Русская народная культура/Russian folk Culture
A small set of nesting dolls which lie inside one of another, depicting a mother or older lady in traditional clothing
Матрёшка!
A hearty Russian (or is it Ukrainian?) soup. Sour, reddish in color from beets, made with cabbage and red meat.
Борщ!
In 1959, the bodies of nine Soviet travelers were discovered on the eastern side of the Kholatchacl mountain in the Urals. Six were found in varying positions several hundred meters from their home camp, three of whom wore as little as only their underwear. The other three died from gruesome injuries, varying from gouged out eyes (which befell two), a missing tongue, missing eyebrows, and a cracked skull. Their tents had been ripped open from the inside, several were found in a stream, and one had abnormally high traces of radiation on his clothing. What is the name of this incident, which comes from the name of the leader of the group?
Гибель группы Дятлова
The United States State department advises American citizens do NOT drink milk or dairy products from this country due to illegal grazing of cattle in heavily irradiated areas contaminated by the Chernobyl disaster
Беларусь (
This Russian rock singer, famous in the 1970s and 80s, is descended from Koreans who were forcibly moved to Central Asia during the period of Stalin.
Виктор Цой (он жив)
A cheap Russian hat with flaps for each ear, usually made from sheepskin or rabbit fur.
From the Russian word уша for ear.
Ушанка!
Thin crepe like pancakes made from wheat or buckwheat served with the Russian version of sour cream сметана
Блины
A hunchbacked, deformed old woman, who lives in a forest and preys on unsuspecting victims. She flies around on a mortar and pestle and has a bone for a leg. What is her name?
Баба яга
The national dance of Ukraine
Гопак
This famous 90s Russian movie is about a Chechen war veteran who goes to St. Petersburg to help his brother. The Russian rock legend Nautlus Pompilius provides the score.
Брат
Every year during the Winter Solstice festival of масленица, dozens, sometimes even hundreds, of Russians engage in traditional brawling fist fights. What is the name of this sublime cultural pastime?
In 2007 it was officially registered as a sport, complete with world championships starting in 2016
Стенка на стенку
Originally from the Turkic world, a kebab of grilled and skewered meat. Did not originate in Russia but is popular as a street food there and especially in Central Asia
Шашлык
A terrible creature from Eastern Slavic mythology whose eyelids are so heavy it requires the assistance of others to lift them. But his gaze is so terrible that it will not only strike whoever he sees dead, but can turn entire cities to ashes.
Also the name of a story by Gogol and a movie from 1967
Вий
A popular Georgian sauce derived from cherry plum, usually very tart. Often includes dill, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. Goes great with meat or potato dishes
Tkemali
A popular Russian cartoon figure. He appears to be like a monkey and a bear cub. He is friends with Gena the crocodile. He is a classic Soviet cartoon. What is his name?
Two parts: name both the traditional clothing for Russian men and Russian women.
For men (though women can wear it as well) it is a tight collared long sleeve shirt with beautiful designs on it and a short set of buttons running down the collar. Russian ворот is part of the root.
For women it is a long jumper dress (ie intended to be worn over other clothing) which is loose and often beautifully embroidered or brightly colored
Мужчины: косоворотка
Женщины: сарафан
This confectionary is made by whipping berry puree with egg whites and sugar. It appears similar to meringue. It has the consistency of a marshmallow and usually appears either white or rose colored.
Зефир!
A thirty year long curse, starting in 1991. Every month, an abnormally high amount of disasters seems to strike the Russian world. They include, starting in 1991, with a coup d'etat attempt, and have since then encompassed:
-A sinking submarine (118 dead)
-Defeat in a war against the breakaway province Checnya
-Death of Mikhail Gorbachyov
-Six airplane crashes, bombings, and collisions and a train collision
-Wildfires and flooding striking different parts of Russia
-The collapse of the Russian economy
Which month is this?
Август
This horseback riding game, played in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Azerbaijan, involves a boy and girl racing. If the boy overtakes the girl, who is given an advantage, he may kiss her. If the girl is not overtaken, she may turn around and beat the boy with a whip. What is the name of this game?
Kyz kuu or "girl chasing"
This Ukrainian comedy actor is a prominent pop artist in the Russophone world. He dresses in drag and sings in Russian.
In Russia, if you sit or appear between two people with the same name, there is a popular superstition that you should do what?
Hint: in olden days, children were usually named after saints. Thus, people perceived the phenomenon as being helped by saints
Загадайте желание!
This famous type of пряник (sweet bread, sometimes translated as gingerbread) comes with beautiful designs on it. On the пряник there are stamps of geographic locations, eagles, names, or other images. The intricacy of these designs is so deep some consider it an artwork. From which city does this specific type of gingerbread come from?
Hint: This city is also known for producing many of Russia's weapons, both in the past and today
Тула!
For nearly fifty years in Russia a mysterious radio broadcast has sounded over the airwaves. Usually the non stop broadcast plays monotonous buzzer tones, but in the span of its service several odd incidents have occurred, such as Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake playing, a cryptic conversation taking place over a generator, and a woman screaming. Some believe that it is part of Russia's "dead hand," that is, a nuclear defense system which is run by a robot and will automatically trigger mass nuclear retaliation in the event that the broadcast is interrupted.
The exact location of the broadcasts has never been determined, to say nothing of their purpose. What is the name (either formal or colloquial) for this station?
УВБ-76 или Жужжалка
This Baltic country professes the lowest belief in religion in all of Europe, with a 2009 Eurobarometer poll finding that only 16% of her inhabitants profess any sort of faith.
Estonia
This 2002 Russian music video by t.a.t.u provoked outrage in Russia as it portrayed two lesbian girls making out in rain. What is the name of the song in the music video?
All the things you said/ Я сошла с ума