One of the most common standing jokes about Russia has to do with bears roaming the streets of its towns and cities.  How did this ‘bear myth’ come about? There are various explanations. One has a very old origin. Back in the IX century, Byzantine historians mentioned...

The Russian banya, or steam/bath house, is not traditionally thought of as the most sophisticated type of bathing.  Traditions of bathing were, alas, almost lost in the Soviet times.  However, as we learn from old texts, it was a fine art, a profound science even. The...