August 14 marks Honey Savior Day (Medovy Spas) in Russia and in many Orthodox Christian communities—the first of the three “Savior” feasts and the start of the Dormition Fast. Honey and a Wish for Love According to old folklore, women smear a little honey on their shoe soles to attract marriage within a year. A…
In Russia, 195 ethnic groups live side by side. Each has its own traditions, passed down since ancient times. Some customs, however, are enough to make your blood run cold. Hard as it is to believe, some of them aren’t legends from the distant past but are very much part of 21st-century Russian reality. Here’s…
Today, Russia is home to 47 indigenous peoples, classified as “autochthonous” or small-numbered. These groups live on the ancestral lands of their forebears, preserving traditional lifestyles, crafts, and customs. Below are some of the most fascinating and unusual traditions from these communities. Learn why Ingrian brides shaved their heads, why the Nganasans left their deceased…
Long before modern medicine and science reached rural corners of Russia, people relied on deeply rooted folk customs to explain the unexplainable. Some of these age-old rituals may seem shocking, surreal, or even macabre today—but they were once taken seriously as essential parts of village life. Here are six of the strangest ancient rituals that…
Many of these customs can only be found in ethnographers’ academic research — and some may come as a shock. Much of this stems from the remnants of ancient magical cults that survived among some of Russia’s small ethnic groups well into the 20th century. Wife Swapping Among the Chukchi The Chukchi had a tradition…
