» [summer] without spending some time «на пляже» [at a beach]? Have you done it yet? If not, then what are you waiting for; the summer (in the Northern Hemisphere) is almost over. As the saying goes, «ноги в руки и вперёд!» [get to it!] Because next thing you know, it will be…
Tea in Russia is More Than Just Tea Posted by yelena on Jun 27, 2011
If you meet and befriend a Russian, at some point you will be invited over to his or her place. Such invitation won’t be anything formal. Your friend might say «будешь рядом, заходи в гости» [when you are in the area, do stop by] or «приходи, чайку попьём» [come over for some tea] or «будет…
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…