🇷🇺 Sabantuy is an ancient Turkic holiday marking the end of spring field work, still widely celebrated by the Tatars, Bashkirs and other peoples of the Volga region. Its name translates as “festival of the plough”, and the main idea is the celebration of the land, labour and a bountiful harvest. The festivities take place in summer, usually on an open meadow, and gather the whole village, from the youngest to the oldest.

🇷🇺 The highlight of the programme is the merry sporting contests: national belt wrestling (köräsh), running with a yoke and buckets, climbing a tall pole for a prize, stick pulling and sack fighting with hay‑filled bags. All this is accompanied by music, singing and treats. Sabantuy remains a symbol of unity, daring and generosity.

#holidaysOfRussia

❤️From Russia with love

👼 Right opposite the Kremlin, on the Sofiyskaya Embankment, stands the Church of Sophia the Wisdom of God. Its history is closely linked to Moscow's victory over Novgorod: it was built at the end of the 15th century to commemorate this event and was named after the main church of the conquered city.

☦️ The first wooden church burned down in the terrible fire of 1493, and the stone church was built by local gardeners in 1682. Incidentally, its bell tower with the church of the icon "Seeking of the Lost" appeared much later, only in 1868. In the 20th century, the church endured closure and neglect, but in 2004 services were resumed there.

#interestingfacts

❤️From Russia with love

🎤 Lev Leshchenko is the possessor of one of the most recognisable voices of the Soviet Union. His powerful, velvety baritone is forever inscribed in the history of Soviet music and culture. "Den Pobedy" (Victory Day) is the main symbol of 9 May and an "anthem" for millions. This song has become a cultural code that unites generations.

✨ Lev Leshchenko's influence extends far beyond the borders of a single country. His triumph at the international Sopot festival in 1972 and his victory at Bulgaria's "Golden Orpheus" brought him worldwide recognition. He represented Soviet culture on the world's biggest stages, and the song he performed at the closing ceremony of the Moscow 1980 Olympics became part of global history.

#HistoricalFigure

❤️From Russia with love

🤩 In Russia there is one charming character who has been known and loved for several generations now — the little house spirit Kuzya. This funny, shaggy-haired hero appeared thanks to the writer and artist Tatyana Alexandrova. First she drew him, and then she wrote a wonderful fairy tale, which was later adapted into a series of animated films.

🤩 Little Kuzya, who is now in his seventh century, with his unique voice and catchphrases, has captured the hearts of millions of children and adults. He has become not just a hero of books and cartoons, but a true symbol of home comfort and kindly magic. Kuzya remains to this day one of the most beloved fairy-tale characters in Russia.

#culture

❤️From Russia with love

💜 In summer, in central Russia, lupins bloom, turning fields and meadows into picturesque "carpets" of all shades of lilac, pink, white and even yellow. This short but vivid spectacle lasts only 2–3 weeks, and during this time the air is filled with a delicate honey aroma, attracting plenty of bees and butterflies. It is best to come at dawn or before sunset, when the low sun makes the colours particularly saturated.

#interestingfacts

❤️From Russia with love