• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
Войти
Saint Petersburg, Kamennoostrovsky prospect 24B, office 25
+7(931)242-62-57
Языковая школа
Courses
  • Online courses
    • Individual online courses
    • Group online courses
  • Courses in Saint Petersburg
    • Intensive short-term courses (1-12 weeks)
      • Group courses

      • Individual courses

    • Courses for expats
      • Individual courses

      • Group courses

  • Courses in Moscow
    • Intensive short-term courses (1-12 weeks)
      • Individual courses

      • Group courses

    • Courses for expats
      • Individual courses

      • Group courses

Services
  • Accommodation in Russian Family
  • Visa Support and Registration
  • Accommodation
Blog
Events
  • Speaking club
  • Free Lessons
Prices
Contacts
Zlatoust
Test your level
Ещё
    Языковая школа
    Courses
    • Online courses
      • Individual online courses
      • Group online courses
    • Courses in Saint Petersburg
      • Intensive short-term courses (1-12 weeks)
        • Group courses

        • Individual courses

      • Courses for expats
        • Individual courses

        • Group courses

    • Courses in Moscow
      • Intensive short-term courses (1-12 weeks)
        • Individual courses

        • Group courses

      • Courses for expats
        • Individual courses

        • Group courses

    Services
    • Accommodation in Russian Family
    • Visa Support and Registration
    • Accommodation
    Blog
    Events
    • Speaking club
    • Free Lessons
    Prices
    Contacts
    Zlatoust
    Test your level
    Ещё
      Языковая школа
      • Courses
        • Назад
        • Courses
        • Online courses
          • Назад
          • Online courses
          • Individual online courses
          • Group online courses
        • Courses in Saint Petersburg
          • Назад
          • Courses in Saint Petersburg
          • Intensive short-term courses (1-12 weeks)
            • Назад
            • Intensive short-term courses (1-12 weeks)
            • Group courses
            • Individual courses
          • Courses for expats
            • Назад
            • Courses for expats
            • Individual courses
            • Group courses
        • Courses in Moscow
          • Назад
          • Courses in Moscow
          • Intensive short-term courses (1-12 weeks)
            • Назад
            • Intensive short-term courses (1-12 weeks)
            • Individual courses
            • Group courses
          • Courses for expats
            • Назад
            • Courses for expats
            • Individual courses
            • Group courses
      • Services
        • Назад
        • Services
        • Accommodation in Russian Family
        • Visa Support and Registration
        • Accommodation
      • Blog
      • Events
        • Назад
        • Events
        • Speaking club
        • Free Lessons
      • Prices
      • Contacts
      • Zlatoust

      In the forest

      Share

      02.09.2020
      // Adventurer
      In the forest

      One image that springs to mind when thinking about Russia is that of a deep dark forest (дремучий лес). So what kind of things would one find on a stroll in the quintessential Russian forest?


      In the forest

      By Ewan Paterson,
      Zlatoust School student

      Деревья — trees
      The main trees in the forests near Moscow and Saint Petersburg are birch and pine (берёза и сосна),
      not a lot of variation. In the south of the country you can find trees like chestnut growing.
      It is well known you can eat chestnuts, but did you know you can eat pine cones too? Well, at least a jam made from pine cones, that purportedly has medicinal properties.
      Ingeniously, you can get a refreshing drink from the birch tree by drilling a hole and draining off the
      sap. Would you fancy drinking a cup?


      The word for firewood, дрова, is related to the word for tree, дерево. Here is a wonderful Russian
      tongue-twister (скороговорка), see if you can say it without making a mistake:

      На дворе трава, на траве дрова.
      In the yard there is grass, on the grass there is firewood.


      The wearing of a wreath made from leaves or flowers is an ancient tradition that was associated with events like
      the birth of a child and some festivals. Getting photographed with a well decorated wreath is now a very
      fashionable tradition of its own.


      Ягоды — berries
      Berries are very popular among Russians and are collected at the end of summer when the woods come
      alive with this bounty. There’s way too much to just eat ripe, so Russian grandmothers frantically prepare a glut of jams (jam = варенье) to last the winter.
      Here are a few types of berry you should know:
      Raspberry - малина
      Strawberry - клубника
      Gooseberry - крыжовник
      Blackcurrant - чёрная смородина
      Blueberry - черника
      Blackberry - ежевика
      When you visit, don’t forget to try the traditional Russian drink, морс, made from berries.



      Грибы — mushrooms 

      Now getting into autumn, the thing to look for in the woods are mushrooms, of course! You’ll have to
      get up early to avoid disappointment, and the best time to look for them is the day after a heavy downpour. From this quality comes the Russian expression:
      Расти как грибы после дождя – to grow like mushrooms after the rain. Which expresses the sudden and abundant appearance of something.

      One of the most sought after mushrooms, and which is especially good in soups, is белый
      гриб. Remember, always be careful when picking mushrooms, take care not to choose a poisonous
      mushroom (ядовитый гиб) or a toadstool (поганка).


      Медведь — a bear
      Perhaps the most well known symbol of Russia, the bear. The bear gorges himself on the fruits of the forest
      and then the salmon in the rivers, building up his body for the long winter hibernation. He hibernates in his
      lair, берлога, which is usually dug in the ground. Tolstoy’s famous children’s story The Three Bears (Три Медведя) is similar to, and was based on, the English tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

      Леший — Leshi: the forest spirit
      From folklore, he is the guardian of the forest and master of all living things within. Those wandering
      in the depths of a forest should beware, for the Leshi will try to lead you astray on strange paths and big
      circles, into a maze you may never escape from! He can take the form of a tree, a stump (пень) or even
      a mushroom, and will have a beard, perhaps from moss (мох), resembling an old man. A girl should
      never walk alone in the forest, for he may carry her off to make her his bride. If you want to get on his
      good side, try leaving some kind of treat, like biscuits or gingerbread, out on a stump for him.


      Share

      Back
      • Comments
      Загрузка комментариев...
      Category
      • Adventurer3
      Это интересно
      • Top 10 extraordinary features of St. Petersburg (and reasons you should visit it).
        Top 10 extraordinary features of St. Petersburg (and reasons you should visit it).
        17 Июня 2020
      • The Museum of Political History of Russia
        The Museum of Political History of Russia
        17 Июня 2019
      Tags
      Museum St. Petersburg
      2021 © Zlatoust Language School
      Terms and conditions
      Contacts
      +7(931)242-62-57
      school@zlat.spb.ru
      Saint Petersburg, Kamennoostrovsky prospect 24B, office 25
      Follow Us
      • Facebook
      • Instagram
      • YouTube
      +7(931)242-62-57
      Отложенные 0
      Корзина пуста 0