TYPICAL STEREOTYPES ABOUT RUSSIA, RUSSIAN CULTURE, RUSSIAN CHARACTER.

1. TYPICAL STEREOTYPES ABOUT RUSSIA, RUSSIAN CULTURE, RUSSIAN CHARACTER.

2. HOW YOU UNDERSTAND THE WORD “SYMBOL”? • WHAT RUSSIAN SYMBOLS DO YOU KNOW?

3. 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

4. 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).

5. 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

6. 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?

7. VODKA ACCORDING 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).

8. 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.

9. BEAR INSIDE 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.” 

10. 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.

11. 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.

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

13. BEAR SYMBOLOGY REACHED ITS PEAK WHEN D.MEDVEDEV BECAME THE PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA. (IN RUSSIAN, MEDVEDEV LITERALLY MEANS, “OF THE BEARS.”)

14.   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.

15. 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

16. 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.

17. 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.

18.  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.

19. MUSEUM OF MATRESHKAS

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. BALALAIKA

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