TYPICAL STEREOTYPES
ABOUT RUSSIA,
RUSSIAN CULTURE,
RUSSIAN CHARACTER.
•HOW YOU UNDERSTAND THE WORD
“SYMBOL”?
•WHAT RUSSIAN SYMBOLS DO YOU
KNOW?
Symbols - the official and non-official, propagandistic –andstereotyped, and linguistic- and -cultural symbols play an
important role in formation of a country and a nation’s
image; they build up its recognition.
Symbols of Russia and Russians are quite diverse. There are
only three official, i.e. authorized by law, symbols of the state the flag, emblem and anthem. The number of informal
symbols, which are often much more famous and popular,
could be divided into the following groups:
Propagandistic- and- stereotyped symbols created by
foreigners
•THEY USUALLY SUPPORT THE SOCIAL
MYTHS AND POLITICAL ILLUSIONS (BEAR,
VODKA, KGB, KALASHNIKOV’S GUN) AND
RELATED TO NATIONAL CULTURE:
МАТРЕШКА (MATRESHKA), БАЛАЛАЙКА
(BALALAIKA), САМОВАР (SAMOVAR),
ШАПКА-УШАНКА, ТРОЙКА (TROIKA).
ONLY RUSSIAN SYMBOLS WITH NATIONAL
CONNOTATIONS:
• HISTORICAL
• CULTURAL
• LINGUISTIC-AND -CROSS-CULTURAL.
SUCH SPECIAL RUSSIAN WORDS WHICH ARE DIFFICULT TO ACCURATELY
TRANSLATE:
FOR EXAMPLE, THE WORD "ТОСКА" COULD BE TRASLATED AS
“ANGUISH”, “SORROW”, “GRIEF ", BUT NO ONE IS CORRECT
VODKA
VODKA IS THE MOST WELL-KNOWN
OF RUSSIAN ALCOHOL.
MOST RUSSIANS PREFER THEIR
TRADITIONAL NATIONAL VODKA
THAN OTHER ALCOHOL (LIKE
MEXICANS LIKE TEQUILA AND
GERMANS LOVE THEIR SCHNAPPS).
WHEN AND WHERE WAS
VODKA INVENTED?
VODKA
ACCORDING TO ONE OF THE LEGENDS, THE
MONKS OF MOSCOW’S MONASTERY WERE
THE FIRST WHO STARTED PRODUCING
RUSSIAN VODKA. AFTER THEIR VISIT TO
CONSTANTINOPLE WHERE THEY TASTED
GRAPE SPIRIT, THEY STARTED MAKING THE
FIRST EVER HOOCH. AS THERE WERE NO
GRAPES GROWING IN THEIR LAND THE
SPIRIT WAS MADE OF GRAIN. THEY CALLED
THIS DRINK “AQUA VITAE” (LATIN FOR
“WATER OF LIFE” ). IT WAS A PROTOTYPE
OF THE PRESENT-DAY VODKA. THE WORD
VODKA WAS DERIVED FROM THE WORD
“VODA” (MEANING WATER).
Russian Civil War, brought a popular Russian fur hat, Ushanka (originally
kolchakovka) . It became a winter uniform during WWII. The Ushanka
became a symbol and media icon of Soviet Russia. Since 1940 ushanka has
become a part of the uniform of Russian army and militsia (police). Made
from sheepskin rabbit or muskrat fur, ushanka was designed to protect the
ears, jaw and lower chin from the cold due to ear flaps. The word ushanka
derives from ushi (уши), "ears" in Russian.
BEAR
INSIDE RUSSIA, THE BEAR HAS A DIFFERENT
REPUTATION (THAN IN WEST), AND THIS ANIMAL
HAS HAD POSITIVE CONNOTATIONS TO ALL SLAVS.
PRE-CHRISTIAN SLAVS BELIEVED THE BEAR TO BE
THEIR COMMON ANCESTOR.
“MEDVED’” (BEAR) IS ONE OF THE HEROES OF
MANY SLAVIC LEGENDS AND FAIRYTALES.
RUSSIANS TENDERLY GIVE THE BEAR A HUMAN
NAME OF MISHA (SOMETIMES ADDING A
PATRONYMIC NAME OUT OF RESPECT - HENCE,
MIKHAIL POTAPYCH). BY THE WAY,
“MEDVED’” (“MED” - HONEY, “VEDAT’”- TO KNOW)
LITERALLY MEANS “THE ONE WHO KNOWS WHERE
THE HONEY IS.”
BEARS LIVE THROUGHOUT
RUSSIA. OF COURSE, YOU
WILL NOT SEE BEARS
ROAMING THE STREETS OF
TOWNS AND CITIES, BUT
YOU CAN SEE THEIR
IMAGES EVERYWHERE.
THEY ARE ON COUNTLESS
RUSSIAN TOWN SHIELDS AS
A SYMBOL OF STRENGTH
AND COURAGE.
THE LOVABLE LITTLE BEAR CUB
MISHA WAS CHOSEN TO BE
RUSSIA’S MASCOT IN THE 1980
SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES HELD IN
MOSCOW AND BECAME A
FAVOURITE HERO OF CHILDREN’S
CARTOON FOR YEARS.
ALSO THE BEAR WAS
ADOPTED AS THE
UBIQUITOUS SYMBOL
FOR THE UNITED
RUSSIA.
BEAR SYMBOLOGY
REACHED ITS PEAK
WHEN D. MEDVEDEV
BECAME THE
PRESIDENT OF
RUSSIA. (IN RUSSIAN,
MEDVEDEV LITERALLY
MEANS, “OF THE
BEARS.”)
SYMBOLS ASSOCIATED WITH THE NATIONAL EVERY DAY CULTURE
IT IS A SET OF WOODEN DOLLS NESTED
INTO EACH OTHER. THE PAINTED IMAGE
ON THEM IS MOST OFTEN A WOMAN
WEARING TRADITIONAL RUSSIAN
COSTUME DECORATED WITH FLOWERS
AND PATTERNS. IT SEEMS THAT THE
MATRYOSHKA HAS COME TO US FROM
THE ANTIC WORLD OF LEGENDS AND
FAIRY TALES, THOUGH IN REALITY THE
WOODEN DOLL IS ONLY ABOUT
HUNDRED YEARS IN EXISTENCE.
MATRYOSHKA WAS FIRST MADE IN RUSSIA AT THE
END OF THE 19TH CENTURY (PRECISELY IN THE
1880S), WHEN RUSSIA WAS EXPERIENCING A RISING
SENSE OF CULTURE AND NATIONAL IDENTITY. THE
INDUSTRIALIST AND PATRON OF THE ARTS, SAVVA
MAMONTOV, ESTABLISHED A CHILDREN’S EDUCATION
WORKSHOP WHERE RUSSIAN FOLK CRAFTSMEN
PRODUCED A VARIETY OF FOLK-ART STYLE TOYS FOR
CHILDREN AND DEVELOPED THE IDEA OF THE
CREATION OF A NEW RUSSIAN STYLE
ONCE SOMEBODY HAS BROUGHT A FUNNY
JAPANESE FIGURINE OF A BALD-HEADED OLD MAN
FUKURUMA, WHICH CONSISTED OF SEVEN OTHER
FIGURINES NESTLED ONE ANOTHER. IT WAS MADE ON
THE ISLAND OF HONSHU,
JAPAN IN THE LATE
1800S
BY AN UNKNOWN
RUSSIAN MONK.
REALLY, THIS TYPE OF NESTING TOYS WAS
WELL KNOWN BEFORE - RUSSIAN CRAFTERS
TURNED WOODEN EASTER EGGS AND APPLES,
BUT NOT FIGURINES. WITH THE ARRIVAL OF
THE RUSSIAN-JAPANESE "FUKURUMA" THE
CRAFTMAN V. ZVEZDOCHKIN AND ARTIST
S.MALIUTIN WERE INSPIRED TO CREATE A
NEW RUSSIAN FOLK ART DOLL MATRYOSHKA. IN APRIL OF 1900,
MATRYOSHKA WAS REPRESENTED AT THE
WORLD FAIR IN PARIS, WHERE IT WON THE
BRONZE MEDAL AND WORLDWIDE FAME.
THE NAME "MATRYOSHKA"
COMES FROM THE RUSSIAN WORD
FOR “MOTHER” - «МАТЬ» (THE LATIN
ROOT “MATER “- MOTHER).
MATRYOSHKA HAS COME TO MEAN
“LITTLE MOTHER” BASED ON THE
IDEA THAT THE LARGEST DOLL
HOLDS HER BABIES INSIDE LIKE AN
EXPECTANT MOTHER AND THAT
EACH DAUGHTER IN TURN BECOMES
A MOTHER. SO MATRYOSHKA IS A
SYMBOL OF MOTHERHOOD AND IT
HAS A MODIFIED EGG SHAPE. THE
NAMES MATRYONA AND MATRYOSHA
WERE COMMON FEMALE NAMES IN
RUSSIAN COUNTRY TO THE
REVOLUTION OF 1917. THE SUFFIX ESHKA (OR –USHKA-) IS FREQUENTLY
USED IN RUSSIAN TO DENOTE A
DIMINUTIVE FORM OF A NAME.
MUSEUM OF MATRESHKAS
BALALAIKA
THE BALALAIKA IS A PLUCKING STRING INSTRUMENT
THAT RESEMBLES A GUITAR, BUT HAS A TRIANGULAR
SHAPE AND ONLY THREE STRINGS (OR TWO IN SOME
CASES).
UNFORTUNATELY, TODAY THE BALALAIKA HAS
DISAPPEARED FROM RUSSIANS’ EVERYDAY LIFE
ALMOST COMPLETELY.
THERE AREN’T MANY PEOPLE LEFT WHO CAN PLAY IT –
NOT TO MENTION, ONLY PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS IN
RUSSIAN FOLK MUSIC ENSEMBLES.
THE FIRST MENTION OF THE TERM "BALALAIKA"
WAS IN A RUSSIAN DOCUMENT FROM 1688 BALALAIKA WAS USED BY RUSSIAN PEASANTS,
SKOMOROHKI, OR WANDERING MINSTRELS. IT
EXISTED IN VARIOUS FORMS WITH TRIANGULAR
AND OVAL BODIES, DIFFERING NUMBERS OF
STRINGS, AND MOVABLE TIED-ON STRING FRETS,
AND WAS MAINLY USED FOR PLAYING DANCE TUNES.
THE MODERN VARIANT OF INSTRUMENT STANDARDIZED, THREE-STRING CHROMATIC
TRIANGULAR-BODIED BALALAIKA WITH FIXED
METAL FRETS AND OTHER INNOVATIONS - WAS
CREATED BACK IN 1880 BY VASILII ANDREEV.
BALALAIKA
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