About Russia
Russia is the largest country in the world, constituting approximately 15% of the worlds' land mass and spanning over 5 time zones. It is not a country many people would immediately think of when discussing the best holiday destinations; however, it is a country with an abundance of intruiging history, fascinating culture and lovely, caring people. Additionally, Russia is also home to some famous monuments, such as St Basil's Cathedral, the Kremlin, Lenin's Mausoleum and the Hermitage, which are all sights for once in a lifetime.
Culture
- Home - Russia's rich and diverse culture is renowned for the significance placed on home and having pride in your country. After the Soviet Era, many families were too suspicious of unknown people entering the family circle, and therefore were vigilant regarding who to trust. Families thrived together through the Soviet Era and struggled together shortly after. It is for these reasons that trusting your loved ones is a crucial concept in the life of a Russian.
- Religion - Russian culture revolves around Religion, which has always acted as a key component of the country. There are almost 5000 religious associations in Russia, with over half of this devoted to Orthodox Christianity and Islam following subsequently. Being an Orthodox Christian plays a key role in the lives of the majority of Russian people; with visiting church, praying and celebrating the respective holidays acting as a foundation for their belief.
- Arts - Arts and literature play an important role, not simply in the history of Russia, but as a consequence, in their entire culture. Many esteemed novelists and poets originate from Russia, some of which you will have heard of: the great writers Fedor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, the poet Alexander Pushkin and the playwright Anton Chekhov to name but a few. In addition to this are the famous onion-domed cathedrals (St. Basils Cathedral is featured below) which began to appear predominantly during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. They are often mused as architectural monuments to God, as they often come with crosses mounted and with 3 spires.
- Food and Drink - Russian food and drink are traditionally a considerable part of their culture, and will most definitely constitute your meals should you visit. Conventional meals come in the form of Borscht (Cabbage Soup), Piriozhki (Small baked buns filled with meat and vegetables) and Blini (Shown below) (Caviar formed from sturgeon eggs traditionally found in the Black Sea, which come with bread or in pancakes). Vodka is infamously the unofficial alcoholic drink of Russia, however it is much more than a tradition. In Russia, when you drink to something, you toast to specific people or holidays; therefore, it is more of a respected custom than a tradition to be waived.
Traditions and Superstitions
Russia is an extremely superstitious country, some of them are fairly normal, where as some are entirely obscure...
- Russians are enthusiastic with the common 'knock on wood' superstition to avoid bad luck, however, they go one step further than this and spit over their left shoulder three times whilst doing it (the devil sits on the left shoulder, so they spit at the devil)
- On days with exams or important tests, Russians do not make their beds, wear anything new or cut their nails, out of fear of bad luck.
- An important tradition exists while completing the common task of running home after forgetting something: One should either leave the forgotten object and continue with their journey, or return home, collect the object and look in the mirror before they leave home.
- Young girls cannot sit on the corner of the table, otherwise it is said they will never marry.
- Giving a purse or wallet as a gift must have some sort of money inside, an empty one is considered to bring financial misfortune.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What site can I use to find a Russian alphabet? Master Russian is a comprehensive site where you can find answers to your questions.
- What is the difference between Russian and other Eastern European languages such as Polish? Subtle differences exist between the Eastern European langauges, however the majority of them are similar to Russian. This is because at one stage, they all constituted areas of the Russian Empire; so their current languages are adaptations of Russian, varying in pronunciation mainly.
- How long does it take to become fluent in Russian? This question is difficult, as it depends on how immersed in the langauge and culture you are and how much time you can dedicate to the langauge. Generally, somewhere around 1500 hours for more complex languages is roughly correct, however, as stated it depends on various factors.