TYPICAL STEREOTYPES

ABOUT RUSSIA, RUSSIAN

CULTURE, RUSSIAN

CHARACTER.

•HOW YOU UNDERSTAND THE WORD “SYMBOL”?

•WHAT RUSSIAN SYMBOLS DO YOU KNOW?

Symbols - the official and non-official, propagandistic –and- stereotyped, and linguistic- and -cultural symbols play an important role in formation of a country and a nation’s image; they build up its recognition.  Symbols of Russia and Russians are quite diverse. There are only three official, i.e. authorized by law, symbols of the state - the flag, emblem and anthem. The number of informal symbols, which are often much more famous and popular, could be divided into the following groups:

Propagandistic- and- stereotyped symbols created by foreigners

•THEY USUALLY SUPPORT THE SOCIAL MYTHS AND POLITICAL ILLUSIONS (BEAR, VODKA, KGB,

KALASHNIKOV’S GUN) AND RELATED TO NATIONAL CULTURE: МАТРЕШКА

(MATRESHKA), БАЛАЛАЙКА (BALALAIKA), САМОВАР

(SAMOVAR), ШАПКА-УШАНКА, ТРОЙКА (TROIKA).

ONLY RUSSIAN SYMBOLS WITH NATIONAL CONNOTATIONS:     

• HISTORICAL 

• CULTURAL

• LINGUISTIC-AND -CROSS-CULTURAL.

SUCH SPECIAL RUSSIAN WORDS WHICH ARE DIFFICULT TO ACCURATELY TRANSLATE: 

FOR EXAMPLE,  THE WORD "ТОСКА" COULD BE TRASLATED AS “ANGUISH”,  “SORROW”, “GRIEF ", BUT NO ONE IS CORRECT

VODKA

VODKA IS THE MOST WELL-KNOWN

OF RUSSIAN ALCOHOL.

 MOST RUSSIANS PREFER THEIR

TRADITIONAL NATIONAL VODKA

THAN OTHER ALCOHOL (LIKE

MEXICANS LIKE TEQUILA AND

GERMANS LOVE THEIR SCHNAPPS).

                      WHEN AND WHERE WAS

VODKA INVENTED?

VODKAACCORDING TO ONE OF THE LEGENDS, THE

MONKS OF MOSCOW’S MONASTERY WERE

THE FIRST WHO STARTED PRODUCING

RUSSIAN VODKA. AFTER THEIR VISIT TO

CONSTANTINOPLE WHERE THEY TASTED

GRAPE SPIRIT, THEY STARTED MAKING

THE FIRST EVER HOOCH. AS THERE WERE

NO GRAPES GROWING IN THEIR LAND THE

SPIRIT WAS MADE OF GRAIN. THEY CALLED

THIS DRINK “AQUA VITAE” (LATIN FOR

“WATER OF LIFE” ). IT WAS A PROTOTYPE

OF THE PRESENT-DAY VODKA. THE WORD

VODKA WAS DERIVED FROM THE WORD

“VODA” (MEANING WATER).

Russian Civil War, brought a popular Russian fur hat, Ushanka (originally kolchakovka) . It became a winter uniform during WWII. The Ushanka

became a symbol and media icon of Soviet Russia. Since 1940 ushanka has become a part of the uniform of Russian army and militsia (police). Made

from sheepskin rabbit or muskrat fur, ushanka was designed to protect the ears, jaw and lower chin from the cold due to ear flaps. The word ushanka

derives from ushi (уши), "ears" in Russian.

BEARINSIDE RUSSIA, THE BEAR HAS A

DIFFERENT REPUTATION (THAN IN WEST), AND THIS ANIMAL HAS HAD POSITIVE CONNOTATIONS TO ALL

SLAVS. PRE-CHRISTIAN SLAVS BELIEVED THE BEAR TO BE THEIR

COMMON ANCESTOR.

 “MEDVED’” (BEAR) IS ONE OF THE HEROES OF MANY SLAVIC LEGENDS

AND FAIRYTALES. RUSSIANS TENDERLY GIVE THE BEAR A HUMAN

NAME OF MISHA (SOMETIMES ADDING A PATRONYMIC NAME OUT

OF RESPECT - HENCE, MIKHAIL POTAPYCH). BY THE WAY,

“MEDVED’”  (“MED” - HONEY, “VEDAT’”- TO KNOW) LITERALLY MEANS “THE ONE WHO KNOWS

WHERE THE HONEY IS.” 

BEARS LIVE THROUGHOUT RUSSIA. OF COURSE, YOU

WILL NOT SEE BEARS ROAMING THE STREETS OF

TOWNS AND CITIES, BUT YOU CAN SEE THEIR

IMAGES EVERYWHERE. THEY ARE ON COUNTLESS RUSSIAN TOWN SHIELDS

AS A SYMBOL OF STRENGTH AND COURAGE.

  THE LOVABLE LITTLE BEAR CUB MISHA WAS

CHOSEN TO BE RUSSIA’S MASCOT IN THE 1980

SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES HELD IN MOSCOW AND BECAME A FAVOURITE HERO OF CHILDREN’S CARTOON FOR YEARS.

 ALSO THE BEAR WAS ADOPTED AS THE UBIQUITOUS SYMBOL FOR THE UNITED RUSSIA.

BEAR SYMBOLOGY REACHED ITS

PEAK WHEN D. MEDVEDEV

BECAME THE PRESIDENT OF

RUSSIA. (IN RUSSIAN,

MEDVEDEV LITERALLY

MEANS, “OF THE BEARS.”)

  SYMBOLS ASSOCIATED WITH THE NATIONAL EVERY DAY CULTURE

IT IS A SET OF WOODEN DOLLS NESTED INTO EACH

OTHER. THE PAINTED IMAGE ON THEM IS MOST OFTEN A

WOMAN WEARING TRADITIONAL RUSSIAN

COSTUME DECORATED WITH FLOWERS AND PATTERNS. IT

SEEMS THAT THE MATRYOSHKA HAS COME TO US FROM THE ANTIC WORLD

OF LEGENDS AND FAIRY TALES, THOUGH IN REALITY THE WOODEN DOLL IS ONLY ABOUT HUNDRED YEARS IN

EXISTENCE.

       MATRYOSHKA WAS FIRST MADE IN RUSSIA AT THE END OF THE 19TH

CENTURY (PRECISELY IN THE 1880S), WHEN RUSSIA WAS EXPERIENCING A

RISING SENSE OF CULTURE AND NATIONAL IDENTITY. THE

INDUSTRIALIST AND PATRON OF THE ARTS, SAVVA MAMONTOV,

ESTABLISHED A CHILDREN’S EDUCATION WORKSHOP WHERE

RUSSIAN FOLK CRAFTSMEN PRODUCED A VARIETY OF FOLK-ART STYLE TOYS FOR CHILDREN AND DEVELOPED THE

IDEA OF THE CREATION OF A NEW RUSSIAN STYLE

       ONCE SOMEBODY HAS BROUGHT A FUNNY JAPANESE FIGURINE OF A BALD-HEADED OLD MAN FUKURUMA, WHICH

CONSISTED OF SEVEN OTHER FIGURINES NESTLED ONE ANOTHER. IT

WAS MADE ON THE ISLAND OF HONSHU,

JAPAN IN THE LATE

1800S

BY AN UNKNOWN

RUSSIAN MONK.

 

REALLY, THIS TYPE OF NESTING TOYS WAS WELL KNOWN

BEFORE - RUSSIAN CRAFTERS TURNED WOODEN EASTER EGGS

AND APPLES, BUT NOT FIGURINES. WITH THE ARRIVAL

OF THE RUSSIAN-JAPANESE "FUKURUMA"  THE CRAFTMAN V.

ZVEZDOCHKIN AND ARTIST S.MALIUTIN WERE INSPIRED TO CREATE A NEW RUSSIAN FOLK ART DOLL  - MATRYOSHKA.  IN APRIL OF 1900, MATRYOSHKA WAS REPRESENTED AT THE

WORLD FAIR IN PARIS, WHERE IT WON THE BRONZE MEDAL AND

WORLDWIDE FAME.

          THE NAME "MATRYOSHKA" COMES FROM THE RUSSIAN WORD

FOR “MOTHER” - «МАТЬ» (THE LATIN ROOT “MATER “- MOTHER).

MATRYOSHKA HAS COME TO MEAN “LITTLE MOTHER” BASED ON THE

IDEA THAT THE LARGEST DOLL HOLDS HER BABIES INSIDE LIKE AN

EXPECTANT MOTHER AND THAT EACH DAUGHTER IN TURN BECOMES

A MOTHER. SO MATRYOSHKA IS A SYMBOL OF MOTHERHOOD AND IT HAS A MODIFIED EGG SHAPE. THE

NAMES MATRYONA AND MATRYOSHA WERE COMMON FEMALE NAMES IN RUSSIAN

COUNTRY TO THE REVOLUTION OF 1917. THE SUFFIX -ESHKA (OR –

USHKA-) IS FREQUENTLY USED IN RUSSIAN TO DENOTE A DIMINUTIVE

FORM OF A NAME.

MUSEUM OF MATRESHKAS

BALALAIKA

THE BALALAIKA IS A PLUCKING STRING INSTRUMENT THAT RESEMBLES A

GUITAR, BUT HAS A TRIANGULAR SHAPE AND ONLY THREE STRINGS (OR TWO IN

SOME CASES).

UNFORTUNATELY, TODAY THE BALALAIKA HAS DISAPPEARED FROM RUSSIANS’ EVERYDAY LIFE ALMOST

COMPLETELY.

THERE AREN’T MANY PEOPLE LEFT WHO CAN PLAY IT – NOT TO MENTION, ONLY PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS IN RUSSIAN

FOLK MUSIC ENSEMBLES.

THE FIRST MENTION OF THE TERM "BALALAIKA" WAS IN A RUSSIAN

DOCUMENT FROM 1688  - BALALAIKA WAS USED BY RUSSIAN PEASANTS,

SKOMOROHKI, OR WANDERING MINSTRELS. IT EXISTED IN VARIOUS

FORMS WITH TRIANGULAR AND OVAL BODIES, DIFFERING NUMBERS OF STRINGS, AND MOVABLE TIED-ON STRING FRETS, AND WAS MAINLY

USED FOR PLAYING DANCE TUNES. THE MODERN VARIANT OF

INSTRUMENT - STANDARDIZED, THREE-STRING CHROMATIC

TRIANGULAR-BODIED BALALAIKA WITH FIXED METAL FRETS AND OTHER

INNOVATIONS -  WAS CREATED BACK IN 1880 BY VASILII ANDREEV.

BALALAIKA

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