Culture

Red Corner

The red corner was the most important place in the peasant hut. A prie-dieu containing one or more icons decorated with embroidered towels, the red corner was regarded as a form of private chapel, wh...

Duelling

In Ancient Rome, armed combat between two men was regarded as a spectacle fit only for lowly gladiator slaves. It was only in the Middle Ages that the judicial duel was established as a way of settli...

Chess

Chess is one of the world’s most popular games and dates back to chaturanga, a sixth-century Indian battle game involving four armies. Chess spread from India into neighbouring Persia, from where it ...

Dominoes

Dominoes trace their origins back to China, where most games of chance known to man originated. They were among the many treasures brought back to Europe by Marco Polo in 1295. The name of the game i...

Draughts

Like chess, draughts belongs to the category of “military” games. Games similar to draughts were reputedly played in the days of the early Egyptian pharaohs and are mentioned in the works of the Gree...

Cuisine

The custom of serving starters or hors d’oeuvres ( zakuski ) is said to have arisen in Russia. The traditional Russian starters are caviar, cured and smoked fish and meat dishes. The harsh climate ta...

Bathhouse

One of the most popular Russian customs is visiting a bathhouse ( banya ). Vladimir Dahl’s Explanatory Dictionary claims that the word banya is derived from the verb banit’ (to wash or clean with wat...

Epiphany

Epiphany (6/19 January) celebrates the baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan and coincides with a period of hard frosts in Russia. On frozen rivers and lakes, holes were cut in the ice and call...

Kissing Ceremony

The moral regulations for Russian households ( Domostroi ) were written by a Novgorod monk called Sylvester in the sixteenth century. These rules condemned Russian women to a life spent in solitude. ...

Fortune Telling

Fortune telling is a time-honoured tradition in Russia. Throughout the year, it was the custom to tell fortunes on the eve of all important Orthodox holidays. The most propitious time for fortune tel...

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