RUSSIA AND CULTURES OF THE SLAVIC REALM

Russians adopt Cyrillic alphabet

Sts. Cyril and Methodius, missionaries

Based on sounds used in language

Contains both Western letters and others.

http://www.gadling.com/2009/03/30/gadling-teaches-you-to-read-the-cyrillic-alphabet-in-5-minutes/

SLAVIC SURNAMES

Male/female have different endings:

Maria Sharopova, Anna Kournikova, Sasha Popov

Russian – ovich (son), ova (daughter), sky (from a place)

Polish – wiecz, ski

Czech – ek, ka

Serbo-Croatian – ic

Ukrainian – witz, ko

ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY

ORTHODOX CHURCH

Russia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, Georgia, eastern Ukraine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU6Ll_pL5Ok&feature=related&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzK5YEVMHn4&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active

ICONS- Religious images

WEST SLAVS

West Slavic tribes emerge as kingdoms in the early Middle Ages:

Poland, Bohemia (Czechs), Croatia

Adopt Western Christianity – Roman Catholicism – and are tied to rest of Europe, though maintaining Slavic folk culture.

RUSSIAN ARCHITECTURE

Influenced by

Byzantine empire

and Orthodox

Christianity

11th-century Byzantine Cathedral of Sancta Sophia

Russian Architecture: 1550St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow

RUSSIAN WOODEN CHURCHES

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~ri8a-iskw/chap3p02.htm

Wooden architecture

RUSSIAN IZBA

DACHAS – Summer homes popoular throughout Eastern Europe

“RUSSIAN STOVE” Fireplace design

RUSSIAN TROIKA – sled drawn by three horses

DRESS

All Slavic cultures feature elaborate embroidery – each people has its distinct dress

http://masterrussian.net/f25/ru-ua-fashion-style-traditional-clothing-14975/

UKRAINIAN EASTER EGGS

Matryoshka dolls

RUSSIAN MUSIC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXp09LPSN70&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzK5YEVMHn4&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active

MUSIC and GREAT COMPOSERS

Russian/Slavic Culture

Eastern Slavs

Russian culture impacts EuropeMusic: Tchaikovsky (Nutcracker), Stravinsky

Literature: Dostoevsky, Tolstoy

Dance (Ballet): Baryshnikov

Search for security

COSSACKS

“Frontiersman”- like group from southern Russia and Ukraine

Noted for horsemanship and as supporters of the Czar

COSSACKS=BIKER GANGS with their own country?

COSSACK INSPIRED DANCE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WpYWpN0VXU&feature=related&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoQb8vb4blA&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active

RUSSIAN VILLAGES

Comm-

unal

Decision-

Making –

“Obshchina”