What do you think is the most common essay title in the history of literature? I don't know. But if I were to guess, I'd say it …
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Some interesting facts about the Ostromir Gospels
(Translated from the July 2016 issue of Foma. Here’s the link to the original Russian article) The Ostromir Gospels is the …
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5 Amazing Facts about Medieval Moscow
Earlier this week, I shared a blog post about the amazing things Russians Tsars did on Christmas day. It struck me as an …
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How the Tsars celebrated Christmas in Medieval Moscow
I've always loved good, old-fashioned pageantry. In my novels, I try to include moments of it, since it's not something authors …
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Christmas Traditions in the Ancient Rus
Last year, while spending a very illuminating six months in Belarus, my wife and I were invited to a local television program to …
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Oleg: the Prince Who Was Killed by His Favorite Horse
The boundary between history and legend used to be malleable. People were not always so in love with facts. And, frankly, that …
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8 Things You’ve Never Heard about Dostoyevsky’s Childhood
You know that moment when you walk into a Barnes and Noble or a library and see that one book you’ve wanted for the longest time, …
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How Iconographers Paint Angels
Last Monday, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrated the day of Archangel Michael. It was doubly interesting that the day fell on a …
Need Relief after Your Thanksgiving Feast? Try Ivan-Chai
Happy Thanksgiving from Belarus, where we actually scrounged up some turkey and butternut squash (to my surprise). Naturally, …
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5 Rules to Reestablish Civility in Internet Conversations
What a week! I used to think social media brought out the bad in people. But I was wrong--it brings out the worst in people. …
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Martha the Mayoress of Novgorod, Part II
Last week, I translated the first part of the story of Martha the Mayoress of Novgorod by Nikolai Karamzin. A few of you requested …
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Asian Tribes of the Russian Empire
Another short post today, courtesy of my French friends, who translated my earlier short post about a French traveler watching a …
How a Russian Historian Imagined Democracy to Look in 14th century Russia
As much as you probably want to forget this fact, the election is tomorrow. I've been at a loss how to deal with it, so I …
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Everything You Need to Know about Men’s Hats in Old Russia
Last week, I wrote about women’s head-dresses. Today, as promised, I’ll add the male version of that post. Basically, it’s …
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A Short Post about Weddings from Belarus
Right now, it's 1:30 AM in Vitebsk, Belarus. I want to go to sleep. But I can't. My body thinks it's 3:30 in the afternoon. And …
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5 Kinds of Folk Hats Russian Women Wore
Do you ever wish that hats would come back in fashion? I do. I still sometimes wish I could pull off the Maltese Falcon look, …
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5 Unusual Remnants of old Rus
Last week, you may have seen my review of Miles Cameron’s The Dread Wyrm. Mr. Cameron, in preparation for the release of his new …
Russian Winter: Five Fascinating Folk Traditions
In last week's post, I explained why Russians prefer to get married in the beginning of winter, on October 1 (October 14 by …
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