May 01, 2011 A 20,000 Candle Party On May 11, 1791, one of the most extravagant and sumptuous parties of Catherine the Great’s reign was held in the Tauride Palace, the St. Petersburg residence of Prince Grigory Potyomkin.
May 01, 2011 Holy Trinity Monastery Each year on June 13, Holy Spirit Day, Holy Trinity Monastery in upstate New York celebrates its annual feast day, opening its doors to the public. The largest spiritual center for the Russian Orthodox faith outside Russia, the monastery played an important role in preservation of Orthodoxy during the Soviet era.
May 01, 2011 How the East Was Won Since Soviet Russia began domestic production of trucks and automobiles, the road rally has been a venerated pursuit. Yet, interestingly, Russian road rallies are not about winning a race, but finishing a quest.
May 01, 2011 Russian Strings As a festival in Moscow brings together virtuoso guitarists from across Europe, the traditional Russian seven-stringed form of the instrument is enjoying a renaissance… in America. Music
May 01, 2011 Trekking In Partisan Footsteps Eastern Crimea was a center for partisan activity during the Great Patriotic War. In honor of the May Day holiday, we trek through this wild realm along the Black Sea. Regions Theater War
May 01, 2011 Uchites 12 The 12th installment of our Uchites insert uses the 60th anniversary of Nazi Germany's invasion of Russia as its theme. Language
May 01, 2011 Contemplating Chernobyl Just as Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus were preparing to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the deadly Chernobyl nuclear accident (April 26, 1986), the world faced a harrowing reminder of the possibility of nuclear catastrophe, as Japan’s Fukushima plant experienced multiple partial meltdowns, spewing radioactive material into the air and water. History
May 01, 2011 Fiction and Memoirs Reviews of five books: Snowdrops by A.D. Miller; Deathless, by Catherynne M. Valente; The Russian Word's Worth, by Michele A. Berdy; The Three Fat Men, by Yuri Olesha; Memoir of a Gulag Actress, by Tamara Petkevich. Literature
May 01, 2011 The All-Important Tavern Boris Kustodiev’s painting Moscow Tavern (1916) captures a world that was soon to vanish. Here, old-fashioned cabbies, wearing the telltale long beards and caftans of Old Believers, enjoy a break from their work as they relax over tea. Recipe: Herring in Dill Sauce
