Word of the day: Congratulations!
Поздравляю = Congratulations
I’m not celebrating anything in particular. I just came across this post card in some old stuff an I always liked it. I actually bought this used at a little book market somewhere in Russia in 2003.
Are you celebrating something today? If so….Поздравляю!
Russian Winter Festival
It’s been a busy holiday season (so far) but I’m never too busy to squeeze in another Russian festival! This weekend, муж and I attended the Russian Winter Festival at the Hillwood Museum.
I am not ashamed to admit, the part of the festival I was most excited for was the “special art activity where visitors of all ages can create their own kokoshnik, a lady’s headdress”. What do you think of my special art?
And do you recognize the musical group from the bottom picture? (Hint here.)
In the middle are my two favorite artifacts from ‘the Estate’.
The festival was fun, but I’m not sure I’d pay the $18 admission to go back next year. Most of the festivals I went to this year were just as jolly of a good time and were also free.
What Russian events have you been to this holiday season?
Internet Kloob
This is the internet kloob we used throughout our trip to St. Petersburg to check email and make hotel arrangements. It’s just down the street from Sennaya Ploshchad. (The place where the subway cart was.)
From my experience, internet kloobs in Russia usually consist of a small room with 10-15 computers and 5-10 adolescent boys playing video games. This one offered the added bonus of a coffee vending machine in the corner that we tested out on several occasions.
What was your experience at an internet kloob like?
(And yes, the proper translation would be internet club, or internet cafe, but I wanted to convey the slight silliness I feel when I pronounce this in Russian.)
One final thought - I’ve looked at this picture many times, and it wasn’t until I posted it that I realized ‘internet’ is written in English and ‘club’ is written in Russian. Maybe that’s where the silliness comes from!
Giveaway Winner
Thanks to everyone who entered in my first giveaway! And the lucky winner of “First Thousand Words in Russian” is….Lerussianprincess! So please get a hold of me and let me know how to get you your prize!
I have another cool idea in mind for next month’s giveaway, so be sure to check back in early January!
Subway - take it with you!
And here’s a better shot of the Subway Trailor you can just catch a glimpse of in the ‘Watermelon Cage’ post.
Yet another thing in Russia I found odd: a pull-behind trailer that they sell Subway out of it. I guess it makes sense. It’s the kind of thing they might sell hotdogs or ice cream out of here.
And don’t forget! Today is your last chance to enter to win “First 1000 Words in Russian”. Don’t forget to enter. And I’ve already got an exciting prize picked out for next month’s giveaway, so stay tuned for that!
Lezginka!
Last Friday I was lucky enough to attend a Lezginka workshop sponsored by Russkiy Mir of Washington DC.
What’s Lezginka? It’s the national dance of the Caucasus region. Each area has it’s own variation. We learned the Kabardinian, as that’s where our young dance-instructor couple (shown here) is from.
The version we learned is the dance of a love story. There are three parts. During the first part, the Kafa*, the woman is very shy, barely making eye contact with the man as he dances around her. The second part is called the Laparisa*. This is where the two start to show off a bit more - especially the man. This was definitely the most fun to dance as it involved some of the quick footwork you’ll see in the video below.
The third part, the Witch* is where the two finally get to be together (after getting the family’s permission, of course). This is the only part of the dance where the couple touches. (*These spellings are my best guesses, as I could not find a reliable source with this information printed, so corrections are welcome!)
Check out this video to see a sample of the Lezginka.
And don’t forget: Now through Friday, you can enter to WIN a copy of First 1000 Words in Russian! Click here for details!
Super Tuesday Giveaway!
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am very thankful for anyone who reads this blog and especially anyone who comments, likes, or reposts, so I offer you my first giveaway!
What’s the prize? This adorable book - The First Thousand Words in Russian. I have a copy myself and love it! It’s great for beginners and more advanced speakers alike, as it contains a lot of words you just don’t use on a regular basis. (As well as many you do.)
Note - the book is slightly used, but is in very good condition.
Here’s how it will work:
I think that’s about it. Oh, I’ll mail to anywhere in the world, so anyone can enter. And since we are nearing the holidays, if you are the winner and would like to send this as a gift to someone, I will gladly giftwrap it and send it their way. Just let me know.
Good luck!
Update: And the winner is lerussianprincess! Thanks to all who entered and please check back next month for a giveaway you will not want to miss!
Word of the day: gamble
Last weekend I had a great time in Vegas with some girlfriends. So of course, I needed to know how to say gamble, which translates as играть в азартные игры.
играть = to play
азартные = risky
игры = games
By the way, this photo is from the “Happy Days” slot machine game. I was very excited to see it because I think this looks exactly like me! (Especially before I lost weight on the ‘Russian diet’, but that’s for another post.)
What do you think? Think this looks like my other pictures that are posted?
***Thanks, filinka, for the correction!
![Мишка Косолапый
Last week I went to my regular Russian conversation Meetup and had a great time. One of our members had just gotten back from Russia and was kind enough to bring us back some Русские Конфеты (Russian candy)!! Not only was it a tasty (and sentimental) treat, it also lead to a mini Russian Lesson. The name of the candy is “Мишка Косолапый”.
I was told by one of our native Russians that the candy is named after a children’s nursery rhyme, and it goes like this:
Мишка косолапый по лесу идёт,Шишки собирает, песенку поёт.Шишка отлетела — прямо Мишке в лоб!Мишка рассердился и ногою — топ!
Here’s my loose translation:Clumsy Mishka walks around in the forest,Collecting pine cones and singing little songs.A pine cone falls and hits Mishka right in the head!Mishka gets mad and stamps his foot!
[Мишка is a прозвище (nickname) that means bear in nursery rhymes.]
Are there any Russian candies that bring back memories from your travels?](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lv3g9rLKlb1qed3zko1_1280.jpg)
Мишка Косолапый
Last week I went to my regular Russian conversation Meetup and had a great time. One of our members had just gotten back from Russia and was kind enough to bring us back some Русские Конфеты (Russian candy)!! Not only was it a tasty (and sentimental) treat, it also lead to a mini Russian Lesson. The name of the candy is “Мишка Косолапый”.
I was told by one of our native Russians that the candy is named after a children’s nursery rhyme, and it goes like this:
Мишка косолапый по лесу идёт,
Шишки собирает, песенку поёт.
Шишка отлетела — прямо Мишке в лоб!
Мишка рассердился и ногою — топ!
Here’s my loose translation:
Clumsy Mishka walks around in the forest,
Collecting pine cones and singing little songs.
A pine cone falls and hits Mishka right in the head!
Mishka gets mad and stamps his foot!
[Мишка is a прозвище (nickname) that means bear in nursery rhymes.]
Are there any Russian candies that bring back memories from your travels?
Peterhof/Петергоф
There’s not really a lot to add to this. It’s beautiful. I highly recommend it. (Try to get the citizens’ discount.)
Raise your hand if you’ve been there!
Want 10 Christmas cards from around the world? (yes!)
Hey guys, I just came across this and had to share! Someone on Tumblr is doing a Christmas card exchange! You just sign up, agree to send out 10 cards to the addresses you are given, and in return, you’ll get 10 cards from around the world!
This sounds pretty cool to me. I am definitely going to try it out. I’m excited to see where my cards come from!
You should try it too and let me know where you get cards from!
Only thing is: the deadline is Tuesday November 15th! (Sorry, I just found this or I would have posted it sooner.) Have fun!
I've been studying Russian for years - I'll fill you in on the fun stuff! (It's all fun!)
areg:
Photo by Vitaly Arutyunov, 1987.
The 52-meter-tall monument “The Motherland Calls” -...
Moving out into the field of the V. I. Lenin Kolkhoz, Ukraine, 1933. Photo by Georgiy Petrusov.
Party Favour Boxes, from Etsy
