August 29, 2019

Summer Fun for All Faiths and All Ages


Summer Fun for All Faiths and All Ages
You could lose your marbles trying to imagine how much marble it took to build the biggest mosque in Europe. The official site of the Head of the Chechen Republic

Quote of the Week

“Pobeda [a Russian airline], company of sadists, be cursed!”

– A priest from Yekaterinburg allegedly cursed an airline that refused to let a crying woman get on a flight in order to travel to a funeral, because of baggage issues. She didn’t take off, but the story did. 

 

Happy birthday, Akhmad Kadyrov and 6-year-old Artyom! 

1. Who says that Russia is only known for onion-domed churches? On August 23, the largest mosque in Europe was officially opened for worship in Shali, Chechnya. The massive mosque can fit 30,000 people inside – three times as much as the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow – and 100,000 people on its overall territory, which is more than double the total population of Shali. The date of the ceremony coincided with the birthday of Chechnya’s first president, Akhmad Kadyrov (current president Ramzam Kadyrov’s father), who played a significant role in bringing peace to Chechnya. While some wanted to name the mosque in honor of Kadyrov Junior, the final decision was to look at the bigger picture for Europe’s biggest mosque, and name it after the Prophet Muhammed. Peace be upon him, and peace be in Chechnya. 

2. Erdogan screams, Putin screams, all of Russia screams for ice cream. At the annual International Aviation and Space Salon (MAKS) in Moscow President Putin bought ice cream for his guest, Turkish President Erdogan. He used a 5000-ruble note (about $75) and asked that the change be put toward Russian aviation development. He quickly changed his mind, though, and decided to buy ice cream for the whole delegation instead. His choice for Erdogan was a bit vanilla – literally vanilla – but Putin, never one to be boring, bought himself both chocolate and cream-flavored ice creams. (It sounds less redundant in Russian.) Putin bought the same ice cream at the same conference two years ago, when it was a whopping 15 cents cheaper, a fact that made headlines for some reason. 

Putin buying Erdogan ice cream
Certainly can’t accuse Putin giving the Turkish president a cold welcome. / Dmitry Smirnov | Twitter

3. Artyom, a five-year-old, reported that one of his toy cars had been stolen by another boy. And he reported it to the regional head of the police. The authorities didn’t play around. They took immediate action to settle the conflict between the children. Then, when Artyom turned six this past week, the local police chief came to his house to wish him a happy birthday from the regional head, gift him a new toy car, and give him a ride in a real police car. No wonder Artyom now says he wants to become a police officer when he grows up.

Russian police officer gifts a child a toy car
Never too young to start on the road to good citizenship. / Official site of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Primorsky Krai

 

In Odder News

  • The Ministry of Labor proposed national expansion of a program developed in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug to fight loneliness among the elderly. The program: paying families to host the elderly.  
  • Volunteering is now officially considered a qualification for work in Russia, so you can both do good and get a good job. 
  • A memorial to Yuri Gagarin, first man in space, appeared in… Cleveland
Reveal of Gagarin statue in Cleveland
People are gaga for Gagarin all over the world! / Embassy of Russia in the USA | Facebook

 

Want more where this comes from? Give your inbox the gift of TWERF, our Thursday newsletter on the quirkiest, obscurest, and Russianest of Russian happenings of the week.

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955