Traditions

Duelling

In Ancient Rome, armed combat between two men was regarded as a spectacle fit only for lowly gladiator slaves. It was only in the Middle Ages that the judicial duel was established as a way of settli...

Cuisine

The custom of serving starters or hors d’oeuvres ( zakuski ) is said to have arisen in Russia. The traditional Russian starters are caviar, cured and smoked fish and meat dishes. The harsh climate ta...

Bathhouse

One of the most popular Russian customs is visiting a bathhouse ( banya ). Vladimir Dahl’s Explanatory Dictionary claims that the word banya is derived from the verb banit’ (to wash or clean with wat...

Kissing Ceremony

The moral regulations for Russian households ( Domostroi ) were written by a Novgorod monk called Sylvester in the sixteenth century. These rules condemned Russian women to a life spent in solitude. ...

Fortune Telling

Fortune telling is a time-honoured tradition in Russia. Throughout the year, it was the custom to tell fortunes on the eve of all important Orthodox holidays. The most propitious time for fortune tel...

Easter Eggs

The traditional Easter fare of Russian Orthodox Christians is kulich (Easter cake), pascha (a sweet cream-cheese dish) and painted Easter eggs. The presenting of Easter eggs began during the Easter s...

Symbolical Ploughing

The custom of ploughing the earth around a Russian village dates from an ancient pagan rite based on the belief in the magical power of the circle. Symbolical ploughing was carried out during cattle ...

Carol Singing

The first in the annual cycle of traditional festivals was yuletide ( svyatki ). In the Ukraine and White Russia, the word for yuletide is kolyadki, which is also the term used to describe the custom...

Balls

One of the most important events in the life of the Russian nobility was balls. The main element of the ball was dancing. In the eighteenth century, balls traditionally opened with a minuet. By the e...

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