2014
Tobías González – Macarena Quirno Costa – Belén Ventura
The Russian Culture
Location and Geography.
The Russian Federation is the largest and is one of the world's northernmost countries. It
extends over 17,075,000 square kilometers, from its borders with Finland, Estonia, Latvia,
Belarus, and Ukraine on the west to the Bering Strait in the far northeast and from its
borders with Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and China in the south to the
Arctic Ocean in the north.
European Russia, the most densely populated, urbanized, and industrialized region, lies
between the Ukraine-Belarus border and the Ural Mountains. Seventy-eight percent of
the population lives in this area. Two large industrial cities are located above the Arctic
Circle: Murmansk on the Kola Penninsula and Norilsk in Siberia.
Population and ethnic makeup
According to the 2010 census, the population of Russia is 142,905,200, which has been
declining since its peak of 148,689,000 in 1991, when the USSR was officially dissolved.
The ethnic makeup of the Russian population is 82 percent Russian. The largest minority
group is Tatars (4 percent), which are natives of the Volga, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan
regions. That is followed by Ukrainian (3 percent); Chuvash (1 percent); Bashkir (1
percent); Belarusian (1 percent) and Moldavian (1 percent).
Religious Beliefs.
Although Prince Vladimir converted
the East Slavs to Orthodox Christianity
in 988, pre-Christian polytheism
persisted for hundreds of years among
the people, alongside Christian
practices and beliefs. Many animistic
elements, rites, and feasts associated
with the agricultural calendar have
persisted. Christian practices such as
the curative application of "holy water" from a church are structured along the lines of
pre-Christian customs. Churches frequently were constructed on ancient sacred sites.
Traditional beliefs about forest and house spirits and metaphysical healing practices still
exist among urbanized intellectuals and the working classes, especially among rural
populations. A number of behavioral prohibitions stem from old beliefs: whistling indoors
summons ill fortune and evil spirits are attracted by bragging or calling attention to good
fortune or health. Telling people they have a lovely child may cause discomfort and
necessitate warding off the evil eye.
The Soviet Union promoted "scientific atheism," severely repressed all religious
organizations, and destroyed or took over many religious properties and sacred objects.
The recent revitalization of religious identification and practice has been swift and strong
among adherents of Orthodoxy, Islam, Buddhism, Protestantism, Catholicism, and
Judaism, although many Jews have emigrated. Indigenous shamanism is also being revived
among many Siberian and Mongolian peoples. The state has returned thousands of
churches, mosques, and temples as well as icons and other religious objects appropriated
during the Soviet period to their respective communities. Monasteries and religious
schools and training centers for all faiths have sprung up or reopened, and the number of
religious practitioners has more than doubled since the 1970s. There has also been an
explosion of alternative and New Age spiritual movements, publications, and
practitioners.
The Russian Orthodox Church has always been institutionally powerful, aligned with the
state since Kievan times (powerful empire during the Middle Ages centered around the
city of Kiev. It served as the foundation and beginning of both Russia and the Ukraine.),
and even in the Soviet period, when it was allowed to function within strict limits. The
control and reach of the state have often been secured through the administrative
networks and ideological influence of the Orthodox Church.
Orthodox Christianity is Russia's largest religion with 75 percent of the population
belonging to the Orthodox Christian denomination. About 5 percent of the population
identifies as Islam. Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism and Buddhism make up 1 percent
of the population each. About 8 percent consider themselves atheists.
Languages
While Russian is the official language, and Russia has an almost 100 percent literacy rate,
many Russians also speak English as a second language. More than 100 minority languages
are spoken in Russia today, the most popular of which is Tartar, spoken by more than 3
percent of the country's population. Other minority languages include Ukrainian, Chuvash,
Bashir, Mordvin and Chechen. Although these minority populations account for a small
percentage of the overall Russian population, these languages are prominent in regional
areas.
Arts, literature and architecture
Ballet is one of the most notable art forms coming out of Russia. Founded in 1776, the
Bolshoi Ballet is a classical ballet company based at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow and
known throughout the world. The Mariinsky Ballet in Saint Petersburg is another famous
ballet company in Russia.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the 19th-century Russian composer, is world renowned for
"Swan Lake" and the "1812 Overture," among other pieces. There are several museums,
including his childhood home, showcasing his personal belongings and musical artifacts.
Russian literature has also had a worldwide impact, with writers such as Leon Tolstoy
("Anna Karenina" and "War and Peace"), and Fyodor Dostoevsky ("Crime and Punishment"
and "The Brothers Karamazov") still being read around the world.
Russian nesting dolls are well-known symbols of the country. These sets of dolls, known as
matrioshka dolls, consist of a wooden figure that can be pulled apart to reveal another
smaller version of the same image inside, and so on, often with six or more dolls nested
inside one another. The painting of each doll, which can be extremely elaborate, usually
symbolizes a Russian peasant girl in traditional costume.
Colorfully painted onion domes, which first appeared during the reign of Ivan the Terrible,
are commonplace in Russian architecture and are predominant atop church structures. It
has been speculated that they represent burning candles or vaults to heaven and often
appear in groups of three representing the Holy Trinity. The domes of Saint Basil's
Cathedral, one of the prime examples of onion domes, have not been altered since the
16th century.
Eastern-Slavic cuisines have a long tradition of pancake
cooking and include a large variety of pancake types.
One of them are Blinis which are thin pancakes,
however somewhat thicker than crêpes, made from
wheat or buckwheat flour, butter, eggs, and milk, with
yeast added to the batter. Blini cooking dates back to
pagan traditions and feasts, which are reflected in today's "pancake week" celebrated in
the winter before the Great Lent. In pre-Christian times, blini were symbolically
considered by early Slavic peoples as a symbol of the sun, due to their round form.
Maslenitsa: History
Maslenitsa, or Pancake week, has been celebrated in Russia from very ancient times, and
it is one of the favourite holidays for Russians. During the Middle Ages, it was common
practice to prepare for Lent by
purging the pantry of luxurious foods
such as eggs, butter, and milk. These
ingredients often became big
batches of pancakes. To this day,
many communities around the world
feast on pancakes all the way
through Fat Tuesday, Pancake Day or
Mardi Gras before the season of
moderation begins on Ash Wednesday. Maslenitsa, or Pancake week, happens in the last
week prior to the start of Lent (about 7 weeks before Orthodox Easter), usually in the
middle, or at the end of February.
Each day in Pancake Week has a different name, with different traditions to celebrate:
Day 1 - Monday - "A Meeting"
On Meeting Day, Vstrecha, women start making
pancakes. The first pancake is set aside for deceased
family members and relatives. Also on this day, a
strawman is made, to symbolise winter.
Day 2 - Tuesday - "Game Day"
On Game Day, Zaigriysh, people head outdoors to play in the snow, making snowballs and
playing other games. Young people also meet each other, and a lot of kissing takes place!
Stalls and fairs are also opened on this day.
Day 3 - Wednesday - "Sweet Day"
After many games on Tuesday, comes Sweet
Day,”Lakomka”, when at each house tables are filled with
different meals and, of course, with pancakes. Beer and
tea are common. Also on this day, men should visit their
mother-in-law, and she must feed him with a bounty of
pancakes that he will remember for the rest of the year.
Day 4 - Thursday - "Playing Thursday"
On Playing Thursday, “Razgulniychetverok”, young men meet to test their strength against
one another. There are strict rules for the grappling - you cannot beat someone who has
fallen, or is falling to the ground, and if two are fighting, no-one else can get involved.
Day 5 - Friday - "Mother-in-law's Evening"
On this day, “Teshchiniyvecherki”, the son-in-law should now thank his mother-in-law and
invite her for pancakes. The mother-in-law should bring all ingredients for baking, and the
father-in-law should also send some food. If a son-in-law ignores these good traditions, it
might be a reason for a quarrel in the family.
Day 6 - Saturday - "Daughter-in-law's Day"
On this day, “Zolovkiniyposidelki”, a woman must invite all relatives of her husband, set
the table with food and pancakes, and give some gifts to each member of her new family.
Day 7 - Sunday - "Forgiving Sunday"
On the last day of Maslenitsa, “ProshchenoyeBoskresen'e”, the man of straw should be
burned and this custom means that winter has come to the end. People ask for
forgiveness from each other, and everyone tries to make amends and forgive all old
quarrels. In this way, people meet spring with a clear conscience and an open heart.
Pancake Week Around the World
Despite its no-nonsense name, Pancake Week inspires its share of eccentric behavior.
The small town of Olney, England has been holding its Pancake Race every year since
1445. According to the lore, it began when an Olney housewife was cooking the family's
traditional Shrove Tuesday pancakes. The church bell began to ring, summoning the
townspeople to service, and the woman was so anxious to get there on time that she ran
outside still holding her skillet--pancakes and all. This moment is reenacted in the town's
annual Pancake Race: contestants line up, skillets in hand, waiting for the "pancake bell"
to ring. Then they toss pancakes in the air, catch them in their skillets and race 400 yards
to the church. When they reach the finish line, they must toss their pancakes one more
time. After the race, everyone attends church services and then enjoys a community
pancake party.
Determined not to leave all the fun to the Brits, the town of Liberal, Kansas has been
competing with Olney in a good-natured transatlantic Pancake Race rivalry since 1950.
In Russia, the pre-Lenten pancake feast is known as Maslenitsa, and is celebrated by
eating thin buckwheat crepes called blini, accompanied by caviar, honey, jam, sour cream
or butter. These little symbols of the sun--golden, round and warm--signify the end of
winter and the coming of spring. Bonfires, fireworks and snow games round out the
festivities.
Whatever you may call them--battercakes, blini, blintzes, crepes, flapjacks, griddlecakes,
hotcakes, johnnycakes, or pancakes--they stack up to a plateful of good eating.
Experiment with thick batters and thin, make them sweet or savory, and try out all sorts of
toppings and stuffings. Have a great time indulging in pancakes this week!