Letter #184 from Russia

Letter #184 comes from Maria (or Masha) in Russia.Maria lives in Arkhangelsk,a little town in the north of Russia.She is currently studying at the university.She hopes to have a career in forest engineering.She lives with her mom,whom she says "is the best mom in the world!".She also has a brother that is five years older than her.

She also has a cat named Chernish,which means "black".She also says that he is a very fat cat. :)

Maria loves people and says that it is better to have a few true friends than many pals that are not as close.She also gave us some advice and told us that we should try to do many different things to see what is interesting and important to ourselves.I definitely agree with that advice,too often we find ourselves miserable in life because we are doing what we thought would make others happy without thinking how it would affect us,the one who is actually doing it.We should go out and learn as much as we can to see what we truly like,you may find yourself interested in something you never thought you would like.She also told us that we should always believe in ourselves and not to dwell on things that don't go as planned....it's all a learning experience.

Thanks Maria for your wonderful letter with cute stamps and drawings,stickers,postcard,and movie cards,and also a cute recipe for carrot cake (one of my fave cakes!) ,which can be seen below:

Letter #78 from Russia

Letter #78 comes from Diana in Russia.She lives in the ancient city of Veliky Novgorod in modern Russia.She says that in everyday life there are several traditions.For example,she says that children can live with their parents until their marriage,which is usually between the ages of 23-25.

She also tells us that  a lot of Russians have a cottage or "dacha" with a vegetable garden and Russian baths.They grow a lot of different vegetables and fruits and enjoy making marinades and jams with them.They like to eat it in winter time.

In Russia tea is served after meals and during mid-afternoon breaks.Instead of having the English "five-o'clock tea",they have tea at any time during the day and anywhere,even in their car,that's how much they love tea.When friends visit somebody,their hosts greets them with a cup of tea and cookies,sandwiches,or other goods.Each feast ends with tea drinking and cakes and candies.They also love to add honey to their tea,it isn't put into the glass with the tea,but served in a bowl or special vase.Russians also enjoy lemon with their tea.

She also told me something really interesting,that Russians really love to read books and will usually read on public transportation.You don't see many people read in public here.I think that is really great because it becomes a great habit for everybody.She also told us that Russian baths is an ancient part of their way of life.It's the best way to communicate with friends.

Kvass is the Russian national beverage,sometimes called a bread drink in English because it is a fermented beverage made from black or regular rye bread.The color of the bread affects the color of the drink.It is usually flavored with strawberries or mint.

Diana says that Russian culture is rich in different traditions including winter folk amusements:troika sleighing,skiing,skating and sledding,dancing near the open fire,telling fortunes at Christmas-tide, and meeting the Ded Moroz.

She says that Ded Moroz is a fictional character similar to Santa Claus.He is said to deliver gifts in person at New Year's Eve parties and other New Year celebrations.Russia is an orthodox country with a lot of Christian holy days,but there are some other non-Christian holidays,too.One of them is Ivan Kupala,which has been celebrated since ancient times at the end of June.On that day,people wear girths of flowers and wreaths of herbs.They sing songs,stoke bonfires with poles topped by a burning wheel,the symbol of the sun.On Ivan Kupala,girls make wreaths of herbs and in the evening,float them in water.If the wreaths sink,it's the end of love and there will be no wedding.Nobody sleeps during the night of the holiday because it is believed that all evil became active since it's also the day when the evile beings (witches,vampires,etc) have their holiday,too and would try to cause as much harm to humans as possible.

Diana says that the most cheerful hoiday in Russia is Maslenitsa.The rituals are very unusual and interesting because they combine the end of the winter holiday rituals at the opening of new spring festivals and ceremonies,which were to promote a rich harvest.It is celebrated during the week preceding Lent.Now they only celebrate the holiday on the last day,which is a Sunday and the day was named "forgiveness" because people ask each other for forgiveness for all the trouble,etc they have put on others.To say goodbye to Maslenitsa they have a solemn burning of the stuffed figure of winter.Everybody bakes a lot of pancakes with different fillings,such as meat,caviar,salmon,cabbage,mushrooms,sour crea,honey,jams,etc.I have never tried a filled pancake but actually saw a baking pan for those types of pancakes and was quite curious about them.Maybe one day I will try making some.

Diana says that Russians are very superstitious people.There are many spirits they believe in,such as domestic spirits and domestic spirits.

Diana has also been so kind to print out some Russian fairy tales for us to read,which we loved.They are called The Little Round Bun and Masha and the Bear.She was even kind enough to send us the book of the Russian fairy tale called Masha and the Bear since we are trying to collect children's books in different langauges.Thanks so much Diana for your lovely letter and  beautiful book that we will treasure!See her letter and book below:

Letter #8 from Russia

This is the last letter (as of today) that we have to share with you.Boy was this an amazing letter to get in the mail.This came from Maria all the way from Moscow,Russia.I must admit I have been having a fascination with Russia lately,so this came at the perfect time.Maria really went all out to make us feel like we were in Russia by including a beautiful assortment of tickets and pictures of herself,her mother,her friends and her home.We felt as if we've been knowing her for years just by reading her letter and looking at her pictures.She is 15 years old and seems like such a sweet girl.(The kind of person you'd want your daughter to have as a friend) She was so kind to share so much with us....it was like being on a trip to Russia without leaving home.This is what this project is all about...giving my daughters a glimpse into lives that are so different than our own so that they can appreciate all the differences we have throughout the world.It's amazing what a letter (and pictures) can teach you about others.We may never get to travel the world but at least I can teach my children that there are wonderful people outside of this wonderful country that we live in.As a child,I can remember us all feeling so partriotic to the point that we felt we were so superior and that we never really needed to learn about other countries so I,myself grew up closed minded and it was not until I was an adult that I realized that other countries and other people have so much to offer and that I was missing out on some great things!So once again,thanks to each and every one of you that has joined this project....it literally means the world to us! I hope that we can get more letters like Maria's that shares her life with us.It was very exciting to read while looking at her pictures and wondering what she was doing at that moment.Maria,I will definitely have one of my daughters keep in touch with you so we don't lose contact with you.Thanks for your letter!Here is Maria's lovely letter,tickets & pictures below: