Russian Culture
Russian folk tales, the most beloved by children
Ask a child who grew up abroad, and they'll list all the Disney princesses without missing a beat, recall the talking animals from the latest cartoon...
Family, Love, and Fidelity Day, a holiday with a chamomile instead of a rose
In mid-February, a child growing up far from Russia brings home paper hearts and Valentine's cards from school, because Valentine's Day is in...
The Bolshoi Theatre: History of the World's Premier Ballet
Once, at the height of the war, the country's main theater disappeared. It didn't burn down, it didn't collapse, it simply vanished from the map of Moscow. The enemy...
Russian rock, a history from Tsoi to the present day
Imagine a stoker. A basement, a rusty furnace, a shovel, a mountain of coal, a long night shift, a face covered in black dust. Now imagine that this…
Great Russian Artists, from the Peredvizhniki to the Avant-Garde
In an American school's art class, names hang on the wall. Van Gogh with his bandaged ear, Monet with his water lilies, Picasso, Frida...
Why do Russian churches have onion-shaped domes?
The child points at the screen and laughs. On the loading screen for the game, there's a building with bright, winding turrets, and the child...
1. To skazat' (сказать) - To say. While "to say" exists in English, it doesn't carry the same nuance of a definitive statement or pronouncement. Russian often uses "to skazat'" to emphasize the act of stating something as a fact, with a sense of finality. 2. Pochemuchka (почемучка) - A curious person, especially a child who constantly asks "why?". English has "curious person" or "inquisitive," but "pochemuchka" is a more specific and affectionate term. 3. Toska (тоска) - A deep, often melancholic longing or yearning, a spiritual anguish without a specific cause. English words like "sadness," "melancholy," or "longing" don't fully capture the unique Russian feeling of "toska." 4. Avos' (авось) - A hope that things will turn out well by chance, without any effort or planning. It's a belief in luck or fate. English doesn't have a single word for this distinctly Russian concept. 5. Intelligentsia (интеллигенция) - A social class of intellectuals, artists, and educated people who consider themselves a distinct group with a responsibility to society. While English has "intellectuals" or "educated class," "intelligentsia" has a more specific historical and cultural connotation in Russian. 6. Dusha (душа) - Soul. While English has "soul," the Russian "dusha" often encompasses a broader range of meanings, including the inner self, one's character, and one's emotional core, with a deeper, more profound significance. 7. Blat (блат) - A system of informal connections and favors used to get things done, often circumventing official channels. It's a kind of informal networking or “knowing people.” English equivalents like "connections" or "networking" don't quite capture the often illicit or at least questionable nature of "blat." 8. Vyborgskaia storona (Выборгская сторона) - Literally "Vyborg side," but it's commonly used to refer to a more insular, provincial, or even slightly backward part of a city, in contrast to the more modern or central areas. It implies a certain character or social atmosphere. 9. Sverkhpotrebleniye (сверхпотребление) - Overconsumption. While English has "overconsumption" or "excessive consumption," "sverkhpotrebleniye" is a more concise and commonly used term in Russian to describe the phenomenon of consuming more than is necessary or sustainable. 10. Nedotopleniye (недотопление) - Insufficient heating. This is a very specific word for when a building or room is not heated enough, a common issue in colder climates where heating is a significant concern. English would require a phrase like "inadequate heating" or "not warm enough."
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10 Most Beautiful Russian Words and How to Make a Child Fall in Love With Them
Listen to the Russian you speak with your child on an ordinary day. Good morning. Brush your teeth. Don't fidget, finish your meal. Did you do your homework?...
How to explain stereotypes about Russians to a child and not get lost
One day your child will come home puzzled. At school, someone taunted them, laughing, about bears in the streets or about eternal...
Russian language level test for a child. Which of the four types is yours?
Two children are growing up in the same immigrant family, in the same house, with the same parents. But their Russian is different. The older one chats...
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