Secrets of a Meaningful Life from Our Ancestors. Authentic Russian Traditions, Not Tourist Bric-a-bractranslated

Authentic Olivier Salad

First, let's separate the wheat from the chaff and clarify our terms.

Many compatriots today, upon hearing the phrase "traditional folk culture," smirk disdainfully: "Yes, yes, wooden crosses, three football fans in headscarves, balalaikas and matryoshkas, 'I'll go out at night with a horse' to music, 'Spin the drum!'"

No, this is not what we mean, and that's not what we're about.

Others among our compatriots, including often clergy and those well-versed in the faith, recoil in horror: "Oh! 'Folk culture'? Is this folkloric? Neo-pagans! You're organizing orgies in the bushes! Burning idols! Living in the forest, worshipping a wheel!"

No, this is not what we mean either.

Popular tradition is merely a way to survive. To survive for an individual, a family, a clan, a people, and, why not, a state. A way of life. Something that people do willingly, based on long-term observations, understanding that if they act in this manner, it will be better, whereas if they don't or act differently, experience suggests it is likely to be worse. And the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of these people reproduce the correct actions of their parents without pressure or instruction.

Mowing. Photo from the Museum-Zapovednik of Yuri Gagarin

Tradition is…