International Women’s Day in Russia Posted by yelena on Mar 8, 2011
Today is the day when Russian men «поют дифирамбы» [sing praises] to Russian women. And Russian women, congratulating each other «в стихах и прозе» [in poetry and prose], not so jokingly wish for the day to end. For today, March 8th, Russians celebrate «Международный женский день» [International Women’s Day]. The whole world knows that Russian…
A History of Kiev, Part 4 Posted by Natalie on Mar 7, 2011
«Я знаю» [I know] that it has been quite a long time since I posted about «история Киева» [the history of Kiev]. You have been in so much suspense about what happens next, right? 😉 Anyway, today we are going to talk about «гражданская война» [the civil war], which is a very serious subject…
Happy Cheese Week! Posted by yelena on Mar 3, 2011
This week Russians are celebrating «Масленица» [Maslenitsa], also known as «сырная неделя» [lit. cheese-fare week]. And even thought it’s already Thursday, the real fun stuff is just beginning. So read on. Also, I’d like to thank one of our readers, Olga Tarn, for reminding me to write this post as well as for finding…
Russian Space Songs Karaoke Posted by yelena on Feb 25, 2011
Well, it’s «февраль» [February] and the weather is absolutely dreary. All around me – «снег» [snow] and «сугробы» [snow drifts] and freezing temperatures. So all I want to write about is tropical climes, but Russia isn’t famous for those. So instead, I’m going to talk about «астрономия» [astronomy]. «Сперва» [at first] I thought about…
In Which I See Sergey Lavrov Posted by Natalie on Feb 21, 2011
«Дорогие друзья» [Dear friends], there has been a reason for my long absence. «На прошлой неделе» [Last week], a series of events converged to make me extremely busy. «Мне было надо написать письменную работу» [I had to write an essay] and I managed to acquire «приглашение на выступление Сергея Лаврова» [an invitation to a…
Academicians, Pushkin, and the Steamship Posted by yelena on Feb 17, 2011
As promised, here’s the second and final post that provides some linguistic and cultural background for appreciation of one of the masterpieces of Soviet animation, Winter in Prostokvashino. «фломастер» – You might recognize the brand name Flo-Master. If you are teaching (or studying) a marketing course, this is a perfect example of brand dilution or…
I Want to Live in Prostokvashino! Posted by yelena on Feb 15, 2011
I recently read an article in a Russian newspaper that talked about the demise of Russian animation. While the story was sad, it made me think of some of my favorite «мультфильмы» [cartoons]. And one of my most favorite ones was about «Простоквашино» [Prostokvashino]. It’s a story of how a small boy named «Дядя Фёдор»…