According to the Itar-Tass news agency, more than 6 million Russians took part in Easter celebrations this year. President Putin and other government officials marked the holiday by attending ceremonies in Moscow. Putin also used the occasion to return the long-lost icon “Our Lady of Vladimir” to the Russian Patriarch. Putin declared that the state is determined to return as many stolen relics to the Russian Orthodox Church as possible as well as help rebuild churches and monasteries.

Link: Easter in a Russian Town (Photos)
Link: Putin hands long-lost icon to Orthodox patriarch, pledges to return more
Link: Orthodox and western faiths mark Easter
Link: More than 6 mln Russians taken part in Easter celebrations

A few weeks ago, Russians celebrated Maslenitsa or “Pancake week�. Yuri Timofeyev has published a wonderful series of photos from a Maslenitsa party in the forest near Moscow. Here are a few examples of the photos he took at the event. Make sure to view the entire series at Flickr.

Pancake carnival in a Moscow’s forest. Toboggan

Kitchen

Wall to wall fight

Winter incineration


Winter incineration

Link: Pancake carnival photos

In a small village called Verkhnie Mandrogi, not far from St. Petersburg, you can find the Museum of Russian Vodka. This museum features over 2600 different kinds of Russian vodka. Bottles range from the ordinary to the extraordinary. You can see vodka in bottles shaped like guns, swords, crowns, and even statues. Here are a few pictures of the museum.

Stuffed Russian bear near the entrance to the museum.

Link: Flickr photo set with more pictures of the museum
Link: Village of Verkhnie Mandrogi

This week is Maslenitsa or “Pancake week” in Russia. Maslenitsa is one of the oldest holidays in Russia, dating back to pagan times. It was originally a sun festival, celebrating the imminent end of winter. The holiday survived both the Christianization of Russia as well as the atheist Soviet rule. Maslenitsa is marked with celebrations and lots of Russian bliny (a type of pancake or crepe).

Link: Wikipedia article on Maslenitsa

The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is located in eastern Siberia. Sakha is a rather large republic and occupies one-fifth of Russian territory, 40% of which is above the arctic circle. About 980,000 people live in this vast republic where the population density is about 10 times lower than in European Russia. Sakha is rich in natural resources, history, and culture. It’s also one of the coldest places in Russia with average air temperatures in January of -43.2°C (-45.8°F).

Yakut New Year Festival. By Evgenia Arbugaeva.

The Verkhoyansk Range. By Alexei Zuev.

To find out more about The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), visit YakutiaToday.com. This site is dedicated to sharing news and information about Sakha with the English speaking world.

Link: YakutiaToday.com

Here’s a video featuring the Soviet National Anthem along with subtitles in English.

From 1925 until the fall of the Soviet Union, hundreds of thousands of children vacationed near the Black Sea at the Artek Pioneer Camp. This was the premier camp for young pioneers and it was considered an honor to be able to vacation at Artek. Not only Soviet children spent time at Artek but also many international kids as well. Here is a collection of old photos from the Artek camp posted by Jens Toftegaard on Flickr.

1970s Postcard From Artek

Two Little Pioneers at Artek (1930s)

Pioneers Marching in Artek

Parade in Lasurnaya, one of ten compounds comprising the Artek pioneercamp, 1970s.

Four pioneers from Guinee at Artek, summer of 1976.

International friends at Artek. Danish girl, Charlotte, susu boy, Samba from Guinee.

Link: Wikipedia article about Artek

Here is CBC coverage of Expo 67. It compares the American and Soviet pavilions. This clip is an interesting view of the competition that existed between the Soviet Union and the USA.

Link: Expo 67: pavilions of the superpowers

It’s Christmas in Russia today. While most countries celebrate Christmas on December 25th, Russia celebrates on January 7th. Why?

“Well, the reason is that the Russian Orthodox Church still lives according to the old Julian Calendar, which is currently 13 days behind the Gregorian Calendar, which is adopted by most countries in the world (and by the Russian government). ”

Link: Russian Christmas: Why do Russians Celebrate Christmas on January 7th?