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

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

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

UKRAINIAN EASTER EGGS

Matryoshka dolls

ICONS- Religious images

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

RUSSIAN VILLAGES

Comm-

unal

Decision-

Making –

“Obshchina”