from Russia with love

History pages:The siege of Leningrad

2011-09-09T04:43:00.000-07:00

900 Days In Hell:The Church shared the burden of life under siege with its people

Mikhail Shkarovskiy

At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, foreign policy circumstances made it necessary for Soviet authorities to abandon their plan to totally destroy the Russian Orthodox Church in the country. Looming war forced government bodies to re-evaluate the role of the Church within the country and in the international arena. However, its position remained tragic, many prohibitions complicated its activity, hundreds of priests languished in prisons and labor camps. Towards the end of the 1930s, only 4 ruling bishops remained at liberty in the Soviet Union. By 1941 in one of the country's largest dioceses, Leningrad, only 21 Orthodox temples survived; monasteries and educational institutions were closed; there was no church press. Severe burdens of war and a city under siege increased these difficulties.

During this period, the Leningrad diocese was headed by the well-known churchman, Metropolitan Alexiy (Simansky), later Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. In the encircled city and its northern suburbs, there remained under his rule the St. Nicholas Episcopal Cathedral and the St. Prince-Vladimir Cathedral and the following churches: St. Nicholas - Bolsheokhotinskaya, St. Job cemetery - Volkovskaya, St. Demetrius - Kolomyazhskaya, and the Savior - Pargolovskaya.

The Savior/Transfiguration Cathedral, St. Seraphim Cemetery and the churches in the Lisy Nos settlement, administered by Protopresbyter Alexiy Abakumov, belonged to the renovationist movement. Moreover, one working Josephite temple remained in the city - Holy Trinity in Lesny, served by hieromonk Pavel (Ligor). The total number of Orthodox clerics in the city did not exceed 25.

The Church calls for the defense of the Homeland

Since the first days of the war, the Russian Orthodox Church was devoted to the defense of the homeland. Already on June 22, 1942, the Patriarchal Locum Tenens, Metropolitan Sergiy (Stragorodskiy), addressed a message to the faithful. It was read in Leningrad's temples, and people departed for the front as for an ascetic feat [podvig] with the Church's blessing. On June 26, the head of the diocese, Metropolitan Alexiy, wrote his appeal to the clergy and faithful "The Church calls for the defense of the Homeland". His sermon given on August 10 gained special renown. It referred, first of all, to a Russian's patriotism and devoutness. At this time the Leningrad Metropolitan's authority and influence were so great that on October 12, 1941, the Patriarchal Locum Tenens, in his will, appointed him his to be successor.

At Metropolitan Alexiy's suggestion, Leningrad's parishes started collecting donations for the city's defense. The Metropolitan supported the believers' desire to donate existing parish savings to this cause, at times these were very significant savings. The parish council of St. Prince-Vladimir Cathedral offered to open, at their expense, an infirmary for wounded men and sick soldiers, and on August 8 transferred 710 thousand of the 714 thousand rubles belonging to the parish community.

However, concrete charitable activity was forbidden even after the war began. Parishes were allowed to transfer money only to public funds: the Red Cross, defense, and others. This restriction did not dampen the enthusiasm of either the faithful or the clergy. Parishes refused to make all but the most necessary expenditures. Warm articles for soldiers were collected everywhere; the faithful donated food for the sick. During the first days of the war, St. Nicholas Cathedral allocated 385 thousand rubles, and by the end of 1941 all of Leningrad's parishes gave a total sum of 2 million 144 thousand rubles.

the Dimitriy Donskoy tank column

text in full.

National Russian Dress: Footwear

2011-06-11T05:44:00.000-07:00

Russian peasants used to wear lapti (bast shoes), whereas in towns high boots were the most common footwear. Heeled boots appeared in Russia somewhat in the 14th century. The high boots were usually square-tipped, whereas the nobles were distinguished by upturned toes. The tops of the boots were comparatively short and angularly cut towards the knees. They were sewn of coloured leather, morocco, brocade or velvet and were often decorated with embroidery and even gems. In the late 17th century under the influence of western fashions the nobility started to wear low shoes.

Lapti, Traditional Bast Shoes

In Russian self-perception the braided footwear known as lapti is one of the most important symbols of the traditional national mode of living.

The lapti made of bast or birch bark were the main type of peasant footwear in Russia till the mid 19th century.

The lapti were worn with the onucha, i.e. a puttee, a strip of cloth wrapped round the foot. The onucha was fastened to the leg with a bast lace fixed to the shoe and was twined up around the shin in the manner of the Old Greek sandal. Nevertheless, when walking for a long time one had to rewind the onuchas.

The lapti making was a peasants’ winter occupation, when they had no field works to do. The laying-in of bast took place in summer, when bast had all the required strength properties. The newly braided lapti were stretched on a single last, so the right and the left one were the same.

To make one lapot one needs seven bast stripes two meters long each. One bast stripe was to be as wide as a thumb of the man who gathered it and then made the bast shoes. For making the shoes they needed bast from the even part of a linden trunk, without any defects along the full length. It means that mature, tall and even linden trees were chosen for barking. Frequently after the summary loss of its bark the tree would die and remain to stand with its naked “stripped” trunk. The sorrowful fact found its reflection in the Russian figurative expression: “to strip like a linden”, which means to deprive somebody of all the needed resources and thus endanger his/her life.

Since leather boots were always expensive and only well-to-do people could afford it, while the poor wore lapti, so the bast shoes came to symbolize poverty, and low birth, as well as lack of culture and backwardness.

Hence is the number of set expression in the Russian language: * “lapot” as a trope stands for a simpleton, an ignorant person; * the derivative attribute “lapotny” of the same meaning; * “Methinks, we don’t sup soup with a lapot”, (rough translation) means “we are not just out of the trees, so don’t you teach us how to live”.

Bakhily (aka bredni, brodni, butyli, lovchagi, ostashi, sapogi cherepanskie) are men’s working and fishing footwear made of leather. These were soft leather jackboots with high tops to the knees or thighs. The bakhily were usually made on the straight last, i.e. the same for the right and the left foot. Soft leather soles were stitched to the boots with an axed thread, and then the boots were turned out. The tops were also made of soft leather, with one seam behind, and were fastened onto the leg with a strap. The strap was put through a small loop or a ring stitched to the back part, and was twined up round the leg and tied under the knee. To make them more durable and protect feet from moist the bakhily were dubbed with tar and fish oil, and soaked in slated water; additional straps of leather were lined to the toe and the back part.

In some parts of Russia “bakhily” was also the name of working footwear on solid nailed soles or footwear made of skins of sea animals or calves, but with soles of seal skin. The tops in all the cases were also soft and long and fastened onto the leg with straps.

Bakhily were usually put on woolen socks or stockings. Insoles of soft hay were put inside.

The bakhily were usually worn for fishing, hunting or any other crafts. Soft turned-out jackboots were typical footwear in Russian villages. They were known as far back as 10th century as footwear of the townsfolk.

Valenki (aka valentsy, volnushechki, vykhodki, pimy, katanki, or felt boots) are men’s and women’s winter footwear fulled of sheep wool.

These are felt footwear with high tops, round toes, and flat soles without high heels. As a rule they were made on one last, the same for the right and the left foot. The tops reaching knees were usually not turned down but slightly cut for more comfortable walking. The soles were often lined with leather to prevent the boots from soaking wet.

The valenki could be grey, brown, black, or, more rarely, white. White felt boots were embroidered with coloured worsted or beads. They were fooled by special masters, called katali or pimokaty. In every province there were a few villages that specialized in felting boots. Along with that there were large centres of felt boots manufacturing; their products were distributed far beyond the limits of one province. Thus, for example, in the north-east of European Russia and in Siberia the so-called kukhmorski valenki were famous; those white embroidered felt boots were made by masters of Malmyzhsky District of Vyatka Province.

In spite of being very famous as Russian national footwear the valenki are comparatively young footwear in Russia. They appeared in Siberia in the mid 18th century, and came to European Russia in the early 19th century. In the 19th century the valenki were holiday footwear of wealthy peasants. White embroidered valenki were holiday footwear only of very rich peasants. In the late 19th and early 20th century felt boots got widely spread, becoming basic winter footwear of peasants in European Russia.

Source:www.russia-ic-com

Victory Day

2011-05-09T01:52:00.000-07:00

«9 МАЯ ! ДЕНЬ ПОБЕДЫ !!!» на Яндекс.Фотках

War chronicles: day-by-day. May 8

2011-05-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

From an address by the Supreme Commander in Chief Joseph Stalin:

“In Berlin the representatives of the German High Command have signed the Instrument of Unconditional Surrender of the German armed forces. The Great Patriotic War, which the Soviet people have fought against the Nazi invaders, has been triumphantly won, and Germany has been routed. Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in action for the freedom and independence of our Motherland!”.

Troops of the First Ukrainian Front captured Dresden on May 8th. Soviet tankmen advancing from the west defeated a German tank unit in a head-on battle and forced their way into the western outskirts of Dresden. Other Soviet units captured the northern part of the city. The Nazis suffered heavy casualties in the fighting for Dresden. Up to 2,000 German officers and men were wiped out on the city’s western outskirt, and also 27 tanks and armoured personnel carriers were put out of action.

Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov recalled years later that…

“After signing the Instrument of Unconditional Surrender Keitel said that when driven in a car he was shocked by the destruction that he saw in the streets of Berlin. One of our officers retorted by asking: “Herr Feldmarschall, why weren’t you shocked when thousands of Soviet cities and villages were being wiped off the map on your orders, when millions of our people, including thousands upon thousands of children, died under the wreckage?” Keitel grew pale, nervously shrugged his shoulders but said nothing”.

On that day the US President Harry Truman wrote this in a letter to Joseph Stalin:

“You have shown the ability of a freedom-loving and a most courageous people to defeat the evil forces of barbarity, however powerful these were. On the occasion of our common victory we welcome the people and the armies of the Soviet Union, and their excellent leadership”.

Historical detail…

King George VI of the United Kingdom addressed the nation on the occasion of the Victory Day. He paid tribute to the memory of all men and women who served in the various armed forces and sacrificed their lives, and expressed his gratitude to those who had courageously carried arms, and also to the entire civilian population, which had staunchly and in all humility shouldered such an enormous burden.

Source:The Voice of Russia

Traditional russian beverage and meal-kisel

2011-05-05T03:38:00.000-07:00

Its name is derived from a Slavic word meaning "sour" (cf. Russian кислый kisly), as sour fruits are preferred.
Kisel (kee-‘sel) is a thick, starchy drink made mostly of fruit and berries. Kisel can be also made of oats or wheat or peas, which I wouldn’t dare to try. I do admit that this can be really healing for a diseased stomach though. What’s interesting is that oatmeal kisel is one of the oldest Russian dishes ever. There’s a legend telling about an ancient Russian city besieged by nomadic tribes and suffering from famine until an old sage told the citizens to collect all remaining oats and all honey they could still find in their cellars. The citizens did as the wise man told them and brewed kisel from the oats, and sweet drink from the honey. They made two new water wells and filled them with kisel and honey drink, then invited a delegation of nomads, showed them the wells full of drink and kisel, and assured the guests that they had enough food to survive. The nomads were astonished at the fact that Russians obtained food directly from their land and told their king about the miracle. The situation seemed pretty hopeless. The siege was raised, and the nomads went away in search of a different city to conquer.

Russian pea kisel-syt.The favourite dish of russian сoachmen

There’s also the expression “Milk rivers and kisel shores” in the Russian language, which is used to describe carefree and prosperous life.

Oats kisel

You see how important this drink is in Russian culture?

You can have kisel as a soothing drink or serve it with cream of rice, rice pudding, oatmeal cream, or with all kinds of mousse, cream, and custard.

Source:www.russianseason.net,wikipedia.org

5 days till the Victory Day- The battle for Moscow

2011-05-04T00:19:00.000-07:00

The life of Maximilian Voloshin poet and painter

2011-05-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

The Life of Maximilian Voloshin • Poet of the Inner Revolution

Alone among unfriendly hordes
I don’t take sides, I favour nobody.
I am a voice of springs inside me

written by Alla Levitan, Tatiana Bobkova and Richard Payment, with translations by Serhiy Haletko and Natasha Levitan

Maximilian Voloshin was a great poet. He was an artist, a visionary, a man insight who stood as one in his allegiance with Truth.

Voloshin is today unknown in the West, untranslated. He is forgotten in a time when neither the artist or the poet are held in esteem, when truth is misunderstood.

Maximilian Voloshin’s clear understanding of the human condition enabled him to see past the thick illusion of events of his own Russian nation – the revolution and civil war that lead to the creation of the Soviet Union.

Voloshin developed a “spiritual and religious world vision” of “a single world witnessing from which everything radiated.”

In self-knowledge and art, Voloshin always chose “the most reasonable way: make oneself an artist, personally experience and realize the differences.”

He clearly sensed the moment of his realization of spiritual essence and his link to the Absolute. “Something has happened.. I have never been so overwhelmed with joy, strength and confidence..., a feeling of joy, strength and completeness of existence, comprehension of a hidden spiritual sense ... when the heart opens.”

It was his spiritual and religious perception of the world that helped Voloshin to develop divine principles of purity and innocence, devotion, resiliency – drawn primarily from his attitude to the Earth:

I’ve had delusions, no doubt
Temptations, weaknesses at times.
Despite all that, whenever I
Faded in sorrow and delight,
My light has never gone out.

Maximilian Voloshin did not take sides. He stood as one with the Truth.

SEEKING THE HUMAN TRUTH: reborn at the century’s turn

Born in Kiev in 1877, on Whit Monday when the Earth is said “to celebrate Her birthday,” Voloshin spent much of his youth in Crimea, a land of many cultures, fabled as far back as even the ancient Greeks in the songs of Homer.

From childhood he was noted for his remarkable memory and eagerness to perceive reality – “to see, understand, know and experience everything.” He started writing verses as early as secondary school and became extremely demanding of himself. Voloshin’s distinctive way of thinking allowed him to realize at an early age that the existing educational system was not a source of true knowledge. “None of the ideas or bits of knowledge have ever been picked up from either a secondary school or university,” he observed.

Voloshin’s destiny was favourable to his spiritual seeking. At the age of sixteen he moved to the Crimea, to Koktebel, a place that he later identified as a “true motherland of his spirit.” At this young age, Voloshin developed a “new attitude of a European to Earth and human beings,” realizing the Divine Nature of the Mother Earth:

For me the sense of existence
Is not difficult to realize.
A seedlet that brings forth a life,
A secret of blossom, for instance,
In plants and in stones – everywhere,
In mountains and clouds above them,
In beasts and in starlets up there
I hear the singing of flame....
I’m kneeling down to kiss the ground,
The night wraps everything around,
My lips are feeling it is close,
The wormwood-scented breast of Yours,
Oh, Mother Earth!

In later years, the young Voloshin studied law in Moscow, a time he called a “futile and fruitless search.” “We are,” he wrote, “in a jail of discovered spaces. The spirit chokes in the old world’s embraces.”

As a result of his voice in student protests, Voloshin was sent in exile in remote regions of the Russian Empire in Middle Asia. This perhaps was a blessing. In a caravan of camels, he travelled the deserts, absorbing the cultures of the East. This banishment to Middle Asia brought to him an acquaintance with Asia and the Orient which was, as Voloshin admits, “crucial for his spiritual life.” He was gifted a realization of his own spiritual essence. He sensed “the antiquity and relativity of European culture.” At twenty-seven years, Voloshin now considered the turn of the century as “the year of his spiritual birth.”

Everyone may be born twice. Isn’t it me.
Born in the spirit,
Right at the turn of the century?...
I found myself in the heart of Asia
Wisely interned there by destiny?

These years established the bedrock of his spirituality, which sprouted within him as an intense seeking in Paris in about 1900. There to study art, he found instead frustration amid the fruitless bounty of his teachers and their blinkered students. But from this came a realization of his spiritual essence. “It was a sense of desert – that breadth and balance that a human soul is given when it returns to its original motherland.”

His acquaintance with the Orient helped him to see the scantiness of European knowledge, true and imaginary values of European civilization. Later Voloshin mentioned that during his studies in the West he was “only a sponge absorbing everything through eyes and ears.” Travelling around Europe for many years Voloshin mastered the art of the paintbrush and pencil, as well as the art of the word.

Maximilian Voloshin got to know the entire European culture in its origin and then he screened off all that was “European” so that only the “human” remained. After that, he turned to other civilizations – India and China – to learn and “seek after the Truth.” An opportunity to come closer to the Orient in its origins – Buddhism – was the first religious step for Voloshin. In the “wanderings of his spirit,” he was trying to find the single religion that would embody the highest and all-permeating spirituality, a culture with internal integrity, harmony and balance in all parts, excluding contradictions between individual and society, belief and knowledge, mind and emotions. Voloshin was familiar with an Oriental system of the universe and believed in the existence of many gods, although he admitted that he could not think of his spirit outside Christ.

Touring Europe, Voloshin began to realize the role of the Mother in spiritual transformation. He wrote about Mary’s presence at the crucifixion of Jesus. “To the right of the cross there is the Mother and a lancebearer, to the left – John and a spongebearer.”

WAR AND REVOLUTION: I am in everyone

Voloshin’s concentration on the Divine and his understanding of differences between eternal and non-eternal existence helped him not only to preserve the purity of his spirit throughout revolutionary and post-revolutionary time but also foresee the course of events. “An interest in occultist cognition was so great that it completely distracted me from Russian events in 1905 and held me away from Russia.... Neither war or revolution ever frightened or disappointed me: I had expected that would occur and be even worse. On the contrary, I felt well-adapted to the conditions of revolutionary existence and acting.”

A vision of “cosmic moral sense” of these events enabled Voloshin to remain a detached witness in the continuing drama:

In your world I’m a passerby -
Close to all, but strange to everything

Voloshin’s optimism and “justification of reality” that he considered his first and only duty to the world were based on his internal need to leave it all to God’s Will:

Forgetting doesn’t mean to lose,
Yet to accept it all in full
And keep it in oneself forever.

Maximilian Voloshin not only refused to participate in war, but also started an active “struggle against terror irrespective of its colours.” This gave the poet an “extensive and valuable revolutionary experience.”

These days no foe or brother can be found
All are in me, and I’m in everyone.
So zealots, every of its kind
Thought that a poet was to find
For them protection, and advise them too.
But then I’ve done all that I ever could
To prevent the brothers from ruining themselves and killing each other.

Voloshin’s spiritual stance enabled the poet “in most troubled times” to find such words and perspective that were “acceptable to both parts.” His tolerance and ability to resist the temptation of hatred, contempt, “sacred anger,” and “keep tirelessly loving both enemies and monsters of cruelty and even allies” was strengthened by a belief that love will in the future be a sole basis for human society.

In 1917 Voloshin returned to Russia. This was just at the time of the bloodletting of the revolution. “When a mother is sick, the children don’t leave her,” he said.

Compassionate, fearless and dynamic, Voloshin rushed to protect the innocent. Without taking sides, Voloshin opposed only the terror. He hid refugees from both sides within his house. Faced with the question of how to stand against armed terrorists, Voloshin’s answer came in revelation. From within, he realized that “all the positive creative forces of man are only in Love.” Now armed with that power of Love, he saw the events around him in a new light. Compassion replaced anger. The executioner, he realized, needs salvation more than the victim. He believed in the good inherent in every person – even the most hopeless.

“The more a person is cruel and dirty with blood,” Voloshin wrote, “the easier it is to change his will, if you approach him without anger, without fear and without condemning him. I experienced it many times in the meetings with the most terrifying officials in charge when I had to persuade them to spare people’s lives.”

Voloshin noted that perhaps people’s prayers are not heard because they always pray for the victim, while it is the executioner who actually needs salvation. So, while dealing with a terrorist, he put his attention on him and prayed intensively to the Divine to save him from killing the people. His faith and dedication were so strong that, to everyone’s surprise, he always succeeded. People could not understand how he could make these miracles happen.

THE LIFE OF A NEIGHBOUR: in unselfish service

Typical of Voloshin’s unselfish service, he once saved the life of a neighbour. The czarist White Army had arrested a man named Marx and threatened to kill him only because he had been a distinguished civil servant when the Red Army had controlled the village. The man’s work had in no way been connected to politics. The soldiers simply felt that he was guilty of serving the Red Army – guilty by association. As Maximilian Voloshin was a neighbour, Marx’s wife and daughter came to enlist his assistance. Voloshin, along with the family, immediately joined the train that was transporting the prisoners. Voloshin protected Marx throughout the journey by simply telling the soldiers not to kill him. Upon arrival, the prisoners were separated and Voloshin found himself alone on the street. As it grew dark, he did not know where to go. Voloshin wanted to find the person who held the fate of Marx’s life, but he did not know which way to turn. Marx was surely in danger of being executed at any moment. In despair, Voloshin prayed to the Divine Power that he might meet the right person. Within moments soldiers arrived on the scene and arrested Voloshin for violating the local curfew. They took Voloshin to the main quarters of the White Army. There, officers quickly recognized Voloshin, as he was a famous and respected poet. One of the officers even invited Voloshin to his house for dinner.

As the Divine would design it, Voloshin’s host for dinner was the very man who held sway over Marx’s life. Voloshin, in his simple approach, asked the officer to spare his neighbour. The soldier became angered. “All the people like him must be killed.” Voloshin realized that further mental argument would only act to entrench this position. Instead, he simply let the officer continue. He allowed him to speak out in his anger. While he was speaking, Voloshin put his loving attention on him. He prayed to God. In a short time his dinner host became more relaxed. He became calm. His words took a different course. “But if you want to save this man,” he said and he went on to explain what actions Voloshin should follow to save Marx’s life. He told Voloshin to request a civil court hearing. At this hearing Voloshin testified on Marx’s behalf. He told the judge that Marx’s actions were free of any politics. He said that Marx was not supporting the Red Army in his job, but rather supporting local peace and order.

A REFUGE FOR FREE-THINKERS: a sanctuary for all

Voloshin’s intervention extended to all people. Once when some fishermen were barred by the military from fishing their usual waters, Voloshin was asked to lend assistance. Flying a white flag of peace from a fishing boat, Voloshin approached the armed naval ships. Once on board, the sailors recognized Voloshin. Such was the high regard for the poet that, after the reading of a few poems, the sailors granted the fishermen free access to their fishstock.

Maximilian Voloshin’s miracle was that he did not take sides. He simply spoke the Truth.

After the Russian civil war and the establishment of the Soviet state, Voloshin opened the doors of his home to the poets, writers, artists, scientists and free thinkers of his nation. Trying to translate his convictions and principles into life, Voloshin made his house in Koktebel an ashram for free-thinkers. In this sanctuary, he could faultlessly foresee the talent of a young poet, encourage him and teach him an internal vision. Following a divine principle of learning, he demanded as much from others as from himself in creative work.

People came so that they might find refuge from the insane atmosphere of the cities and so that they could feel like human beings, not slaves or machines. There they discussed the real events of Russia without fear of arrest. Almost all the major poets and writers of the nation, Voloshin’s contemporaries, came to enjoy his generous hospices.

THE ART OF VOLOSHIN: inspired by the Earth

In his creative work, Voloshin’s main principle was to fully dissolve his own ego in art. During his studies in Europe he was attracted by an anonymous and nationwide feature of medieval architecture. Voloshin believed that individualistic art of modern times would give way to a collective art in the future.

In his daily life the poet denied any material benefit. “My formula: property is only what we give. We are slaves of all the things that we cannot give away.” According to a famous Russian poetess, M. Tsvetayeva, his source of inspiration was the Earth itself. “Voloshin’s creative work is dense, weighty and significant like that of the substance itself with all strength coming not from above, but from the Earth., the Earth he would so much walk on, the Earth where he now rests.” Through his paintings and poetry, Voloshin was trying to let us identify with his meditative state, sense of vibrations, joy of the awakened spirit so that a human being in thoughts and deeds, would be as pure as the primordial nature that revealed itself to the poet:

Together with pathlets,
Together with trees,
The soul is aspired, exulting, into the distances...
And waves of mountains, and a mirror of a bay,
And heaven’s peace in silence of the Earth.

Throughout the remaining years of his life, Maximilian Voloshin wrote about the destiny of his Mother Russia and the world. He believed that Russia would gain strength in overcoming her obstacles. He knew that Russia would become a great spiritual country. Voloshin was a critic of materialism and fundamentalism. He wrote about the transformation of the human being that would occur when “love will melt the world.” He knew that this inner transformation was a necessity.

In his very last years, Voloshin wrote poems depicting the lives of Russian saints who worshipped Mary, the mother of Christ. He saw Her hand in helping them overcome the persecution of the state and of the Russian Orthodox Church. In these poems he recognized Mary as the saviour at the time of the Last Judgement.

THE POWER OF LOVE

“We live in an era when everything is displaced in the world,” he observed. “There are no foundations, no feeling of gravity. We don’t know where is up and where is down. Europe is torn down by war. Russia is torn down by revolution. The time has come when one, with eyes closed like a blind man, has to get in touch with those inclinations and those points of support within himself which have slipped away in the external world.” With uncompromising vision of spirit, Voloshin saw that “There exist two powers within the creative will of man: the force of perception and that of Love.... All positive creative forces of a man are only in Love.”

In Maximilian Voloshin we can see a model of unconditional love and pure compassion. n

“Along Cain’s Ways, Tragedy of Materialistic Culture”
by Maximilian Voloshin, 1922

translated by Natasha Levitan

Machine has won over man:
It needed a slave to take away its sweet,
To comfort its insides with pure oil,
To feed it coal and take away its excrements,
And then it started asking for itself,
The swarming bundle of muscles and of wills
Brought up in hungry discipline
And greedy rude who cheapened his spirit
For joys of mediocrity and comforts.
Machine has taught man to think appropriately
And logically discuss the findings.
It visually proved to him
That there is no spirit, only substance,
That man is nothing but a machine himself,
That the starry cosmos is merely a mechanism
To manufacture time, that thought
Is just a simple product of the brain digestion,
That mere sustenance defines the spirit,
That genius is a degeneration,
That culture means an increase in the number
Of the consumer needs,
That the ideal is general well-being
And stomach satisfaction,
That there is One Universal Worldly Stomach
And there is no other Gods beside it....
The rotary press machines spawn
Day and night the printed pages.
Newspapers manufacture truth,
One truth for each hour of the day,
But not a single line is printed of a human -
The very ancient, hidden fire..

more Voloshin's poems.

Voloshin's paintings.

Source:www.sol.com.au

9 days till the Victory Day

2011-04-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

Anna Marly

A singer from Russia with words of hope for the French resistance

A few years ago, Anna Marly, the singer and songwriter associated with the best known song of the French resistance, decided to move to Alaska. She was "fed up with all the green lawns of civilisation" and wanted to find somewhere "close to wild nature". Anna, who has died aged 88, chose the small town of Lazy Mountain, where there is a Russian Orthodox church, St Tikhon, and there felt she was returning to her roots.

She was born Anna Betoulinsky in St Petersburg, in the month of the Bolshevik October uprising. Her father, an aristocrat, was arrested and executed in 1918 as "an enemy of the revolution". Her Greek mother took Anna and her five-year-old sister, and travelled by cart and on foot to the Finnish border. There she bribed the guards to let them cross, using jewels that had been sewn into her clothes. The family reached France, where they settled in Menton, among a group of White Russian refugees.

Even as a child Anna started to show promise as a composer, writing "many little songs". She was given lessons by Prokofiev and, at 16, spent a season as a dancer with the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo. By then an accomplished guitarist, she moved to Paris and began her career performing her own compositions. She found her first success at the Shéhérazade cabaret in the Rue de Liège, "wearing a Medieval dress". "I was a pioneer, no one sang with guitars then, there was no Elvis," she told an interviewer two years ago.

Joining a composers' group, she was encouraged to find a stage name, and picked Marly by looking in the telephone directory. In 1938 she married a Dutch diplomat; after the fall of France in June 1940, they escaped via Spain and Portugal, eventually reaching London in the spring of 1941. Her husband joined the Royal Netherlands government secret service, while Anna made contact with the Free French representatives in London. She worked as a volunteer clearing bomb damage - "We were picking up arms, legs, a traumatic experience" - and in the canteen of the French servicemen's centre in Carlton Gardens.

Years later she quipped that "soup and chansons" go together naturally, so she sang for the men too. Among the visitors was the resistance leader Emmanuel d'Astier de la Vigerie (code-named Bernard). Along with the writers Joseph Kessel and Maurice Druon, he heard her sing, in Russian, her Song of the Partisans. Kessel and Druon adapted the words into French, and soon Anna was invited to sing it on the BBC French Service programme Honneur et Patrie, which still got through to clandestine listeners in France. She would whistle the opening bars, which made it easier for radio-hams to pick up the song.

With its opening words evoking the night-time raids - "Ami, entends-tu le vol noir des corbeaux sur nos plaines?" (Friend, do you hear the black flight of ravens over our plains?) - it became the single most famous song associated with Free French fighters and the resistance. It was recorded first by Germaine Sablon, and later by many others, including Yves Montand and Johnny Hallyday. Bernard wrote the words for another song, La Complainte d'un Partisan, which was destined eventually for worldwide fame: Personne ne m'a demandé/ D'ou je viens et ou je vais (No one has asked me where I have come from and where I am going).

Anna Marly with Metropolitan Laurus

Joining the forces entertainment service Ensa, Anna sang in English, French, Russian and Czech. She returned to Paris in July 1945, and sang her song in front of General de Gaulle. In later years there were disagreements with Druon and Kessel, who were sometimes wrongly credited with sole authorship of the song, which was re-christened Le Chant de la Libération. But Anna's contribution was finally acknowledged, and she was made a chevalier de La Légion d'Honneur and a dame of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem.

Whenever she reappeared in France, people would come with tragic and heroic tales, recalling how important the song had been in their efforts. After the war, she divorced her husband and married another Russian refugee, George Smiernow. In the 1950s they lived mostly in south America, while Anna continued to tour and write songs, including one for Edith Piaf, Une Chanson à Trois Temps.

After moving to the United States, Anna became an American citizen in 1965. Four years later Leonard Cohen recorded The Partisan, which he had first heard while still a child, singing it from The People's Songbook. It became a notable success, and many other singers have taken it up, among them Joan Baez, Esther Ofarim and Isabelle Aubret.

The renewed interest in Anna's work led to the publication of a book of Chants de la Résistance et de la Libération. Her autobiography, Anna Marly: Troubadour de la Résistance, appeared in 1980 and later she brought out a book of stories, Les Fables d'Anna Marly pour Rire et Réflechir de 9 à 99 Ans. In 2000 she was invited to join the service at La Madeleine to commemorate the 60th anniversary of De Gaulle's broadcast that launched the Free French army.

One of the things that pleased her most later in life was the knowledge that her songs were becoming known in Russia. With her own original words, The Song of the Partisans had come back to its homeland. In her house, a light was always burning beside an icon.

· Anna Marly, singer and songwriter, born October 30 1917; died February 15 2006

Source:www.guardian.co.uk

Vorontsov's palace in Alupka,Crimea

2011-04-11T06:11:00.000-07:00

The Alupka Palace

A Russian Count commissioned an English architect to design a palace that combined Scottish and English gothic with Moorish architecture - it's hard to think of a more unlikely mix for a successful building. But it did succeed, and with surprising panache and remarkable elegance.

Edward Blore

The architect was Edward Blore, one of the most well-known British architects of the 19th century - responsible for parts of Buckingham and St James' Palaces in London, and for a large number of other buildings in both England and Scotland. He was a personal friend of Sir Walter Scott and had a keen interest in the architecture of Scottish castles.

He was commissioned by Count Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov. Count Vorontsov's father had been Russian ambassador to London for over 20 years, and the young Vorontsov had been raised and educated in England, and was familiar with English architectural styles.

After a long and distinguished military career, fighting in the Caucasus and then against Napoleon, Vorontsov, by then a Lieutenant -General in the Russian army, become Governor-general of Novorussia, which included Crimea. He followed the example of the Duc de Richelieu, Odessa's first administrator, making Odessa his working base, but establishing a private villa on the Black Sea coast in Alupka.

Count Vorontsov

Vorontsov was an energetic and dynamic administrator, happy only when he had a number of projects on the go, or when he had some challenge to meet. Novorussia provided him with plenty of both. Odessa was a burgeoning new trade centre with a population which doubled between 1823 and 1849 , in spite of two outbreaks of bubonic plague and two cholera epidemics during this period. A 19th century commentator wrote "Odessa in the 1830's combined all that was cultured, rich and refined in Russian society and which for one reason or another did not sit well with life in the capital or abroad. The southern climate, the warmth and sunshine for most of the year, the wonderful , gleaming, rainbow-hued Black Sea...the Italian opera...the resonant Italian voices in the streets, the cheapness of the free port, and generally just the freedom and ease of life in this half-foreign, half-Russian town, together with the enlightened and accessible nature of its governor-general, Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov, inspired the warmest feelings for Odessa." *

Vorontsov and Pushkin

Challenges also came of a personally painful kind. The dissident poet Alexander Pushkin, who worked for the Foreign Service, had been sent to Odessa to put him at a safe distance from St Petersburg after he was suspected - correctly - of anti-state activities. Soon after Vorontsov's appointment as governor-general, Pushkin began a love affair with his wife, Countess Vorontsova. Scandal travelled quickly in Odessa and, not surprisingly, the two men did not get on. Pushkin famously described Vorontsov as "half milord, half merchant" - not an entirely fair description of a man who had distinguished himself on the battlefield. Vorontsov responded to the situation by using his position to get Pushkin appointed to a travelling commission to study locust damage in the Dniester region. Pushkin went under protest but reportedly did no work of any value for the commission (he was writing "Eugene Onegin" at the time). By 1824 Vorontsov had reached the end of his tether and, through friends in St Petersburg, secured Pushkin's dismissal from the Foreign Service. This meant that Pushkin had to leave Odessa, ending his affair with Vorontsov's wife, although he wore the gold talisman ring she had given him until he died in a duel thirteen years later.

The Caucasus

In 1844 Vorontsov, by then 62 years old, was appointed governor-general of the Caucasus and commander-in-chief of the Russian forces there, in addition to his duties in Novorussia. He spent the next 10 years either in military action in the Caucasus or in developing economic projects in both regions. No longer a young man by any means, Vorontsov personally led his forces in a charge during the siege of Shamil al Dargo in the Caucasus, which he had been ordered by the Tsar to take by storm. It has been suggested that he chose to lead his men into battle precisely because he knew that the Tsar's plan to take Shamil in a single assault was doomed to failure. "When Vorontsov ultimately succeeded in extricating himself from an extremely difficult situation without dishonour either to his superiors or to his calling, the Emperor elevated him to the rank of Prince in recognition of his services during the campaign and of the imperial debt owed him".** Vorontsov died in 1856.

The Palace

Pushkin had accused Vorontsov of being boring and pedestrian. As if to prove him wrong, the palace which was built for Vorontsov between 1828 and 1846 in Alupka is a triumph of the architectural imagination. Vorontsov was, typically, fully involved in the project at every stage, and carefully discussed the details of the planned design with Edward Blore's site architect, William Hunt.

The south face of the palace looks out across the Black Sea towards Turkey, and combines Russian and Moorish elements into a uniquely elegant building standing out against the backdrop of the Ai-Petri mountain. The north side could easily be mistaken for a Scottish castle in the gothic tradition. Somehow, these disparate elements blend successfully into a convincing whole.

The palace's luxuriant interior is open to the public - highlights include the Tudor-style dining-hall complete with minstrels' gallery , and many fine paintings including pictures by Crimean seascape artist Aivasovsky. The parkland surrounding the palace is magnificent, with fine views of the mountains and the sea. The six famous white lions on the south side are by Italian sculptor Bonani, who also contributed marble sculptures to the Capitol building in Washington, USA.

Source:www.blacksea-crimea.com

Time in Icon

2011-04-04T03:19:00.000-07:00

Time in Icon

To be able to understand icons it is necessary to know how people of the Middle Ages perceived and understood the concept of time. The difference between the concept of time in Western Europe and that in Byzantium was formed in the Renaissance period, when Europe, unlike Byzantium, acquired the new attitudes and outlook towards the world.

why do russians smile so seldom?

2011-04-01T05:48:00.000-07:00

The meaning of a smile? Why do Russians smile so seldom?

«Улыбка» на Яндекс.Фотках

We often hear from foreigners that Russians rarely smile (especially people living in big cities). We don’t notice it but in comparison to other eastern and western countries it is right. Meaning what? Russians rude, impolite, ill mannered, non-hospitable and so on??

I think it is deeper in national traditions. Lets’ see how it is! I have found a wonderful work in the Internet written by one of the Voronezh University Professor I.A. Sternin. I think he has given a good scientific base to this phenomenon.

He points out 14 distinguishing features of a typical Russian smile:

1. Smile is Russian communication is not a sign of politeness.

In American, English, German and Finnish communicative behavior it is. Smiles are necessary when greeting or having a polite conversation. Russian writers have pointed out many times that a typical American smile seems non-natural and false to many Russians. They say, “Americans smile as if they are electric lights turned on”, “their smile is something chronic”, “an American face is mainly teeth”.

I don’t mean to hurt Americans :) I’m trying to defend Russians from those blaming them of non-smiling.

Western smiles greeting someone mean pure politeness. The more a person smiles the more friendliness he/she is showing to his/her partner.

Japanese girls at the entrance to a moving staircase in large supermarkets smile and bow to each customer - 2500 smiles and bows per day!

Russian people don’t smile out of politeness. Visa versa, it is considered to be bad to smile without any significant reasons. The Russian phrase “he smiled out of pure politeness” implies a negative attitude to the smiling person.

A constant polite smile is considered a “smile on duty” in Russia and shows people’s insincerity, closeness and unwillingness to show real feelings.

2. Russian people do not smile at strangers.

Russians smile only at their fellow guys. That’s is why shop assistants never smile at customers (they don’t know them personally!:). If a shops-assistant knows a customer she shall smile at him/her.

3. It is not typical to Russian to give a smile in return.

An American wrote in the “Izvestiya” paper, “I don’t know hwy but when looking at Russian custom officers checking our passports and smiling at them we never get a smile in return. When our eyes meet the eyes of some person walking along a street in Russia we never get a smile back.” It is true: if a Russian person sees a stranger smiling at him he/she is certain to seek the reason of fun. Maybe something in his/her clothes or hairdo makes the gun so cheerful?

4. It is not typical for Russian to smile at a person whose eyes you met with your eyes by chance. Americans smile in such a case but Russians turn off their eyes.

5. Russians don’t smile altogether looking at babies or pets. (I think it is a controversial utterance).

6. A Russian smile is a sign of personal attraction.

A Russian smile shows that a smiling person likes you. He/she is very friendly to you. That is why Russians smile only to fellow people because they cannot favor strangers.

7. Russians do not smile when working or doing something serious.

Customs officers do not smile because they are doing their serious business. The same thing is with sellers and waiters. It is a unique peculiarity of a Russian smile. Chase Manhattan Bank has a large note “If your operator didn’t smile you tell the doorman and he will give you a dollar!”

Children mustn’t smile when studying. Russian adults tell their kids, “Don’t smile, be serious at school, preparing home task and when grown ups are talking to you!” One of the most common remarks of a Russian teacher is, “Why are you smiling? Stop it and start writing”.

Serving staff has never smile din Russia. Since early times clerks, salesmen, waiters and servants have been polite and courteous but never smiling. Now we have to make a smile a professional requirement to all the service staff members because it is not gonna appear otherwise:).

8. Russian smile is sincere. It is the expression of either high spirits or a good attitude to a partner.

Russians do not smile without reason (for example, to make the mood of a partner better, to make him/her feel pleased or support him/her). One has to really like the person he/she is smiling at or be in very high spirits to have the right for a smile.

9. A smile of a Russian person should have a sufficient reason, which is evident to others. It gives a person the right to smile from others’ point of view. The Russian language has got the unique proverb missing in other languages, “Laughter without reasons is the sign of foolishness”. Western thinking people are unable to understand the logics of this proverb. A certain German teacher got the following explanation of the proverb, “If a person is laughing without reason he has problems with his/her head”. He couldn’t understand it and asked, “Why does the second utterance follow the first one??”

The reason of a smile should be evident and clear to others. If they don’t understand the reason or consider it insufficient for s smile they may break smiling and make a reproof, “What are you smiling at?”

10. The only worthy reason of a smile in Russian communication is the wealth of a smiling person.

Carnegie’s call for a smile arises the following question among the Russian people, “Why smiling? No money paid, only problems all over, and you say, “smile”…” Thus, for Russians a smile is not an inherent part of communication but a reflection of their conditions, mood and material wealth.

11. It is not typical for the Russian communicational culture to smile in order to cheer up or make others cheer up. A Russian person will hardly smile without evident wealth or very high spirits.

A certain Japanese documentary about the emergency landing showed the episode with a stewardess smiling at her passengers before the emergency landing. After the landing was over she fell down writhed in hysterics. So, she fulfilled her professional duty having calmed down the passengers.

Russian public opinion condemns a smile of self-encouraging, “Her husband has left her but she is smiling”, “she has got a great number of children but she is smiling” and so on. All these phrases condemn a smile of a woman who is trying not to lose courage in a hard situation.

12. In a pure Russian consciousness a smile need a proper time for appearing. It is considered an independent action, which is very often unnecessary and annoying. Another Russian proverb says, “Business takes time, fun takes an hour”.

13. A smile should fit the situation from the point of view of the people around.

The commonest situations of Russian communications do not further smiles. People do not smile in a tense situation. They say, “Not a proper time for smiling”. It is not considered good to smile near people having serious problems or troubles (if they others are aware of them of course): illness, personal problems and so on.

14. Russians do not really distinguish between a smile and laughter. They often mix up these two phenomena.

Very often people say to smiling people in Russia, “What’s funny? I don’t understand!” or “Have I said something to make you laugh?”.

The conclusion of the author is as follows: the Russians are cheerful and wit in general. It is natural for them not to hide their feelings and moods.

However, everyday life of a Russian person has always been a constant struggle and survival; lives of many Russian people were very hard and some serious concern has become a constant expression of their faces. A smile in such circumstances is an exception meaning wealth, high spirits. Only a few people can have it altogether (and rather seldom). It is evident to everyone and very often may arise questions like “hey, why smiling?…”, envy and even dislike.

So if you a smile at a Russian person and get no smile in return, don’t feel surprised or hurt. Consider it an exotic national tradition :))

Well, commerce, market relations and other values of a different world are gradually bringing the habit of smiling “out of pure politeness” and “making a good impression” to Russia. Right are the Chinese, «If you cannot smile you cannot trade well!» :-))

Source:www.chanceforlove.com

The YURT

2011-03-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

The universe of the nomads

«Юрты» на Яндекс.Фотках

The nomadic dimension of the populations of these steppe-like areas binds them to nature in an indissoluble relationship, penetrating their deeper spiritual dimension: symbol of this bond is the dwelling of the nomad, the tent.
Called gheer among the Mongols and yurt among the Tuvinians, the house of the nomad is extremely practical and functional, easy to disassemble and to transport, a sure and solid shelter, suitable for their hard living conditions. Always oriented with the door to the south, it also works as an astronomical clock, making it possible to tell the time according to the position of the sun when it shines through the central hole.

«Юрта, мужская половина» на Яндекс.Фотках
Men's half

As soon as the small door is opened and its threshold is crossed, we are projected in a magical world where every object, every furnishing, the fire and the place where you take a seat follow a precise symbolic order, unchanged in the course of ages. The Sacred Fire is set in the centre and it represents the ancient world, our memory, our ancestors we have to respect and to pay tribute with offerings of sacred food.
Inside the yurta, are represented the ties between the cosmos, time and human beings. There is a precise relationship between the animals of the oriental horoscope, the disposition of the household goods and the places where you seat yourself. To north opposite the door there is the rat, the picker, where we find the trunks with the familiar treasures and next to the treasures, there is the seat of the oldest guest, that is worth of great respect.
Then there is the position of the snake, the place of the servants, in a well-to-do family or where it is seated the woman guest, the one that like the servants brings news, messages, gossips of the external world. The door is the horse, symbol of the work and the relationships with the world. Afterwards, we find the sheep, symbol of wealth and fertility; connected with it, where they hung the butchered animals.
Then we find the monkey, symbol of the working ability, that is why in this place the harness of the horses are hunged. The rooster comes next, where the hosts and the strangers take a seat: just like the rooster, they raise at sunshine in order to continue their journey. Afterwards, there is the dog, symbol of abundance and property, in fact it is up to the dog to defend the property and in that spot they keep the bags containing the harvest of the year, their clothes and blankets. Finally, we find the pig, symbol of the products of nature, and as the Tuvinians are mainly hunters, this is the place where they keep their guns, they hang their game and their furs.

«Юрта, женская половина.» на Яндекс.Фотках
Women's half

Nothing is at random in the yurt, but it corresponds to an ancient, immutable order that nowadays is still respected, not only as a sign of tradition, but as a precise way to interact with the cosmos.

Source:www.siberianshamanism.com

Gudok

2011-03-17T04:32:00.000-07:00

Gudok is an ancient Russian folk music instrument. In spite of its name (meaning “hooter” in Russian) it is a string instrument. Skomorokhi (wandering minstrel-cum-clowns) used it in a combination with the Gusli. Gudok consisted of an oval or pear-shaped dugout wooden case, a flat sounding board with resonator holes, and a short fingerboard without frets, with a straight or unbent head. The instrument could be 30 to 80 cm long. It had three strings posited at one level to the sounding board. When playing the bow touched all the three strings simultaneously. The melody was played on the first string, and the second and the third ones sounded without pitch variations. Continuous sounding of the bottom strings was one of the prominent features of Russian folk music. During the performance the instrument was held on a player’s knee in the vertical position. Has been extended later, in XVII-XIX centuries.

Gudok reminds of a number of string instruments of the world. These are Bulgarian Gadulka and Southern Slavic Gusle and Liritsa, as well as West European Rebek and the Greek stringed lyre. There are also various Middle Asian instruments, less similar in the shape of the case. One of the Middle Asian names of such a stringed instrument – gidjak also reminds of the Russian Gudok.

All these instruments are placed vertically on a knee and play with the bow on three (most often) strings. The tune is played only on the highest string. There are only four “playing” fingers, though the little finger is often not used. Taking into account the open string there are only five (or four) sounds, just like in early Gusli. The remaining two strings "hooted" similar to the well-known Scottish bagpipes.

Gudok can be referred to professionally made, but musically simplified instruments. Though many folk masters who knew joiner's craft, could make such an instrument independently.

European instruments differed from their Eastern analogs by having a wooden upper sounding board instead of a leather membrane or an animal’s bladder, like the latter ones. So European versions with richer and more powerful sounding can be considered more progressive.

Most likely, metamorphoses with a pro-Gudok occurred in Greece and from there got spread across the Eastern Europe, including Russia. However, Russian Gudok had its own peculiar features. Its case was of a pointed boat-like shape instead of a pear-like shape.

It is remarkable that Gudok was recorded in archeological excavation of Veliky Novgorod earlier than Gusli. By the way, in the Astrakhan Province a reed pipe and svirel were also called Gudok.

Gudok was often used in small ensembles both with other instruments and with their relatives. There was a whole family: Gudok, Gudochek and Gudische.

Gudok was very popular in Russia at all times. It managed to survive even persecutions of secular music in the 17th century, under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. But it could not withstand the attack of the western music in the 19th century and disappeared from Russian culture, without having lived to its millennium. Gudok was partly replaced by the violin.

Source:http://www.russia-ic.com/

IVAN SHMELYOV: "PILGRIMAGE MORNING"

2011-02-19T05:39:00.000-08:00

EXCERPTS

Forbidden publication during the Soviet period, this classic nineteenth-century story of the life of a young Russian boy, Ivan Shmelyov, was recently unearthed and reprinted to the great satisfaction of contemporary Orthodox Russians. Road to Emmaus is pleased to be the first to translate portions of this forgotten classic for English readers. In our initial offering, young Ivan, Gorkin (an old family friend), and a few of the servants have risen early to go on pilgrimage from Moscow to St. Sergius-Holy Trinity Lavra…

Chilly dawn breathes through the window. The morning is so quiet that I hear pigeons running over the roof and our dog Bushuy shaking the sleep from himself. For a moment I lie in bed stretching, listening to roosters crow, to Gorkin’s voice in the yard…

We drink tea in the front room, father and me. The clock has just cuckooed four. The door to the dining room is slightly closed in order not to wake anyone. Father is also going somewhere; he has his riding boots and his coat on. He drinks dark red tea from a cut glass, makes calculations in his notebook, kisses me absent-mindedly. He waves his hand strictly when I want to tell him that our samovar has become pink and the front room has also turned pink in quite another way! “Later, later! Don’t dangle your legs. Here, spread the caviar on your bun.”

And he goes on calculating, “Seven thousand trees and more from the new grove…well, twenty thousand trees…” A thatch of hair swings over his forehead as if it is calculating, too. I swallow hot tea and the clock tick-tocks. Why is the steam over the samovar pink, and the tablecloth and the wallpaper? The dark humpbacked icon of the Lord’s passion seems to have become new. The crucifix can be seen on it. Why is it so…? Beyond the window — you can reach it with your hand — there is a pink brick wall with a stripe of sunshine on it. That is why there is light in the front room. It has never been so before. I tell father, “The sun has dropped in on us.” He looks vacantly at the window and I see his face brighten.

“Eh?… Yes, yes, it has come to our by-street.” He stares and thinks of something. “Yes… only seven or eight days a year does it peep into our little cranny. Your grandfather used to wait for the long days to come… he always drank tea here with the sun, as we are now, and showed it to me. I was little and then I forgot, and now I am showing it to you. So everything goes…” he says thoughtfully. “… Pray for grandfather.” He looks about the room. It is getting dim again; only the icon is shining. He looks up and sings without words, his favorite: “Before Thy Cross, we fall down O Maaasterrrr, and Thy Holy Resurrection we magnify.” The sun crawls away from the wall. In this sliding light, in the sad tune, in grandfather who has gone somewhere and saw what I see now, I feel as a vague thought that everything passes… and that father will go too, as did this accidental light. Up through the window, between our rooftop and the next house I see a stripe of blue sky and I am flooded with joy.
____________________
“Well, have you eaten your fill?” Father asks. “Remember; obey Gorkin. He has a bag with small coins and will give you some for the beggars. If God wills we will catch up with you in Troitsa.” He crosses me, puts me on his shoulders and runs down the stairs… It’s so cheerful outside in the yard because of the sun, and it’s a little fresh. Our horse Krivaya is shining as if he had been polished; the shaft-bow is also shining, and the harness. The cart, which is brand-new, looks like a little toy. Gorkin is wearing a canvas tunic, a May cap tilted on his head. He carries a cloth bundle. His cheeks are pink with cold and excitement and his beard is silvery. Antipushka is holding Krivaya’s reins and Fedya looks like a city man with his polished knee boots as if he were going to church. By his side there hangs a bag with a tin kettle tied to it. On the porch sits Domna Panfyorovna in a headscarf, her baggy neck so red that one can see she is very hot. She wears a grey talma, a sleeveless cloak with tassles and trinkets hanging from it. There is a heavy carpet bag in her lap and a big-bellied white umbrella. Anyuta is peering from under her headscarf like a little doll. I ask if she has brought the tiny glass ball with her. She looks at Babushka and stays silent, groping in her pocket. “The package has been handed over; deliver it in one piece!” Father says, putting me on the hay.

“Be sure, we won’t spill it,” Gorkin replies, then takes off his peaked hat and crosses himself. “Well, a good hour for us, and for you who stay here happily, never missing us. Forgive me a sinner, if I have been rough in anything. Bow to Vasili Vasil’ch for me.” He bows to father, to our cook Marushka, to the carpenters and furriers who have gathered to work. They have spent the night in the cart and scratch their heads as they climb from under the quilted blanket to see us off. He bows also to the yard, silent at this hour. A clamour of voices say, “Good hour to you;” “Bow to the God-pleaser for
us…” Gorkin laughs, shaking hands with father in farewell. They kiss. I jump off the cart. “Let him show off a little and then we will put him back,” says Gorkin. “Don’t walk too fast. Watch and follow me. Let’s tread lightly as pilgrims do, then we won’t tire ourselves. And you…Domna Panfyorovna, hold onto your fashions and don’t shame yourself.” “I’ll roll along like a little round stone…just let me put my carpet-bag up here.” Trifonich, barefoot, runs out of the entryway; he has overslept and almost missed us to say goodbye. He thrusts up a parcel for Sanya, his grandson who is a novice at Troitsa. “Tell him his grandmother and I will come in autumn to visit him. The trade cannot be left now, just at the working season.” “Well, bless us, Lord…! Let’s go!”

Translated by Inna Belova and M. Nectaria McLees
source http://www.roadtoemmaus.net/back_issue_articles/RTE_10/Pilgrimage_Morning.pdf

Kolyadka- russian carol

2011-01-07T11:10:00.000-08:00

Nebo i Zemlya. Heaven and Earth. Novokuznetsk Choir

Gallery of the old russian new year tree toys

2010-12-29T07:05:00.000-08:00

Women from Russian village (krest'yanki) in traditional winter dress.

Russian paratroopers, different tipes of them

Samovar.samovar.

Ded Moroz ded moroz. and Snegurochka snegurochka.

Velikiy Ustyug Silver Patination

2010-12-25T04:18:00.000-08:00

Velikiy Ustyug Silver Patination is the national Russian art and craft that developed in the 17th century in Velikiy Ustyug, nowadays a district centre in the Vologda Region. It is decoration with patina designs of various silver items, such as, for example, cigar cases, glass holders, and tableware sets.

The technology of patination is as follows:
1. Little cuts are engraved, chased or etched on the surface of a silver item.
2. Alloy of silver, copper, lead and sulfur is fused into the pattern.

There are different variations of preparing the alloy, imposing and fusing it. According to certain data, Ustyug masters use the most ancient technologies known today.

Ustyug silver patination always has had appreciable distinctions from that of Moscow and Petersburg masters: much emphasis is given to subject engraving; drawing is quite saturated, with much denser coloring. The background performed with strokes forms a kind of a grid. The image is often supplemented with carved or chased details. In most of the cases general contour of an object is depicted, without detailed elaboration.

History

The art and craft of silver patination appeared in Russia in the 10th century, but got widespread development only in the 17th century. Since the second half of the 17th century Velikiy Ustyug has taken the lead in this handicraft in Russia. The art of patination in Ustyug reached its blossom in the 18th century, and the mid of the century was the time of its first record in official papers: Ustyug dweller Michael Klimshin was summoned to the Russian capital “for training Muscovites from merchant class in this skill”.

Manufactories of Popov Brothers were opened in Velikiy Ustyug in 1762.

From the mid 18th century Ustyug works started to bear the impact of the baroque style popular in Europe at that time. Complicated subject compositions typical of Ustyug masters acquired lush setting. Hunting and pastoral plots gained popularity.

However, starting from the 1780s predominant were subjects, characteristic of strict classicism, according to the canons of which the setting also became much more austere. Masters often used practically documentary pictures of cities and even geographical maps as subjects. In the mid 19th century leading masters often applied floral ornament entirely covering the surface of an item, with use of sharp contrasts.

However, by the late 19th century private handicraftsmen of Velikiy Ustyug could not compete with large capital factories, the fact marking the decline of Ustyug silver patination.

In 1933 M.P.Chirkov established the artel “Northern Patina” in Velikiy Ustyug. Originally it manufactured some plain mass-produced items, such as glass holders, spoons, etc., decorated with simple flower ornaments. However, E. P.Shilnikovsky, who headed the artel from 1936, managed to restore forgotten traditions, and also introduced a number of innovations. One of the novelties was creation of “literary” silver collections based on works by Pushkin, Gogol, and Krylov.

Thus, Ustyug silver patination was revived and reached unknown success — in 1937 at the World's Fair in Paris it was awarded the Big Silver Medal and the diploma (for a series of items based on Pushkin’s works of literature). In 1961 the artel was transformed into a factory. For ornamentation of works large floral patterns with insertions of birds and fantastic and mythological creatures were used.

Thanks to its international glory the “Northern Patina” factory in Soviet period constantly got governmental orders, most of which were performed on the basis of Shilnikovsky’s drawings. The enterprise issued items dedicated to nearly all considerable events, such as Moscow anniversary, Soviet space exploration, etc.

Source:russia-ic-com

Unique lakes

2010-12-19T05:21:00.000-08:00

Corruption - real reason for Moscow nationalist riots

2010-12-16T05:22:00.000-08:00

Mass riots that started in the center of Moscow on Saturday must be blamed on corrupt police rather than nationalist sentiment in society, Russian observers and experts agreed.

Saturday’s rally was organized by members of the Fratria group – supporters of Spartak Moscow FC – who are true football fans, known for their passion for sport, not fights, and have no political agenda. One of their leaders, Egor Sviridov, was shot dead, allegedly by a man from the Southern Russian republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, just over one week ago. The suspected attacker and others believed to have been involved in the fight were detained, but police released them after numerous members of the North Caucasus diaspora arrived at the police station. The suspects immediately fled and had to be put on a wanted list.

The actions of the police outraged the friends and relatives of the victim. A peaceful mourning march was held on Moscow’s Leningradsky Prospect the day after the killing. Riot police were dispatched to the site after the demonstrators blocked traffic, but no clashes took place. The police commander persuaded the crowd to disperse.

Another meeting was called after Sviridov’s burial. The majority of Fratria members gathered for a peaceful meeting in the north of the city where the murder took place, but several thousand people rallied in the city center, heading to Manezhnaya Square, right near the Kremlin.

Many more people attended Saturday’s rally, because it was at the weekend, because the supporters’ community negotiated the gathering with the authorities and simply because lots of people knew about it. The message had been spreading on the internet for several days.

Saturday’s gathering was not only attended by football fans, but also by members of other communities – from bikers to radical nationalists, though few in number. However, even a few radicals were enough to provoke rage in the crowd – someone attacked some passers-by, whose appearance they deemed ‘not Slavic enough’, the police intervened to save the victims and soon demonstrators started throwing bottles, pieces of ice and burning flares. Officers responded with truncheons and tear gas, clearing the square. A few fights broke out in the subway, but they were also quickly suppressed. Police reported that only a few officers were injured in the clashes – all of them with light bruises to the hands. Law enforcers also showed relative tolerance toward those detained during the riots – all of them were released the same day after some words of warning.

nterior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev was quick to blame the outburst of violence on leftist extremists. However, this version was neither proved nor repeated later and was probably just said in a hurry. President Dmitry Medvedev said that those responsible for the rioting would be found and punished, but the president did not point the finger at any person or movement.

Nationalist organizations on Monday issued a news release offering condolences to all those who suffered at the hands of the rioters and also with a clear statement and a list of demands. The first of these demands was to bring to justice those police officers who released the three suspects in the death of Egor Sviridov. The statement also said that the authorities should pay attention to corruption in law enforcement and the ties between ethnic criminal groups and the police.

There was also a demand that the authorities should stop viewing Russian nationalists as extremists and their organizations should be given broader political powers.

nterestingly, most journalists and popular bloggers who commented on the event expressed very similar opinions. Everyone agreed that Russian society is tired not of newcomers, but of the arbitrariness of corrupt policemen. The widely quoted article by columnist Dmitry Sokolov-Mitrich called for a “zero tolerance” policy towards representatives of North Caucasus peoples, but it was clear that this was only to mend the current situation in which ethnic criminal clans have police on their payroll.

Even members of national diasporas, including people from the Caucasus, said that most of the blame for Saturday’s riots lies on corruption in police ranks. Tigran Tvadian, the chief editor of the Yerkramas newspaper that publishes news for the Armenian diaspora told the Russian news agency RIA Novosti that the responsibility for the events in Moscow must lie on the law enforcement system that still cannot ensure the citizens’ trust in itself. “The fact that the incident turned into an action with nationalist subtext should be blamed on law enforcement bodies that cannot show society that they can be trusted,” the journalist said.

At the same time, some political analysts noted that such development was still dangerous. Political adviser Marat Gelman told Vedomosti daily that Saturday’s events showed that the danger was in the very fact that street violence had become possible. “Organized groups of people appear who think that they have the right to enforce justice. In essence, after getting a license for this from a weak state,” Gelman said.

On Monday, more calls for rallies appeared on the internet, urging action on December 15. However, both football fans and Russian nationalists distanced from these calls, saying that Saturday’s rallies were enough and they hoped that the authorities would pay attention to their demands. In part at least, they were right – according to news reports, all three suspects in the killing of Egor Sviridov were back in custody on Sunday.

Source:RT

Firebird

2010-12-15T08:18:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time there was a tsar named Berendey, who had three sons. The tsar's palace was surrounded by a beautiful orchard, and among the trees in the orchard was a wonderful apple-tree which bore golden apples. One day the tsar discovered that someone was getting into the orchard and stealing his golden apples. He was furious, and sent his guards to catch the thief. But though they watched all night they were quite unsuccessful.
The tsar was so upset at the loss of his golden apples that he lost his appetite too. His sons tried to comfort him, and the eldest told him: "I will go and guard the orchard against the thief tonight, father."
And he went off to the orchard. But although he arrived there quite early in the evening and walked about for some time, he saw no one. So he lay down on a grassy bank and soon fell asleep. Next morning his father asked him:
"Well, have you good news for me? Did you see the thief?"
"No, father," his son answered. "I did not sleep a wink all night, I did not even close my eyes. But I saw no one."
The following night the tsar's second son went to guard the orchard. But he, too, slept all night, and next morning he told his father he, too, had seen no sign of a thief, although he had not closed his eyes.
Now it was the turn of the youngest brother, Prince Ivan, to guard the orchard. And he was so anxious not to miss the thief that he was afraid even to sit down, let alone to lie down. When he felt he was getting drowsy he washed his face with dew, and this made him wide-awake again. About halfway through the night he thought he saw a light in the orchard. It grew brighter and brighter, until all the trees were lit up. Then he saw that the light was coming from a Firebird, which was sitting on the apple-tree and pecking at the golden apples.
So he crept up very quietly to the tree and caught hold of the bird by the tail. But the Firebird spread its wings and flew away, leaving only one tail feather in Prince Ivan's hand.

A.Glazunov "Firebird"
Box. 1929 Palekh

Next morning, when he went to report to his father, the tsar asked him:
"Well, Ivan, did you see the thief?"
"Dear father," Ivan answered, "I cannot say I caught him, but I have found out who is eating our apples. And I have brought you a tail feather in proof. It is the Firebird."
The tsar took the feather and looked at it, and no longer felt sorrowful; but he thought a great deal about the Firebird, and one day he sent for his sons and told them:
"My dear children, I want you to saddle good horses and ride forth into the world to see whether you can find and bring back the Firebird."
The young men bowed to their father, saddled good horses, and set out on their travels: the eldest in one direction, the second son in another, and Prince Ivan in a third direction.
He rode near and far, high and low, along by-paths and by-ways - for speedily a tale is spun, but with less speed a deed is done - until he came to a wide, open field, a green meadow. And there in the field stood a pillar, and on the pillar these words were written: "Whosoever goes from this pillar on the road straight before him will be cold and hungry. "Whosoever goes to the right side will be safe and sound, but his horse will be killed. And whosoever goes to the left side will be killed himself, but his horse will be safe and sound." Prince Ivan read this inscription and went to the right, thinking that although his horse might be killed, he himself would remain alive and would in time get another horse.
He rode one day, then a second day, then a third. Suddenly an enormous gray wolf came toward him and said: "Ah, so it's you, young lad, Prince Ivan! You saw the inscription on the pillar that said that your horse would be killed if you came this way. Why then have you come hither?" When he had said these words, he tore Prince Ivan's horse in twain and ran off to one side.
Prince Ivan was sorely grieved for his horse; he shed bitter tears and then continued on foot. He walked a whole day and was utterly exhausted. He was about to sit down and rest for a while when all at once the gray wolf caught up with him and said: "I am sorry for you, Prince Ivan, because you are exhausted from walking; I am also sorry that I ate your good horse. Tell me why you have travelled so far, and where you are going"
"My father has sent me to ride through the world until I find the Firebird."
"Why, you could have ridden even on your good horse for three years and never found the Firebird for only I know where it lives. I ate your horse, so now I will serve you faithfully and well. Get on my back and hold on tight."

A.Lopatine "Prince Ivan and the Grey Wolf"
Box. 1999. Palekh

Prince Ivan seated himself astride the grey wolf, and it loped away, past the green forests, and the azure lakes. At last they came to a very high fortress. There the grey wolf told Ivan:
"Listen to me, and remember what I say. Climb over the wall and do not be afraid; all the guards are asleep. In the attic you will see a small window; in the window hangs a golden cage, and in that cage is the Firebird. Take the bird and hide it under your coat; but be sure not to touch the cage."
Prince Ivan climbed over the wall and saw the attic. And, just as the wolf had said, in the attic window a golden cage was hanging, and the Firebird was in the cage. He took out the bird and put it under his coat. But as he looked at the golden cage he could not help coveting it. It was made of precious gold; how could he leave it behind? He completely forgot what the wolf had told him. But as soon as he touched the cage the alarm was sounded all through the fortress; drums rolled and trumpets blared, the guards woke up, captured Prince Ivan and took him to Tsar Afron. The tsar was furious at this attempt to steal the Firebird and the cage, and asked the prince:
"Who are you, and where are you from?"
"I am Prince Ivan, the son of Tsar Berendey," Ivan replied.
"How shameful! The son of a tsar coming here to steal!" the tsar exclaimed.
"That is as may be," the prince retorted. "But your bird flew to our orchard and stole the golden apples."
In that case you should have come to me and asked me for the Firebird and I would have given it to you out of respect for your father. But now I shall see to it that all the world knows of your behavior! And in order to earn my forgiveness you will have to enter my service. A certain Tsar Kusman has a horse with a golden mane. Bring that horse to me, and I will give you the Firebird and the cage."
Prince Ivan was downcast at the thought of having to undertake such a task, and he went to tell the grey wolf what had happened. But the wolf said to him:
"I told you not to touch the cage. Why did you disobey me?"
"I know I did wrong; but forgive me, grey wolf."
"It is easy enough to ask forgiveness," the wolf answered. "All right, get on my back again. We will not turn back now."
Once more the grey wolf loped off with Prince Ivan on its back. And at last they came to the fortress where the horse with the golden mane was stabled. Then the wolf told Ivan:
"Climb over the wall; do not be afraid, the guards are asleep. Go to the stable and bring out the horse. But be sure not to touch the bridle you will see hanging there."
The prince climbed over the wall into the fortress, and saw that the guards were asleep. He went straight to the stable and found the horse with the golden mane. But his eyes fell on a bridle hanging up; it was of gold and studded with precious stones: the only bridle fit for a horse with a golden mane. And he put out his hand to take it. But at once the alarm was sounded all through the fortress; drums rolled and trumpets blared, the guards woke up, took the prince a prisoner and led him before Tsar Kusman.
"Who are you, and where are you from ?" the tsar asked Ivan.
"I am Prince Ivan."
"To attempt to steal a horse shows little wisdom! Even a peasant would not try to do that. But I will let you off, Prince Ivan, if you agree to enter my service. A certain tsar named Dalmat has a daughter, the beautiful Helen. Carry her off and bring her to me, and then I will give you the golden-maned horse and the golden bridle."
At this verdict Prince Ivan was even more downcast than before. Again he went to see the grey wolf. But the wolf said:
"I told you not to touch the bridle. You did not obey my orders."
"Nevertheless, forgive me, forgive me, grey wolf," the prince pleaded.
"It is all very well, saying “forgive”. All right, get on my back."
Once more the grey wolf raced off with Prince Ivan on his back, until they came to Tsar Dalmat's fortress. But this time the grey wolf said to the prince:
"I am not going to ser am going myself. You set of back to Tsar Afron; I will soon catch up."
Prince Ivan obediently started to go back, while the grey wolf sprang over the fortress wall and into the garden. In the garden the beautiful Helen was walking with her attendants. The wolf sat behind a bush and watched them, and the moment the princess fell a little way behind her attendants the wolf seized her, flung her over his back, and scampered away. Ivan had gone some distance when the grey wolf caught up with him, bringing the beautiful Helen sitting on its back. The prince was delighted, but the wolf said:
"Quick, get on my back, in case we are followed."
The prince sat on the wolf's back behind the princess, and the wolf rushed away with them, past the green forests and the azure rivers and lakes. At last they arrived at Tsar Kusman's fortress. But the prince seemed very sad, so the wolf asked:
"Why are you silent, Prince Ivan? Are you sad?"
"Have I not good reason to be, grey wolf? How can I part with this beautiful princess? How can I exchange her for a horse?"
"I will see to it that you are not parted from her," the wolf promised. "We will hide her somewhere, then I will turn myself into the beautiful Princess Helen, and you can lead me to the tsar."
So they hid the princess in a forest hut. Then the grey wolf uttered a magic spell and at once became her living image. Prince Ivan took her to Tsar Kusman. The tsar was delighted and said:
"Thank you, Prince Ivan, for getting me such a beautiful woman for my wife. Take the golden-maned horse and the bridle."
The prince bridled the horse, mounted it, and rode off to the hut where the true Helen was hidden. He seated her behind him on the horse, and they rode away.

S.Kamanin. "Russian Fairy Tales"
Casket. 1999. Palekh

Meanwhile, Tsar Kusman made arrangements for his wedding, feasted all day and half the night, and, when it was time for bed, he led the mock-princess into his bedroom. But when he lay down beside her on the bed he found he was lying not with a beautiful young wife, but with a grey wolf. He was terrified and fled, and the wolf slipped away and out of the fortress. When the wolf caught up with Prince Ivan it noticed that he was looking sad again, so it asked:
"Why are you so thoughtful, prince?"
"I have good reason to be. I am sad to think I have to give up the golden-maned horse in exchange for the Firebird."
"Do not be downhearted; I will help you," said the wolf. When they arrived at Tsar Afron's fortress the wolf said:
"You go and hide the horse and the princess. Then I will turn myself into the golden-maned horse and you can take me to Tsar Afron."
So they hid Helen and the horse in the forest. The grey wolf uttered a magic spell and became a golden-maned horse, and Ivan led the horse to the tsar. Tsar Afron was delighted, and gave him the Firebird and the golden cage as well. The prince carried the cage with the bird into the forest, seated the princess on the golden-maned horse, and rode off on his journey back to his native country.
Meanwhile, Tsar Kusman gave the order for the golden-maned horse to be brought to him. But when he tried to mount it the horse turned into a grey wolf. The tsar was so frightened that he fell to the ground, while the grey wolf made good its escape and soon overtook Prince Ivan.
"Now I must say goodbye; I cannot come any farther," it told the prince.
So Ivan dismounted from his horse and bowed very low three times, thanking the grey wolf respectfully. But the wolf said:
"Do not bid goodbye forever to me. I shall yet be of service to you."
"How can you be of any further service to me?" Ivan thought. "All my wishes have come true."
He mounted the golden-maned horse and rode away with beautiful Helen and the Firebird. He arrived in his own country, but as he still had some way to go to reach home he decided to have a rest at midday. So they ate some food, drank water from a spring, and lay down to rest. No sooner had the prince fallen asleep than his brothers happened to ride past, and saw him. They had travelled far and wide in search of the Firebird, but of course they had not found it. When thev saw their brother lying asleep and noticed that he had the Firebird, the horse with its bridle, and even a beautiful girl, they plotted to kill their brother and take everything for themselves.
So they killed Prince Ivan, seated themselves on the golden-maned horse, put beautiful Helen on another, and threatened her:
"You must not say a word to anyone when we get home."
Then they rode oft, with the horse, the princess, and the Firebird, to their father.
They left Prince Ivan lying dead, with the crows already gathering above him. But suddenly the grey wolf ran up and caught one crow with its young chick.
"Crow, you must fly away and bring back to me some sparkling water and some still water," the wolf told the crow. "If you bring back the two sorts of water I will let your young one go."
The crow agreed, and flew off, while the wolf watched over the chick. In due time the crow flew back with both the sparkling and the still water. Then the wolf sprinkled Ivan's wounds with the still water, and the wounds healed; it sprinkled him with the sparkling water, and the prince revived.
"I have had such a deep sleep," he yawned.
"Yes, you were sleeping very soundly," the grey wolf said. "But for me you would never have awakened. Your own brothers killed you and carried off all you had gained. Now get on my back, quick!"
The wolf raced off in pursuit of the two elder brothers, and soon caught up with them. It tore them to pieces and scattered them over the field. Prince Ivan bowed and thanked the grey wolf once more, and said goodbye to it forever. He mounted the golden-maned horse, and rode home with the princess. He had obtained the Firebird for his father, and beautiful Helen as a wife for himself.
Tsar Berendey was delighted to see him with the Firebird, and asked him to tell of all his adventures. Prince Ivan told his father how the grey wolf had helped him to win the Firebird, the horse, and the beautiful Helen, how his brothers had killed him while he was asleep, and how the wolf had restored him to life and then torn them to pieces.
The tsar mourned the loss of his two sons, but he was soon comforted, by the wedding of Prince Ivan and the beautiful Princess Helen, and they lived happily ever after.

Source:www.artrusse.ca

The Firebird of Russian Folklore

2010-12-15T07:42:00.000-08:00

Ivan Bilibin "The firebird"

In Russia, as in many countries, folklore is a part of the people’s tradition and culture. Tales of grandeur and fallen heroes, as well as stories to promote good morals, have been passed down through generations. These tales are often used to teach the younger generation valuable lessons, creating heartwarming family moments around the table as the older family members share the folklores of Russia with their appreciative younger listeners. One mythic character that is found in the country’s folklore, and various versions are found across the world, is the Firebird, or Zhar-Ptitsa.

The Firebird is known to many as the Phoenix. It is a mythical bird that lives in five hundred year cycles, which is able to regenerate from injury and is therefore, immortal. With plumage of red and gold that illuminates its flight, the Phoenix is as much a symbol of divinity as it is of fire and many legendary tales have evolved around its existence. Its most spoken about quality, that has inspired stories of encouragement or been compared to adversities that have been overcome, is that the Phoenix, nearing the end of its life cycle, builds a nest where he sets himself and the nest on fire. From the ashes left behind, a young Phoenix rises, to take the place of the older.

Victor Vasnetsov

In Russian folklore, the Firebird can symbolize many things. Some see the Firebird as a creature of blessing, while others believe that the Firebird will bring doom to anyone who captures it. In some tales the Firebird is a symbol of wealth and of power, and in many stories it is an object that the hero of the tale has been ordered to capture. One such a story tells of a tsar that sends his sons to capture the Firebird, as it would fly across his orchard and eat his golden apples. One son succeeds in grabbing hold of the Firebirds’ tail, but it escapes his grasp and leaves behind one of his feathers. The glow from the Firebird’s feather was powerful enough to light up an entire room. It is also believed to bring hope and relief to the suffering and in need, and one story in particular tells of pearls falling from the Firebird’s beak to the peasants below, for them to trade for food.

Over the ages, the Phoenix, or Firebird, has inspired many artists, such as Igor Stravinsky, who in 1910 immortalized the legend of the Firebird, in his ballet score of the same name. From being a symbol of doom to hope, the Firebird’s rise from its ashes has given many the inspirations to rebuild their lives and to believe that there is light in even their darkest moments. The Firebird holds a sacred place in the folklore of Russia, as a creature that is in itself as much of a mystery as the legendary tales.

Igor Stravinsky

Source:www.russia-channel.com

Dedicated to the memory of Bella Akhmadulina

2010-12-07T13:47:00.000-08:00

Bella Akhmadulina is the Russian poet, short story writer and translator.

Known in Russia as "the voice of the epoch," Bella Akhmadulina is one of the century's foremost poets who came to prominence during the Soviet era.

She is a member of the Russian New Wave literary movement, a group of writers who embraced Western ideology during the 1960s.

During this period her colleagues Yevgeny Yevtushenko and Andrey Voznesensky experimented with innovative poetic styles focusing on current issues of the day. Akhmadulina relied on traditional language to capture the mood and sentiments of the time.

I went out to the garden - but in garden,
the word, lies lush luxuriance.
As gorgeous as a full blown rose,
it enriches sound and scent and glance.
The word is wider than what surrounds me:
inside it all is well and free;
its rich black soil makes sons and daughters
of orphaned and transplanted seeds.
Seeding of dark innovations,
O garden, word, you are gardener,
who to the clipper's gleam and clutter
increase and spread the fruits you bear…

The poet Joseph Brodsky considered Akhmadulina an heiress to the Lermontov-Pasternak line in Russian poetry and referred to her as the “treasure” of Russian poetry. Akhmadulina has been cited by him as the best living Russian language poet.

The main themes of Akhmadulina's works are friendship, love, and human relations.

Smiling nervously but brightly,
conscious of her youth and fame,
she set the way that she was asked to
indifferently - or playing games.
Under heaven's dome's eternal childhood
April nineteen hundred twelve
has promised her in Ospedaletti
only prosperity and sun
She looks out from a lacy nimbus,
her hands folded in her lap.
The shadow of her future torments
lies locked inside her photo's trap….

Or….

How do you make this, o my college-comrades?
Having waked up, while dark’s moving to light,
you take your pen and open your notes,
and write – and is this quite enough to write?

No, in my case, all’s worse and all’s another:
I’d spend a candle, look through a window’s pane
like a bad student, that hasn’t solved his puzzle…
and find that light’s moving to dark again.

First comes the night of vigilance and woe,
Then (will it come?) the undistinguished hum…
We’re to begin that when we’re born – not grown –
and today I have neither mood nor time.

Akhmadulina avoids writing poems on politics although she did take part in political events in her youth, supporting the movement of so-called ''dissidents''.

Image from www.gorod.tomsk.ru Image from www.gorod.tomsk.ru

She gained great popularity in the early 1960s in public recitals of poetry before vast audiences at the Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow State University, the Polytechnic Museum and other venues. Akhmadulina appeared alongside Andrey Voznesensky, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Bulat Okudzhava and Robert Rozhdestvensky – all poets, worshipped by millions, who played an important role in the liberation of the collective consciousness after decades of repressions.

Bella Akhmadulina was a mild, peaceful and at times ingratiating figure in opposition to the Soviet establishment, of which these people were a necessary complement. She was thus among the “podpisanty” (“signers”), people who signed letters to the authorities in support of individuals who showed themselves to be more open and aggressive opponents of the communist regime, like Andrey Sakharov, Lev Kopelev, Georgy Vladimov, or Vladimir Voinovich. Her statements were published in The New York Times and broadcast on Radio Liberty and Voice of America.

Akhmadulina was sometimes compared with Anna Akhmatova for her sincere feminine style. But later, after Nikita Khrushchev was dismissed by Leonid Brezhnev, the "thaw" ended and her style was misjudged by Soviet critics as eroticism. Akhmadulina was barred from the Writer's Union and banned from publication at the same time as Aleksander Solzhenitsyn and other Soviet dissidents. Her book of poetry "Oznob" (“Fever,” 1968) was published in Frankfurt, Germany, and in the US under the title "Fever and Other Poems" (1969).

When she was banned from the Soviet press and media, Akhmadulina delivered her statements through the foreign press and radio. Her poetry has been translated into English, Japanese, Italian, Arabic, French, German, Polish, Czech, Danish, Armenian, Georgian, Latvian, Kurdish, Romanian and many other languages worldwide.

Akhmadulina also devoted herself to writing numerous essays about Russian poets and translated poetry from France, Italy, Chechnya, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, among other countries, into Russian. In 1984 Bella was honored with the Order of "Friendship of Peoples".

Bella was born in Moscow. Her father, Akhat Valeevich Akhmadulin, and mother, Nadezhda Makarovna Lazareva, had a mixed Tatar, Russian, Georgian, and Italian heritage.

The family was well positioned in the Soviet hierarchy; her father was a highly placed customs official and her mother a major in the KGB.

Akhmadulina attended the A. M. Gorky Institute of World Literature in the mid-1950s. During her studies at the institute she published poems and articles in different newspapers, both official and handwritten. Her first poems were published in 1955 in the official Soviet magazine "October".

She married poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko in 1954. In 1960, she completed her education at the Gorky Institute, preceding an expulsion due to her overly apolitical verse. That same year, she divorced Yevtushenko and married short story writer Yury Navigin. In 1962 her first book of poems, “Struna” (“The String”) was published to resounding success. She divorced Navigin in 1968 and, in 1974, married artist Boris Messerer. She has served as secretary to the Soviet Union of Writers and is an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Image from www.gallery.vavilon.ru Image from www.gallery.vavilon.ru

Akhmadulina currently lives in Moscow with her husband Boris Messerer and her two daughters, Elizaveta and Anna.

Her first two collections, “Struna” and “Uroki muzyki” (1969; translated as “Music Lessons”), contain what many critics regard as her finest poems. A selection of these early works was translated into English in “Fever and Other New Poems” (1969). Two of Akhmadulina's best-known poems are “Oznob” (“Fever”) and “Skazka o dozhde” (“Fairytale about the Rain”).

There is again a change in Nature,
the green is very rough in sight,
and rises – in a lofty fashion –
the figure of the mushroom, white.

And this old garden itself shows
all living woods and skies above,
and choices of my grace are posed
just on three faces that I love.

The body of the moth, so sightless,
dies in the lamp’s indifferent light,
marks fingers with its golden brightness,
and gives hand the non-pleasance, slight.

Oh, Lord, how in this best of summers,
my soul’s peace is long and great –
thus in a rainbow its colors
forbid one more to be inset.

Like this, a circle, fully ended,
inside it handles itself all,
and uselessness of each touch, added,
seem as unenvied and droll.
Image from www.bvi.rusf.ru Image from www.bvi.rusf.ru

“Struna” was criticized by the then-Soviet government for being too personal and emotional and caused Akhmadulina problems in publishing later poems. Critics have compared Akhmadulina's poetry to that of Acmeist poets Anna Akhmatova and Tsvetaeva, and have noted her acknowledged literary debt to her predecessors Pushkin and Mikhail Lermontov.

Although relatively little has been written in English or Russian about her work, critics are in general agreement in their high regard for Akhmadulina's stylistic and thematic variety. Scholars have praised Akhmadulina's distinctive poetic voice, lively style, and original use of themes.

They also commend her witty use of metaphor to comment on society and the natural world, and her ability to create and sustain her personal perspective in her poems.

sources:RT,www.poetryloverspage.com

(from "A cruel romance")

Farewell
1960

And I shall tell you at the end:
farewell, don’t pledge self to love, helpless.
I go mad, or just ascend
to the high echelon of madness.

How had you loved? – You’d put aside
even the Death. But ‘tis not matter.
How had you loved? You’d done that right,
but you had had to do that better.

Hell of a blunder! I shall not
Forgive you else. It lives – my body –
it roams, sees the real world,
but just with emptiness it’s loaded.

My mind yet makes its scanty work,
But arms had helplessly felled down,
and, likewise a small airy flock,
vanish aslant all smells and sounds.

Translated by Yevgeny Bonver, January 12, 2005

Buddhism in Russia:

2010-11-27T02:34:00.000-08:00

Datsan (Russian: Дацан) is the term used for Buddhist university monasteries in the Tibetan tradition of Gelukpa located throughout Russia, but concentrated in Eastern Siberia. As a rule, in a datsan there are two departments - philosophical and medical. Sometimes to them is added the department of the tantric practices where the monks studied only after the finishing education of the philosophical department. In pre-20th century Russia, datsans traditionally existed only in Buryatia and Transbaikalia.

Datsans were officially acknowledged in the Imperial Russia in 1734. By statute of 1853 were recognized 34 datsans: two in the Irkutsk governorate and others in the Zabaykalsky governorate. The first datsan in Europe was Gunzechoyney datsan. It was built in St Petersburg between 1903 and 1913 and started to operate on 21 February 1913.

Between 1927 and 1938 all 47 datsans, existed in Buryatia and Transbaikalia were closed or destroyed. In 1938-1945 no one datsan not worked. In 1945 was opened Ivolginsky datsan, several years later resumed his work Aginsky datsan.Only in 1991
were opened next 10 datsans.

Source:buddhism-guide.com

Ivolginsky datsan

«Иволгинский Дацан» на Яндекс.Фотках

«Иволгинский дацан» на Яндекс.Фотках

Aginsky datsan

«DSC02099w.jpg» на Яндекс.Фотках

The Bear In Russian Culture

2010-11-20T06:25:00.000-08:00

The Bear — a significant factor of Russian culture - appears in many Russian literary works, folk tales, epics, proverbs and sayings, not infrequently acting as a protagonist. The Bear was the emblem of the XXII Olympic Games held in Moscow in 1980.

Russian Bear

It is needless to say that in Europe, America, and probably all over the world the bear is strongly associated with Russia and the Russian statehood. Therefore the bear in Russia is more than just a bear. Initially the bear as the symbol of Russian state appeared in Europe as personification of slowness, laziness, barbarity and aggression, which evokes in Europeans the feeling of their own superiority to the non-civilized "neighbour" and also the feeling of fear and, consequently, the desire to chain it. Certainly, Russia repeatedly gave its neighbours some grounds for fear, however, if Russian bear did not exist, one should have made it up. The thing is that the bear is the image helping politicians of the West to convince the citizens of Russia’s aggression and thus expand the influence of NATO on the east. For more than 300 years already the bear has invariably been a character of political feuilletons and caricatures.

In Russian culture the bear traditionally appears as the image of a good-natured and a somewhat dumb animal, undoubtedly possessing certain charisma. In folklore the Bear is usually named affectionately and respectfully as a man: Mishka, Mihailo Potapych, Toptygin, etc. So it is evident that the Bear is more likely a kind neigbour, or a guard, never a tyrant. Emblems of Russian cities say about the same thing.

Bears as City Emblems

Among the land emblems of Russia before Peter the First, there were three emblems with the images of bears. Two emblem bears appeared during the rule of Ivan the Terrible and were present at the stamps of his reign - first of all the well-known Big State Stamp made at the late 1570th (not later than in August 1578), during the Livonian war. However, all the three emblems with bears took their final shape only in 1672, when they were enlisted in the Title Book among other land emblems.

Bears there are not simply represented in their natural state: every one of them has its special attributes, which make researchers look for suitable interpretations. It is interesting that all the three bears are interfaced to concrete territories of the north and northeast of Russia, and those that were once perceived as marginal and somewhat peripheral lands, such as Novgorod, Yaroslavl and even farther Perm.

The Novgorod bear had the state and political meaning of the guard, whereas Yaroslavl and Perm bears reflected essential cultural models. The first one stands for the single combat and the victory over the bear of the prince, also interpreted as the victory of Christianity over paganism, and the second one symbolizes Christianization in its religious and educational aspect. If the Yaroslavl emblem has an element of violence, the "quieter" Perm emblem conveys rather peaceful introduction into the new belief.

In XVIII-XIX centuries some more bears appeared in the Russian territorial and city heraldry. Partly they originated from Yaroslavl (the arms of Maloyaroslavets), and partly boasted more original appearance: a bear in its den in the emblem of Ust-Sysolsk, or a bear climbing a pine to get honey in the emblem of Sosnitsy – those depicted local natural peculiarities of the land.

The Russian bear was and remains a part of everyday life, and even gaining weight in recent years. It is sufficient to have a look at the titles of articles recently published in world press ('Russian bear comes back', 'Awakening of Russian bear', and ‘Russian bear plays muscles') to realize the meaning of this symbol in politics and culture. The bear became an emblem of the political movement 'Edinstvo' (Unity), and following that of the party 'Edinaya Rossia’ (United Russia). Now, when the President of Russia has the 'the bear’s surname’ the symbol has gained refreshed popularity.

Source:russia-ic.com

The Diamond Fund

2010-11-16T01:03:00.000-08:00

The Moscow Kremlin is the site of several world-famous museums attracting numerous visitors. One of them is the Diamond Fund exhibition, a unique collection of precious stones and masterpieces of jewelers’ art. It was founded by Tsar Peter the Great as the storage of state insignia and ceremonial jewelry of the Tsar’s family. Tsar Peter’s decree of 1719 declared them Russian national treasures. Peter the Great also founded the Diamond Mill in Peterhof, a St.Petersburg suburb, to polish precious stones.

The development of the Russian mining industry in the Urals in the 18th century was accompanied by a growing interest in Russian gems. Diamonds and other precious stones were mounted in the coronation regalia, that is, crowns, scepters, and orbs. They adorned The Big Imperial CrownRussian state awards and valuable weapons.

When preparing for coronation in 1762, Catherine the Great ordered a Big Imperial Crown. The gold-and-silver crown made by a court jeweler Jeremiah Posier is decorated with almost five thousand diamonds – large and small – and 75 perfectly round, even-shaped large pearls. Posier achieved a harmonious combination of magnificent diamonds and white-pink pearls enhancing the stateliness and majesty of the crown’s design. A huge ruby-red spinel crowned with a diamond cross was placed on its top. The Russian Imperial Crown, weighing almost 400 carats – the most expensive in the world — is one of the seven historic gems of the Diamond Fund exhibition.

On display in the Diamond Fund is the world-famous Orlov diamond, the best known in Russia in the 18th century. This bluish-greenish crystal of the first-class clarity is cut in the shape of a rose with a great number of small facets arranged in layers. The Orlov diamond is believed to have been found in India where, according to a legend, it had served as the eye of an idol in a Brahman temple until the beginning of the 18th century, when it was stolen. In 1774, it was bought by Count Grigory Orlov who presented it to Empress Catherine the Great. Since that time the Orlov diamond has adorned the gold scepter of Russian Emperors.

Another historic gem of the Diamond Fund exhibition is the Shah, another Indian diamond found in the 16th century. Its perfect shape was created by nature, and only some of its facets were slightly polished. This is a transparent gem with a slight yellow tint. Engraved on three of its facets are the names of the three rulers who, in turn, possessed it. In the 17th century, the diamond adorned the throne of the TiaraMughal Empire as a talisman. When Shah Nadir conquered Delhi in 1739, he took the stone away with him to Persia. Ninety years later, the diamond was presented to Russian Emperor Nicholas I by the Shah of Persia “in atonement” for the assassination of Russian Ambassador in Tehran, a noted diplomat and poet Alexander Griboyedov.

In 1922, the Diamond Fund was set apart from the state repository later to become a separate exposition. The Kremlin’s Diamond Fund exhibition was opened to the public in 1967 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Soviet state. Initially, the collection was to be on display for a year. However, considering immense interest in it and a vast number of visitors, it was decided to make the exhibition permanent.

Today the Diamond Fund exposition is housed on the ground floor of the Kremlin’s Armory Chamber. On display in the first of its two halls are Russian diamonds, a rare collection of gold and platinum nuggets, and also Russian-made jewelry. The largest diamonds found in this country include some remarkable specimens named after notable events or personalities, such as the Star of Yakutia, the Great Beginning, and the Yuri Gagarin diamonds.

The Camel gold nuggetA large showcase demonstrates a collection of platinum and gold nuggets of rare weight, quality and shape, among them the Big Triangle nugget, the largest in the world, weighing over 36 kilos, and some fantastically-shaped ones, like, for example, “Hare’s Ears”, “Horse’s Head”, and “Camel”. On display at the Diamond Fund are also famous Russian semi-precious stones – a rare and very colorful collection of magnificent emeralds, sapphires, amethysts, and topazes.

The earliest jewelry on display dates back to the middle of the 18th century and includes exquisite posy-pins, flower-shaped ear-rings, and a diadem fashioned as a garland. The Diamond Fund also displays pre-revolutionary Russian and foreign orders, the most famous being the Order of St.Andrew the First Called richly adorned with diamonds.

Source:The Voice of Russia

russian animation -"My love"

2010-11-02T04:07:00.000-07:00

Ivan Smelyov

My Love (Russian: Моя любовь, Moya lyubov) is a 2006 paint-on-glass-animated short film directed by Aleksandr Petrov, based on A Love Story (1927) by Ivan Shmelyov. Work on the film took place in Yaroslavl, Russia over a period of three years at the studio DAGO Co. It was funded by Russia's Channel One and Dentsu Tec in Japan.

First part

Second part

Part 3

Pokrov

2010-10-14T05:05:00.000-07:00

Pokrov

Protection is the translation of the Russian word Pokrov. In this icon, the Mother of God is seen as the protector and intercessor of all mankind.

The iconography of the Pokrov icon dates back to a tenth century miracle that occurred in Constantinople. Every Friday there was a ceremony of the rite of lifting of the veil covering the image of the Mother of God. At one of these services, St. Andrew observed Mary offering a prayer and spreading her cloak over the congregation as a symbol of protection of the people and city from enemy attack.

The full length figure of the Mother of God is always central in this icon with the Virgin holding the veil sheltering all suffering mankind.

For many centuries, Russians have believed that if they had the Pokrov icon in their homes they would have protection from earthquakes, plagues, fire, and other calamities.

A sixteenth century Pokrov church on the Nerl River in Vladimir is used as the logo of the Museum of Russian Icons.

«Церковь Покрова на Нерли.» на Яндекс.Фотках

Vladimir was the former capital city of Russia during medieval times.

Source:www.russian-crafts.com

Russian North-pomor land

2010-09-22T02:54:00.000-07:00

The Arkhangelsk Region belongs to the largest administrative entities in Russia; situated in latitude between the 60.5 and 70 degrees North it is part of the Northern economic area.

From north to south the Region crosses three climatic zones – arctic, sub-arctic and moderate, the coastal line of 3000 km is washed by the White, Barents and Kara Arctic Seas.

Characteristic for the Region is a very dense and full-flowing network of rivers and numerous lakes, there are many mineral water deposits of medicinal value, picturesque and variable landscapes of the northern nature which has survived in its primordial state.

In the west the Region borders with the Karelia Republic, in the south – with the Vologda and Kirov Regions, in the east - with the Komi Republic and the Tyumen Region.

The Region area is 587 thousand square km. The population was 1.3 million people. The national structure of the Arkhangelsk Region population is comparatively homogeneous (Russians make 92 % of the population).

The population density is 2.5 per 1 square km. 75 % of people live in towns and cities, 26 % - in the country. The average age is 36 years old. The population capable of working makes 59 % of the whole number of people.

Territorially the Region comprises the Nenets Autonomous District, 20 administrative districts, 14 towns, 38 working settlements, about 4 thousand villages, as well as the islands of Novaya Zemlya and Franz Joseph Land.

Посмотреть на Яндекс.Фотках

The administrative centre of the Region is the city of Arkhangelsk, which was founded on the Tsar Ivan the Terrible’s order of March 5, 1584, in the mouth of the Northern Dvina River. The largest cities in the Region are Severodvinsk, Kotlas, Novodvinsk, Koryazhma.

Climate

Three climatic zones are observed in the territory of the Arkhangelsk Region – the arctic (the northern island of the Novaya Zemlya and Franz Joseph Land), sub-arctic (the Nenets Autonomous District, the Kolguyev and Vaigach Islands) and moderate ( the rest of the Arkhangelsk Region territory). Characteristic for the Region are moderately cold and long winter with much snow, cloudless spring, moderately warm summer, cloudy and rainy autumn. Annual precipitation increases from north to south: in average 27 % of precipitation is snow, 55 % is rain, and 12% is snow and rain.

White Nights Land

It is no mere chance that the Arkhangelsk Region is called the White Nights Land. From the middle of May and almost to the end of July to the north of Polar Circle the sun never disappears behind the horizon; to the south of Polar Circle days are much longer than nights, the latter resembling dawns. In winter the situation is vice versa - the territory to the north of Polar Circle sinks into darkness of a Polar night, in the south the sun rises but very low, and day lasts only 5 hours.

There are good grounds to believe that the first settlers in the North, primordial hunters and fishermen, came here 14 thousand years ago. The evidence of the fact is more than 800 archeological finds from Paleolithic to Middle Ages, material evidence of the settlements of legendary and mysterious Chud and Lope tribes along the Vaga, Pinega, Mezen rivers and on the Lake Lache.

In the 8th century the first groups of Slavs from Rostov-Suzdal and Novgorod areas came to the North. They brought land-cultivating, written language, Christianity with them. From here the Slavs-farmers went to sea and found sea routes to Scandinavia and Siberia; here an original culture of the Pomors formed and it was here that the Russian fleet was destined to be born and the famous ‘three-coloured’ flag to be hoisted.

Quite a special place in developing the area belongs to Russian Orthodox escetics and monasteries. In the 12th-15th centuries there already appeared first cloisters, by the 17th century there had been about 60 monasteries which had become cultural centres and safeguards of the northern borders of the Russian State. The monasteries actively used the latest achievements in engineering, promoted ancient Russian arts. Hundreds of talented icon painters, golden-stitch embroiderers, scribes, jewelers, smiths worked in the monastery workshops.

In the 18th century when the centre of external economic activities in Russia moved to the Baltic region the tempo of social and economic development of the Arkhangelsk North reduced; in the process of becoming a Russian province, nevertheless, the region preserved its original colour, traditions and unique historical and cultural heritage of the Russian northerners.

«ВИД С КОЛОКОЛЬНИ» на Яндекс.Фотках

The Pomors are a distinctive self-name (ethnonym) of the native ethnicity in the European North of Russia (Pomorye). The ethnonym ‘pomor’ (derived from the words ‘po moryu’ by the sea ) appeared not later than in the 12th century on the southwest (Pomorsky) coast of the White Sea, and in the 14th - 16th centuries it spread far to the south and east from the place of its origin. Ethnogenesis of the Pomors was a result of two cultures merging: of the proto-Pomor, mainly Finno-Ugric tribes (of Chud people) living on the coast of the White Sea and of the first Russian colonists actively populating the areas in Zavolochye.

In the 12th - 15th centuries the Pomorye area was a colony of the Great Novgorod. In the 15th - 17th centuries the Pomorye was a geographic name for a large economic and administrative territory along the coast of the White Sea, of the Onega Lake and along the Onega, the Northern Dvina, The Mezen, the Pinega, the Pechora, the Kama, the Vyatka rivers and up to the Urals. By the beginning of the 16th century Pomorye was annexed by Moscow. In the 18th century the 22 ‘uyezds’ of Pomorye were mainly populated by free ‘black wooden plough’ peasants. In the 19th century Pomorye was called the Russian North, the European North of Russia, etc. Later the term ‘Pomorye’ was ‘eroding’, the general term ‘severyane’ (the Northeners) supplanted the ethnonym ‘Pomors’; in spite of the active processes of assimilation of the Pomors by the Great Russian ethnos (ethnonym ‘Great Russian’ appeared in the 19th century) they have preserved their ethnic (national) identity to this day. The evidence of the fact is the result of the All-Russia Census of 2002 – many people defined their nationality as that of the Pomor (Census Register Code № 208 - «nationality - Pomor»).

The evidence of the ethnic entity of the Pomors is their ethnic (national) identity and a self-name (ethnonym ) ‘Pomors’, common historical territory (Pomorye), common culture and common language (the Pomor ‘govorya’- from the word ‘govorit’ – to speak), ethnic (national ) character, ethnic religious ideology (the Pomorskaya Ancient Russian orthodox Church), common traditional economy and other factors.

Sources:www.nashkraysev.ru,www.pomorland.info

Iron casts from Kasli

2010-09-21T02:20:00.000-07:00

«Одиночество...» на Яндекс.Фотках
Forests and lakes near Kasli

«Касли 1910 г.» на Яндекс.Фотках
Kasli.Photo by Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky (1864-1944)

Kasli, one of the oldest towns of the South Ural, is famous world over thanks to its iron cast sculptures and works of applied art. Ural casting is the leader of artistic and architectural casting of iron and bronze of the 18-20th centuries, known among both art collectors and general public. The heritage of Ural casting art was greatly contributed by sculptors M.D. Kanayev, N.R. Bakh, P.K. Klodt, and E.A. Lanceray. The traditions of Kasli iron casting (graphic-like accuracy of the silhouette, combination of elaborate details and generalized planes with energetic play of highlights) took shape in the 19th century Russia-ic.com reports.

In 1747 merchant Yakov Korobkov from Tula founded the Kasli Iron-Smelting Plant in the South Ural. He had bought spacious plots from the Bashkirs for a song. The land proved to be extremely rich in pine woods, lakes, and iron ore, deposited almost on the surface. In 1752 the Kasli Plant was purchased by Nikita Demidov, a famous owner of numerous plants in the Ural and Siberia. By that time the plant had been smelting cast iron, turned over into ploughshare, flat and bulk iron. Cannons and cannonballs were sent to the centre of Russia from the Ural . Demidov's iron had its own trademark - two rampant sabers. It was of the highest quality in the world!

In the 18th century the plant was famed for its excellent iron, and later, in the 19th century, it became renowned for its artistic iron casting. It was favoured by the fact that Kasli harboured great reserves of quality mould sands, and timber to produce coal.

The first casts of Kasli iron appeared in the 1850s. Those were big articles, such as flagstones, railings, garden benches, and tombstone bas-reliefs. In the 1860-1890s the art and craft of iron casting reached its peak. In those years the Kasli Iron-Casting Plant took numerous prizes and medals at exhibitions in Petersburg, Vienne, Philadelphia, Stockholm, etc.

The greatest glory and fame was gained at the Paris World Exhibition in 1900, where a unique work - a cast iron pavilion was displayed.

Kasli masters had cast a huge iron Byzantine style palace, which amazed the foreign countries with its fantastic idea and daring implementation. N. Laveretsky's sculpture "Russia" depicting a warrior-woman, with confidence and dignity defending the world, decorated the entrance to the pavilion and was its major element.

The wonder-pavilion was recognized the masterpiece of casting art and took the Grand Prize of the exhibition. Nowadays the pavilion is permanently exhibited in the Yekaterinburg Picture Gallery, whereas an enlarged copy of the sculpture "Russia" is kept in the Moscow Kremlin.

Thus, the Kasli craftsmen glorified the art of Ural masters that had turned the unyielding grim cast iron into wonderful material for refined sculptures and other works of art.

Kasli artistic iron casting presents an entire realm of various themes and plots: from a peasant ploughman to the Venus of Milo, from massive solemn gravestones to a finest fob chain, from monumental sculpture figures to miniature statuettes of gentle ballerinas, from gratings for grand constructions to refined garden furniture, from plain household dishes to openwork plates, vases, caskets, candlesticks, and ashtrays. The Kasli plant also produced a wide range of architectural casting, including railings for parks and palaces of Saint Petersburg, and for bridges of Moscow.

The Kasli iron casts enjoy extraordinary popularity. They are so widely spread that have become innumerable, just like wild flowers in the spaciousness of Russian expanse.

Saturated with picturesque Russian nature and having insight into its beauties, the masters of Kasli managed to embody them in enlivened iron, otherwise quite a grim and hard material. The works of Kasli artistic iron casting amaze with the feeling of longevity, strength and solidity, not to say eternity, despite all the visual fragility and delicacy of some openwork casts.

Sources:www.moscowtopnews.ru,www.kasly.su

The Third Kremlin Clock Tower

2010-09-02T05:50:00.000-07:00

On July 19, 1425, the Italian architect Anton Fryazin (Antonio Gislardi) laid the first stone of the Tainitskaya Tower on the south wall of the Moscow Kremlin.

Tainitskaya Tower from the Moscow River

Aesthetically, the tower is quite effective. It is the oldest of the towers standing today, and its creation marked the beginning of the transformation of the Kremlin from the white-wall fortress of Dmitry Donskoy to the one we see today, similar to a the Castello Sforzesco in Milan. And there is strange in this similarity, as practically all of the architects invited to Moscow by Ivan III were Italians. And an Italian at that time in Russian were called Fryazin, which is why Anton(io) is referred to as such in Russian history books.

It is difficult to believe that at that time the Tainitskaya Tower was one of the most important in the Kremlin. It guarded, together with a second tower, the lowest point in the fortress walls. And it faces the river, the most dangerous of sides, as potential enemies were expected primarily from the south. The tower incorporated well reinforced gates surrounded by an archery perch. The tower was also one of the first to be capped with a roof similar to the ones typical of the Kremlin today.
p_190710_Kremlin_2

Tainitskaya Tower in the XIX Century

Today few are aware of the fact that the Tainitskaya Tower, along with Spasskaya and Troitskaya towers, included chiming clock, albeit a small one. The chore of minding the clocks was not considering a prestigious one back in those days, and the archives contain a multitude of complaints from the clock winders. The complaints are familiar ones: years go by without getting paid, no money is allocated to repair the clock mechanisms, the roof is in disrepair… The clock was later dismantled, along with the archery perch, and never restored.

Seven decades after it completion, the Tainitskaya Tower was completely dismantled to make room for the planned Kremlin palace. However, the government couldn’t find enough money to implement that project and the tower was rebuilt in it former form. However, the rebuilt tower was destroyed by the French when they occupied Moscow in 1812. The tower we see today is the third version, rebuilt during the reconstruction of the city after the war.

In 1860, once again according to the designs of an Italian architect, the archery perch was restored. But this time cannon artillery was installed, and they for many years (as in St. Petersburg) were fired every day at noon.

In the early 1930s the cannons were removed as was the archery perch, and to this day the Tainitsky Garden near the tower remains off limits to the general public…

Geogry Osipov

Source:www.russkiymir.ru

2010-08-30T04:14:00.000-07:00

Barynya is a fast Russian folk dance and music. The word barynya (Russian: Барыня, landlady) was used by simple folk as a form of addressing to a woman of higher class, a feminine form for the word "barin", landlord.

A number of Russian folkloric dance ensembles bear the name Barynya.

The Barynya dance is an alternation of chastushkas and frenetic dancing.

The Barynya chastuskas used to have the refrain, kind of "Барыня, барыня, сударыня-барыня", "Barynya, barynya, sudarynya-barynya", or "Барыня ты моя, сударыня ты моя". The content was often humoristic, even lewd.

The dancing was without special choreography and consisted mainly of fancy stomping and traditional Russian squatwork – knee bending ("вприсядку", vprisyadku).

There are a number of scenic, more refined versions of the dance.

Source:Wikipedia

"Terem-Quartet"
link.

Russian-Fires.ru, the First Ushahidi Experience

2010-08-18T05:23:00.000-07:00

There's been a lot of criticism of the official response to the fires, which were sparked by a heat wave and later blanketed the Russian capital and many other cities in poisonous smog.

Screenshot of “Help Map”, source: russian-fires.ru

Continuing wildfires in central Russia [EN] have shown that the Russian blogosphere is capable of fast mobilization, cooperation and solidarity when it comes to natural disasters. The RuNet Echo team not only observed the blogosphere’s reaction to the wildfires, but became one of the few centers of coordination of volunteers and victims of the disaster [EN].

Following several weeks of unusual heat, Russian forests started to burn. Almost simultaneously, wildfires started in different places. Sudden and deadly (over 50 people have died so far, thousands have been left homeless [RUS]), they have wiped out a number of villages, leaving nothing behind. While regional city forums have been coordinating firefighting efforts since late July, Moscow’s blogosphere reacted only with copy-pasting of pictures of the disaster. On July 29, however, it became obvious that the disaster was nationwide, and it was then that the coordination of help started. LJ community pozar_ru [RUS] was launched, where volunteers began to publish reports of fires approaching villages, calls for help and offers of aid. Several bloggers, especially o_liska [RUS], i_chersky [RUS] and doctor_liza [RUS], took initiative of coordinating volunteers.

On July 31, RuNet Echo’s co-editor Gregory Asmolov wrote on his blog [RUS] that in times like these the “Ushahidi system” could become helpful in bridging volunteers and victims of the wildfires. On the same day, Marina Litvinovich asked [RUS] if there were any volunteers to implement Ushahidi. Gregory wrote to me, asking if we could do it. My initial reaction was, “No, it would take us at least a month to start it.” Then, on Sunday afternoon, after realizing that Ushahidi was easily installable, I wrote to Gregory: “Why not? Let’s try.”

It took me one day to register a domain “russian-fires.ru,” install the Ushahidi package and get things running. On Monday, I published a post at Habrahabr [RUS], a Russian IT-community website, inviting administrators, designers, moderators and everyone who could help to join in. Right after the announcement, I received dozens of offers of help – both with the moderation and with technical support (about a hundred help offers so far). The post itself received 84 comments. Bloggers were reposting and asking others to repost [RUS] the link to the site.

Teafortwo wrote [RUS]:

"Проснитесь! Людям нужна помощь. Россия горит и только всем миром можно потушить пожар. Не спите! Кому-то именно в эту секунду нужна Ваша помошь!"

"Wake up! People need help. Russia is burning and only together we can extinguish this fire. Don’t sleep. Someone needs your help this very second!"

Users were invited to upload reports (the form is here) and to map fires, smoke, calls for help, offers of help, and to report aid centers (37 categories were created). The reports were made in different forms. For example, Vladimir from Stockholm wrote:

"Я сам москвич, но давно не живу в России – есть желание помочь соотечественникам деньгами – ибо прочие способы недоступны.
Предоставьте, пожалуйста, валютные реквизиты для перечислений."

"I’m a Muscovite, but for a long time I don’t live in Russia – I’m willing to help my compatriots with money – because all other means of help are unavailable. Please provide me with details for a bank transfer."

And here is a report from the village of Borkovka, which had burned down:

"Люди спасались бегством налегке, взяв с собой только документы. Не было не одного автобуса, кому посчастливилось впрыгивали в автомобили, кому нет, бежали пешком. Положение сейчас самое тяжелое у бабушек и малограмотных людей, они в основном приютились у несгоревших соседей. Регистрация на помощь организована в Лазурном, до которого надо добраться. Люди не понимают, что им надо ехать и где-то регистрироваться на помощь. Молодежи легче, они понимают, как действовать, а бабушки просто беспомощны. Есть категории людей, которые нуждаются в поддержке, есть семьи с маленькими грудничками, которым помощь в 10 тыс руб от государства сейчас мало поможет.
В общем у людей не осталось ничего , кроме паспорта"

"People were fleeing with little luggage, only with documents. There was not a single bus, the lucky ones were jumping into cars, others had to run by foot. Currently, the worst situation is with the elderly women and people with little education, most of them are hosted by their neighbours whose houses didn’t burn down. Registration for help is organized in Lazurny, a village to which one should get first somehow. People don’t understand that they have to go somewhere and to register in order to get help. Young people understand what to do, but elderly women are helpless. There are categories of people who need support, there are families with little babies, and the government’s help – 10,000 roubles [about $300] won’t help a lot. People have nothing left except for their IDs."

With support also came popularity: within a week, the site has received about 101,000 unique visitors and about 262,000 page views. At the same time, the site has received about 614 reports so far, with about 50 reports being added each day.

With support also came popularity: within a week, the site has received about 101,000 unique visitors and about 262,000 page views. At the same time, the site has received about 614 reports so far, with about 50 reports being added each day.

Due to the overload of the platform we had to find better hosting. This was the first lesson: people who want to install Ushahidi should seriously consider finding a powerful server to host the platform. In times of crisis, when there’s an overload of information combined with the lack of truly helpful information, Ushahidi systems will be in great demand. Hence, overloads are quite possible.

As Anna Vrazhina, a RuNet observer at Lenta.ru, noted [RUS]:
"Историю проекта “Карта помощи“, запущенного 2 августа, вообще стоило бы внести в учебники по Веб 2.0, если бы таковые существовали в природе."

"The story of the “Help Map” project, which was launched on August 2, should be included in Web 2.0 textbooks, if any [such textbooks] existed."

By the end of the first day, “Help Map” team [RUS] (the title proposed by one of the commenters instead of the “Russian Fires,” the initial name) grew from two persons (Gregory Asmolov and myself) to nearly 20 (and a lot more now), some of whom were journalists, while others were web administrators, web programmers and moderators from various places in Russia. I didn’t have time for security or background checks – I was giving access to our admin panel and FTP access to everyone who asked for it. And it worked – none of the people who offered help did any wrong to the website. Another conclusion to be made: trust is crucial when starting an Ushahidi-based system (or any crowdsourcing project) from scratch.

Although the initial installation was pretty easy, technical problems did arise later. Most of them had to do with internationalization and localization. Ushahidi is a great platform, but non-Latin implementations of it still need a lot of work. Part of the text had been encoded by Gregory Asmolov for the Kyrgyzstan election project [RUS]. Another unfortunate problem was Ushahidi’s poor documentation and community support [EN]. Another lesson: for now, those who implement Ushahidi should be prepared to rely on themselves only.

Technical help is a weak point in the platform. It can be solved easily, however, but joint effort is needed. Everyone can help by simply supporting the community forum, granting organizations – by funding plugin design and hosting, mobile and Internet providers – by offering Ushahidi-ready hosting plans.

As an active participant of the events, I witnessed a genuine citizen and media interest in our project. Various newspapers wrote pieces about Russian-fires.ru, while Yandex, Russia’s most popular search engine, added markers from our map to their pozhar.yandex.ru portal, bringing more publicity to our project. A Russian hosting company offered us powerful hosting, and an SMS-portal provided us with their free service.

As the team of “virtual firefighters” grew bigger, Gregory Asmolov came up with an idea of creating a coordination center, arguing that it would give a new impulse to the site and to the whole mission of coordinating volunteer efforts. Anastasiya Severina, Gregory’s friend, took the responsibility of setting up the “Help Map” headquarters in her own flat. Responsibilities of the Ushahidi moderators include not only moderation work of approving messages, but also the validation of messages. In order to validate messages efficiently, one needs to contact people who leave reports at the site. Conclusion: the online part of Ushahidi is only a tip of the iceberg, a lot of work has to be done offline.

To draw a bottom line, the secret of such fast online popularity is that the project has filled the coordination gap and satisfied the demand for information. A lot of people expected such a project to come from the government. Bablopobeditzlo wrote [RUS]:
" А в МЧС такой проект […] никто не догадался создать?"

"And why didn’t the Ministry of the Emergencies come up with such a project?"

Gregory Asmolov, also commented on his blog [RUS] on the role of Ushahidi as a civil society tool, revealing the society’s potential for solidarity and self-help:

"Пожары в России показывают что в Российском обществе заложен большой потенциал взаимопомощи. Как мне кажется, это потенциал обострен еще тем, что многие россияне осознают что власть не дееспособна, и в этой ситуации, единственное решение это брать ситуацию в свои руки. Однако, потенциал взаимопомощи – это здорово, но чтобы взаимопомощь была эффективной нужны механизмы, которые позволят ей таковой быть. И именно в этом стратегическая роль Ушахиди. По сути , Ушахиди, выступает в данном контексте как институт гражданского общества. Это первые шаги к реальности в которой общество формирует альтернативные власти механизмы и институты, чтобы заполнять вакуум на месте государственных структур."

"Wildfires in Russia show that there’s a great potential for mutual aid in the Russian society. It seems to me that this potential is even stronger because many Russians realize that the government is incapable of functioning, and the only option in this situation is to act independently. However, while the potential for mutual aid is great, to make this mutual aid effective, mechanisms are needed in order to make it function. And that’s the strategic role of Ushahidi. As a matter of a fact, Ushahidi becomes in this context a civil society institution. These are the first steps to the reality in which the public forms alternative mechanisms and institutions, in order to fill the vacuum of government structures."

“Help Map” is the first implementation of “Ushahidi” in Russia. And, hopefully, not the last one. We hope that following the success (and, speaking of statistics, it is a success) of the “Help Map” project, the system would be used by other volunteers in Russia. In the country this huge, map-based coordination is of great importance.

Syndicated from: http://GlobalVoicesOnline.org: Russia: Russian-Fires.ru, the First Ushahidi Experience

Source:http://elitestv.com/pub/2010/08/russia-russian-fires-ru-the-first-ushahidi-experience

The Three Saviours

2010-08-13T03:58:00.000-07:00

In the month of August there are three holidays related to the Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour, which in church parlance are called the First Saviour, the Second Saviour and the Third Saviour. All three feasts of the Saviour connect between them the days of the Dormition Fast, which lasts from August 14th to the 28th.

The First Saviour is the feast of the Presentation of the Holy and Life-giving Cross, celebrated on August 14th. The presentation took the form of a ceremonious procession, in which the Lord’s Cross was carried out on this day (August 1st by the old calendar) in Constantinople and in Russia. The feast commemorates the following historic event: the Greek King Manuel and the Russian Prince Andrei Bogolyubski once happened to go to war on the same day – the former against the Saracens and the latter against the pagan tribe of the Bulgars.

Both the Greek king and the Russian prince had the habit, whenever they went to war, of taking with them an icon of the Holy Virgin with the Infant Christ, and of carrying a cross in front of the troops. That day, August 1st, while fighting with the Bulgars, the Russian troops saw that from the icon of the Holy Virgin there emanated fiery rays which shone over the entire army.

Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky is victorious in battle with God's help

The wondrous sight filled Prince Andrei with such fervor, that with the help of God he won a complete victory over his enemies. On that same day, the Greek King Manuel saw a similar miracle from the icon of the Holy Virgin among his own troops – the emanation of the fiery rays, shining over the entire army, and on that day he, too, was victorious against the Saracens. The king and the prince informed each other about the victories they had won with the help of God, and about the miraculous emanation from the icons of the Holy Virgin and Child. In honor of this event, the first of August was decreed a holiday, and to commemorate the power of the Cross which had helped the Christians vanquish their pagan foes, the priests carry the Cross out of the altar and lay it in the middle of the church to be venerated by the faithful. This day also marks the beginning of the Dormition Fast, which lasts only two weeks but is just as strict as the Great Lent.

Makovsky A.V

In Russian folkore the feast of the First Saviour is associated with the custom of eating freshly-gathered honey, after having it blessed in church, and with the following events in nature:

The bee stops bringing honey to the beehive
Bee-keepers cut open the hives.
Swallows and martins fly away on the First Saviour.
Roses stop blooming and cold dews cover the grass.
On the feast of the First Saviour there are universal church processions to bless the waters of streams and rivers.
On this day horses and other cattle are usually bathed for the last time.

On August 19th (the 6th by the old calendar) the Second Saviour – the Transfiguration of Our Lord is celebrated. This important event in Christ’s life on earth occurred not long before His Crucifixion. In order to sustain His disciples’ faith when they would see Him suffering, the Lord first showed them His divine glory. Taking along three of His disciples – Peter, John and James, the Lord ascended a high mountain, called Mount Tabor, to pray. While Christ was praying, the disciples fell asleep from fatigue. When they awoke, they saw that Christ was transfigured: His face shone like the sun, while His garments had become radiant as light. Two prophets – Moses and Elias – appeared to Him in their heavenly glory and spoke with Him about His forthcoming suffering and death. Seeing all this, the disciples’ hearts were filled with extraordinary joy. When they saw that the prophets were about to withdraw from Christ, Peter, trying to hold them back, cried out: “Lord! It is good for us to be here; if You wish, we will make three tents here: one for You, one for Moses and one for Elias.”

Suddenly a bright cloud enveloped them and out of the cloud they heard the voice of God the Father: “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased; listen to Him!” In great fear the disciples fell to the ground.

Blessing the fruit on Transfiguration Day

Christ came and touched them, and said: “Arise and do not be afraid.” The disciples arose and saw Christ in His usual appearance. Through His glorious Transfiguration the Lord also showed us how mankind will appear in future life, in the Heavenly Kingdom, and how our entire world will then be transfigured.

In Russian folkore the feast of the Second Saviour is associated with the custom of eating apples and other fruits that had been blessed in church, and with the following events in nature:

Ripe apples are picked on this day and blessed in church.
The nights are becoming cold.
The cranes begin to fly away.
It is customary not to eat any fruits or vegetables before the Second Saviour, except cucumbers.
On the feast of the Second Saviour even a beggar will eat an apple.

The Third Saviour is the commemoration of the Image of our Lord Not-made-by-hands, celebrated on August 29th (the 16th by the old calendar).

This image of Christ appeared under the following circumstances: during Christ’s life on earth, there lived in the Syrian city of Edessa a certain Prince Augarus. He suffered from an incurable illness - leprosy, so that his entire body was covered with terrible sores, while internally he suffered from complete paralysis. Rumors of Jesus and His great miracles reached Augarus, who became filled with a fervent desire to see Christ and be healed by Him. However, being unable to travel to Judea himself, he wrote a moving letter to Jesus Christ, in which he wrote the following:

“Rumors have reached me about You and Your glorious miracles, how You heal illness without medicine or treatment, - You make the blind see, the lame walk, You expel demons, cleanse lepers, heal paralytics with a single word and resurrect the dead. Hearing about You, that You perform such wondrous miracles, I came to the following two conclusions about You: You are either God Who has descended from heaven, or You are the Son of God. For this reason I humbly appeal to You, to make the effort to come to me and heal my incurable illness from which I have suffered for so many years. I have also heard that the Jews hate You and wish to harm You. I, however, have under my rule a city, though small, but beautiful and having everything in abundance; come to me then, and live with me in my city, in which both of us will find all that we need.”

Together with this missive, Augarus at the same time sent a talented artist to the Palestine, commissioning him to paint the face of Christ on an icon. So great was Augarus’ love for Christ, which was inspired by his faith in Him, that he wished at least to see His image. By God’s will the painter, despite his best efforts, was unable to depict the face of Christ, but Jesus Himself washed His face in water and dried it with a cloth, leaving a miraculous imprint of the Divine face on this cloth.

The earthly visage of our Saviour, reconstructed from the Shroud of Turin.

Then the Lord sent this image to Augarus together with His reply, which was as follows: “Blessed are you, Augarus, not having seen Me and yet having faith in Me, for you shall inherit life eternal! You write for Me to come to you, but I must accomplish that for which I have been sent, and then I must return to My Father Who had sent Me. And when I will ascend to Him, I will send you one of My disciples, who will completely cure you of your illness.”

This took place after Christ’s ascension, when the Apostle Thaddeus came to Edessa and baptized Augarus, who came out of the baptismal font completely renewed, both in body and soul. Having become cured of leprosy, Augarus wrote on the Image Not-made-by-hands: “O Christ, our God, whoever has faith in Thee shall not be put to shame,” decorated it and placed it over the city gates. In 944, when the Turks attacked the city, this miraculous image of the Saviour, together with the letter which He had written to Augarus, were transported from Edessa to Constantinople. This event is commemorated as the Translation of the Saviour and is celebrated on August 29th.

In Russian folklore the Third Saviour is also called “The Saviour on linen”: first of all, because of the linen cloth on which the image of Jesus Christ was imprinted, and secondly, because it was the village custom to associate this holiday with the sale of linens and canvases.

Walnuts ripen for the Third Saviour.
Pies are baked from fresh flour.
For the First Saviour we stand on water, for the Second Saviour – we eat apples, for the Third Saviour – we sell canvases in the green hills.

Source:www.holy-transfiguration.org

The fire victims need help

2010-08-11T04:20:00.000-07:00

FFA raises funds for forest fire victims in Russia

The Fund for Assistance to ROCOR opened a campaign to help the victims of forest fires in Russia.

“St. Apostle Paul tells us: ‘Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ’. Our Fund decided that it is important to lend our support to the Russian people at this difficult time“, said Archpriest Victor Potapov, Executive Director of the Fund.

On Sunday, His Holiness Patriarch Kyrill of Moscow and all Russia appealed to all Orthodox people to help the victims of forest fires in Russia, and pray for rain.

“We call upon the flock of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, whatever nationality they may be, to help us collect funds and respond to His Holiness’s worthy appeal“, said Fr. Victor.
Protracted abnormal heat, dry weather and high winds have lead to wide-spread forest fires all over Russia. According to the Russian Emergency Ministry, forest fires have covered more than 121,000 hectares all over the country.

“People have died, hundreds have lost homes, thousands remain without a source of income”, said Patriarch Kyrill. “Many of the victims are older people, who have lived off their land their whole life. There are also many children, because whole villages have been destroyed”.

The Patriarch has issued an ukase for holding a special plate collections all over Russia for the next three Sundays to benefit the victims.

To make a donation now, click here.

Please make out checks to the Fund for Assistance to ROCOR, memo “Victims of wild fires” and send to

Fund for Assistance to ROCOR
75 E 93 St
New York, NY 10128

For donations in Euro's:

Beneficiary Bank:

OJSC Bank Petrocommerce

S. W. I. F. T.: PTRBRUMM Acc. № 6231605608

EUR J. P. Morgan AG, Frankfurt am Main

SWIFT: CHAS DE FX

Сurrent account 40703978000100001493

God bless you!

summer 2010

2010-07-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

«горят леса...» на Яндекс.Фотках
Forest near the city of Kasimov (central Russia)

«+37. Москва в дыму.» на Яндекс.Фотках
Moscow at the midday

«Знойное лето 2010» на Яндекс.Фотках

«_.jpg» на Яндекс.Фотках

Fyodor Plevako

2010-07-26T02:36:00.001-07:00

13 April 1842 – 5 January 1909
Image from www.all-photo.ru

During his life as a lawyer Fyodor Plevako defended about 200 judicial court cases - and won most of them. He was involved in some of the most well-known and scandalous lawsuits in Russia. His clients waited in a queue, sometimes for a few years. Plevako explained his success by saying, “behind a prosecutor there is a silent, cold and unshakable law, whereas behind a defender there are real people. And they rely on their defenders, climbing on their shoulders. It is scary to slip with this load.”

Image from www.ogoniok.com

As Fyodor Plevako’s friends liked to say, his career as a defense lawyer began in his infancy, when in 1842 he gave his first defense speech while being carried to the river by his mother Ekaterina. The desperate woman was the common-law wife of customs officer Vasily Plevak, who lived in Troitsk (a town in Russia’s Chelyabinsk Region). The couple had four children, all of whom were considered illegitimate, which for those times was an incredible shame. Ekaterina, distressed from being mocked by the community, decided to drown herself together with her newborn son Fyodor, and ran towards a river. Only Fyodor’s sudden loud cry brought his mother to her senses, and saved their lives.

In 1851 Vasily Plevak moved all his extra-marital family to Moscow. He wanted to give his two sons, Dormidont and Fyodor, a good education, and paid a large sum of money for their education in a commercial school. Both brothers finished their first year of study with distinction, but, unfortunately, they were expelled after the school’s administration found out that Dormidont and Fyodor were illegitimate children. The brothers then studied in a gymnasium, and in 1859 Fydor entered the Moscow University Faculty of Law. Upon graduating from the university, he decided to continue his education in Berlin. After four years Fyodor Plevako returned to Moscow and starting working as a secretary for a court chairman. A few months later he made the decision to start his career as a lawyer.

During the end of the 1850s – beginning of the 1860s, the Russian judiciary system was considerably reformed. The old system of closed, written court proceedings was replaced by an open court with people’s representatives, jurymen and a public contest between defenders and prosecutors. Fyodor Plevako was among those who founded and developed the art of court defense and won great recognition and fame as a lawyer. His number of clients grew so fast that Plevako couldn’t do all the work by himself and had to pass orders onto his colleagues and pupils. By the beginning of the 1880s his name soon became a common noun synonymous with the word “lawyer,” and Russian people would sometimes say about their lawyers “I’ve got a bad Plevako, I need to hire a better one.”

Surprisingly, Fyodor Plevako’s first case was very unsuccessful. But his second case was won successfully, and brought Plevako his first fee of 200 rubles that he used to purchase his first tailcoat. Future jobs became increasingly more profitable and gradually the soon-to-be famous lawyer became very wealthy.

Fyodor Plevako was equally respected by both noble and common people. Remembering his previously tough life, Plevako didn’t refuse to defend poor people, and, according to some sources, he didn’t charge them for his services as a lawyer. At the same time, Fyodor Plevako’s rich clients had to pay him very large fees for his services.

Plevako’s defensive speeches became legendary and much talked-of. One example is found in the case of an old priest, who was charged with adultery and theft. All evidence was against the defendant, and it seemed that he could not count on the jurymen’s mercifulness. Present his closing statement, Plevako’s said to the jury: “Right in front of you there is a person who for thirty years has been absolving you of your sins. Now he is waiting for your decision: will you absolve him of his sin?” The priest was discharged.

In another story Plevako defended an old woman who had stolen an inexpensive tin kettle. The prosecutor, knowing of Fyodor Plevako’s sympathy towards poor people, decided to use Plevako’s background against him, and vividly described the hard and miserable life of the defendant that forced her to steal. Still, the prosecutor stressed, private property is sacred and is the main principle of order in the world. When it came time for Plevako to start his defense, he said: “During the thousands of years of its existence, Russia has suffered many misfortunes and trials. It was tormented by Pechenegs, Cumans, Tatars and Poles… Russia endured and overcame everything, and due to these ordeals it only became stronger. But now… an old lady stole an old kettle priced at 30 kopecks. Surely, Russia won’t withstand this crime, and will be ruined forever…” In consequence, the old woman was acquitted.

Plevako took part in a number of much publicized cases, such as the infamous trial of a nun, Mitrofania, the head of the monastery in the town of Serpukhov. She was suspected of fraud, forgery and misappropriation of large sums of money. Fyodor Plevako was the main prosecutor in this proceeding, and during his emotional accusatory speech, he addressed the nun and her accomplices with an appeal: “Build the walls of your monasteries much higher, so that the world can not see the deeds that you perform under the cover of your robes!” The court found Mitrofania guilty and sentenced her to exile in Siberia.

In his speeches Fyodor Plevako covered many critical social issues, speaking in support of workers and peasants who were accused of organizing mass unrest and resistance to authority. Cases of this type were often caused by the unbearable living and working conditions, which compelled poor people to rise up against human exploitation. In this regard, Plevako’s activity as a defender of the lowest tier of society can be seen as truly heroic.

A great speaker, Fyodor Plevako was sharp-witted, resourceful and quick in dealing with his opponents’ replies. He skillfully used sarcasm and irony and often cited quotes from the Bible and world literature. Plevako’s arguments were easy to understand by both professional judges and jurymen, who were not aware of the depths of law.

The most well-known case among those that Plevako didn’t manage to win was related to his personal life. In 1879 Maria Demidova, the wife of a rich manufacturer named Vasily Demidov, asked Fyodor Plevako to help her divorce her husband. Soon after, the famous Plevako and his beautiful client, Maria Demidova, fell in love. However, Vasily Demidov never consented to a divorce and up to her husband’s death in 1900 Maria remained the common-law wife of her beloved lawyer.
For outstanding public service Fyodor Plevako was given a hereditary noble title and the honorary rank of Active Counselor of State.

Source:RT

Russia's lotus fields burst into bloom

2010-07-19T03:28:00.000-07:00

A field of lotus, or Caspian rose, has blossomed in the delta of the Volga River.
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The three-kilometer wide, 15-kilometer long field is believed to be the largest on the planet, occupying hundreds of hectares of the lateral channels in the lower course of the great river.

The pink flowers can grow to 65 centimeters in diameter and 2.7 meters in height. Tourists are being taken to the field by all sorts of water transport to witness the rare phenomenon and take photos. They are told not to pick the flowers as, once cut, they will not survive longer then two hours. In their natural environment the lotus blossoms will last till early September.

The view of the sea of blue and green leaves with pink flowers that give off a tender fragrance similar to almonds is truly mind-bending. The flowers open with the dawning light and close at dusk, which for many Eastern people means revival, renewal of stamina, return of youth and even immortality.

The lotus has been known to the Volga delta for at least 200 years and its existence in the region is the subject of a long scientific dispute. Some believe it is a relict plant left over from the tertiary period. Others say lotus seeds were brought by migrant birds.

But the human factor is also possible: the Volga delta borders Russia’s Republic of Kalmykia, the only Buddhist territory in Europe, and it is said that Buddhist monks could have brought the lotus seeds and planted them.

The lotus is a part of Russia’s Red Book and is protected by law.

Source:RT

At the «taiga dead-end»

2010-07-18T03:28:00.000-07:00

This story became a sensation of the “late stagnation period”. The year is 1982. People line up at newsstands at four o’clock in the morning to get a new issue of “Komsomolskaya Pravda” with an article about the Lykov family. The newspaper’s circulation skyrocketed to 21 million issues.

For more than thirty years, the family of old-believers had lived in isolation from the rest of the world, on the bank of the taiga river Erinat. How can one survive in a wild forest and bear children in primeval conditions? Readers found the answers in essays written by Vassily Peskov, a columnist of “Komsomolskaya Pravda”. “Now I carry moral responsibility for Agafya [the last survivor of the family],” says Peskov. “I visit her every year to see if she needs anything.” His next trip is planned for August 2007. Vassily Mikhailovich will bring greetings to the taiga recluse from the motherland of her ancestors – the village of Lykova, located in the Uporov district of the Tyumen region.

A family of old-believers, the Lykovs hid from the rest of the world behind the spurs of Sayan Mountains: the old Karp Osipovich and his four grown children, two sons and two daughters. Every day of their life was a continuous fight for survival in the severe taiga conditions. They were supported by their faith, by praying together. Contact with the modern world turned out to be fatal for the Lykovs. Over just a few months, they were bombarded by an overwhelming amount of new information. They had not known about electricity, television, space missions. In 1981, three of the Lykovs died one after another.

It is believed that the Lykovs are originally from the Lykova village. On the bank of the Borovaya River stands a sturdy log cabin that once belonged to a family of old-believers. What could have forced the Lykovs to leave this land?

In 1982, grandmother Nenila – who was pushing ninety at the time – told the story that she had heard from her own grandmother: the village was founded by the Lykov brothers. Their kin was prevailing here. They owned five mills on the southern side of the village. They were old-believers who prayed at home. It was a solid family. But then the revolution struck. First the white army would enter the village, then the red army. The Lykovs grew tired of the hectic life. They loaded their belongings into carts, left their house and mills, and set out in search of a better fortune.

However, Vassily Peskov has a different version. The Lykova village was founded by old-believers who had fled from the Russian North. Later, other peasants came here and built houses of their own. The Sorokina village was formed. It is from these neighbors that the ancestors of the taiga Lykovs fled. And those Lykovs that left in the 1920s were the last representatives of the kin. Perhaps they didn’t leave out of their own will – they could have been dispossessed by the communists.

Peskov is hard to disagree with. Now he is enthused with a new idea, to put together a present for Agafya: a scutcher for flax, a spindle, an earthenware pot, a letter from Galina Kolunina (a historian who has researched the origins of the Lykov family), and a lestovka. A lestovka is an old-believer’s rosary, which is used to count bows to the ground. Instead of beads, it has tight-rolled slips of paper containing texts of prayers. Coincidentally, this lestovka belonged to another Agafya: Agafya Zoteevna Yartseva, born in 1896. This coincidence dismisses all doubts: the Lykov family has originated here! The journey to the “taiga dead-end” started in the village of Lykova in Tyumen region. The old-believers fled to protect their faith. Now there are no Lykovs here, no keepers of the “faith of the elders”. Children and grandchildren of Agafya Yartseva no longer know in which hand to hold a lestovka and how to perform the sign of the cross. But even the escape to taiga did not safeguard the old ways. The 62-year-old Agafya is the last branch of the mighty Lykov family tree that still sustains the faith. What feelings will be stirred in her by the old lestovka, a spiritual bridge to the homeland of her ancestors?

G. Kramor
Employee of the Yershov museum

Sources:www.suvenirograd.ru,www.versii.com,www.rian.ru

VICTORY AT POLTAVA

2010-07-08T02:35:00.000-07:00

By Lyubov Tsarevskaya

In the late 17th century Russia faced the need to gain an outlet to the Baltic and Black Sea. The lack of such outlets, the lack of a Navy, was fraught with expansion on the part of naval powers and with the loss of national independence. Foreseeing this, Tsar Peter I set himself the task of regaining the inherent Russian lands on the Baltic coast, which had been seized by Sweden in the early 17th century. The Baltic Sea was the shortest route to Europe, and an outlet to it would be conducive to technical progress in Russia.

Having formed a union with Denmark and Poland, Russia started a war with Sweden in 1700. Called the Northern War, the hostilities continued for 21 years.

At that time Sweden was a formidable opponent. It had the best army in Europe and a powerful navy. So it was not surprising that in the very first battle fought outside Narva the Russian army, which was inferior to that of Sweden, suffered a crushing defeat. Thinking that Russia had been finished with, the Swedish King Charles XII marched on Poland, Russia's ally, and, as Peter I said, got stuck in it.

However the defeat he had suffered did not throw the Russian tsar into despair. On the contrary, he took advantage of the respite, managed to gather a new army and arm it. Soon the Russians resumed military action against the Swedes. Staging minor sea clashes they gradually recaptured territories and conquered Swedish fortresses. In the spring of 1703 they captured the fortress of Nienschanz, which guarded the mouth of the River Neva. Peter I founded the fortress of St.Petersburg, the future capital of the Russian empire, not far from it.

In the meantime, the Swedish king was waging a war in Poland. The upcoming war with Russia did not worry him. He was too confident of his lucky star and of his military genius. But his overconfidence let him down.

Having defeated Poland, Charles XII invaded Russia. His major goal was to capture Moscow. However Hetman Mazepa, who had secretly betrayed the Russian Tsar, urged him to come to Ukraine. Mazepa promised Charles XII to supply him with foods and help him to raise the entire south of Russia against Moscow. But these expectations did not materialize. Having been informed of Mazepa's betrayal, Peter I sent his troops to Baturin, Mazepa's central residence where substantial stocks of food and ammunition were kept. Baturin was conquered and destroyed, and so Charles XII was deprived of the promised aid. The Swedish and Russian troops came to face each other outside the city of Poltava, where a historic battle took place on July 10, 1709.

Fierce fighting raged for two hours. Peter I personally joint the battle. His hat and his saddle were hit by bullets.

Charles was confined to his carriage because of an injured leg. He was amid the ranks of his troops when his carriage was struck by a Russian cannon ball and the king fell to the ground. The soldiers surrounding him thought he had been killed. The Swedish regiments were dismayed and yielded to the onslaught of the Russians, Charles ordered his aides to lift him up. What he saw was general confusion. He cried in despair: "Swedes, Swedes!" But the Swedes fled not heeding the voice of their king.

Victory in the Battle of Poltava was of enormous importance to Russia. Europe was amazed to see how before its eyes an unknown nation in the east was turning into a powerful state.

However Sweden was still strong, and it refused to sign a peace treaty after its defeat in the Battle of Poltava. The war continued till 1721. It ended in signing the Niestad Peace under which Russia received a considerable part of the Baltic Sea coast: the territory of today's Estonia, Latvia, Karelia, St.Petersburg and the adjoining area. So Russia gained an outlet to the Baltic Sea. It joined the community of European nations and received an opportunity to freely communicate and trade with them.

Source:The Voice of Russia

Russian Kasha: Secrets of Porridge

2010-07-06T04:14:00.000-07:00

Porridge is undoubtedly a primordially Russian dish. Moreover, porridge is a cult dish. Following old Russian traditions, on wedding ceremony the groom and the bride necessarily cooked porridge. It is evidently this tradition that brought about the saying: “One cannot possibly cook porridge with him/her”. Even entire history of the Russian state is inseparably linked with porridge. So, Russian porridge can be justly called the most important dish of the national Russian cuisine.

"Muzhik cannot be full without porridge”, as the national Russian proverb goes. It is evident, for example, from N. V.Gogol's famous Dead Souls, the episode with treating at the landowner Sobakevich’. Thus, porridge was often served to accompany schi (traditional cabbage soup) instead of bread.

Historically, Russia has always been an agrarian country. So, grains (and, to a lesser degree, legumes) have been the major product of Russian agriculture. Throughout centuries, and even millennia, the organism of the Russian person was formed and evolved on the basis of structural composition of cereals. In the course of their coexistence man and cereals have formed indissoluble unity.

Porridge is a very useful, nutritious, and tasty product, and at the same time inexpensive, which is quite important. Russians had nearly reverent feeling towards porridge. It was not simply a meal, but a ritual dish. No celebrations or holidays were possible without traditional Russian porridge on the table. It is remarkable that every significant event had a special ceremonial porridge pertaining to it.

Porridge was cooked for numerous events. In ancient Russian chronicles feasts are often referred to as “kasha”: for example on the wedding of Alexander of Macedonia "porridge was made up" twice – first time at the wedding in Troitsa and the second one during national merrymaking in Novgorod. Porridge was necessarily cooked on the occasion of starting an important undertaking. Hence is the expression “zavarit’ kashu” literally translated as “to boil up kasha” and meaning "stir up trouble". Porridge in Russia could even describe human relations. Thus, the saying “One cannot possibly boil kasha with him/her” is applied to an unreliable and uncompliant person.

Apart from cereal and pea porridges, the Russians cooked fish and vegetable porridges. There is also the famous Suvorov’s porridge.

As the legend says, during one of the distant campaigns, commander Suvorov was informed that they did not have enough cereals for porridge: there remained only little portion of different kinds of groats, such as wheat, rye, barley, oats, peas, etc. Then the great commander, without further ado, ordered to cook all the remaining groats together. Soldiers immensely liked "Suvorov’s porridge" and so the resourceful commander contributed to the development of Russian culinary art.

Modern dietology has confirmed that porridge made of several kinds of groats together is more useful, than porridge from one certain cereal, due to general combination of their useful qualities. Popular was the so-called “rejuvenating porridge” made of rye of milky-wax ripeness. It made an extremely delicious and fragrant porridge which had a wholesome effect and rejuvenated the body. There were three sorts of barley groats: pearl barley, when large grains were exposed to little polishing, the Dutch barley - smaller grains ground to white colour, and fine-ground barley of unpolished whole grains.

Fine-ground barley porridges were the favourite meal of Peter the First. He acknowledged it as “the quickest and tastiest”.

Great varieties of porridges were cooked in a very tasty way in Russia. Even on the dinner in honour of crowning of Nicholas the Second in 1883 the guests were served barley porridge, which had been declared by Peter I to be “Romanov’s favourite”. In order to ennoble the tsar’s favourite porridge it was even renamed into pearl porridge in the 19th century.

Another famous Russian porridge is “Gurievskaya kasha”. According to the legend, it was invented by a serf cook of Count Guriev. The porridge was served in the count’s house for dessert and unmistakably evoked genuine admiration of the guests. However its recipe was kept a strict secret. Gradually, however, cooks in many houses of the Moscow nobility learnt to make it, and cookbooks made it known far outside of Russia.

Very popular was smelt porridge, now almost forgotten; it was cooked from small groats made of smelt, or dinkel wheat. Smelt is a half-wild sort of wheat that was very widespread in Russia as early as the 18th century. Actually it grew by itself, and being not fastidious did not require any care. It did not bother about pests or weeds. In fact it supplanted any weeds. Though smelt porridge was rather rough, but very wholesome and nutritious. Gradually "cultural" grades of wheat forced out smelt, because it was hard to polish. It is notable that spelt came to Europe and America from Russia.

So why did Russians honouring porridge so much? It seems that such ceremonial attitude to apparently simple food is enrooted in our heathen past. It is known from ancient manuscripts that porridge was sacrificed to gods of agriculture and fertility in order to ask for good harvest the next year. It goes without saying that gods were always offered the best things. It must be quite a pleasure to eat daily the meal that gods can have only once a year!

When people worked together in artel, porridge was cooked for entire artel. Therefore, for a long time the word "porridge" was a synonym to the word "artel". They used to say: "We are in one kasha" meaning “in one group”, something like the modern “we are a team”.

A huge variety of Russian porridges was first of all due to numerous grades of groats that were produced in Russia. From each grain culture several kinds of groats were prepared - from whole grains to those crushed in different ways.

Buckwheat porridge has always been the most favourite porridge in Russia. It can be justly called a representative of Russian traditional cuisine. Besides unground buckwheat used for friable porridges, there were also smaller ground groats.

For gourmets of that epoch the journal "House-keeper" of 1841 suggested a recipe of porridge made of roses: "Tear off some roses and grind the petals in a mortar until small; add an egg white and potato starch as much as needed to make the a dense dough. Then rub it through a sieve onto a dry board and dry it in the sun. Thus, you will get excellent groats. Boil it with cream to make porridge. You can add a little sugar if it is not sweet enough”.

Source:www.russia-ic.com

Yuriy Norshteyn and his "Tale of Tales"

2010-06-22T06:45:00.000-07:00

Tale of Tales (Russian: Сказка сказок, Skazka skazok) is a 1979 Soviet animated film
directed by Yuriy Norshteyn and produced by the Soyuzmultfilm studio in Moscow. It has won numerous awards, has been acclaimed by critics and other animators, and has received the title of greatest animated film of all time in various polls.

Tale of Tales, like Tarkovsky's Mirror, attempts to structure itself like a human memory.

The fragment from "Tale of Tales"

Memories are not recalled in neat chronological order; instead, they are recalled by the association of one thing with another, which means that any attempt to put memory on filmcannot be told like a conventional narrative. The film is thus made up of a series of related sequences whose scenes are interspersed between each other. One of the primary themes involves war, with particular emphasis on the enormous losses the Soviet Union suffered on the Eastern Front during World War II. Several recurring characters and their interactions make up a large part of the film, such as the poet, the little girl and the bull, the little boy and the crows, the dancers and the soldiers, and especially the little grey wolf (Russian: се́ренький волчо́к, syeryenkiy volchok). Another symbol connecting nearly all of these different themes are green apples (which may symbolize life, hope, or potential).

Yuriy Norshteyn wrote in Iskusstvo Kino magazine that the film is "about simple concepts that give you the strength to live.

Source:wikipedia.org

Today

2010-06-22T06:35:00.000-07:00

On the 69th anniversary of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, Russia remembers those who fell in the Great Patriotic War.One hundred cities across Russia, as well as other former-Soviet countries like Belarus and Ukraine, have lit candles and laid flowers in a memorial ceremony to pay tribute to victims of the war.In Moscow, fifteen hundred young people participated in an event along with war veterans.Other ceremonies and concerts will take place later on Tuesday.The Great Patriotic War is considered to be the most devastating page in Russia’s history, with an estimated 27 million citizens and military killed in the fight against fascism. RT

On this day (21 of June 1547)

2010-06-21T09:49:00.000-07:00

On this day, 21 June, 1547, a large fire engulfed the city of Moscow, almost destroying the Kremlin and the capital. There was an estimated loss of over 2,500 lives and thousands of people were left homeless. Rebuilding the city was not the only major challenge Tsar Ivan IV was faced with that year. Rumors of witchcraft, riots and a new era of governance were all consequences of the fire that terrified Moscow on this day.

The year 1547 was a significant one in Russia’s history. Beginning in January, Ivan the Grand Prince of Moscow (later to become known as Ivan IV the Terrible) at age 16 was crowned Tsar of all Russia. For much of his earlier life, Ivan IV was under the guardianship of noblemen. One of those families was the Glinsky’s, who at the time of Ivan’s coronation were still at the helm of the state. The fight for power and influence over the young tsar was fierce between other noble clans in the tsar’s entourage.

In a city that believed in anything occult, the fire created the perfect environment for various stories of sorcery. Strange rumors spread among superstitious city-dwellers, who considered that the Glinsky family was responsible for setting the fire using witchcraft. According to popular mythology, Muscovites believed Anna Glinskaya (Ivan IV’s grandmother) “by sprinkling the houses and streets with water, in which human hearts had been soaked, set the city alight”. The dogma spread panic in the city and fueled protests for the execution of Glinsky family members.

Furious crowds of people hurried to capture the tsar’s relatives. Yury Glinsky, Ivan’s IV’s uncle, fled from the crowd and found refuge in the Dormition Cathedral, but was dragged out and stoned to death in the square. A few days later, a mass of city residents turned up at the palace in the village of Vorobyovo near Moscow, where Ivan IV had gone to escape the fire. They demanded the tsar’s grandmother to be brought forward. The arrival of an armed crowd scared the young tsar. He later reflected on this event: “fear ignited in my soul and shivered my bones”. Ivan IV was able to convince Muscovites he was not hiding any of the Glinsky family members and the crowd left. The memory of this incident remained with him all his life.

Shortly afterwards, Ivan IV returned to the city and realized what a horrible effect the fire had wrought on it. He was saddened by what he saw: the poverty created was devastating and left thousands possessing nothing more than the clothes they were wearing when escaping the flames. Russian author and historian, Nikolay Karamzin described the blaze: “The fire flowed like a river, and soon the Kremlin, Kitai Gorod and the Trading Quarter burst into flames…The crackling of fire and the cries of people, from time to time, were drowned out by explosions of gunpowder, which was stored in the Kremlin and other parts of the city.”

The fearful scenes of a city burned down deeply affected him. Ivan realized that he could no longer leave the power in the hands of the nobles and assumed full responsibility for ruling his country.

The fire led Ivan IV to turn his attention to fire safety in the city. He ordained a law by which all Moscow residents had to place a barrel of water in their yard and on the roof of their houses. They were ordered to construct ovens and fireplaces in kitchen gardens and waste grounds, far from dwellings. The burning of ovens in houses was forbidden during summer. During that same time, the first water pumps were invented for fire extinguishing.

Source:RT

The Amber Room

2010-05-20T05:08:00.000-07:00

The Amber Room was one of the most magnificent and mysterious masterpieces in Russia. It was lost during the Second World War and searches were held on the ground, underground and even underwater. In 2003 it was recreated and unveiled in St. Petersburg. But the story doesn’t end here. Find out more about the Amber Room in our XL Report.

MOSCOW BECOMES THE CENTER OF FEUDAL RUSSIA

2010-05-19T05:50:00.000-07:00

IOANN III’S REIGN

By the end of the 15th century, Moscow had turned from the capital of the Muscovite principality to the capital of all the Russian land. Those were the times of the Grand Prince Ioann Vasilyevich. His byname was Ioann the Great. He was the first of Russian grand princes to be called "tsar" (or monarch), Ioann III.

Ioann Vasilyevich was born on January 22, 1440, in Moscow, at the height of the civil war that raged between supporters of his father, Grand Prince Vasily II of Grand Prince Ioann VasilyevichMoscow, and those of his rebellious uncles. His early life was dramatic and tumultuous.

His father was arrested and blinded by his cousin in 1446. And little Ioann was first hidden in a monastery and then smuggled to safety, only to be treacherously handed over to his father's captors later in the year. Shortly after his father's release in the same year Ioann was solemnly affianced – for purely political reasons – to the daughter of the Grand Prince of the Tver principality, whom he married in 1452. During the last years of his father's reign, he gained experience in the arts of war and government. At the age of 12 he was placed nominally in command of a military expedition, dispatched to deal with the remnants of his father's internal enemies in the far north. And at 18 he led a successful campaign against the Tartars, in the South.

Vasily II died on March 27, 1462, and was succeeded by Ioann as Grand Prince of Moscow.

Little is known of Ioann's activities during the early part of his reign. Apart from a series of sporadic and largely successful campaigns against the eastern neighbors, the Tartars of Kazan, there was evidently not much beyond the routine business of ruling to occupy him. But his private life soon changed radically. In 1467 his childhood bride died (or perhaps was poisoned), leaving him with only one son. The state of medicine in Moscow of those times was primitive. And Ioann's brothers showed demonstrable reluctance to see the royal line continued longer than was necessary. So, the likelihood of the son predeceasing his father and thus robbing him of an heir appeared only too real, and another Vasily Vasnetsov. The Moscow Kremlin in Ioann III's timewife had to be sought.

Curiously, the initiative seems to have come from outside. In 1469 Cardinal Bessarion wrote from Rome offering Ioann the hand of his ward and pupil, Zoe Palaeologus, niece of the last emperor of Byzantium. It took three years before the plump and unattractive Zoe was married to Ioann in the Kremlin. She changed her faith to Orthodoxy and her name to Sofia.

At Ioann’s accession many Great Russian lands were not yet under Muscovite control. The entire Ukraine and the upper Oka districts were part of the Polish-Lithuanian union and Ioann himself, in name at least, was a tributary of the Khan of the Golden Horde. He set himself the task of re-conquering from Poland-Lithuania the Ukrainian possessions of his forefathers. But first the independent Great Russian lands had to be annexed or subdued and subservience to the Tartars had to be repudiated.

After rendering the Kazan Horde on his eastern flank temporarily impotent by a series of campaigns, Ioann attempted to subdue Novgorod and its huge northern empire. He repeatedly invaded Novgorod, formally forced it to accept his sovereignty, stripped it of the last vestiges of political freedom. He also secularized large tracts of its church lands, annexed its colonies, and replaced many of its citizens with reliable elements from his own domains. By 1489 Novgorod could offer no more resistance to Ioann .

Of the remaining Russian lands still technically independent in 1462, Yaroslavl and Rostov were annexed by treaty. Tver offered little resistance and meekly yielded to Moscow in 1485. Ryazan and Pskov alone retained their independence at the cost of abject subservience to their virtual suzerain.

Freedom from subjection to Khan Ahmed of the Golden Horde came in 1480. To counterbalance Ahmed's friendship with Poland-Lithuania, Ioann concluded an invaluable Alliance with Khan Mengli-Girei of Crimea. After a victorious campaign by Ioann in 1480, Ahmed withdrew his forces from Ioann 's dominions, and although Ahmed's son continued to worry Moscow and Crimea until the final defeat in 1502, Ioann from 1480 no longer considered himself a vassal of the Khan and entered the field of European diplomacy as an independent sovereign.

Metropolitan Philipp is blessing Sofia PalaeologusBy tact and diplomacy he managed to maintain his friendship with Mengli Girei and to avoid serious trouble in Kazan for the rest of his reign.

In 1480 Ioann III also had to cope with the danger of rebellion by his two brothers Andrei and Boris, who had been incensed by his high-handed appropriation of their deceased elder brother's estates. They defected with their armies to western frontiers but eventually returned and acknowledged Ioann's territorial acquisitions and primacy.

In 1490, Ioann's eldest son by his first wife died of gout. He had been ineptly treated by a Jewish doctor who had been brought to Russia by Sofia's brother, and Ioann suspected foul play. He now had to solve the problem of who was to be his heir — his deceased son's son Dmitry or his eldest son by Sofia, Vasily. For seven years he vacillated. Then, in 1497, he nominated Dmitry as heir. Sofia, anxious to see her son assured on the throne, planned rebellion against her husband, but the plot was uncovered. Ioann disgraced Sofia and Vasily and had Dmitry crowned Grand Prince in 1498.

However, in 1500 Vasily rebelled again and defected to the Lithuanians. Ioann was forced to compromise. At that stage of his war with Lithuania he could not risk the total alienation of his son and wife and so, in 1502, he gave the title to Vasily and imprisoned Dmitry and his mother Yelena.

At home Ioann's policy was to centralize the administration by stripping the appanage princes of land and authority. As for the boyars, they were stripped of much of their authority and swiftly executed or imprisoned if suspected of treason. Ioann's reign saw the beginning of the ‘pomestic’ system, whereby the servants of the grand prince were granted estates on a basis of life tenure and on condition of loyal service.

Ioann's last years were the years of disappointment. The war against Lithuania had not ended as conclusively and satisfactorily as he expected — much of the Ukraine was still in the hands of a strangely buoyant enemy; his ecclesiastical plans for secularizing church lands had been thwarted at the Council of 1503, and the Khanate of Kazan, which had been so carefully neutralized during Ioann's reign, was beginning to rid itself of Moscow tutelage.

Ioann died in the autumn of 1505. Looking back at his reign, we can say that his reign was full of great achievements. He subdued most of the Great Russian lands by conquest or by the voluntary allegiance of princes. He re-won parts of the Ukraine from Poland-Lithuania and repudiated the old subservience to the Mongol-derived Tartars. He also laid the administrative foundations of a centralized Russian state. But in spite of his great achievements, he died unmourned and seemingly unloved. Singularly little is known about him as a man. He was tall and thin and had a slight stoop. It is said that women fainted in his presence, so frightened were they by his awesome gaze. His only known pleasures were those of bed and table. His contemporaries are silent about his virtues. Yet, few scholars have underestimated the role of Ioann III in the creation of the Russian state, and none dispute the significance of his diplomatic and military successes. It may be that the excessive cautiousness of his character, the lack of élan and glamour, and the very dullness of the man have prevented historians from universally recognizing the appellation of "the Great", first attributed to him by the Austrian ambassador of his son's court.

Source:The Voice of Russia

THE SUKHAREV TOWER

2010-05-17T04:36:00.000-07:00

Savrasov sukharev tower,

Our story today is about the Sukharev Tower, a historic, cultural and architectural landmark which unfortunately has not survived the Bolshevik-led reconstruction of the Russian capital.

After climbing the 83-metre high Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, the early 19th-century Russian author Mikhail Lermontov committed his impressions to paper, in an essay entitled "A Panoramic View of Moscow". And in it, we find a description of what could be seen to the north of Moscow's citadel Kremlin:

"To the north, nearer to the horizon, you can observe the dark silhouette of a fantastic rectangular structure, the Sukharev Tower. With its moss-covered facade, it reigns supreme over the surroundings as if trying to assert the will of its creator, Emperor Peter the Great. The gloomy look, the size and the graphic outline recall the age when nothing could have crossed the tyrannical power of that man."

The building itself and its name dated back to the earlier years of Peter's reign.

In August 1689 the young Tsar's power-thirsty elder sister Sophia attempted a murderous coup. Warned in the dead of night by a palace guard, Peter half-naked galloped on horseback to the nearest grove. Once clothed by devoted servants who caught up with him, he fled on to the safety of the Monastery of Holy Trinity, a brick-walled fortress northeast of Moscow. The two foot guard regiments promptly followed Peter, but in the rest of the regular army there was hesitation for some time. The first unit to take Peter's side was the foot regiment under Colonel Lavrenti Sukharev. His men’s hasty redeployment close to the Monastery where the Tsar had taken refuge decided the stand¬off in Peter's favor. Sophia's supporters were sent to the gallows, and the poor Princess herself took monastic vows, and spent the rest of her life in the Novodevichy Convent.

Peter's return and subsequent accession to the throne signaled the dawn of a new era for Russia. To commemorate the triumph and the loyalty of the regiment whose decisive action resolved the power crisis, the Tsar ordered to be erected near its barracks a ceremonial gate which later took the shape of a broad-based stone tower with guardrooms on the ground floor, and a circling gallery in the upper part. At the turn of the century, a third storey was added, and above it there rose a steeple carrying a broad-faced clock and a double-headed brass eagle on top. To spice up the somewhat dreary look of the red-brick walls, there appeared rich decorations of carved limestone. The edifice was 41 meters long, 25 meters wide, and most notably, 64 meters high. The people of Moscow appreciated the unusual height by dubbing the structure "the sister of Ivan the Great", a reference to the Kremlin Ivan the Great Bell Tower which was just 19 meters higher.

Tsar Peter himself wanted the tower to resemble a ship, with the eastern side representing the bow, the western side — the stern, the gallery — the deck, and the steeple — the mast.

Tsar Peter the GreatOn the southern side of the gate, there were memorial plaques with dedications to Colonel Lavrenti Sukharev.

The Sukharev Tower has not survived to this day, but the name of the brave officer who squelched the anti-Tsarist coup of 1689 persists in the names of the surrounding square and an underground railway station nearby.

The building, in fact, served Tsar Peter's designs to upgrade the ration's industry and build a modern-age navy. It housed Moscow's first secular school, a college to train navigators, shipbuilders, topographers, teachers, construction engineers and metallurgists. The students were teenagers from all social backgrounds, about 200 of them at any given time. In the 15 years of the college's existence, between 1701 and 1716, a total of over 1200 young men graduated from it.

To stimulate learning, Tsar Peter allocated sums to pay handsome scholarships linked to academic performance. The facilities and equipment could hardly have been better. A workshop on the ground floor manufactured precision instruments and research gauges. One expert taught there was Andrei Nartov, a famous mechanic who later worked for the Tsar's workshops and invented a cutting-edge lathe.

On the third floor, there were spacious classrooms and a fencing-hall, and on the top, an observatory equipped with powerful telescopes.

Teaching was organized by a close associate of Peter the Great Jacob Bruce, a man of Scottish descent. And the most prominent Russian teacher was Leonty Magnitsky, a graduate of the Slav-Greek-Latin Academy in Moscow. Magnitsky knew many foreign languages, read works by foreign scientists in the original and had acquired especially vast knowledge in mathematics. He also compiled a textbook containing all the knowledge that sea-farers would need, relating to arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, mathematical geography, geodesy and meteorology. The textbook, published in 1703, was beautifully illustrated. The frontispiece depicted Pythagoras and Archimedes and an engraving on the first page symbolized Arithmetic with a key to the temple of ¬knowledge in its hand. The 662 page textbook abounded in illustrations and contained various meteorological charts. The author wrote with pride, that in that textbook he had put together all his knowledge for the sake of teaching inquisitive people of all ages and walks of life. The textbook was an indispensable teaching manual for half a century.

Peter the Great held Leonty Magnitsky in high esteem not only for his profound knowledge but also for his fine moral qualities which attracted him like a magnet. Hence, the tsar ordered him to be called Magnitsky.

Among teachers of the Navigation School were also people of British extraction — mathematician Andrew Fartharson, teacher of the navigation science Steven Count Jacob BruceGwin and teacher of geodesy Richard Grace. The teachers also carried out scientific research work. On instruction from Peter the Great, Magnitsky and Fartharson calculated future solar and lunar eclipses. And the cartographers drew first navigation charts laying the foundation stone of Russian cartography.

The Scotsman Jacob Bruce was a rather mysterious and even legendary person. He descended from an aristocratic Scottish family which had left Scotland at the times of Oliver Cromwell and settled down in Muscovy. Bruce began his career as a boy soldier in Peter's military games and ended as Field-Marshal. He distinguished himself in Russia's wars with Turkey and Sweden, accompanied Peter the Great during his great diplomatic mission to Western Europe, and on orders from the Tsar spent a year in Britain studying mathematics and astronomy.

With his encyclopedic knowledge Jacob Bruce stood out among the other associates of Peter the Great. The Great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin described him as a Russian Faustus and for people in the streets of Moscow he was the magician from the Sukharev tower. Jacob Bruce did a lot in the areas of science and enlightenment. He took part in setting up a printing-house in Moscow and was at the head of book-printing all over Russia. He issued the famous astrological calendar known as Bruce's Calendar that was in daily use by Russian farmers for two centuries. He translated books on astronomy, mathematics, fortification, ballistics and navigation from English, German, French, Dutch and Latin into Russian. He was the first to acquaint Russia with Copernicus's views. He spent nights at the Sukharev tower looking through the telescope. There were rumors that he had got in contact with an evil force and obtained from it the gift of prophecy and the secret of water of life. These and other legends gave grounds for Pushkin to compare Bruce with Faustus.

In 1715 the Navigation school with its 305 students was moved to St. Petersburg where a Marine academy was created. The Moscow Mathematical School functioned till 1752.

Another fact from the history of the Sukharev tower is connected with the mysterious Neptune society which gathered there. At those meetings Peter the Great suggested they all talk about the sea and ships. It was at those meetings that the supporter of Peter's reforms Stefan Prokopovich explained in a poetic form that a great power should have a strong navy. There were many legends about the Neptune society, an organization that brought together many prominent personalities. The society's symbol — a fancy boat with brass canons and mica flashlights — was taken to the streets during holidays. When Moscow celebrated peace with Sweden the boat was paraded along the streets with all sails set and lights lit. It was burnt down during the Napoleon invasion of Russian in 1812.

The Sukharev Tower was also famous for various entertainments given by foreign comedians.

In the first half of last century a cast-iron reservoir for Moscow's water supply system was placed on the second story of the Sukharev tower where the Neptune society used to gather. In the middle of the century when additional reservoirs were built and the tower's reservoir was no longer needed, the Sukharev tower was reconstructed and turned into a museum. A striking clock with music was placed on the top.

For more than a century there was a Sunday fair around the Sukharev tower. Residents of Moscow and the countryside and visitors from other regions of Russia saw it as good place to come on Sundays. The fair occupied five thousand square meters. It was surrounded by inns, pubs and shops. But what attracted the visitors most was cheap rummage sale. It was possible to buy almost everything there: torn shoes, scrap iron, food, clothes, furniture, handicraft articles, paintings and sculptures. Even attic junk was offered: broken copper door-handles, bits of candlesticks, separate pieces of tableware and sheathes.

The Sukharev fair was famous for its trade in second-hand books. In the early 20th century it had about 30 second-hand book shops. The prominent Russian journalist and writer Vladimir Guilyarovsky said:

"It was possible to buy anything you wanted there. If you could not find a volume of somebody’s collected works, you just said you needed it and it would be brought to you by next Sunday. Only there could you buy rare books. Bibliophiles were there every Sunday. This was a real book exchange where every regular buyer knew every book-seller and vice versa.

The book-sellers liked to do favors to poor students. When a group of students came, say five people, they pooled their money, bought one book very cheaply and the book was shared by them. Or they could take the book for a certain period of time and paid a small amount of money daily. The book-sellers never asked students to leave something as a deposit and they always got their books back.

Traders in books and antiques formed the aristocratic section of the Sukharev fair. There was no such crowd there as at a second-hand market. Those who came there were collectors of books belonging, mainly, to the merchant class".

During decades of Bolshevik neglect for the cultural monuments many of them were demolished like the Chudov monastery in the Kremlin, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and the Kazan Cathedral. The same happened to the Sukharev tower. In 1934 it was pulled down under the unconvincing pretext that it was an obstacle to the movement of traffic. But the dilapidated buildings nearby have been preserved.

Possibly, the time will come when the Sukharev tower will be rebuilt like the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. What we can do is to hope for the best.

Source:The Voice of Russia

Walled-in icons discovered on the Kremlin towers

2010-05-14T03:14:00.000-07:00

Moscow, May 12, Interfax - Ancient icons were discovered on the Spasskaya and Nikolskaya Towers of the Kremlin. They were walled in during Soviet times and have been deemed lost for a long time now.

"The fact is that the icons were discovered at least on two towers (of the Kremlin - IF). This is an epoch-making event as far as cultural discoveries are concerned," head of the Council of Trustees of the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation Vladimir Yakunin said at a press conference held by Interfax.

He stated that the Foundation had initiated the reinstallation of icons over the gates of the Moscow Kremlin towers as far back as in 2007. The project received the government support and the blessing of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia. In April 2010, experts of the Interregional Scientific and Restoration Office made probes of the icon-cases of the Spasskaya and Nikolskaya Towers. The research has confirmed the hypothesis that the icons were preserved under the layer of plaster.

According to him, the Fund's project "is not limited to these two towers only; the thing is that historians had more reasons to suggest that the icons of the Spasskaya and Nikolskaya Towers were preserved."

Head of the Kremlin supervisory service, deputy director of the Federal Guard Service Sergey Khlebnikov believes that the discovery of the icons on the Kremlin towers is "the event of overwhelming ethical impact."

According to him, the Kremlin commandant's office has received many proposals to restore the icons over the gates, but the Foundation's initiative "had a clear distinction of being specific."

According to the existing historical materials, the Spasskaya Tower houses the icon of the Savior depicted with St. Sergius and St. Varlaam falling down at His feet. The icon was painted to commemorate the rescue from the siege of Moscow by the army of Magmet Girey in 1521. The mural on the Nikolskaya Tower dates back to the late 15th - early 16th centuries. During the civil fights in October 1917, the icon of St. Nikolas of Mozhaysk was riddled with shots, but his face escaped unharmed which the Moscow believers considered a miracle.

Dymkovo Toys

2010-05-14T02:58:00.000-07:00

Colourful Dymkovo figurines, whistles among them, represent the most famous and one of the oldest clay handicrafts of Russia.

The brand name of these peculiar toys comes from the Dymkovo Settlement, today a district of the city of Vyatka (Kirov). It appeared out of love for the pottering tradition in Vyatka lands in antiquity. According to many researchers, the development of the Dymkovo clay toy was related to the ritual spring holiday of Svistoplyaska (i.e. whistle-dance) celebrating the Sun. To take part in the festivity, one needed a clay whistle to make sounds with and a painted clay ball to throw to each other.

The whistles were made in shape of various totem animals, such as the bear, the goat, the sheep, the deer, but as a matter of fact were quite simple, their function being magic rather than decorative. In spite of the ritual meaning of the clay whistles, one can notice certain irony, with which masters designed them. Thus, a whistle bear could be playing some music instrument, and a goat could be wearing funny trousers. Such clay whistles were made exclusively by women and girls preparing for the holiday in advance.

In the 19th century the holiday turned into a boisterous fair, necessarily with whistling. The magic meaning of the festivity was lost. The whistles remained and acquired more fanciful decorative features. Whereas formerly animals had been the main subject, the 19th century saw the appearance of toys that depicted dressed-up women holding babies, or baskets with pies, or bucket yokes, sitting on benches or in boats. Later Dymkovo toy masters turned to town plots, with stylish ladies, townsfolk, officers, tradeswomen and skomorokhi (wandering minstrel-cum-clowns).

Whatever a Dymkovo toy depicts, it is always distinctive due to its unparallel ornate colouring. The dark and light blue, green, yellow, orange and raspberry colours look very cheerful on the white background. There might be up to ten colours together. The ornament is always rather simple, with checks, stripes, circles, dots, diamonds, and zigzags in various combinations. These simple geometrical patterns, however, bear certain information. Thus, for instance, a wavy blue line stands for water, crossed stripes denote a curb, and a circle with a star in the middle symbolizes the Sun or other celestial bodies.

The method of producing the Dymkovo toys seems also quite simple: a toy is hand molded of the local red clay mixed with river sand. The whistles are pierced with a special stick. The figurine is made by parts. Separate parts are fastened together with liquid clay, the joints smoothed away with a wet cloth. The toy is dried and baked, and then whitewashed with chalk diluted in milk. Afterwards it is painted.

Every Dymkovo toy is handmade and unique, existing as the only copy. Every master brings in her own manner and colouring. The Dymkovo toy handicraft still has no serial production, which makes it different from other folk arts and crafts.

Presently Russian culture experiences tendencies similar to those in the West, with ethnic motifs becoming an integral part of creativity among sculptors, artists, designers and fashion-designers. There is a hope that the Dymkovo toy will not be forgotten, but, on the contrary, will be developed, reconsidered and interpreted on a new level. Rooted in ancient pagan outlook, it can serve as an inexhaustible source of inspiration for a creative person.

Today anyone, a kid or a grown-up, can try and make a Dymkovo toy. The main things you need are clay and fancy. Otherwise, a bright whistle brought from Russia might become a stunning souvenir and present.

Source:www.russia-ic.com

Fist Fights: Old Russian Tradition of Martial Arts

2010-05-13T02:19:00.000-07:00

The tradition of fist fighting existed in Russia from times immemorial till the early 20th century. Apart from being a sort of sportive folk entertainment it was a peculiar fighting school that developed skills necessary for defense of the native land.

History

Russia had its own martial arts traditions. The Slavs were known all over Europe as valiant warriors. Since wars were not infrequent in Russia every man had to possess fighting skills. Starting from early age children learnt through various games, wrestling and throwing how to stand up for oneself and one’s family and defend the motherland. When kids grew up games turned into real combats known as fist fights.

The first records of such fights were made by Nestor the chronicler in 1048. Fist fights were often held on the Veliki (i.e. ‘great’) Bridge in Novgorod.

Rules and Types of Fist Fighting

Fist fights were usually held on holidays, with the raging of combats starting during Maslenitsa (Pancake Week). In summer the fights took place in squares and in winter on ice-covered rivers and lakes. Both common folks and traders took part in the fights. Depending on the number of fighters they were of different types, such as single combats, or group line combats: “street vs street”, “village vs village”, or “suburb vs suburb”.

The oldest type of combats was the Russian version of Greek Pankration, mix-fight without rules. It was called something roughly translated as “grappling fight” and “helter-skelter scuffle”. It was the kind tussle when every wrestler fought for oneself and against everybody, without any formation or order. “One had to have not only dexterity and strong blow, but also outstanding composure”, N. Razin pointed out.

The most widespread type of fist fighting was “line to line” battle. The battle fell into three parts: first boys would fight, then unmarried youths and later only mature men. It was not allowed to beat a fighter in a lying, crouching or squatting position and clutch at the clothes. The task of each side was to make the opponent flee or retreat at least. The side that lost “the field” (the area of fighting) was considered defeated. Each of the sides had its leader, who determined the fighting tactics and encouraged his comrades. Each of the teams also had “fighters of hope” meant to break the line of the “enemy” by tearing off several combatants at once. Special technique was applied against such “fighters of hope”: the line parted letting the “hope” inside, where special fighters expected them, and closed up at once, without allowing the enemies line in. the fighters that faced the “hope” were experienced masters of one-to-one combats.

One-to-one combats were the most appreciated kind of fighting. It was similar to the old hand boxing in England. The Russian fighting was, however, milder because there was a rule prohibiting to beat a recumbent opponent (Never hit a man when he is down!), whereas in England this rule was introduced not before 1743. One-to-one combats could be organized by a special person or happened spontaneously. In the former case a fight was appointed on certain time and place, and in the latter case it could burst out in any gathering place, such as fairs and festivities.

If necessary, one-to-one fist fights even served to confirm a defendant’s rightness in a legal case. That way to prove one’s case was called ‘the field’ and existed till the death of Ivan the Terrible. Russian fist fighters used only fist blows and no armament of course. They used three striking surfaces, which corresponded to the three striking surfaces of weapons: capitulars of basidigital bones (like pricking with a weapon), base of the fist on the little finger side (like chopping with a weapon) and capitulars of proximal phalanxes (like hitting with the butt of a weapon). It was permitted to beat any part of the body above the waist, but usually they tried to hit into the head, the solar plexus and under the ribs. Continuation of the fight on the ground was never allowed. There were certain rules that prohibited beating a person that was recumbent or bleeding. Violation of these rules was severely punished. In spite of those strict rules combats sometimes had deplorable results: fighters could get permanent injuries or even die.

Struggling Against Fist Fights

The Slavs venerated Peroun as the patron of martial arts. After Christening of Russia authorities initiated struggle with pagan rites, which included also fighting competitions in honour of Peroun.

In 1274 Metropolitan Kirill with a council in Vladimir decreed among other laws “to unchurch those participating in fist fights and stake fights and not perform funeral services over those killed in such fights”. The clergy considered fist fighting to be a sacriligious deed and thus punished the participants according to church laws. This censure lead to the fact that during the reign of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich (1584 - 1598) not a single fist fight was recorded. The government usually did not approve fist fights, but also did not prosecute them.

Vasnetsov-Fist fight

Real limitation of fist combats started in the 17th century. In 1641 Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich decreed: “those people who start a fight in the centre of Moscow should be seized and punished”. In 1686 fist fights were prohibited and punishments were set for their participants: “for the first record to beat them with rods and charge a file, for the second record beat them with whips and charge a file twice as much, and for the third record beat with a whip and exile to remote places for life”.

Nevertheless, in spite of all the decrees, fist fights went on existing, and the participants now started to elect a referee who watched over the observance of all the rules of fight.

It is known that Peter the First liked to arrange fist fights “in order to demonstrate daring courage of the Russian people”.

In 1751 severe fights raged in Millionnaya Street in the centre of Saint Petersburg. After learning about them the Empress Yelizaveta Petrovna tried to cut down the number of dangerous combats and passed a decree prohibiting them in Saint Petersburg and Moscow.

Under Catherine the Second, however, fist fights were very popular. Count Grigory Orlov was a skilled fighter and often invited famous fist fighter to try strength against him.

Nicholas the First totally prohibited fist fights “as detrimental pastime” in 1832.

After the October Revolution of 1917 fist fighting was ascribed to vestiges of the tsarist regime and, since it did not turn into an official sport, gradually ceased to be.

The 1990s saw the first attempts to revive schools and styles of old Slavic martial arts, including Russian fist fighting.

Sources:www.russia-ic.com,www.pravda-tv.ru,center-me.org

Saint Nicholas Manifests on Shed Door

2010-05-13T02:15:00.000-07:00

Holy face of Saint Nicholas has manifested itself in a shed door in Petrovsky District of Tambov city.

Pensioner Raisa Shibina has brought the door with the sacred image from her village to Shehman Settlement for all to see it. The icon has been delivered to a church. Already now pilgrims not only from Tambov, but from neighbouring regions as well come there to see the holy face.

The icon of the late 19th century had been hidden under a paint coat. The artist-restorer Vera Tikhomirova assumes that that the icon belonged to Moscow or Michurinsk icon-painting school.

Local residents say that every day the image is getting brighter and brighter. At the left the second silhouette starts to be looking through. The face is not visible yet, but, according to experts, it is already clear that it is some saint in the rank of a metropolitan.

Source:www.russia-ic.com

Cossacks of the Napoleonic Wars

2010-05-13T00:09:00.000-07:00

Strength, organization and
deployment of the Cossacks.

Cossack regiment had a simple organization. It had colonel, called polkovnik (probably from Polish pulkovnik), small staff, and 5 squadrons or troops called sotnia. On paper the strength of single regiment was more than 500 men. In the field hovewer there were only 300-450 men in the ranks.

The most numerous, the regiments of Don Cossacks, were named after their commanders. The Ukrainian and other Cossacks were numbered and named according to their nationality or district.

Since 1799 the ranks for cossack officers had been regulated.

The Don Cossack regiment numbered 591 men: 18 officers, 10 uriadnik (NCOs) but in April 1812 increased to 22, 50 diesiatnik and 500 privates. There was only 1 non-combatant, the putzer (colonel's servant). Only the colonel had the right to bring a private wagon. For this reason each Cossack could have a second horse as a pack animal.

The NCO was the real soul of Cossack regiment. He owed his position from his service and his fame. If he became commander of a detachment then he sometimes changed in a tyrant for his subordinates; and he used his position to accumulate trophies and loot.

Each regiment of Don and Bug Cossacks carried 5 flags in various colors painted with religious pictures or martial emblems. Sisoiev-III's Regiment carried in addition a St.George flag. If a regiment returned to its homelands without its colour, it was dishonoured. The flags for the regiments of the Ural Cossacks were not recorded.

Each sotnia had muskets for 11 Cossacks trained as marksmen.

In 1802 in the Black Sea area were formed 10 regiments (and 10 foot cossack regiments).
Each regiment consisted of 5 sotnias.

Kalmuk In 1811 from the Kalmucks living in Astrakhan, Saratov, and Caucasus provinces and in the Don area were formed: 1st and 2nd Kalmuck Regiment, 1st and 2nd Stavropol Kalmuck Regiment, and 1st and 2nd Bashkir Regiment. Each regiment had 5 sotnias. The Kalmucks and Tartars were also accepted into the regiments of the Don Cossacks. In their ranks served approx. 8% Kalmucks and 1 % Tatars. According to Richard Riehn, in 1812 there were:
- 4 Tatar regiments
- 2 Kalmuk regiments
- 1 Chechen regiment
- 2 Bashkir regiments
Later were formed 2 Kalmuk and 18 Bashkir regiments.

In 1811 there were 2 Cossack horse batteries.
In 1812 a half-battery was formed (captured Turkish cannon barrels were used).

In summer 1812 from natives of two provinces, Kiev and Kamieniec Podolski, were formed 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Ukrainian Cossack Regiments. Each regiment had 8 squadrons (troops).

.
Kalmuk

COSSACK REGIMENT

1 polkovnik (colonel)
1 podpolkovnik (colonel-lieutenant)
- his was present in less than half of all Don regiments
1 voiskovoi starshina
1 quartermaster - in the rank of sotnik (lieutenant)
1 polkovyi pisar also called kaznachei (regimental clerk, cashier)
2 pisar (clerks in the rank of NCO)
1 judge
1 putzer (colonel's servant, non-combatant)

I Sotnia (Troop)
called Right Flank Sotnia - or - Colonel's Sotnia
1 yesaul (captain), 1 sotnik (lieutenant) and 1 horunzhii (ensign)
4 uriadnik (NCOs), 10 diesiatnik, 100 privates
::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: :::::

II Sotnia (Troop)
1 yesaul (captain), 1 sotnik (lieutenant) and 1 horunzhii (ensign)
4 uriadnik (NCOs), 10 diesiatnik, 100 privates
::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: :::::

III Sotnia (Troop)
1 yesaul (captain), 1 sotnik (lieutenant) and 1 horunzhii (ensign)
4 uriadnik (NCOs), 10 diesiatnik, 100 privates
::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: :::::

IV Sotnia (Troop)
1 yesaul (captain), 1 sotnik (lieutenant) and 1 horunzhii (ensign)
4 uriadnik (NCOs), 10 diesiatnik, 100 privates
::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: :::::

V Sotnia (Troop)
called Left Flank Sotnia - or - Lieutenant-Colonel's Sotnia
1 yesaul (captain), 1 sotnik (lieutenant) and 1 horunzhii (ensign)
4 uriadnik (NCOs), 10 diesiatnik, 100 privates
::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: :::::

.

Two or three regiments (sometimes more) formed Cossack brigade. Cossack regiments and brigades were attached to the regular troops. They made life easier for the uhlans and hussars, as they did the scouting and patroling. There were also two or three Cossack corps composed of several brigades. (The Cossacks were rarely formed in divisions.) There were also several individual regiments assigned as escort to army headquarters.

more here.

Russian gold coins

2010-05-12T01:37:00.000-07:00

Russian gold coins reflect the grandiosity of the old empires in Russia. Every coronation of a new tsar also signals a new coinage.

The Russian government has a record of the total number of gold coins it has produced from the 10th to 18th century. However, no one really knows for sure how many of the Russian gold coins have survived today.Before 1745, gold coins from Russia were made in other countries until gold reserves were discovered in the Ural Mountains.

It was not until the recent times that many Russians became interested in numismatics. Post-war Russia was more concerned in reconstructing its economic stability. The extravagant hobby of coin collecting did not appeal to many Russians. During the trying times, many Russian gold coins were melted for their gold melt value.

Brief history of the Russian gold coinage

In numismatic history, Russia was the last country to stop using the medieval method of hammering coins. However, Russia was also the first country to adopt the modern decimal-based coinage.

The ancient Russian gold were minted and imported from the neighboring European countries. These gold coins were crudely minted from the 10th to 18th century. Before 1745, Russia did not know its vast gold reserves until it was discovered in the Ural Mountains. Since then, there was a steady production of Russian gold coins in the succeeding years.

The Imperial Russian gold coins were mostly produced by the aristocrats from the 18th century to 1917. The Russian soviet was in power from 1917 to1992 and it was minting a few gold coins for their currency. After the communist state, the new Russian republic began minting gold bullion coins.

Ancient Russian gold coin - The zlatniki was struck for Prince Vladimir I after the year 988. It weighed about 4 grams.

The first Russian gold coins

Russian gold coins

The first Russian coin was called the zlatniki which means "a piece of gold" in Russian. It was struck for Vladimir, the Grand Duke of Kiev.

Other early Russian gold coins were the kopeks, poltinas, ugorski and novodels. However, most of the first Russian gold coins did not have a legal tender. They were mainly for awards during the hunting season and as trade coins.

In 1612, the gold ducats were circulated in Russia and also in Holland and Sweden. The ducats were gold coins were made in Austria and were exported to other nations.

The Chevronets

In 1701, the first Russian chevronets or ugorski were minted. The chervonet was the collective name for various foreign gold coins circulated in Russia before the reign of Peter I. The chevronets were also called tchervonets, chevervontsy, and czerwony.

The gold chervontsy were mostly composed of Dutch ducats and sequins. They were minted until 1757 until they were displaced by the gold rubles.

The gold Roubles

Russian Roubles - The obverse of the 1897 Roubles features the effigy of Tsar Nicholas II.

Russia changed coinage in 1704 to give way to the Roubles or rubles. The first circulated Russian gold coins were produced during the regime of Peter I, the Great.

When the St. Petersburg Mint was established in 1724, Peter, the Great made a nominal decree to mint gold coins. The striking discovery of the Russian gold reserves in the Ural Mountains also paved the way to the production of more gold roubles.

The first 10 Rouble gold coin was introduced by Tsarina Elizabeth Petrowna. By 1755 The 20 Rouble coin was in the mainstream circulation among the important European coins from France, England, and Netherlands. The gold 5 Rouble and 10 Rouble coins were also circulated.

The popular Russian imperial coins are the following:

Alexander III - Gold 10 Markkaa 1882
Nicholas II - Gold 20 Markkaa 1912
Nicholas II - five rubles 1897
Nicolas II - five rubles 1898
Nicolas II - five rubles, 1900

The soviet chervonets

The communist state of Russia was minting gold chervontsy in the years 1923 and 1925.

The revival of the Chervontsy

When Russia became a communist state in 1922, the new currency was renamed chervonets. The Soviet Russian currency was backed by the gold standard.

Gold chervonets that were equivalent to 10 Roubles were minted in 1923 (under the RSFSR) and 1925 (under the USSR). Today, only five chervontsy pieces dated 1925 have survived. These chervonets are displayed in Russian museums that house the famous coin collections.

In 1980, thousands of 1920 chervontsy restrikes, with a face value of 100 Roubles, were made as commemorative coins for the Moscow Summer Olympics. The new chervonets became a big hit among gold coin investors.

Russian Ballet gold coin
This gold bullion coin is the one of the modern precious metal coins from the Russian Federation.

The modern Russian gold bullion coins

The present Russian Federation has a notable series of three gold bullion coins. These Russian gold coins feature the Russian ballet, the Russian wildlife, and the zodiac signs.

The word gold coin bullion market has a strong demand for Russian gold bullion coins. However, just like the Russian numismatic gold coins, they have a low supply.

Source:www.2-cliks-coins.com

Surviving the siege

2010-05-07T10:30:00.001-07:00

When the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, Adolf Hitler ordered his troops to capture the country’s European territories by November. Leningrad, the second biggest Soviet city after Moscow, was a top priority in that plan. During a siege that lasted for 900 days, the city lost more than 700,000 people. Meet the amazing men and women who survived the blockade in a new XL report on RT.

THE LENINGRAD SYMPHONY

2010-05-07T07:44:00.000-07:00

Braving the terrible odds of the Nazi siege, Leningrad was holding its own and stubbornly refused to surrender. Marshal Georgy Zhukov later wrote in his memoirs that “war history had never before seen such battlefield valiance and home front heroism, as was displayed by the unbending defenders of Leningrad.”

Besides their daily toil of defending the city, keeping its plants and factories rolling and tending to the wounded, the Leningraders were also writing poems and music. It was then and there that the renowned Russian composer Dmitry Shostakovich wrote his famous Seventh Symphony that immediately became a stirring anthem to the unvanquished city on the Neva.

Refusing to leave the city with the rest of the Philharmonic Society early in the war, Shostakovich was bombarding the local recruitment centers with demands to send him out to the frontlines. All his pleas turned down, he then joined his friends digging trenches outside the city. After his attempt to join the militia also fell flat, Shostakovich signed with the local firefighters squad and, during his duty hours on the Conservatory roof, was putting out incendiary bombs the Nazis dropped on the city. It was during those trying days that he actually decided to write his larger-than-life Seventh Symphony…

In a radio message broadcast on September 20, 1941 Dmitry Shostakovich said: “An hour ago I finished writing the second part of my big new symphony… Why am I telling you this? Because I want all the Leningraders who are listening to me to know that life goes on and we are all doing our duty…”

The Leningrad radio orchestra was now too small to play the Seventh Symphony though. The score called for 80 musicians and there was only a handful of them spared by famine and the enemy bullets at the frontlines Then they made a radio announcement inviting the musicians who were still alive to join in. Unit commanders were instructed to dispatch their musicians with special passes, which said that they had been relieved from combat duty to perform the Seventh Symphony by Dmitry Shostakovich.

Finally, they all got together for the first rehearsal, their hands roughened from combat duty, trembling from malnutrition but everybody still Dmitry Shostakovich as a firefighterclinging to their instruments as if for their own life… That was the shortest rehearsal ever, lasting for just 15 minutes because that was all the emaciated players could afford… And play they did and conductor Karl Eliasberg who was trying his best not to go down himself now knew that the orchestra would play the symphony…

August 9, 1942 was just another day in the Nazi-besieged city. But not for the musicians, though, who, visibly uplifted, were busily preparing for the first ever public performance of the Seventh Symphony. Karl Eliasberg later wrote recalling that memorable day: “The chandeliers were all aglow in the Philharmonic Hall jam packed by writers, artists and academics. Military men were also very much in presence, most of them right from the battlefront…”

The conductor, his tuxedo dangling freely from his emaciated body, stepped to the pulpit, his baton trembling in his hand. The next moment it went up and the hall filled with the stirringly beautiful chords of one of the best music Shostakovich had ever written in his whole life…

When the last cord trailed off there was a momentary silence. Then the whole place literally exploded with thunderous applause. People went up to their feet all, tears rolling down their faces, tears of joy and pride…

Buoyed by the deafening success of their performance and visibly proud of themselves, the musicians were happily hugging each other like soldiers do winning a major battle…

A German soldier who picked up the radio broadcast of that memorable concert was stunned by what he heard: “When I heard Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony being broadcast from the famine-stricken Leningrad I realized that we would never be able to take it. Realizing that, I surrendered…”

The Germans never managed to capture the city. In January 1944 the Red Army counterattacked ending the deadly siege of Leningrad which lasted for 900 days and nights and made Russia’s northern capital an enduring symbol of Soviet courage and invincibility…

Source:The Voice of Russia

BARNAUL

2010-05-07T01:41:00.000-07:00

By Lyubov Tsarevskaya

Посмотреть на Яндекс.Фотках

Barnaul, an administrative center of the Altai Region, is one of the oldest cities in Western Siberia. It lies on the Ob River and is located in the very heart of Eurasia, a sort of crossroads through which pass the shortest land routes from Europe into Asia.

Barnaul grew into a city due to rich copper deposits discovered at the foothills of Altai. In 1727 an enterprising manufacturer, Akinfii Demidov built the first in Siberia copper smelting works in the estuary of the Barnaulka River, an Ob tributary. The facility was named Kolyvan-Voskresensk after the nearby Lake Kolyvan and Voskresensk mine.

The numerous silver decorations found in the ancient Chinese burial mounds suggested to Demidov’s ore miners that there was silver in the Altai Ridge. And indeed, soon afterwards silver ore was discovered near Snake’s Mount and a silver ore smelting facility was built next to the copper works. As the treasury needed silver, the Demidov silver mines along with the vast expanses of territory in Western Siberia were made royal property by Empress Elizabeth’s decree. In the 18th and the first half of the 19th century Altai smelted 90 % of Russian silver and the Barnaul silver smelting plant was the biggest in the region. It is no wonder then that over a short period of time the small village of Barnaul grew into one of the biggest cities in Siberia. The city’s coat of arms depicted a galloping horse and a silver smelting furnace. The furnace symbolized silver mining as the city’s major asset and the horse was on the emblem of the Tomsk Province, to which Barnaul belonged. In Russian history there are only two mining cities – Yekaterinburg and Barnaul.

Highly qualified mining engineers in Barnaul built houses of which the writer Ivan Kushchevsky wrote that many of the richest structures in Barnaul were painted black and designed in the style of English cottage, where the upper and lower floors make up one whole with the sauna, billiard room and the library. The dwellings seemed genuinely luxurious and comfortable and the big clean windows gazed with warmth against the black background. Never have I seen a comfy little town like that, the writer said, no old wooden structures were anywhere in sight and every house looked as good as new. Shining window glass, shining copper on window frames and door handles gave the streets a festive look.

A community of highly educated mining engineers and office workers, cultural establishments, an amateur theatre, a museum and the libraries flatteringly distinguished Barnaul from other Siberian cities. The city was known as the Siberian Eldorado, the Small Corner of Petersburg, the Siberian Athens.

In the second half of the 19th – early 20th century, after a decline in natural resources and of the mining industry, Barnaul abandoned the unhurried pace of an aristocrat for the lively vigour of a business person. Altai grew excellent wheat and Barnaul concentrated all bread business in its hands. Thirteen piers stretched along the Ob with ships and barges taking on bread to deliver it to areas across Siberia, to the Urals and further to the European part of Russia.

Along with bread Barnaul traded in butter, which was a popular brand far beyond the bounds of the Russian Empire for the smaller percentage of water and salt in it. There were times when transport failed to handle the haulage of such vast quantities of butter causing an overproduction crisis, so butter prices dropped so low that it was used as lubricant for wheel.

Trade enriched the city attracting substantial capitals. Barnaul was rapidly changing face and the streets flowered with luxury mansions and shops. There were plans to develop new territories and turn industrial Barnaul into a “garden city”.

On May 2nd 1917 the city lost a total of 60 residential areas as a result of a fire and more than 15 thousand people were left homeless. The fire marked a symbolic turning point in Barnaul’s history. Soviets came to Russia following the Bolshevik Revolution that same year and Barnaul faced a new chapter in its history.

From 1917 to 1920 Barnaul was the scene of a fratricidal Civil war that finished off its economy, already damaged by the fire. In the 1930s, after the commissioning of Turksib, a railway connecting Central Asia with Western Siberia, and the construction of the first in Siberia textile mill reprocessing cotton from Central Asia, Barnaul’s economy began to return back to life.

Now an administrative center of the Altai Region, rich in natural resources, agricultural lands with a powerful production potential, Barnaul has excellent prospects for further development.

Посмотреть на Яндекс.Фотках

Source:The Voice of Russia

Koshchey the Deathless

2010-05-06T10:04:00.001-07:00

Ivan Bilibin

Koshchey the Deathless gallops naked through the wild Caucus mountains with his long spindly legs trailing in the dust.

In this picture by Ivan Bilibin, he is seen brandishing his sabre, shrieking blood-curdling threats and urging the spirits of the steppes to come to his aid.

I like the cloud formations . . .

Koshchey the Deathless also known as Koshchey the Immortal

In Russian Koshchey is known as "Koshchey Bessmertny" which means deathless or immortal (thanks to Mike Harris in Moscow for this information).

Variant spellings of his name are: Koschey, Katschei/Koshchey/Kashey

In Russian folklore Koshchey is an evil sorcerer of terrifying appearance who gallops naked around the wild Caucus mountain range on his magic steed.

He is also a shape-shifter, who takes the form of a whirlwind or a storm wind. He is a nature spirit representing the destructive powers of nature.

He is fond of stealing beautiful women, often the bride of the hero.

Like his female counterpart Baba Yaga, he also has powers over the elements. Dark clouds suddenly appear amidst thunder and lightning when he comes on the scene.

As a shape-changer, Kotschey usually takes the form of a whirlwind and makes off with his victims in this form. He may also come under cover of a mist or fog and can fly through the air.

Koschey is called the deathless, or immortal because his soul/spirit/life force or his "death" as he calls it, is hidden in a remote, inaccessible place, separate from his body.

Koshchey's soul/spirit/ is often hidden in a duck's egg, inside a hare, which in turn is inside a chest buried under the roots of a mighty oak tree, on an island in the middle of the ocean.

Sometimes his "death" may be hidden in the point of a needle inside the duck's egg. Although called deathless or immortal, Kotschey may die if the hero finds out where the egg that contains his life force or, as he calls it, his "death", is hidden.

If the egg is broken, it's goodnight for Kotschey too. Anyone possessing this egg has Koshchey in their power. He begins to weaken, becomes sick and immediately loses all his magic powers.

Viktor Vasnetsov
Kashchei the Immortal

In one story the egg is thrown at his forehead and he drops down dead.

Imprisoned in the palace of the warrior princess Maria Morevna for ten years, Koshchey is freed by the unwitting hero.

In this story the egg with his soul/spirit/death in it is not mentioned at all. Instead, he receives a kick in the head from one of Baba Yaga's magical steeds. After the horse kills him, the hero Ivan cuts Koshchey's head off, burns it and scatters the ashes to the four winds, presumably just to be on the safe side.

Koshchey's appearance:

Tall, boney, fearful to look upon. As Baba Yaga says:

' Medusa's got nothing on you, Kotschey dear .'

Maria Morewnas description of him:

He sports a wild mane of tangled seaweed-like hair which stands up all around a lean and bony face. From beneath those craggy brows peer hooded, unblinking reptilian eyes. A raven's beak of a nose juts out over a cavernous mouth from which now and then one may catch a glimpse of several large crooked teeth. Mouth may change shape according to mood.

His beard: Mottled-grey and scraggly, unsightly after meals.

Skin: Scaly, rough, forever shedding, more snake-like than human.

Method of fighting: Wraps or coils himself around his foes. Finger nails and toe nails long and claw-like (he never cuts his hair, finger or toe nails - to preserve his 'life-force' as he calls it/his lack of clothing may also be attributed to these peculiar 'life-force preservation' reasons).

On the inside of Koshchey's scrawny long ape-like arms are venom glands. (His blames Maria Morewna for his arms being so long - he complained once that hanging out in her dungeon for 10 years didn't do his posture any good).

During battle he has been known to lick these venomous parts and then bite his adversary thus causing intense pain and immobility.

Can change his voice at will. Terrifies his opponents with blood-curdling cries. Has also been known to use his voice to charm and induce sleep when necessary.

When astride his magical steed, Kotschey likes to throw off his flamboyant fish-skin clothes and it is said that he thus takes on the magical powers of his mount.

His fish-skin clothes, which he scatters behind him, are blown away and scattered by the four winds. Flocks of ravens gather behind him to fight over and devour these shreds. Shreds of his clothing may be sometimes seen flapping in the tree tops throughout the steppes.

Thus freed from all worldly constraints he gallops naked through the wild Caucus mountains with his long spindly legs trailing in the dust. In the picture by Ivan Bilibin, he is seen brandishing his sabre, shrieking blood-curdling threats and urging the spirits of the steppes to come to his aid.

Quite an emotional character, it is said that he will weep with rage for hours afterwards when outwitted by his quarry and his sobbing and wailing often echoes throughout the Caucuses, terrifying both man and beast alike.

During times of stress he may change himself into a storm or a whirlwind. In his spare time he seems to be off hunting quite a lot, although it is not specified what it is that he is hunting.

Although cunning, one of his weaknesses is that he is extremely vain and therefore may be outwitted by a woman pretending to find him irresistible.

He has twelve sisters (also shape-shifters) who come to avenge his death and who seem to be almost as charming as Koshchey himself.

Although Koshchey is a powerful sorcerer, he seems to be down the hierarchical ladder a rung or two to Baba Yaga. In one story he works as a herdsman for her in order to earn one of her magical steeds. This horse has the power of speech and gives Koshchey invaluable advice.

His favourite drink: A fermented drink make of green tea, sour goat's milk and salt.

He craves female company, and although he can turn on a charming voice at will, Kotschey is anything but a smooth talker.

When Maria Morewna is trying to pump him for information and plays up to him, he once again fails to realize that one of his oft-repeated remarks: "Foolish woman, long of hair: short of wit", does not do anything to improve his chances with her.

Beating about the bush is one of Koshchey's rules of thumb: for Koshchey to speak directly is to lose his power or 'life force'.

When she asks him about the time he spent at Baba Yaga's hut and where he got his horse he replies: "Three days there and I learned as much as in three years."

Koshchey is able to "far see" - he has the ability to see with his eyes closed.

A song he is fond of singing when he has drunk enough Kwas: (Some say he penned it himself while he was hanging out in Maria Morewna's dungeon)

Amidst great Rocks

Koschey the Deathless leaping,

Onward rides,

Wild and fierce

And free again from chains.

Like the storm he howls and weeping,

Sprays the steppes

With burning tears of rage.

Source:www.oldrussia.net

65 anniversary of WWII-"Farewell of a Slavic woman"

2010-04-28T10:40:00.000-07:00

Famous Russian military march (1912). Agapkin composed his march "A Slavic Farewell - Farewell to the Slavic Woman" in 1912, and it has been used to say farewell to Russian troops going to front ever since. He was conducting the famous November parade in Moscow in 1941 when German army were right next to Moscow.

The song was composed in 1912, as Russia was awash in rumors about the impending new Balkan War, in which the Slavs would be pitted against the Ottoman Turks, and Orthodox Christianity aganst Islam. Although, this particular war did not materialize, the song spread like wildfire, and became the most popular military march during WWI as well as WWII

Although it has its author, V. Lazarev, the text of the march that has become part of the urban folklore exists in several version. One of them, by A. Mingalev, is full of patriotic and martial spirit that is rather out of keeping with the elegiac and, perhaps, more authentic tone of the original. A more recent version was produced by Aleksandr Galich (1941 and 1970)..

The moment of parting is nigh
You look into my eyes with alarm.
I sense you dear breath,
And far away the storm is already gathering.

A tremor ran through the blue, misty air,
Alarm touched my temples,
And Russia calls us to a feat,
A breathe is wafting from the the marching regiments.

Farewell, the land of the fathers,
Remember us.
Farewell, dear glance,
Forgive-farewell, Forgive-
farewell...

Years fly buy
Trains disappear in the dark.
In them -- the soldiers.
And in the dark sky
The soldier's star is shining.

In them -- the soldiers.
And in the dark sky
The soldier's star is shining.

Farewell, the land of the fathers,
Remember us.
Farewell, dear glance,
Forgive-farewell, Forgive-
farewell...

Forests, the steppe, junctions stand in the steppe
The light of the twilight, evening, morning --
So, don't forget the Slavic woman's farewell,
Repeat it to yourself in your soul!

No, the soul will not be indifferent --
The lights of justice shine...
For love, for the great fraternity
We have sacrificed our lives.

Farewell, the land of the fathers,
Remember us.
Farewell, dear glance,
Not all of us shall return.

Years fly by,
A the song -- your are always with us.
We remember you,
And in the dark sky
The soldier's star is shining.

Farewell, the land of the fathers,
Remember us.
Farewell, dear glance,
Forgive-farewell, Forgive-
farewell...

Sources:www.russmus.net,www.softpanorama.org.

Rostov Region: the legacy of ancient Tanais

2010-04-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

«Древний город Танаис.Башня» на Яндекс.Фотках

Digging season on the site of the ancient town of Tanais came to a close in Rostov Region in Southern Russia. Tanais’ ruins were traced by archaeologist Ivan Stempkovsky 35 kilometers from Rostov-on-Don in 1823.

Stempkovsky’s expedition and the subsequent ones achieved insignificant results. In 1955 an expedition led by Dmitry Shelov made yet another attempt to find the town and 4 years later the settlement and the burial mound were declared a national reserve. And 1961 saw the opening of Russia’s largest archaeological reserve on more than 3 thousand hectares.

“Tanais is still a mystery, though the scientists have come closest to solving it now, — Valery Chesnok, a reserve employee, says. – The town existed for nearly 800 years and witnessed a golden age in economy and culture. The excavations produced a variety of treasures, including household items, clothing, weapons, decorations and ancient letters. Some read: “There is a town in the estuary of the Tanais River, for a traveler entering it Europe is on the left and Asia is on the right”. Ancient Tanais was thus at the juncture of antique and nomadic cultures. Every new find gets us closer to the antiquity”.

«Каменные изваяния» на Яндекс.Фотках

Tanais was founded in the 3rd century BC and over a short period of time grew into a major trading center between the Greeks and nomadic tribes who dwelled in the steppes north of the Black Sea. In 237 AD the town was destroyed by the Goths (Germanic people who lived in 2-9th cc.) but 140 years later was rebuilt by the Sarmatians. Ancient Tanais ceased to exist in the 5th century having witnessed a heyday and then a decline.

Tanais consisted of stone structures with traditionally Greek elements of architecture and ceramic amphoras against the “silent burial mounds of the Don”. According to Valery Chesnok, the main achievement of this season is the unearthing of paved lanes leading to the southern wall. This suggests the existence of a gate through which residents and guests went in. When found the gate will provide scientists with yet a better vision of town planning in Tanais and a map of defensive fortifications.

Source:The Voice of Russia

Symbolism of Colors in Icon

2010-04-22T02:13:00.000-07:00

Colour plays a special role in icons because it is a symbolic language which manifests the light that is inside objects and human faces rather than their colouring. The source of this light is outside the physical world. Golden strokes in icons represent this unearthly light, and the golden background symbolizes the space 'not of this world'. There are no shadows in icons. In God's Kingdom everything is permeated with this light.
Icons cannot be looked at as pictures. They represent neither space as we know it nor events conditioned by ordinary cause and effect relations. An icon is a window looking onto the world of a different nature but it is a window open to those only who have spiritual eyesight.
Those who want to come closer to understanding icons need to see them with the eyes of a believer for whom God is the undoubted reality - a reality invisibly present everywhere and in every event, an invisible witness and judge from whose sight it is never possible to hide.

An introductory discussion on the symbolism of colors in icons Byzantines considered that the meaning of art is beauty. They painted icons that shined with metallic gold and bright colors. In their art each color had its place and value. Colors - whether bright or dark - were never mixed but always used pure. In Byzantium, color was considered to have the same substance as words, indeed each color had its own value and meaning. One or several colors combined together had the means to express ideas. Being trained in Byzantine art, Russian master-iconographers accepted and preserved the symbolism of color. Russian icons did not achieve the same magnificence and austerity as the art of imperial Byzantium. However, colors in Russian icons attained a brightness that was livelier and more vibrant. The iconographers of ancient Russia learned to create works close in inspiration to local conditions, tastes and ideals.

Mother of God of Vladimir

The brilliance of gold in mosaics and icons made it possible to feel the radiant light of God and the splendor of the celestial kingdom where there is never any night. Gold symbolized the divine nature of God himself. This color glimmers with different nuances in the icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir.

Purple, or crimson, was a color very important in Byzantine culture. This is the color of the Celestial King and the Byzantine emperor, whom André Grabar called "God’s Lieutenant on earth." Only the Byzantine emperor could sign edicts in purple ink and sit in glory upon a purple throne, and it was only he who wore purple clothing and boots - for all others it was strictly forbidden. The leather or wood bindings of the Gospel in churches were sometimes covered with purple cloth. This color is present in icons on the clothing of the Mother of God - the Celestial Queen.

Tsar's Family

Red is one of the most frequently used colors in icons. This is the color of heat, passion, love, life and life-giving energy, and for this very reason red became the symbol of the resurrection - the victory of life over death. But at the same time it is the color of blood and torments, and the color of Christ's sacrifice. Martyrs are depicted in red clothing on icons. In red celestial fire blaze the wings of the Seraphim - angels stationed adjacent to God's throne. Sometimes icons were painted with a red background as a symbol of the celebration of eternal life.

Transfiguration. Novgorod. 15th century

White is the symbol of the heavenly realm and God’s divine light. (Figure 3) This is the color of cleanliness, holiness and simplicity. On icons and frescoes, saints and righteous people are usually depicted clothed in white as righteous ones - people who were good, honest, and lived by "the Truth." In the same manner, white was used in the swaddling bands of babies, the shrouds of the dead and the robes of angels. Only righteous souls were depicted as wearing white.

Dionisy. Annunciation

Dark-blue and blue indicate the infiniteness of the sky and is the symbol of another everlasting world. Dark blue was considered the color of the Mother of God who combines in her self both the terrestrial and celestial. The backgrounds of mural paintings in many Byzantine churches dedicated to the Mother of God are filled with a celestial dark blue.

Green is the color of natural, living things. It is the color of grass and leaves, youth, flowering, hope, and eternal renovation. Ancient iconographers often painted the earth green to denote where life began - such as in scenes of the Annunciation (Figure 4) and the Nativity.

Brown is the color of the bare earth, dust, and all that is transient and perishable. Used in combination with the royal purple clothing of the Mother of God, this color reminds one of her human nature, which was subject to death.

Resurrection of Lazarus, Kirilo-Belozersky Monastery, 15th century

Black is the color of evil and death. In iconography, caves were painted with the color black as a symbol of humankind's grave and the gaping infernal abyss. In some subjects this was also the color of mystery. For example, against a black background, which indicated the incomprehensible depth of the universe, icon painters depicted Cosmos - an old man with a crown - in the icon of the Pentecost or Descent of Holy Spirit. The black robes of monks, who have left the path of worldly life, are a symbol of their eschewing the pleasures and habits they formerly kept, and dying a death toward this way of life.
Colors Not Used in Iconography

A color that was never used in iconography is gray. When mixing black and white together, iniquity and righteousness, it becomes the color of vagueness, the color of the void and nonexistence. There was no place for this color in the radiant world of the icon.

Source:www.pravmir.com

Cossacks of the Napoleonic Wars-сossacks' weapons.

2010-04-21T01:55:00.000-07:00

"He knows how to use this weapon [lance]
with great skill and security,
nevertheless the fact that it is 1.5 foot
longer as the Polish lance." - Prokesch

The rank-and-file carried 8-foot long lance with a steel spearhead surmounting a steel ball to secure easy withdrawal of the point. Some Cossacks were also armed with curved sabers and 1-8 (!) pistols. Some carried carbines or muskets or other firearms. Furthermor, each sotnia (squadron) had muskets for 11 Cossacks trained as marksmen.

The officers were armed with sabers, but they have never mastered this weapon.
"... in 1812 ... a Prussian uhlan major fought a man-to-man duel with a Cossack officer (armed with saber) between their two regiments and captured him ..." ( - John Elting)
In 1814 near St.Dizier, the Guard Mamelukes "took a crack at some Cossacks whom 'they sabered in their accustomed style." - General Lefebvre-Desnouettes
Hungarian hussar "Samuel Hemmer... had engaged a large Cossack patrol by himself in 1812." Hollins - "Hungarian Hussar 1756-1815"

Prokesch writes, "... the lance is their main weapon. The Cossack knows how to use this weapon with great skill and security, nevertheless the fact that it is one and a half foot longer as the Polish lance. He knows how to use his sabre just as well; officers and NCO’s practice them for use against the Turks. The pistol is of less value to him. He considers it not really as a weapon, but only as a tool to scare the enemy. He fires only to fire, not to hit anything, and in common there are few Cossacks which use their pistols... Tettenborn armed his Cossacks completely with French muskets... The Cossack loves the use of a firearm, because of the reason that he fears the one of the enemy. He wants to take artillery with him, and the name Poushki (cannon) is for him a word of joy, as well as of fear...A tenth of every squadron consists of marksmen; Strelki. Rifle and pistols are mostly Turkish or Persian booty." (Prokesch - "Ueber den Kosaken, und dessen Brauchbarkeit im Felde")

Source:link

65 anniversary of WWII-children of war

2010-04-20T15:23:00.000-07:00

From time to time photos of child soldiers in Africa holding AK-47s or some other kind of weapon appear here and there provoking outrage and compassion from the Western public. But just a few decades ago, during World War II, there were often occasions of Russian kids fighting in the regular army against the Nazis.

Generally speaking, children were not allowed to join the combat army—but many exceptions were made. Many kids tried to run away from their homes “to the War” but most such cases were eventually captured by military police and returned back to their homes. While some did succeed in joining the army, it was often the case for these runaways to get lost in the woods or shot along their journey.

Also, from time to time, soldiers found children in the devastated and burnt down villages of the Soviet Union. While there was a directive for them to send such children to established orphanages, still sometimes such boys were simply incorporated into the active combat units. Specially sized uniforms were tailored for them and they were entrusted with guns. Some of those boys joined the army at nine or eleven, and stayed with their regiment through all the war front, from Russia to Germany, until the war ended and they were discharged at fourteen or sixteen, often with medals of honor.

Source:www.englishrussia.com