Culture & Customs

On September 29-30, 1941, Nazi troops shot over 33,000 Jews at the edge of the Babi Yar ravine near Kiev. Yevgeny Yevtushenko's poem memorializing the tragedy ensures it will never be forgotten. 

Dmitry Shostakovich created classical music that spoke to modern times. Read up on his life story and listen along to some of finest works along the way. 

Why are calendars so great? Give me a few minutes, and I will blow your mind.

Matt Traver decided to walk across Siberia and create a documentary film in the process. His first leg didn’t go very smoothly.

Russian Wedding Pie (Kurnik) makes great party fare, but it also has an interesting history connected to fall holidays.

Two superbly captured athletic moments for two Russian athletes at the Rio games.

Kefir is the most popular fermented milk in Russia. But it did not get there overnight. Kefir and Russia have a long history...

Fazil Iskander, a missile in the world of Soviet literature, passed away on July 31. Here are five of his pearls of wisdom on humor, science, politics, Stalin, and the Russian soul.

July 25 is the 155th birthday of Apollinary Vasnetsov, who is both a renowned painter of medieval Russia and a fixture in the night sky.

On July 8, Russia celebrates the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, a holiday aimed at promoting traditional family values, more commonly known as Fevronia's Day. What's it all about?

Wy Russians so fear the month of August.

Ukraine’s bustling Black Sea port is one of that country’s most Russian of cities. And while there seems to be some dispute about how old the city is, there is no disputing that Odessa is distinctly Odessan.