Russian Wedding Traditions

As with much of Russian culture, the wedding celebration is full of traditions.  The traditional Russian wedding lasts for at least two days, but sometimes lasts as long as a week.

Wedding Dress

The bride never wears her dress or shoes before the day of the wedding, to ensure her happiness.

Ceremony traditions

One tradition that seemed to be present in some form in every source that I read was the tradition of the groom paying “ransom” for his bride before he can marry her (known as the вы́куп неве́сты).  Apparently, the family of the bride “steals” the bride and hides her before the ceremony and refuses to return her until the groom has presented money or jewelry in exchange for her return.  Sometimes, they will dress a cousin of the bride (occasionally male for more comedy) up in white and cover his/her face with a veil and present him/her to the groom after he has made the first “payment.”  After he has realized that the cousin is not his bride, he has to make a second payment in order for his real bride to be returned to him.  Another version that I found said that the groom is presented with a napkin with the lipstick prints of all of the bride’s family, including the bride herself.  If he can’t correctly identify his bride’s kiss, then he pays tribute.  One form of this is said to be covering a shall with rubles in payment.

Of course, the ceremony differs depending on the religion of the bride and groom.  As in American culture, a church ceremony is not necessary for a legal union, only a civil service.  However, if the couple is married in the orthodox church, the proceedings are ripe with tradition and ceremony.  There are two parts to a traditional Russian Orthodox ceremony (called the venchanie):  the betrothal and the crowning.  The betrothal was at one point blessed at the beginning of the engagement, but it is now done in the same ceremony as the wedding itself.  During the betrothal, the couple stands in the entrance to the church while the priest blesses them and gives them lit candles which they hold throughout the ceremony.    The betrothal is then blessed by a prayer and scripture readings.  Because the wedding is considered one of the seven sacraments in Russian orthodoxy and the sacraments are holy, the placing of crowns on the couples’ heads is more traditional than the trading of the wedding rings; hence the name of the second part of the ceremony, the crowning.  The priest leads the couple to stand on a new piece of rose colored cloth, symbolizing the entrance into their new life together.  The couple then each declares that they are marrying each other freely and are not promised to anyone else.  The priest then places crowns on the heads of the bride and groom, where they are held in place by friends and family of the couple.  After prayer and the sharing of a cup of wine by the bride and groom, the priest leads the couple three times around a lectern on which the gospel book has been set.  This symbolizes the pilgrimage of wedded life.  During this procession, the couple holds hands and the priest wraps his stole around their entwined hands.  After more prayer, the priest announces the union of the couple and says the benediction.  The tradition apparently used to be that the couple would wear the crowns for eight days following the ceremony, but now they are taking off after the benediction.

The civil ceremony takes place after or in place of the traditional ceremony.  It lasts for about 15-30 minutes.  This is when the exchanging of rings occurs.  During or right after this ceremony, the parents offer the couple two crystal classes, which they then break.  The more shards of crystal they produce, the more years they will remain married.  It is also traditional for the bride to release a balloon with her maiden name written on it, as she begins her new life with her new name.

Reception traditions

Before the reception even begins, it is traditional for the bride and groom along with their attendants tours the city to visit places of historical significance and take pictures there.  I found some examples of what those locations would be for a couple getting married in St. Petersburg:

• The eternal flame of the heroes of World War II and the Bronze Horseman statue and monument to Peter the Great dominating Senate Square.
• To the sphinx embankment on Peter Vassilevsky Island to pet the 4,000-year-old Egyptian statues and stone griffins for luck.
• To the Rostrum Column, decorated with ship prows and surrounded by an iron-link railing. Pictures taken the couple holding hands through the links symbolizes their bond
• The Peter and Paul Cathedral. Russian couples toast with champagne and then smash their glasses against the fountain near the cathedral.
• To the New Hermitage Portico along the city’s Millionaires’ Row, where giant marble Atlanti statues act as columns.  Russian brides rub the toes of the statues for luck.

The actual reception sometimes begins on the second day of the wedding celebration.  Glasses and silverware are not placed on the tables for the reception.  The guests must pay for them, to help the bride and groom get started in their life together.  The bride must “clean the floor” also, which means that she scoops up money that the guests have dropped.  A third tradition involving money is that the guests drop coins into the bride and grooms’ glasses of champagne, contributing to their future prosperity.

Another reception tradition is the breaking of a plate, similar to that that exists in Greek culture.  The difference is that the bride and groom then jump over the shards, symbolizing their passing into the future.

The Fire Toast:  a shot of vodka toast made to the newlyweds.  The guests then shout “Gorko, Gorko . . .!”

meaning “bitter”.  The couple must then kiss for a long time to get rid of the bitter taste of the vodka.  The second toasts is made to the parents of the bride and groom.

http://masterrussian.com/russianculture/russian_wedding.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_wedding_traditions

http://honeymoons.about.com/od/russia/qt/russian_brides.htm

http://brideorama.com/russian-brides/

Russian Holidays

When visiting another country you’ll be able to see all the sights, but you may not get to experience certain aspects of the culture such as holidays. Holidays are different in every part of the world. Some of the holidays in Russia are similar to what we might celebrate, and some are very different. 

 

Here in the United States, if a public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday we will not be given any days off. In Russia, holidays that are observed on Saturday or Sunday will result in a day off on Monday, which I’m very jealous of. Many of us are familiar with the Christmas holiday, but the Orthodox Church in Russia celebrates Christmas on the 7th of January rather than December 25th. This means the New Year’s Day is before Christmas, and January 1-5 are all public holidays. 

 

One holiday we do not celebrate here is Defender of the Fatherland Day on February 23. This is a day of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and was started in the year 1918. Another public holiday that we may not be familiar with is Victory Day on May 9. Victory Day celebrates victory over Nazi Germany and remembers those who lost their lives during the second world war. The holiday was established when the german military surrendered on May 9 1945, and a military parade was held in celebration. In celebration, parades are held in many cities, including Moscow in the Red Square. 

Stereotype on Hold: Russian Prohibition and Anti-Alcohol Campaigns

When the word “prohibition” is mentioned, it usually is about the prohibition on alcohol in the United States during the 1920s. However, not long before then, during World War I, many other countries took part in a prohibition, realizing that they needed sober troops to fight the battles. And one of those countries was Russia.

In the year 1914, Russia put a ban on the sale of hard liquors outside of restaurants. While many other countries in the war also attempted a similar ban, Russia was able to put and enforce an almost total ban on selling vodka. This meant that many shops had closed and it had virtually disappeared from the country until 1925,

This is not the only time Russia has attempted to ban alcohol, though other times have not been quite as successful. In 1985, Gorbachev launched an anti-alcohol campaign. He limited the kinds of shops that are allowed to sell alcohol, closed vodka distilleries and destroyed various vineyards in an attempt to lower the rate of consumption of alcohol. However, this campaign was ended in 1987, when many things began going wrong with it: much like Prohibition in the United States, there was a sharp rise in the production of moonshine and organized crime. Because alcohol was so widely consumed in Russia, it also meant that revenues began dropping. While the government attempted to fix this by printing more money, this only increased inflation. Gorbachev was given the nickname “mineral water drinking secretary” rather than the General Secretary.

Knowing that alcohol is such a huge part of the Russian culture, it is not very surprising to know that a prohibition on alcohol would affect the economy. It is also unsurprising that Russian citizens reacted that way during the attempt at the prohibition in 1985. Many people would just want their alcohol, and so would illegally produce, drink, and sell it.

More recently, Mevdedev had also attempted to put more restrictions on alcohol, but it was a much slower process that was not a success either.

 

Sources:

http://www.xtimeline.com/evt/view.aspx?id=53685

http://www.ukrainebiz.com/Articles/prohibition.htm

http://www.soviethistory.org/index.php?page=subject&SubjectID=1985drylaw&Year=1985

Russian Education

Around the world everyone experience’s a different education. In Russia’s educational system is regulated by the Ministry of Education and Science. It oversees that Students are receiving a proper education and that social programs are available for them to achieve the course work needed.  The education system in Russian starts in kindergarten where children between the ages of 5-6 attend. Then between the ages of 6-10 children receive a primary education. In the primary education they learn a core curriculum which is the same throughout Russia. They education system then moves up to become elementary 1-4 middle 5-9 and then senior level 10-11. Students are not made to finish all four years off school but a majority of them do.  Students are only expected to finish up to the seventh grade. The Russian curriculum focuses majorly on math and science. I feel that by having such a strict and rigid curriculum that focuses on those areas that really train the brain makes Russian students brighter then ones of other countries. I think that by forcing a child to focus on Math science and other languages just calls for a brighter more intellectual student. You don’t see this in the United States. Living in different states in different parts of the country you can see that’s what you learn in school changes drastically and that some public schools are harder and some are easier, which makes almost unfair when applying to colleges and Universities. Someone could have the potential of being just as intelligent as the next person but the variance in the educational system here puts them at a disadvantage. This is not something you would see in Russia. After completing their education up to the seventh grade they will then have the options to go on to secondary school or vocational school which they learn a trade. Russia is allowed to expel students over the age of 14 who are failing their courses. Personally I agree with this idea it allows students to strive and want to do good in school rather then, just go and be their because it’s the law. It picks out the good and the bad. The education system in Russian gives you more work and less time to play while in the United States it’s the complete opposite. Personally though I think they education system in Russia works better. I wish we could have one similar in the United States as far as curriculum goes.

Works Cited

“Ministry of Education and Science (Russia).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Nov. 2012. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Education_and_Science_(Russia)&gt;.

“Russia Education.” Russia Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.country-studies.com/russia/education.html&gt;.

A History of Intolerance: Vladimir Putin and the jailing of political dissidents

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been the subject of much scrutiny internationally this year due to his harsh management of the members of the performance art group Pussy Riot after their infamous protest earlier this year. Last February, the group staged a prayer at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, calling for the Virgin Mary to get rid of then-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, and for her to support the group in their pro-feminist political protests. In the brief period of time before the group was arrested and escorted from the premises, they not only insulted Putin, but also the Orthodox Church, calling Patriarch Kirill I a “bitch”, and calling the ties between church and state “holy shit”. Due to the vulgar nature of their display, they were detained to await trial. They were held without bail, and their families were denied the ability to visit the prisoners. Though they were granted a trial, many attendees doubted the fairness of the proceedings. Ultimately, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Yekaterina Samutsevich, and Maria Alyokhina were convicted of premeditated hooliganism driven by religious hatred, and were sentenced to two years of Prison.

Though the most high profile case in recent years, this is hardly the first time Vladimir Putin and the Russian government have imprisoned those who disagree with their ways. In May of 2000, mere weeks after first taking the office of the presidency, Putin clashed with wealthy oligarch Boris Berezovsky over a proposed constitutional reform, giving the Kremlin the right to dismiss elected governors. Berezovsky claimed the proposal to be detrimental to the very structure of Russia as a democratic state. As Berezovsky’s criticisms intensified, Putin responded by issuing a statement that he would no longer tolerate the media’s criticism of the government. When Berezovsky was on vacation later in the year, he was asked to testify in a fraud trial for Russian airline Aeroflot. Berezovsky stated he had nothing to do with Aeroflot, and was only being named a suspect due to his criticism of Putin’s presidency. When a warrant was issued for his arrest, Berezovsky made the decision to stay abroad indefinitely, rather than face certain imprisonment in his home country. He eventually gained political asylum in the United Kingdom. Due to his inability to show at his own trial, he was convicted of embezzling 215 million rubles from Aeroflot. The Russian government has tried to secure his extradition from Britain multiple times, to no avail.

These are just two instances of many. In May of 2005, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, one of the wealthiest men in the world, was found guilty of embezzlement and money laundering. This occurred after Khodorkovsky accused many high-ranking government officials of taking large bribes. He was initially sentenced to 9 years in prison, which has since been lengthened to 12.

Both Khodorkovsky and the imprisoned members of Pussy Riot are listed as prisoners of conscience by Amnesty International.

Boris Berezovsky has not seen his home in 12 years.

For further reading:

Pussy Riot Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison

http://www.borisberezovsky.net/

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Marxism-Leninism

 

 

Marxism is defined by Merriam Webster as “the political, economic, and social principles and policies advocated by Marx; especially : a theory and practice of socialism including the labor theory of value, dialectical materialism, the class struggle, and dictatorship of the proletariat until the establishment of a classless society.” The Marxist ideals were created by two philosophers, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels and served as the basis of Stalinism, the form of Communism practiced under Josef Stalin’s rule. Marxism revolves around a basic understanding of society’s development, starting at the basic economics needed by said society to provide material essentials.

The most commonly known form of Marxism, Marxism-Leninism, is what we think of when we think of Communism. The political structure supports a single-party state led by the communist party as a means to further develop socialist ideals. It involves the rule of a communist party overseeing a socialist state that represents the will of the proletariat, or the working class. Marxism-Leninism’s social policies consist of many aspects. It supports widespread universal social welfare, vast improvements to the public healthcare and education systems, government-provided child care, and providing social services. These rights are deemed necessary by Marxist-Leninists in order to raise labour productivity and they contribute to the advancement of a society. Marxist-Leninists fully believe in the elimination of private property for the greater good. Their education system teaches students to live their lives in the most self-fulfilling way possible as dictated by the rules of communism. Marxism-Leninism’s economic system is a socialist system, meaning everybody works towards the greater good of the country as a whole instead of for personal gain. Everything that’s yours is actually the state’s; you don’t own anything. There is no profit motive, instead work is a social obligation.

Only a few countries currently remain that still follow this social agenda, including: China, Cuba, North Korea, and Vietnam. The system all but collapsed in the early 1990s with the collapse of the USSR. The few Marxist countries left are slowly fading in their loyalty to the cause but a few remain 100% loyal, the most notable being the PRC and their initiation of significant economic privatization. Other countries have had troubles, like the Naxalite-Maoist insurgency which has been going on between the Indian government and various Marxist-Leninist movements since the 1960s.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marxism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxism-Leninism#Current_usage

http://www.culturalmarxism.org/clips/clip1.wmv

Матрёшка: A Symbol of Russia

If I had to think of one symbol or souvenir that includes all of Russia, the Russian nesting doll would be it.  Not only are they a popular item tourists buy while vacationing in Russia; they are also an important figure to Russians as well. Although some sources say the nesting doll originated in Japan, the nesting doll, also called matryoshka, first appeared in Moscow in the 1890’s.  Vasily Zvyozdochkin carved the first nesting doll that was based on a design by painter Sergey Malyutin.  They used Russian culture and tradition to make the nesting dolls a part of history.  Some nesting dolls were created to show members of a family household, historical, themes, war heroes, and even book characters.  I believe this is why matryoshkas became so popular; each artist could create their own style.  Consumers also had a wide variety of selection.  At first, nesting dolls were intended for children.  However, they were very pricy and could only be afforded for a special occasion.   The matryoshka first gained global recognition during 1900 at a world exhibition in Paris.  Soon after, the toys were placed in manufacturing centers.   With the approach of the revolution, the nesting dolls were very popular with hundreds of artists producing them as well.  After the revolution, toys were no longer imported, so the reliance on domestic toys became even greater.   During the USSR, Soviet Russia placed more attention on the construction of factories while private production of crafts was forbidden.  Craftsmen were forced to work in the factories where they did not have enough money for labor or supplies to create matryoshkas.  Although times were tough, some craftsmen still produced the nesting dolls.  Sergiev Posad became, and still is, the main location for nesting doll production in Russia.  I believe the nesting dolls had such a large impact on Russia because the dolls were an outlet for artists to show their individual talents.   They are all reflections of Russian culture and history shown through the painter’s viewpoint.

Sources:

Mendeleyev, . “Matryoshka (Матрёшка) Dolls.” The Mendeleyev Journal. N.p., 1 2009. Web. 26 Nov 2012. http://russianreport.wordpress.com/

. “Matryoshka-The Russian Nesting Doll.” Master Russian. N.p.. Web. 26 Nov 2012.<http://masterrussian.com/russianculture/nesting_dolls.htm&gt;.

Russian Fairy Tales

Fairy tales are a central part of every culture, as they reflect the attitudes and beliefs of their culture of origin. The most well-known myths are that of America and Greece. Most people know of the tooth fairy, Santa Claus, Zeus and Odysseus. But what of Russia’s fables? At their core, Russian fairy tales teach the same lessons as their European counterparts. The characters and plots may differ, but overall the Russians tell similar stories to the ones we already know.[1]

Russians treat their folklore more of a source of entertainment than serious moral teachings. Moral values are still included in the stories, but the emphasis is on entertainment. They are reflections of the ancient Slavs and ring with their beliefs and customs. Elements were thought to be living and magical, either white or black magic. Water is nurturing and flowing with life. Fire, although harmful, can also be protective and pure. Earth is considered a female figure and a source of crops. Air is an avid listener and answers the wishes of humans, which can be good or bad. It’s often personified as a deceitful and devious traveler.

Magic was also a large part of Russian fairy tales. There was healing magic, which was more or less using herbs or water to heal mental and physical diseases. Related to healing magic are incantations and spells. They were used to either cure or cause diseases, which is probably why in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries they were considered blasphemy. Often this darker side of magic was called “black magic,” and can be achieved by abandoning all Christian values. Romance was also associated with black magic, as “pleasures of the flesh” were thought of as immoral. The Church taught that only marriage and childbirth were acceptable; physical pleasure was believed to be collaboration with the Devil.

In general, Russian fables can be sorted into three groups: stories with animals, stories of manners and stories about mythology. In animal tales, Fox and Wolf are the most common creatures. Fox is sly and crafty, using its cunning to outwit the enemies. Wolf is similar to humans in that it’s greedy, stupid and vicious. There is also Bear, who is slow-witted, the complete opposite of Fox. In manner tales, the Russians’ morals and characteristics are the focal point. They are more sociological than animal tales and mythological tales. In mythological tales, exaggerated realities and magic are used to describe the eternal fight between light and dark. In these stories, nature plays a huge role whether it’s a helpful or obstructive. There is usually a hero who rescues a kidnapped fair maiden with the help of a special object or creature, like a magical wooden doll or a fiery bird. The recurring villain is Baba Yaga, an old horrifying witch and man-eater (although she is sometimes portrayed as a supportive and kind “wisewoman”). There is also Koshchei the Deathless who kidnaps beautiful women in hopes that they will give into his sorcerer ways.

Russian fairy tales are fascinating and manage to remind readers of their favorite stories while providing a new and interesting twist. There are different parts to the tales and each one has depth and purpose, while managing to delight people of all ages. To better understand Russian culture, reading and comprehending Russian folklore is a necessity.

           

http://www.russia-ic.com/culture_art/traditions/545/#.ULQ4N4c1m5g

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_traditions_and_superstitions#Russian_Folklore

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[1] One of the most famous stories is Vasilisa the Beautiful. Although unique in its own way, the story is reminiscent of our Cinderella. Check it out here. 

Russian Fairytales

This semester, I have been taking a class called “Children’s Literature” and we have read quite a bit of Russian fairytales, which sparked up an interest in Russian folklore to me. The most famous of Russian Fairytale authors is Alexander Afanasyev. Afanasyev got a lot of his inspiration from the Brothers Grimm, and even to this day is considered the Russian counterpart of the Germanic Brothers Grimm. In his lifetime, he published over 600 fairytales and folktales! It is also interesting to note that while he lived in the late 1800’s he took a lot of his inspiration by listening to country folk women share their tall tales and folklore.
Once Stalin came into power in the mid 1900’s, the government began to become stricter on folklore and even began to censor a lot of the fairytales. Since fairytales are so old and have so much history behind them, Stalin thought that they encouraged older ways of living and were not supportive of his rule. The government at this time even created a group called the Russian Association of Proletarian Writers (or the RAPP) to make sure that fairytales were properly censored and less easily spread among the Russian population. Stalin felt that fairytales were nonsensical and were harmful to the children citizens of Soviet Russia. Instead of filling bookshelves with books about fantasy and fairytales, Stalin promoted that children read more logical pieces that closer related to mathematics and science. It is weird for me to picture children not being able to have colorful cartoon books. They already have such a vast imagination; I’m not sure that dictating the type of material they were able to read would truly inhibit their imaginations anyways. Other Russians of the time must have felt similar to me because there were conferences that would discuss fairytales and folklore and attempt to persuade the Russian government that fairytales could indeed promote a communist lifestyle. One man named Maksim Gorky noted that the protagonists in fairytales were model citizens for the children of the Soviet Union to look up to. The protagonists were often from families who partook in hard labor and yet they were always optimistic and pleasant about it. This also promoted enjoying a communist life and could encourage readers to have a similar outlook on life as the characters in the fairytales did. Because of this mindset, Russian fairytales were often picked apart during Stalin’s rule and further rewritten to even more so promote the communist values and to become more communistic. They were rewritten and primped up to show the horridness of living in the old tsar leadership of Russia in comparison to the better life that Stalin was offering to the people.
It is comical to note that once Stalin died, the public quickly deserted the new Stalin promoting fairytales and to this day are not considered real Russian fairytales. After Stalin died, literary critics and readers alike were glad to be able to take the older, original fairytales as they pleased.

 

here are some links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Afanasyev

http://ebooks.cambridge.org/chapter.jsf?bid=CBO9780511816956&cid=CBO9780511816956A043

and here you can read my favourite russian fairytale which is “Vasilisa the Fair”!
http://www.oldrussia.net/vas.html

Russian Rock and Metal Groups

A lot of times, when we think of bands that play heavy rock and metal, we think of them coming from somewhere very cold, like Norway, Finland, or Sweden.  Now, when you think of Russia, you probably also think of bitter cold and lots of snow. There should definitely be lots and lots of great metal bands from Russia, right? Not exactly…

During the years of the Soviet Union, rock and heavy music was very effectively stifled. Western music was often only available by smuggling, and the state owned and managed the record company, Melodiya, allowing it to censor music which was of objectionable style or meaning. Early rock bands were influenced by Western albums, like from the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Deep Purple, as well as by the Russian bard traditions. Word of mouth was the only real advertisement, and music tended to stay localized. New styles emerged, but slowly, limited by Melodiya’s control of record production.

The rock scene began quietly in the 1960’s, but really began to grow in the 1980’s. St. Petersburg is often looked upon as the starting point for Russian rock, and Moscow is seen similarly for metal. In 1980, the first Soviet rock festival was held in Georgia. In 1987, Melodiya released the first Soviet metal albums, by the bands Aria (Ария) and Chorny Obelisk (Чёрный Обелиск). As the Soviet Union weakened, new styles of music were being explored and the rock and metal genres began to grow faster, while new directions like punk and industrial were discovered. One of the biggest rock concerts was the Monsters of Rock tour date which took place in Moscow at the Tushino Airfield on September 28, 1991 featuring the Western rock bands AC/DC, Pantera, Metallica, and the Black Crowes. Crowds were estimated around 500,000 according to some sources.

Even though the music scene has been more favorable to these genres since the collapse of the Soviet Union, offerings are still rather limited as compared with Western countries, which had many more years of mainstream musical freedom. However, I definitely found some great music while looking into this topic. If you’re a fan of metal, the following link gives names of many good Russian metal groups and describes the music a little. http://rateyourmusic.com/list/Poohkali/the_very_best_russian_metal_bands

I also found a few instances of Russian music entering American culture. In the 1980’s, there was a glam rock band from Russia called Gorky Park that got a video on MTV. (While most of the Russian music I find is sung in Russian, the group that got on MTV sang in English). Here is their video, mixing Soviet and American symbols…and looking just like any American bad-hair/glam rock band of the time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrSKG3TS0uE&feature=related.

Another entrance of Russian music into American culture comes in the form of a rap song that played in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV. It is by a Russian rap artist named Dolphin. Here is a link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCWvOCFDvcw&feature=related.

A couple things that I have found interesting in my search for good Russian metal and rock is that folk instruments are used more commonly than in Western metal, and lyrical content is often deeper. Both of these traits show the influence of the Russian bard and folk music tradition. Something similar can be found in Gaelic and pagan metal, but it is rather common in Russian rock and metal to hear some instruments from the folk tradition. Lyrics are often more significant and meaningful, coming from the storytelling side of bard music. Topics of political and social relevance can be found in the lyrics of many bands, with national themes also being common.

Most of the information I found came from Wikipedia and a website called Metal-Battle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_rock

http://www.metal-battle.com/countries/russian-federation/

Here are a few links to some good or interesting Russian bands and musicians- please check them out! If you don’t like it, you can always move to the next, but there is some really cool music out there:

Excellent example of heavy music incorporating folk instruments and influence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhTBnj9meCg&feature=related

Folksy, surfery rock:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_O0m4PdQz8M&feature=related

Heavy, operatic, melodic, orchestral rock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afWIt1W1SMw

Rock with gypsy and punk influence (Lyudmila, I hear that this band uses bad language, so I apologize if the content is offensive to your Russian ears): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt9XYnBAs_A

Superheavy, unintelligible vocals metal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSEHY1iWvhg

Complex, sleepy, folksy music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPefKco6syc

Most famous Russian heavy metal group, nicknamed Russian “Iron Maiden” (singer sounds much like the singer from The Scorpions): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZIpP5ogv2s&feature=related

Gypsy Punk! One of my favorite groups, with members from all over the world, including 2 Russians and 1 Ukranian with gypsy heritage- please do listen for at least the first minute to hear the cool instruments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LuREkiF_Hs&feature=relmfu