About Russia for foreigners

What you need to know about Russia

What you need to know about Russia

A matryoshka doll also known as a Russian nesting doll is a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed one inside another. The name "matryoshka", literally "little matron", is a diminutive form of Russian female first name "Matryona" or "Matriosha". A set of matryoshkas consists of a wooden figure which separates, top from bottom, to reveal a smaller figure of the same sort inside, which has, in turn, another figure inside of it, and so on. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matryoshka_doll Matryoshka doll - Wikipedia The first Russian nested doll set was made in 1890 by Vasily Zvyozdochkin from a design by Sergey Malyutin, who was a folk crafts painter at Abramtsevo. Traditionally the outer layer is a woman, dressed in a sarafan, a long and shapeless traditional Russian peasant jumper dress. Wikipedia

The balalaika is a Russian stringed musical instrument with a characteristic triangular wooden, hollow body and three strings. The earliest mention of the term balalaika dates back to a 1688 Russian document. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balalaika Balalaika - Wikipedia The balalaika ( Russian: балала́йка, pronounced [bəɫɐˈɫajkə]) is a Russian stringed musical instrument with a characteristic triangular wooden, hollow body and three strings. Two strings are usually tuned to the same note and the third string is a perfect fourth higher. The higher-pitched balalaikas are used to play melodies and chords. Wikipedia

What you need to know about Russia

A matryoshka doll also known as a Russian nesting doll is a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed one inside another. The name "matryoshka", literally "little matron", is a diminutive form of Russian female first name "Matryona" or "Matriosha". A set of matryoshkas consists of a wooden figure which separates, top from bottom, to reveal a smaller figure of the same sort inside, which has, in turn, another figure inside of it, and so on. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matryoshka_doll Matryoshka doll - Wikipedia The first Russian nested doll set was made in 1890 by Vasily Zvyozdochkin from a design by Sergey Malyutin, who was a folk crafts painter at Abramtsevo. Traditionally the outer layer is a woman, dressed in a sarafan, a long and shapeless traditional Russian peasant jumper dress. Wikipedia

The balalaika is a Russian stringed musical instrument with a characteristic triangular wooden, hollow body and three strings. The earliest mention of the term balalaika dates back to a 1688 Russian document. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balalaika Balalaika - Wikipedia The balalaika ( Russian: балала́йка, pronounced [bəɫɐˈɫajkə]) is a Russian stringed musical instrument with a characteristic triangular wooden, hollow body and three strings. Two strings are usually tuned to the same note and the third string is a perfect fourth higher. The higher-pitched balalaikas are used to play melodies and chords. Wikipedia

A samovar is a heated metal container traditionally used to heat and boil water in and around Russia as well as in other countries. Though traditionally heated with coal or charcoal, many newer samovars use electricity to heat water in a manner similar to an electric water boiler. Antique samovars are often prized for their beautiful workmanship. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samovar Samovar - Wikipedia A traditional samovar consists of a large metal container with a tap near the bottom and a metal pipe running vertically through the middle. The pipe is filled with solid fuel which is ignited to heat the water in the surrounding container. A small (6 to 8 inch) smoke-stack is put on the top to ensure draft. Wikipedia

Banya is a small room or building designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these facilities. The steam and high heat make the bathers perspire. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banya_(sauna) Banya (sauna) - Wikipedia In a "black banya" (or, more precisely, "black-way", по-чёрному), the smoke escapes through a hole in the ceiling, while in "white banyas" ("white-way", по-белому) there are exhaust pipes to vent the smoke. In the former, the escaping smoke darkens the banya's interior wood. Wikipedia