President Obama gave a nice tribute to Russian culture in his speech to Moscow college students.

In our 100th issue, we have a long feature, "100 Things Everyone Should Know About Russia," with loads of factoids, notes, lists and essays. We figured our list of the "must read" fiction and "must see" movies would be a bit contentious (and certainly foreshortened). So we are posting the lists here for reader comment and supplementation...

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

Editor's choice of books about Russian folklore and folktales.

A Modern Russian Wedding: The Art of Getting Married. A look at Russian wedding traditions, past and present.

In February 1582, the Catholic Church, in the person of Pope Gregory the thirteenth, decreed a new, more accurate calendar to replace the Julian calendar, which had been in use since 45 BC. The revision meant dropping 10 days off the year...

Brief history of Russian prianiki (gingerbread) and a traditional recipe to enjoy during the holidays or anytime throughout the year; especially with a nice hot pot of tea!

Ded Moroz; Grandfather Frost; is the Russian counterpart to the Western Santa Claus and other Gift Givers worldwide. He and his assistant, Snegurochka, continue to delight children and adults alike. In 2000, Santa Claus traveled to Russia to meet Ded Moroz for the first time!

Traditions of the so-called Russian pancake and several authentic recipes.

Russian customs and traditions regarding the consumption of water, tea and vodka.

Russia's history of taking to the spas, in the shadow of military conflict.

The Saami people (Russian population: 1,800) struggle to survive as a small national group in Russia.