Russian Kafe » culture

Bringing change to people with disabilities in Russia

jim — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:54:49 +0000

RT recently highlighted expat Denise Rosa, who has been living in Russia for 20 years and helping people with disabilities.

Bringing change and “perspectiva” for people with disabilities – RT

LIFE: An object from the Soviet space program

jim — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 07:38:52 +0000

An object from the Soviet space program, at the Permanent Exhibition of Soviet Achievment. Life magazine, October, 1961.

LIFE: An object from the Soviet space program,… – Hosted by Google.

Russians celebrate Epiphany

jim — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 14:04:48 +0000

The Epiphany – one of the twelve main Orthodox holidays – is celebrated by Russian Orthodox Church and believers throughout the country. Churches bless the waters and the more valiant take a dive into holes in the ice. Russia Today reports on the Epiphany celebrations.

YouTube – Russians celebrate Epiphany.

Found Footage: Dacha days are here again!

jim — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:41:29 +0000

The Dacha, or summer house, is a large part of summer life for many Russians. These summer “houses” range from a simple plot of land for growing vegetables to large mansions. One thing is for sure, getting to your dacha on a Friday night might take hours as traffic jams, full of anxious dacha goers, are common on the roads leading away from Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Here’s a short report from Russia Today on the beginning of dacha season.

Dacha days are here again!

Soviet May Day Postcards

jim — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:10:21 +0000

With May Day approaching, we bring you a collection of Soviet May Day postcards. These are great examples of soviet art and we hope you will enjoy them. These were originally posed to Flickr by iwasayeyeman.

Wow Russia!

jim — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 00:32:08 +0000

Elena Marus, a student at the British Higher School of Art and Design in Moscow, gets lots of questions about Russia when talking with foreigners. As part of her graduate work, she decided to make a website to cover some of the most famous Russian symbols and stereotypes. The site takes a fun look at all the Russian classics such as samovars, vodka, matrioshka dolls, and even Russian brides. Elena’s site is fun and a great example of modern web design.

Russia Today recently interviewed Elena about her site.

Video at YouTube

Link: WOW Russia!

Cheburashka

jim — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:17:11 +0000

Cheburashka is a famous character from the Russian children’s books by Eduard Uspenskiy. He was also featured in Soviet cartoons and became very popular in the Russia and around the world. Cheburashka’s popularity continues today and he is even the official mascot for the Russian Olympic team.

Link: Cheburashka at Wikipedia

Here are some photos of Cheburashka dolls found around the internet. It seems that Cheburashka is quite a world traveler!

Cheburashka at the Golden Gate Bridge

Cheburashka visits Japan

Cheburashka in the Taipei subway

Cheburashka at a Japanese flower show

Cheburashka visiting Loch Ness, Scotland

Cheburashka visiting the Taj Mahal in India

Soviet Anti-Alcohol Posters

jim — Wed, 16 May 2007 18:05:52 +0000

The Soviet government produced quite a lot of propaganda posters in its day. Some of the more interesting, and still relevant, posters were against alcohol abuse. Yuri Matrosovich has put together a small “Museum of Anti-Alcohol Posters” featuring some great examples of anti-alcohol propaganda.

Link: The Museum of Anti-Alcohol Posters

Victory Day 2007 – Videos and Photos

jim — Thu, 10 May 2007 13:00:01 +0000

Here’s a small collection of videos and photos posted by internet users on Victory Day 2007.

Russian National Anthem sung by soldiers during the official Victory Day celebrations on Red Square. You can follow along with the lyrics.

Video from inside the cockpits of the jets that flew over the Red Square ceremony.

Veteran. Originally posted by Encinar.

Veteran. Originally posted by Leonid V. Kroujkov.

Veterans marching in Victory Day parade. Originally posted by Leonid V. Kroujkov.

Victory Day parade, Moscow, 9 May 2007. Originally posted by urbanpostings.

Stalin poster in Victory Day parade. Originally posted by Leonid V. Kroujkov.

Marchers in Victory Day parade. Originally posted by Leonid V. Kroujkov.

Fire in the Sky. Originally posted by stranger in moskva.

Service at St. Sophia Cathedral in Velikiy Novgorod

jim — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 08:25:45 +0000

This Saturday, services where held at St. Sophia Cathedral marking the end of the week following Easter (known as Bright Week). During the service, believers walked around the church singing and proclaiming “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!” The Cathedral of St. Sophia is one of the oldest churches in Russia, constructed from 1045 to 1052. Here’s a short video from the outdoor part of the service.

Link: Saint Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod
Link: Velikiy Novgorod