DID YOU KNOW?
FACTS ABOUT RUSSIA
-Did you know that Moscow is 8 hours ahead of Memphis? It means that if it is 8:30am in Memphis but in Moscow it is 4:30pm!
-Did you know that the official name for Russia is the Russian Federation? Russia is the only country with 12 seas on its territory! Yes, the coasts of Russia are washed by 12 seas of three ocean basins: the Atlantic Ocean, the Arctic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
- Did you know that Moscow is the largest city in the country and one of the top ten largest cities in the world? Moscow’s population is over 11.5 million people!
-Did you know that Russia is located in Eurasia? (the combined continental landmass of Europe and Asia). Approximately 75 percent of Russia lies in Asia, while the remaining 25 percent is in Europe. The European portion of Russia is separated from the Asian portion by Ural Mountains.
-Did you know that Russia borders with 16 countries including USA? From northwest to southeast, Russia shares land borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland (both with Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, and North Korea. It shares maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk and the U.S. state of Alaska across the Bering Strait.
-Did you know that Russian climate ranges from subtropical to arctic?
-Did you know that Russia spans eleven time zones? For example: when it's 8pm in Moscow, then it is 4am in Magadan!
- Did you know that Matryoshka is a symbol of Russia? The first Russian nesting doll set appeared in Moscow in 1890's- about 130 years ago! Matryoshka is a nested doll with two halves that can be pulled apart and it is a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed one inside another.
The painted image on the dolls is most often a woman wearing a traditional Russian costume. The woman is a mother; and smaller matryoshkas represent the daughters.
It takes a lot of skill to make a set. Matryoshka dolls are made of wood. The artist uses paints, oil paints, gold leaf, and less often, watercolors. Matryoshka dolls are often painted holding a basket of berries, bread, or a bunch of flowers in their hands. I LOVE MATRYOSHKA!
More info about Matryoshka: https://youtu.be/wvnywYtqL_Q
How to make Matryoshka: https://youtu.be/vtFC4_UaPzI
Here is how to draw Matryoshka: https://youtu.be/d9ZYxQj2id4
-Did you know that Russian folktales always provide a playful moral in it and teaches a life lesson? My favorite story is about Kolobok. Kolobok is a traditional Russian folktale’s character. In this story, a baked piece of bread in the shape of a ball comes to life and travels through the forest, trying not to get eaten by different animals. Eventually, Kolobok is eaten by a sneaky and tricky fox, and the moral of the story is
‘Be humble, think before you act, and don’t be so gullible.’
-Did you know that Cheburashka (Russian: Чебурашка) is an iconic Russian classic cartoon character who later became a popular character along with his friend, Gena the crocodile? Cheburashka is male, has a bear/monkey-like body, large round ears, big eyes and is about the size of a 5-year-old child. Cheburashka lives in a tropical forest. He accidentally gets into a crate of oranges, eats, and falls asleep. The crate is eventually delivered to a grocery store in an unnamed Russian city (hinted to be Moscow), where the rest of the main story unfolds. The puzzled store manager finds the creature in the crate when he opens it and takes him out and sits him on the table. The creature's paws are numb after staying in the crate for so long, and he tumbles down from the table, onto the chair, and then onto the floor. This inspires the store manager to name the little creature "Cheburashka". After being turned down by the zoo as an "animal unknown to science," Cheburashka gets hired as a window display for a discount store selling factory seconds because he resembles one, residing in a phone booth. In the tale, he hangs around with a friendly crocodile named Gena, who wears a hat, a bow tie and a coat, and plays the accordion. Gena works in a zoo as a zoo animal. Gena's favorite songs are "Such a Pity that One's Birthday Happens Only Once a Year" and "The Blue Train Car," both of which are extremely popular with children. Russian children love Cheburashka!
- Did you know that one of the symbols of Russian culture and Russian beauty is a BIRCH TREE?
Yes, the birch tree (“BERIOZA” in Russian) has a very special place in the country’s culture. In the past people used its bark to make everything from writing paper to footwear (lapti), and birch bark crafts are one of Russia’s biggest traditions.
Also, the birch is very special because it produces sap. Russian people love to drink it and is call birch juice- a very refreshing drink, often a slightly sweet, thin syrupy-watery liquid. The tree sap contains sugars (namely xylitol), proteins, amino acids, and enzymes. A small birch can produce up to 5 liters of sap per day, a larger tree up to 15 liters per day. Birch sap has to be collected in early Spring before any green leaves have appeared, as in late Spring it becomes bitter.
Watch how to get it: https://youtu.be/s9_hzJM70jQ
Listen a song: https://youtu.be/_REZw-gu0QQ
Watch a dance: https://youtu.be/xufLo7_X9io
-Did you know that SAMOVARS and TEA-DRINKING are an important element of Russian culture? The samovar was an important attribute of a Russian household and one of the earliest home appliances in Russia. The Russian expression "to have a sit by the samovar" means to have a leisurely talk while drinking hot tea from a samovar. The Russian word samovar literally means "self-boiling". The tea is served by pouring tea concentrate into a cup and diluting it with boiled water. The water is released through a faucet at the base of the metal container.
In modern Russia, samovars are rarely used to boil water for tea as originally intended, however many families place samovars in the center of the table during holiday celebrations. Reserving a special place for a samovar at the festive table is both a tribute that Russians give to their ancestors and a ceremony that embodies warm-hearted hospitality.
More information here: https://youtu.be/g0miY5E4b24
-Did you know about Pavlovsky Posad shawls? Colorful Pavlovsky Posad shawls are made of natural 100% wool and have silk or wool fringe. These shawls are durable in wearing, warm and original. Women can use these woolen shawls as a part of their costumes or just to cover their shoulders to retain warmth. It is truly impossible to look away from the wondrous, colorful patterns on the light, wool fabrics, created by the artists of Pavlovo Posad.
More information: https://youtu.be/R5KuM11wKUo
-Did you know that Balalaika is a traditional Russian instrument? It has a wooden triangle-shaped body and three (or rarely six or four) strings. The characteristic thing for all the balalaikas is that they got a body in a triangular shape. It is sometimes called a “Russian three-string guitar.”
Listen Alexey Arkhipovsky: https://youtu.be/nvi2PYYMa04
-Did you know that the beautiful Lake Baikal is the oldest and deepest freshwater lake in the world? How deep is it? It is 1,642 m, or 5,387 feet! How old is it? “OZERO BAIKAL”-25 million years old…
More information: https://youtu.be/7IGLYxEHXnA
-Did you know about Trans-Siberian Railway? It is the longest railway line in the world with a length of 5,772 miles! Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East. It was built between 1891 and 1916. Why was it built? In the late 19th century, the development of Siberia was hampered by poor transport links within the region, as well as with the rest of the country. Aside from the Great Siberian Route, good roads suitable for wheeled transport were rare. For about five months of the year, rivers were the main means of transport. During the cold half of the year, cargo and passengers travelled by horse-drawn sledges over the winter roads, many of which were the same rivers, but ice-covered. Imagine how life has changed for better since Trans-Siberian Railway was built!
More information: https://youtu.be/4wzleJMaaoA
--Did you know that TUNDRA is a cold and treeless plain where harsh conditions make it hard for plants and animals alike to survive? The tundra has two distinct seasons: a long winter and a short summer. The winter lasts around 8 months and is extremely cold. The temperature can be as low as -60F!!!! Uhhh! So FREEZING!
Look how cold it feels in tundra here: https://youtu.be/Fjl5FUcn8c4
-Did you know that TAIGA has evergreen trees? It has cold and long winters and short summers like in tundra BUT evergreen trees can survive!
Look at taiga here: https://youtu.be/Wi3RV7ZBJTM
-Did you know that aurora (or polar lights/northern lights/southern lights) happens in Murmansk-Kola Peninsula usually from September till March? The Kola Peninsula is a peninsula in the far northwest of Russia. It lies almost completely inside the Arctic Circle and is bordered by the Barents Sea in the north and the White Sea in the east and southeast. An aurora is a natural light display in the Earth's sky, predominantly seen in the high-latitude regions. Auroras are the result of disturbances in the magnetosphere caused by solar wind. The Aurora is an incredible light show caused by collisions between electrically charged particles released from the sun that enter the earth’s atmosphere and collide with gases such as oxygen and nitrogen.
More information here: https://youtu.be/dbwHx29c4e0 and https://youtu.be/nHn5OO1t1yc
-Did you know that from late May to early July the nights are bright in St. Petersburg? The White Nights, normally lasting from June 11th to July 2nd. The White Nights (Beliye Nochi) are a curious phenomenon caused by St. Petersburg's very northerly geographical location - at 59 degrees 57' North. St. Petersburg stands at such a high latitude that the sun does not descend below the horizon enough for the sky to grow dark. In fact night becomes curiously indistinguishable from day, so much so that the authorities never need to turn the city's streetlights on!
Watch White Nights here: https://youtu.be/3-R5o80M67g
FACTS ABOUT RUSSIA
-Did you know that Moscow is 8 hours ahead of Memphis? It means that if it is 8:30am in Memphis but in Moscow it is 4:30pm!
-Did you know that the official name for Russia is the Russian Federation? Russia is the only country with 12 seas on its territory! Yes, the coasts of Russia are washed by 12 seas of three ocean basins: the Atlantic Ocean, the Arctic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
- Did you know that Moscow is the largest city in the country and one of the top ten largest cities in the world? Moscow’s population is over 11.5 million people!
-Did you know that Russia is located in Eurasia? (the combined continental landmass of Europe and Asia). Approximately 75 percent of Russia lies in Asia, while the remaining 25 percent is in Europe. The European portion of Russia is separated from the Asian portion by Ural Mountains.
-Did you know that Russia borders with 16 countries including USA? From northwest to southeast, Russia shares land borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland (both with Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, and North Korea. It shares maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk and the U.S. state of Alaska across the Bering Strait.
-Did you know that Russian climate ranges from subtropical to arctic?
-Did you know that Russia spans eleven time zones? For example: when it's 8pm in Moscow, then it is 4am in Magadan!
- Did you know that Matryoshka is a symbol of Russia? The first Russian nesting doll set appeared in Moscow in 1890's- about 130 years ago! Matryoshka is a nested doll with two halves that can be pulled apart and it is a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed one inside another.
The painted image on the dolls is most often a woman wearing a traditional Russian costume. The woman is a mother; and smaller matryoshkas represent the daughters.
It takes a lot of skill to make a set. Matryoshka dolls are made of wood. The artist uses paints, oil paints, gold leaf, and less often, watercolors. Matryoshka dolls are often painted holding a basket of berries, bread, or a bunch of flowers in their hands. I LOVE MATRYOSHKA!
More info about Matryoshka: https://youtu.be/wvnywYtqL_Q
How to make Matryoshka: https://youtu.be/vtFC4_UaPzI
Here is how to draw Matryoshka: https://youtu.be/d9ZYxQj2id4
-Did you know that Russian folktales always provide a playful moral in it and teaches a life lesson? My favorite story is about Kolobok. Kolobok is a traditional Russian folktale’s character. In this story, a baked piece of bread in the shape of a ball comes to life and travels through the forest, trying not to get eaten by different animals. Eventually, Kolobok is eaten by a sneaky and tricky fox, and the moral of the story is
‘Be humble, think before you act, and don’t be so gullible.’
-Did you know that Cheburashka (Russian: Чебурашка) is an iconic Russian classic cartoon character who later became a popular character along with his friend, Gena the crocodile? Cheburashka is male, has a bear/monkey-like body, large round ears, big eyes and is about the size of a 5-year-old child. Cheburashka lives in a tropical forest. He accidentally gets into a crate of oranges, eats, and falls asleep. The crate is eventually delivered to a grocery store in an unnamed Russian city (hinted to be Moscow), where the rest of the main story unfolds. The puzzled store manager finds the creature in the crate when he opens it and takes him out and sits him on the table. The creature's paws are numb after staying in the crate for so long, and he tumbles down from the table, onto the chair, and then onto the floor. This inspires the store manager to name the little creature "Cheburashka". After being turned down by the zoo as an "animal unknown to science," Cheburashka gets hired as a window display for a discount store selling factory seconds because he resembles one, residing in a phone booth. In the tale, he hangs around with a friendly crocodile named Gena, who wears a hat, a bow tie and a coat, and plays the accordion. Gena works in a zoo as a zoo animal. Gena's favorite songs are "Such a Pity that One's Birthday Happens Only Once a Year" and "The Blue Train Car," both of which are extremely popular with children. Russian children love Cheburashka!
- Did you know that one of the symbols of Russian culture and Russian beauty is a BIRCH TREE?
Yes, the birch tree (“BERIOZA” in Russian) has a very special place in the country’s culture. In the past people used its bark to make everything from writing paper to footwear (lapti), and birch bark crafts are one of Russia’s biggest traditions.
Also, the birch is very special because it produces sap. Russian people love to drink it and is call birch juice- a very refreshing drink, often a slightly sweet, thin syrupy-watery liquid. The tree sap contains sugars (namely xylitol), proteins, amino acids, and enzymes. A small birch can produce up to 5 liters of sap per day, a larger tree up to 15 liters per day. Birch sap has to be collected in early Spring before any green leaves have appeared, as in late Spring it becomes bitter.
Watch how to get it: https://youtu.be/s9_hzJM70jQ
Listen a song: https://youtu.be/_REZw-gu0QQ
Watch a dance: https://youtu.be/xufLo7_X9io
-Did you know that SAMOVARS and TEA-DRINKING are an important element of Russian culture? The samovar was an important attribute of a Russian household and one of the earliest home appliances in Russia. The Russian expression "to have a sit by the samovar" means to have a leisurely talk while drinking hot tea from a samovar. The Russian word samovar literally means "self-boiling". The tea is served by pouring tea concentrate into a cup and diluting it with boiled water. The water is released through a faucet at the base of the metal container.
In modern Russia, samovars are rarely used to boil water for tea as originally intended, however many families place samovars in the center of the table during holiday celebrations. Reserving a special place for a samovar at the festive table is both a tribute that Russians give to their ancestors and a ceremony that embodies warm-hearted hospitality.
More information here: https://youtu.be/g0miY5E4b24
-Did you know about Pavlovsky Posad shawls? Colorful Pavlovsky Posad shawls are made of natural 100% wool and have silk or wool fringe. These shawls are durable in wearing, warm and original. Women can use these woolen shawls as a part of their costumes or just to cover their shoulders to retain warmth. It is truly impossible to look away from the wondrous, colorful patterns on the light, wool fabrics, created by the artists of Pavlovo Posad.
More information: https://youtu.be/R5KuM11wKUo
-Did you know that Balalaika is a traditional Russian instrument? It has a wooden triangle-shaped body and three (or rarely six or four) strings. The characteristic thing for all the balalaikas is that they got a body in a triangular shape. It is sometimes called a “Russian three-string guitar.”
Listen Alexey Arkhipovsky: https://youtu.be/nvi2PYYMa04
-Did you know that the beautiful Lake Baikal is the oldest and deepest freshwater lake in the world? How deep is it? It is 1,642 m, or 5,387 feet! How old is it? “OZERO BAIKAL”-25 million years old…
More information: https://youtu.be/7IGLYxEHXnA
-Did you know about Trans-Siberian Railway? It is the longest railway line in the world with a length of 5,772 miles! Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East. It was built between 1891 and 1916. Why was it built? In the late 19th century, the development of Siberia was hampered by poor transport links within the region, as well as with the rest of the country. Aside from the Great Siberian Route, good roads suitable for wheeled transport were rare. For about five months of the year, rivers were the main means of transport. During the cold half of the year, cargo and passengers travelled by horse-drawn sledges over the winter roads, many of which were the same rivers, but ice-covered. Imagine how life has changed for better since Trans-Siberian Railway was built!
More information: https://youtu.be/4wzleJMaaoA
--Did you know that TUNDRA is a cold and treeless plain where harsh conditions make it hard for plants and animals alike to survive? The tundra has two distinct seasons: a long winter and a short summer. The winter lasts around 8 months and is extremely cold. The temperature can be as low as -60F!!!! Uhhh! So FREEZING!
Look how cold it feels in tundra here: https://youtu.be/Fjl5FUcn8c4
-Did you know that TAIGA has evergreen trees? It has cold and long winters and short summers like in tundra BUT evergreen trees can survive!
Look at taiga here: https://youtu.be/Wi3RV7ZBJTM
-Did you know that aurora (or polar lights/northern lights/southern lights) happens in Murmansk-Kola Peninsula usually from September till March? The Kola Peninsula is a peninsula in the far northwest of Russia. It lies almost completely inside the Arctic Circle and is bordered by the Barents Sea in the north and the White Sea in the east and southeast. An aurora is a natural light display in the Earth's sky, predominantly seen in the high-latitude regions. Auroras are the result of disturbances in the magnetosphere caused by solar wind. The Aurora is an incredible light show caused by collisions between electrically charged particles released from the sun that enter the earth’s atmosphere and collide with gases such as oxygen and nitrogen.
More information here: https://youtu.be/dbwHx29c4e0 and https://youtu.be/nHn5OO1t1yc
-Did you know that from late May to early July the nights are bright in St. Petersburg? The White Nights, normally lasting from June 11th to July 2nd. The White Nights (Beliye Nochi) are a curious phenomenon caused by St. Petersburg's very northerly geographical location - at 59 degrees 57' North. St. Petersburg stands at such a high latitude that the sun does not descend below the horizon enough for the sky to grow dark. In fact night becomes curiously indistinguishable from day, so much so that the authorities never need to turn the city's streetlights on!
Watch White Nights here: https://youtu.be/3-R5o80M67g