Search by tag «Russian folklore» 12 results

• Chicken Blindness and Cuckoo’s Tears: Unusual Russian Flower Names and Their Origins

  Although the weather doesn’t always comply, spring is undoubtedly here. In time for the season of blooming and sprouting, we’ll talk about rather peculiar names for common flowers you can find in fields and meadows all over Russia.

  29.04.2024

• Fantastic Beasts in Russian Folklore

  Russian mythology can easily outmatch popular fantasy movies when it comes to peculiar characters. Some of them you can call either anthropomorphic creatures or zoomorphic humans – either way, you get the idea: they’re a mix between animals and humans, which is a concept that has been occupying the minds of people since forever.

  02.05.2022

• Slavic Winter Solstice Holidays and Traditions

  ​The tradition of celebrating the end of a year and the beginning of a new one on December 31 is relatively new – in Russia, this date was instituted only by Peter the Great in the 18th century. Before that, our ancestors celebrated the winter solstice, which this year will take place on December 21.

  20.12.2021

• Five Ancient Russian Cities with Fascinating Legends

  St. Petersburg might be the biggest city in North-Western Russia, but age-wise it has nothing against the 1000-year old cities in this region, their histories blending folklore and facts. How did some of these ancient places come about? 

  08.11.2021

• What You Can Learn From Russian Fables

  Russians love to quote lines from fables in everyday life, and by learning a few and their meaning, you can really leave an impression. Check out some of the most popular phrases that might come in handy.  

  13.09.2021

• Bird-Shaped Buns to Welcome Spring

  If you feel like you didn’t do spring justice by celebrating its arrival during the Maslenitsa week, don’t be upset – this time you can do it with sweet buns!

  22.03.2021

• Giant Turnips and Runaway Buns: Essential Russian Folktales

  Storytelling is a universal activity around the globe. Stories passed down from generation to generation in different parts of the world may seem to have nothing at common at first glance, but there are actually many similarities in their structure and symbolism. Let’s take a look at several folktales all Russians know by an early age and maybe we’ll draw some analogies.

  01.03.2021

• Top Five Places in Russia You Can’t Really Visit

  We’re all tired of traveling restrictions but what about travel destinations that are impossible to visit at all times? I’d say it’s still fascinating to learn more about them. Check out our list of (literally) legendary locations of Russian folklore.

  22.02.2021

• Koliada: Russian Trick-or-Treating?

  What do Halloween and Russian Orthodox Christmas (January 7) have in common? Asking neighbors for sweets, of course!

  07.01.2021

• Russian Horror Stories: What Do We Find Spooky?

  Halloween is not all too popular in Russia and yet you can’t call us cowards – we love spooky stuff, too, but in our own way. Bloody red gloves? A haunting Queen of Spades? A terrifying matryoshka? Find out what stories Russian children tell to frighten each other – and get goosebumps all over.

  26.10.2020