March 28th Today, I am...

...this traditional Russian Matryoshka doll!

I'm also called a nesting doll or Matrioshka, if you wish. Unfortunatelly, there is no information of who was the first to call me Matryoshka, but this name goes from Russian female name Matriona, which was a very popular name among peasants. Its Latin root "mater" means "Mother" and was associated with the image of a mother of a big peasant family who was very healthy and had a portly figure. Subsequently, it became a symbolic name and was used specially to image brightly painted wooden figurines made in a such way that they could taken apart to reveal smaller dolls fitting inside one another. Professional artist made the first painted matryoshka nesting dolls just for fun. The stacking dolls were very expressive and they won admiration of adults and children. In the initial period of matryoshka development particularly attention was paid to faces of matryoshka, clothes were not detailed painted as they are painted and decorated now. Such dolls depicted different characters and types: peasants, merchants, and noblemen. Sometimes a nesting doll portrayed the whole family with numerous children and members of households. The most popular set of matryoshka dolls consisted of 3, 8 and 12 pieces. In 1913 a 48-pieces matryoshka made by N. Bulichev was displayed at the Exhibition of Toys in St. Petersburg.

other Matryoshka dolls:

interesting Matryoshka dolls facts:

* Matryoshkas are directly inspired by Japanese Daruma dolls; these dolls are modeled on the founder of Zen Buddhism, and symbolize prosperity and good luck
* it takes two years to cure (dry) the wood before it can be used to make the dolls
* each set of dolls is made out of a single piece of wood; the smallest doll is made first
* the smallest known doll is the size of a Tic Tac
* Matryoshkas are often called “Babushka Dolls”, but this is wrong; babushka means “grandmother” in Russian and Matryoshka means “little mother,” as the dolls inside represent her children
* a Matryoshka can sell for as much as $5,000

(all facts found at Sideshare)

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)