Russia

Russian culture Russian mentality

Russian soul

Russian culture is rich, spanning centuries of Russian history. Russian culture encompasses art, food, traditions, literature, attitudes and more. The culture of Russia is both a point of pride for Russians themselves and a major draw for travelers who plan trips to Russia.

What are Matryoshka Dolls?

Until the early 1900’s, Russian toys were made at home out of wood. Wood was the easiest material to get, and the cheapest for the people. It was used to make puppets and many different kinds of animals. A favorite toy among the children was the colorful Matryoshka nesting dolls. These dolls fit one inside the other, with the biggest one holding all of the rest. They are all meant to be a family with the baby as the smallest.

These dolls are now popular tourist souvenirs.

Valenki

Valenki are traditional Russian felt boots worn to keep feet warm during the winter. Valenki make great souvenirs from Russia or practical purchases for winter travel.

Russian Food

What do Russians like to drink?

The most popular drink for both adults and children in Russia is tea. The tea is brewed and served in the fancy metal container you see at the left, which is called a samovar. This boils the water and keeps it warm. A small teapot rests on top which contains a very strong tea. A little bit of that is combined with the water from the samovar. While samovars have fallen out of everyday use, samovars are still used for some occasions. In addition, antique samovars are sometimes family heirlooms and decorative reminders of the past.Russian Samovar

What do Russians like to eat?

Russians eat lots of bread, and prefer to buy it while it’s hot. The most popular bread is dark rye bread. They like to eat salads. Soup is also very popular, especially cabbage soup. All kinds of meats are eaten, with a variety of vegetables and the well-known potato pancakes. What about dessert? Russians like piroshki, or fritters, along with very thin jam-filled pancakes called blini. Kissel, or fruit puddings are popular, along with marozhinaya, or ice cream.

Delicious Russian Recipes

Oliviet (Russian Salad)

1. Boil 2 medium potatoes and 2 medium carrots in their skins. Let cool, then peel and dice.

2. Using about 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, mix the above ingredients with: 3-4 diced hard boiled eggs, 2-3 diced medium pickles, 1/4 cup diced fresh cucumber, and 2-3 tablespoons of chopped onion.

3. Season to your liking with pepper and enjoy!

Blini (Russian

Pancakes)

1. Put 1 cup of flour in a bowl. Add 1

tablespoon of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of

baking soda, 1/2 tablespoon of baking

powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.2. In a new bowl, beat 1 egg. Add 2 cups

of buttermilk and 1/8 cup of cooking oil.

3. Combine the bowls and beat.4. Cook in oil. Eat and enjoy! Russians eat these with a variety of

toppings. Those toppings include: caviar (fish

eggs!), sour cream, jam, and honey.

Popular Russian Sports

Russia is one of the most successful countries at a number of sports and continuously finishing in the top rankings at the Olympic Games. Among the most played sports in Russia are football, ice hockey and basketball. Other sports widely played in Russia include gymnastics, boxing, wrestling, volleyball, rugby union and skiing.

Hobbies and Games

Russians enjoy a wide variety of activities. In the summertime, they enjoy swimming, long walks in the countryside, and fishing. Skating, cross-country skiing and ice fishing are their favorite winter activities. Mushroom picking is a favorite activity for people of all ages in the fall. A favorite board game among Russians is chess. In fact, Russian children begin learning how to play chess in kindergarten! They get very serious about chess in fifth grade when they learn plays of the famous champions. Many world champions are from Russia!

Russian Banya

The Russian banya (or steam bath or sauna) is still very popular at Russian dachas. Sometimes accompanied by bouts of drinking, sometimes accompanied by birchbark "whisking" (the process of whipping the limbs with birchbark branches to improve circulation), the banya experience is a social one usually followed by the participants jumping into cold water. As with other elements of Russian culture, the banya centers around tradition, the wisdom of generations past, and the practicality of life in Russia. Though individuals don't usually go to the banya in place of taking a shower at home, going to the banya is still considered healthful and a well-established Russian custom.

Russian Music and Dance

What kind of music do Russians like to listen to?

The people of Russia enjoy listening to all kinds of music. Folk music is very old and popular kind of music. This dates back to medieval times, in the 1800s, when someone would play a string instrument, and the peasants would sing and dance. At the right is the popular balalaika, a three-stringed instrument. It is very old, but still widely played in villages and folk music bands.

Balalaikas and Russian Folk Instruments

What is balalaika? It is a triangular stringed instrument sort of like a guitar. This traditional instrument is sometimes brightly painted with Russian designs and scenes from Russian folktales. The music of accordions, which are also pictured, feature in Russian folk music as well, along with pipes and other stringed instruments.

The Nutcracker

Ballet is very popular in Russia, and dates back to the 1700s. Many wonderful ballets, dancers, and choreographers have come out of Russia. We have all seen a portion of the well-known Nutcracker ballet. Well, music to Swan Lake, one of the dances of the Nutcracker, was written by Tchaikovsky. He is the first of many great Russian composers.

The Russian MentalityRussian mentality is truly different from the usual thinking of a West European or North American person. Russians may seem quite reserved, harsh and distant at first, but in most cases just in a few minutes they will open up and you will have a great conversation and maybe even a new friend! Russians will gladly invite you to their home even after hardly knowing you at all. They are very curious about foreigners; that must be an effect of many years of communism, when one could hardly meet a foreigner anywhere. Russian women take great care of themselves, in spite of many life's difficulties a Russian lady looks good, groomed and very feminine. Russian guys are very attentive and caring for their women. They spend fortunes to make them happy and do not forget to give compliments each and every time.

In the history of Russian thought, it is known that the Russian soul is a mystery. Feodor Tjutchev  wrote the most famous poem about this.

Russia can’t be understood by reason,Russia isn’t measured by common means.It is quite unique.Russia can only be believed in.

The Russian Soul

1. What do Russians like to eat? -Sushi - Pizza - Hamburgers - Piroshkis

2. What kinds of sports are popular in Russia?- Baseball - Hockey - Races - Ping-Pong

3. Who wrote the most famous poem about Russian soul?- Dostoevsky - Chehov - Tjutchev -Fet

Sources and materials

www.goeasteurope.about.com

www.russian-crafts.com

www.becomeabetterbaker.com

Figes, Orlando. Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History of Russia New York: Picador, 2002.

Valliere, Paul. Change and Tradition in Russian Civilization. Westland: Hayden-McNeil Publishing, Inc., 1995.