Hobbies and interest
Russians’ interests and hobbies
Fishing is the favorite hobby of Russian men
Reading is the favorite pastime of Russians
Beekeeping and horticulture in Russia
In the previous commentary, we described in detail how Russians spend their free time. The pursuit of various hobbies and interests also fills up much of this time. Many Russians are fascinated by the movies and the theater; they have favorite actors and directors, they go to theater and movie premieres, and may even collect photographs of favorite actors as well as other materials about them.
People interested in sports have favorite athletes, and enjoy watching the competitions in which they participate, and will sometimes even go to a stadium to which them compete live.
We have repeatedly noted that Russians like reading very much. Many Russian families will have an extensive home library, in which there is a variety of literature, from Russian and foreign fiction to books on specialized topics, as well as a variety of encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference books. Many Russians have favorite writers and poets whose works they repeatedly reread and whose poetry they know by heart. Before, in the USSR, poetic soir es where famous poets appeared were very popular, being held at museums, institutes of higher learning, or at high schools.
In Moscow, at the All-Russian Exhibition Center, an international book fair is regularly held. The number of people who visit this fair and buy books increases every year. According to the latest data, over one hundred thousand books are published every year in Russia.
People who enjoy movies typically have a good collection of films, while people who enjoy music most often have collections of discs recorded by their favorite singers or of works by their favorite composers. Before, music lovers collected records and cassettes. Playing the guitar and writing chanson-style songs oneself also used to be very popular, especially amongst younger people. The youth now continue to be fascinated by music, and popular musicians will have a good many fans.
This is all to say that Russians’ hobbies and interests vary widely, and depend upon the individual’s character, upbringing and taste. Many Russian women enjoy sewing and knitting, preparing original meals, and collecting recipes in their free time. Many Russian men enjoy making things with their hands. In small Russian towns and villages, folk trades have always been widespread. Because of this, Russian nesting dolls, Palekh lacquer boxes, Jostov trays, Pavlovo-posad and Orenburg scarves, and other folk art items have become well-known throughout the world.
It should be noted that Russians enjoy playing chess very much, and have always put a great amount of attention upon the development of chess in Russia; there are schools for young chess players, and chess competitions and tournaments are frequently held.
Russian men of all ages are fond of fishing, which has remained one of the favorite pastimes in Russia. It should also be noted that throughout many parts of Russia, both in the countryside and at private dachas, many people are occupied with bee-keeping, breeding bees and gathering honey. Honey has always been valued very highly in Russia. As far back as the olden days, Russians have made a wide variety of dishes and drinks from honey, the most well-known of them being ‘medovukha’ (“honey drink”). Medovukha is a beverage with a small amount of alcohol that is both very delicious and good for one’s health. In Moscow and in other cities honey fairs are frequently held, where you can buy various kinds of honey from all the different regions of Russia. You can find flower honey, as well as linden or buckwheat honey, but the most popular varieties are Bashkir and Altai honey, each from those regions respectively. By tradition, honey in Russia has been used for treating colds and other illnesses. If you do catch a cold, we definitely recommend using this Russian prescription: hot tea with honey.
Yet another favorite Russian pastime is horticulture and farming. This may be explained by the fact that for many centuries Russia has primarily been an agricultural country and peasants have made up the majority of its population.
This love of farming has probably remained in the Russians’ genetic memory. Russians love to grow vegetables and fruit at their dachas and on private pieces of land. Potatoes are far and beyond the most popular vegetable to be cultivated, having earned the title of ’second bread’. Regardless of the way they are cooked, potatoes are a Russian’s favorite dish. As for fruit, only the apple tree has advanced this far north. As such, the apple tree is the main fruit tree in Russia, and apples are the most widespread Russian fruit, coming in hundreds of different varieties. In the fall, all you need do is drive a few kilometers away from any city, and you will see numerous gardens studded with apples. And, as we have already noted in Chapter 14, Russians like very much to make preserves from various foods — apples are most certainly no exception.
As a final note concerning hobbies and interests, it is worth mentioning that some Russians enjoy collecting stamps, postcards, badges, labels, bottles, photographs, and signatures of famous people, amongst other things.
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