From the 28 of February until 6 March this year Russians celebrate their biggest event of the year - Masleniza! So what is Masleniza? You can find the answer in the novels of Lev Tolstoy or in the movie 'The Barber of Siberia' directed by the famous Russian director Nikita Michalkov. If you think that Russians only drink vodka, eat pancakes and stroll around Moscow without destination during this 'butter' week, you are mistaken. Masleniza is the Russian version of the Carnival with an ancient history. Masleniza was the feast of spring, a way to say good bye to the winter and the darkness.

For one week Moscow turns into one of the biggest Carnival metropolis. On Saturday a thousand of tourists participate in the big Masleniza Parade that starts from Red Place and proceeds towards the city center. The program is secret and Russians start preparing the festival one year in advance and it always turns out into something fabulous.

In Russia May 9 is the day of triumph and gratitude to those who won the worst war – World War II of 1941-1945. This is a day of memory, a day of mourning. This is a special holiday for the country. Almost 60% of Russians lost their kith and kin in the war. Every fifth family had to leave its home. It is no surprise that today people remember the war years – relatives were killed or injured in 88% of families.
Recently, the St George Ribbon campaign has become a symbol of people’s memory about its heroic past. Now, on the eve of Victory Day, people attach ribbons with black and orange stripes to their car antennas, jackets, rucksacks, or beds in hospitals for veterans.

Easter ( Paskha ) in Russia is one of the greatest festivals, which is celebrated nearly by everyone in the country now, no matter if they are deep believers or atheists. It is a national custom. All Russian families ( with and without kids) always paint eggs and bake (or buy at the baker’s ) kulich, a special Easter cake.
Each household brings an Easter basket to church, filled with Easter eggs and other Paschal foods such as paskha, kulich or Easter breads, and these are blessed by the priest as well. The blessing is completed by a triple sprinkling with holy water using the words, "This is blessed by the sprinkling of this holy water, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
The Paschal greeting is another Easter custom among Orthodox Christians. Instead of "hello" or its equivalent, one is to greet another person with "Christ is Risen!", and the response is "Truly, He is Risen". In Russia it is also customary to exchange a triple kiss on the alternating cheeks after the greeting. During Paschaltide people also bring blessed eggs to the cemetery and bring the joyous paschal greeting, "Christ has risen", to their beloved departed.
The egg tapping game or egg fight is a traditional Easter game on Easter morning. The rule is very simple: to hold a hard-boiled egg and tap eggs of other participants to break them, but to keep your own undamaged. The winner is the holder of the last intact egg. The losers get to eat their eggs. The egg was a symbol of the rebirth of the earth in Pagan celebrations of spring and was adopted by early Christians as a symbol of the rebirth of man at Easter. Christians in Slavic countries have a similar custom and may believe that the winner of the egg tapping contest will have the most health until the next Easter. The first painted, red egg may be preserved until the next year as a token of luck and good health.

The annual festival is traditionally celebrated in Moscow in September's first weekend to commemorate the first mention of Moscow in historical records, dating back to 1147 when the city's founder, Grand Duke Yuri Dolgoruky, invited his relative, Grand Duke Svyatoslav, to Moscow for a war council.
Held over the first weekend in September, Moscow celebrates the birth of the Russian capital with a series of parades and entertainment events. The celebrations begin on the Saturday with a procession of floats and city officials along Tverskaya Street and finishing at the Kremlin. Other celebratory events taking place over the weekend include fun fairs, street entertainers, sports contests and live music; and there are plenty of food and drink stalls lining the streets. The city parks are also popular places to celebrate the occasion with many families choosing to enjoy a picnic in one of the beautifully maintained parks.

In Moscow region warm weather begins in May, but according to the calendar summer starts in June. Most Russians like countryside with its huge forests, rivers, grass, birds, squirrels, foxes, hedgehogs... Deep in the forest there are lots of wild animals. Some people also like going camping and sleep in tents. Russian nature is good for a soul and for a body. Russians like such activities - boating, fishing, picking up berries, nuts and mushrooms in the woods. Barbeque is also a summer pastime for Russians, because Russia is a cold and rainy country, and we can make barbeque only 2-3 months a year.

For very long years people in the FSU (former Soviet Union) lived behind the notoriously known Iron Curtain and knew practically nothing about the life abroad. Russian people couldn’t just buy a ticket and go to any other country just for fun, it was impossible. Rare people went abroad on state business. And when they came back to Russia they were remarked from the first sight by their compatriots for trendy jeans, fashionable sneakers, bright plastic bags and picturesque stories about shopping and advertisements.
That’s why when the Iron Curtain fell the interest for traveling abroad got extremely high. Everybody wanted to see everything with their own eyes. Besides, Russia is rather a cold country, there are not so many sea resorts in it. And rare Russian girl misses a chance to go to a warm beach country and have a good time there.
Nice small towns and big cities, such as Barcelona with its unusual Gaudi architecture, handsome English-speaking policemen, comfortable ‘Bus Turistic’, park ”Aventura”, full of attractions, ‘singing fountains’, rather cheap shopping – everything is appreciated by Russians. Appreciated, loved, but not greatly surprising or even shocking as in the times of the far away 90s. Not any more.
There is no Russian who doesn’t like traveling. But there is no place like home.

Most Russian people usually go on holidays - mountain-skiing, beach resorts - one or two times a year, for 7-10 days (most of Russians prefer Turkey or Egypt). Besides, nearly all of us in our country love to have a rest in Russia.
In August we usually leave for a camp site in Kaluga region, which is situated in two hundred kilometers from Moscow. The camp site is deep in the wood, so if you want to reach the place the only way possible is to go there by car or on foot. This is an extraordinary beautiful place: a mighty forest, a picturesque river, boundless fields. A nice place for those who loves nature and countryside, for those who is tired of city life. There we stay in small wooden houses, without the drains, hot running water, central heating and the Internet, of course.But there are Russian baths there. And which Russian doesn’t like baths? So, the nature is really good there, because it’s rather far from cities and towns. Even mobile connection is almost not available in the place.