Russian Kafe

February 16th, 2007

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

• culture , food , holidays , winter

February 13th, 2007

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

• culture , geography , history , regions , siberia

February 1st, 2007

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

• culture , history , video

January 30th, 2007

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

• communism , culture , history , photos , pioneers

January 14th, 2007

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

• culture , history , news , video