The second largest city in Russia, St. Petersburg is the country’s cultural heart. The population of St. Petersburg is 5 million (as of October 2012). View splendid architectural gems like the Winter Palace and the Kazan Cathedral, and browse the world-renowned art collection of the Hermitage. Moscow is the political, scientific, historical, architectural and business center …
The early history of Russia is similar to many other countries with people moving to Russia and the start of kingdoms. Russian became a large country when several cities merged into an empire. In the ninth century, a Scandinavian group of people (the Varangians) crossed the Baltic Sea to land in Eastern Europe. Led by …
Russians have three names. These are the first or given name (имя), the surname or family name (фамилия) and patronymic (отчество). A patronymic is formed from the father’s first name with the help of the endings –ович and -евич for boys, and -овна and -евна for girls. For example, if Anatoly’s father is Viktor, he will be called Анатолий Викторович. Common Boys’ Names …
Matryoshka dolls are traditional Russian nesting dolls. A set of Matryoshka dolls consists of one hollow wooden doll that can be pulled apart to hold another doll of the same kind inside. That doll has another doll inside, etc. These dolls are usually brightly painted. There can be 6-10 dolls that all fit inside the …
A traditional Russian meal consists of fish, potatoes, vegetables and bread. Borscht, a soup made from beets, is a well-known traditional Russian food. Tea and tea ceremonies are an important part of Russian culture. Samovars are Russian tea water heaters. The samovar keeps the tea water hot, and then a spout is used to pour …
Most people in Russia dress in modern clothes, especially in the cities. Traditional dress is most often used for festivals. In the smaller villages, many women wear skirts and a shawl to cover their heads or shoulders. In the colder regions of Russia, men often wear fur caps with ear flaps to help stay warm.
Much of the land in Russia is made up of plains called steppes. Three-quarters of Russia is an area called Siberia. Siberia is very cold. It is filled with pine forests called taigas. Siberian tigers, the largest cats in the world are native to these forests. Lake Baikal in Siberia contains more water than any other …
Russia is the largest country in the world. The official name of Russia is the Russian Federation. It is located between northern Europe and Asia. Because Russia is so large, it is made up of many different regions each with their own unique cultures. Russia is divided into 83 Federal Subjects, which are divided further …
Sounds of Russia Russian music is heterophonic; this means that there is one melody among different voices. It is diverse in dialect, and the traditional music of Russia is folk music. There are ritual songs, nonritual songs, and instrumental music as well. The main instruments used are the schwam, horn trumpet, svirel, and kugikly. Most …
3 Common Children’s Games of Russia 1) Brook: The children make pairs, and grab each other’s hands and hold them up. They create a brook, and the child without a partner stays in the front, closes his or her eyes, and walks through the brook to choose another partner. The two children walk to the …
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