March 18th Today, I am...

...this incredibly carved old Russian window!

 

So, this is the wooden architecture typical for Russian North. It's one of the most remarkable forms of traditional Russian architecture. Wooden houses in Russia are adorned with decorative trim around the windows and on the roof, porches, and gates, which served to protect house from evil spirits, maintain well-being, attract positive energy, and ensure fertile soil for farming. The functional purpose of a traditional Russian window cover is to fill the gap between the actual window frame and the wall of a wooden house. In the 18^th century, window covers were an integral part of wooden architecture, and craftsmen employed a unique woodcarving technique, which has been preserved in regional traditions to this day. Almost every city in Russia has some fine examples of these covers, but, for some unknown reason, most people tend not to notice them. Unfortunately, wood eventually deteriorates if not properly cared for and combined with the availability of cheaper, modern construction materials like brick, stucco and concrete, these traditional wooden houses are disappearing on a daily basis.

other old Russian windows:

interesting Russian facts (a bit more than usual, sinc Russia is SO BIG!):

* Russians never shake hands over a door way, they believe it leads to arguments
* Russians celebrate New Year 2 times a year (01st of January and Orthodox Stule New Year 14th of January)
* Russia has borders with 15 countries: Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Norway, Poland, Ukraine
* hospitality plays a significant role in the Russian mentality and  character, once you make friends with Russian people you will surely value this unique feature of the so-called «Wide Russian soul»
* Russia is bigger than Pluto
* Russia was the first to send dog Laika into space
* vodka was introduced in Russia in the period from 1448 to 1474
* Russians usually wear a wedding ring on the right hand
* in Russia men never give an even amount of flowers to a lady, it is a  bad luck and is associated with funerals
* when you have a visitor (friend or anyone else) you HAVE to offer them at least a coffee or tea with cookies, it's rude if you don't feed your guest
* in 1908 the Imperial Russian Olympic Team arrived to London 12 days too late for the games because they were not using the Gregorian calendar yet
* beer was not considered an alcoholic beverage in Russia until 2013
* foxes are domesticated like dogs by Russian scientists since 1959
* there was a "Beard Tax" in Russia, during Peter the Great's Reign, paid by anyone who had a beard
* there's a museum in Russia that hires cats to protect its artworks against rodents

(facts found at Fact Slides and  Tsar Events)