Today we’re celebrating a wonderful holiday in Russia – the Day of family, love and faithfulness! Sometimes we call it Lover's Day. It is observed on the 8th of July and commemorates the happiness in marriage. It’s common knowledge that having a friendly and safe family is the dream of every person. Family  is the most reliable form of living, which gives a sense of security, warmth, comfort and support in life. So, the holiday unites people under the main value of any human being -  the family

The history of this holiday is very interesting and goes back to the story of Duke Peter and peasant woman Fevronia who healed the Duke from a deadly disease (XIII century, the city of Murom). They fell in love and got married. But the aristocrats were unhappy with the new duchess and tried to get rid of her by asking her to leave their town and take whatever riches she wanted. She agreed to leave but instead of riches, she took her husband. After the couple left the aristocrats spent years fighting over the reign of the Murom town and eventually they were forced to return the Duke and Duchess.

The last days of their lives the Duke and his Duchess spent in monasteries. The couple prayed to die on the same day and asked to be buried in the same grave. They did die on the same day on the 8th of July, 1228. But according to the Russian Orthodox Church a monk and a nun could not be buried in one grave and therefore their bodies were buried in two separate graves. Then a day after the funeral their bodies were found in one coffin. People tried to separate them again, but the very next day they were found together again. Today, they are still in one grave. In 1552 they were canonized. The couple is considered to be the patrons of marriage and family. On Lover's day it is a custom to go to the church to pray for love (amongst younger people) and for happiness in marriage (for married people).

The symbol of the celebration is camomile (daisy). This wild Russian flower is the sign of loyalty and purity!

The holiday is traditionally accompanied by a wedding dash. Couples who get married on July 8th are said to be patronized by Saints Peter and Fevronia.

There’re 37 monuments to Peter and Fevronia in several cities of Russia.

Dear  friends, family is the source of love and respect! I wish all of you happiness, family well-being, love and understanding, warmth, and care FOREVER!

This is a very beautiful song “Give camomiles to the people you love”. It is about praying to Peter and Fevronia to ask to give people hope love and faith. (Sorry, it's in Russian, but very beautiful).

“Light a candle today

And ignite the hearts of love

Try to be together for ever

Ask for intercession!

Give camomiles to the people you love

They’re the symbol of

Loyalty and purity!”

Do you have a similar holiday in your country?

This year we’re celebrating the 80^th anniversary since the first Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was born! In my native city Saratov we have  major celebrations devoted to this event as Yuri Gagarin is connected with Saratov in many ways. He studied and then first flew in the air in this city. He also landed  nearby after his great flight. We’re really proud of all  these facts!

Who was Yuri Gagarin?

Yuri Gagarin was a 27-year-old Soviet Air Force pilot when he made his first and only trip into space. On April 12, 1961 Russia successfully launched the first man into space taking the prize for "The First Man In Space". Yuri Gagarin  orbited the Earth on the spacecraft, Vostok 1, at a speed of 27,400 km. The flight lasted 108 minutes. At the highest point, Gagarin was about 327 kilometers above the Earth.  Upon his triumphant return he instantly became a national treasure. Yuri Gagarin had a charming smile and an open friendly personality.

He was born in the village Klushino, Smolensk region, 160km west of Moscow, in 1934. His parents worked on a collective farm (his father was a carpenter) and Yuri was the third of four children. The war years (World War II) were hard for the Gagarins. The Germans shipped his teenage siblings to slave labour camps and they did not return until 1945.

At 16, Gagarin left for Moscow to apprentice as a foundryman. He was transferred a year later to study tractors at a technical school in Saratov, where he joined an AeroClub and flew, for the first time, in a canvas-clad Yak-18. At 21 he signed up at the Pilots School in Orenburg. On graduation, he was posted to Murmansk, close to the Norwegian border and north of the Arctic Circle. Later Lieutenant Gagarin was chosen for the new cosmonaut training programme.

Gagarin was one of 20 cosmonauts sent to train in the new Star City (later renamed in his honour) outside Moscow. They were subjected to batteries of medical and psychological tests and rigorous physical training, including sessions in centrifuges to prepare them for the G-forces of launch.

Eventually, just two candidates remained: Gagarin and German Titov. Both were smart enough to be the first in space. The decision to give the history-making flight to Gagarin may have been made because the Soviet premier, Nikita Khrushchev, wanted a farm boy, like himself.

Titov was distraught, but before his death in 2000, he told the authors of Starman: "Yuri turned out to be the man that everyone loved. They were right to choose Yuri."

They rose at 5.30am on 12 April, though neither Gagarin nor Titov had slept. Both dressed in spacesuits, Titov just in case. They rode to the launch pad Baikonur Cosmodrome ( Kazakhstan now).

There was no countdown, which was a purely dramatic invention of the Americans. Sergei Korolev (the aircraft engineer who sent him into space)  checked with Gagarin three times in the hour leading up to the launch and, at 9.06am, the final commands were given.

"Launch key to 'go' position."

"Air purging."

"Idle run."

"Ignition."

As the G-load climbed, Gagarin shouted "Poyekhali!" – Russian for "Let's go!"

As was planned, Gagarin ejected after reentry into Earth's atmosphere (7 km above the Earth) and landed by parachute.  He landed 40 km from Saratov (the city where he made his first flight) near the village of Smelovka. His spacecraft thudded down under its own parachute two miles away. Two schoolgirls witnessed the Vostok landing and described the scene: "It was a huge ball, about two or three metres high. It fell, then it bounced and then it fell again. There was a huge hole where it hit the first time."

His landing was 280 km to the west of the planned landing site (near Baikonur).

A farmer and her daughter observed the strange scene of a figure in a bright orange suit with a large white helmet landing near them by parachute. Gagarin later recalled, "When they saw me in my space suit and the parachute dragging alongside as I walked, they started to back away in fear. I told them, don't be afraid, I am a Soviet citizen like you, who has descended from space and I must find a telephone to call Moscow!"

Colonel Yuri Gagarin died on March 27, 1968 when the MiG-15 he was piloting crashed near Moscow. At the time of his death, Yuri Gagarin was in training for a second space mission.

Yuri Gagarin will be Cosmonaut number 1 in the world for ever!

The Vostok 1 capsule on display

Landing Site near Saratov

On the 7^th of February the XXII Winter Olympic Games have started in Russia! Without any doubt  this international event means a lot for all Russian people. I think it’s a great opportunity to show Russian culture, Russian character and Russian hospitality to the whole world!  Besides it’s a great chance for all Russian people to unite and to be proud of their unique country.

As a teacher I could see some lack of patriotism a few years ago among young people because they were brought up in a new Russia unlike their parents. Besides we practically didn’t teach our students to be patriots. I always didn’t like it as I’m very much Russian and tried to inspire students to be proud of their country in spite of some negative aspects.

But now the situation has changed. On Saturday (February,8) I asked my students to share their  opinion about the Opening Ceremony which took place on Friday, 7. I was so pleased by their excitement, by their feeling of being proud of  Russia!!! At first we started to discuss everything concerning the Olympic Games in English but they were so excited that began to talk in Russian interrupting each other! They were so enthusiastic talking about it that I enjoyed greatly listening to them!

Now I’d like to share some photos to tell you and show you our attitude (simple Russian people) to this huge international event. Since the beginning of the school year we had been preparing for this grand event. My 12-year old students  prepared a project “ Sochi XXII Winter Olympic Games” in the form of electronic brochure (all 22 students were involved) where we tried to describe everything concerning the Games beginning with the ancient Olympic Games in Greece (776 BC). We presented our project to many other students of our school. After the presentation we asked the questions (a sort of quiz) and then we sang the anthem of our XXII Winter Olympic Games!

Also we were so eager to see and welcome the Olympic Torch Relay here in Saratov. You know that it was the most impressive relay in the history of Olympic Games! It will be remembered not only as the longest, but also as one of the most unusual events: during its trip through Russia ( 65.000 km), the Olympic torch rode a Russian troika, a reindeer sleigh and a camel, visited the North Pole, the international space station (even outer space), and dove to the bottom of Lake Baikal (the deepest in the world). Russian mountaineers lit the torch atop Mount Elbrus, at 5,642 meters  the highest mountain in Russia and Europe. The relay lasted for 123 days, 14.000 torchbearers were involved  including a 101-year-old man.

It was a very exciting and meaningful event that really united all Russian people who live far away from Moscow, from Sochi and from each other. On the 97^th day January, 11 the torch arrived in Saratov! We were so happy! We were allowed not to go to school and most of my students and their parents came to school and after some preparation we went to watch this fabulous event! Fortunately our school is situated 5 min walk from the main square where the final part of the ceremony was held. We had a chance to feel the spirit of the Olympic Games!

Here we’re at school blowing up the balloons and doing some other preparations:

Then on the 22^nd of January one of the torchbearers (my  student’s mother) came to our school to tell our students about the relay, its atmosphere, its uniqueness.

We had a great chance to see and touch the torch! Everybody was so excited!

The Olympic torch is red, the traditional color of Russian sport. Its form reminds of the feather of the magic bird, which is said to bring good fortune and happiness. Everyone in Russia knows this fairy-tale about the Firebird, or the Phoenix which rose from the ashes. The body of the torch is made of aluminum. The color is light-silver "chrome".  The torch weighs nearly 1.8 kg, is 0.95 m tall and 54 mm wide. Its weight and center of gravity were carefully calculated so as to make the torch as comfortable as possible to carry whilst running.

We also admired the Olympic clothes of the torchbearer. It’s so bright, so colourful! The ideas of the Russian patchwork quilt were used while designing the olympic clothes. We can see the patterns from 28 different traditional arts across the country on them symbolizing that Russia is a multinational and multicultural country.

The brightly coloured diamond design is seen everywhere at the Sochi Games, on banners, clothing, cars, trains and even the athletes’ medals, which feature a monochrome quilt segment.

The torchbearer kindly allowed me to try on these magic clothes and to hold the torch! It’s an unforgettable experience! I was so happy!

The slogan of the XXII Winter Olympic Games is “Hot. Cool. Yours!” I think everyone in the world will enjoy watching this superb international event!

Dear Josef Essberger and Tara Benwell, thank you very much for the excellent material on the Sochi Winter Olympic Games , given here on EC. I downloaded it, printed and gave my students to discuss the topic. Tara, I also used your voice recording "Figure Skaters Do Get Dizzy". We listened to it at the lessons and discussed. Thanks a lot for your creativity and enthusiasm!

Dear friends, on September 30 is International Translation Day. I think we all are related to this holiday as we often  have to translate something from our native language into English and vice versa.

The celebrations have been promoted by the International Federation of Translators ever since it was set up in 1953. In 1991 FIT launched the idea of an officially recognised International Translation Day to show solidarity of the worldwide translation community.

 International Translation Day offers an opportunity to draw attention to the importance of translators and interpreters in the world. These language practitioners often remain invisible and unacknowledged, yet their work makes a huge contribution to communication and interaction in all sorts of spheres, particularly in today's globalised world.

Various events will be held to celebrate ITD 2014 here in Saratov (Russia). Our special organization ‘American Corner’ is going to have a competition for students ‘Young People in Translation’. They have offered interesting things for translation to schoolchildren of different ages. A lot of my students are going to participate in this competition. I’d like to share some things for translation with you as I’m fascinated with their choice.

For students of 4 -6 grades they’ve given a nice poem by the late Shel Silverstein:

                                                             Hug O'War

Shel Silverstein, the gifted and versatile favorite of children and adults, died suddenly in May, 1999. This profound poem comments on violence and love from a child's perspective, clearly expressing the preference for and goodness of one over the other. A generous but subtle gift is found in the last line. It is the profit shared through cooperation which is denied at least half of us when we compete

For students of 7 – 8 grades they’ve given a wonderful video "When I Grow Up":

For students of 9 - 11 grades they’ve given a great video "Educate The Heart":

Hope you've enjoyed all these pieces of art!

I’ve been a member of EC for almost two years and must admit that every time I sign in I anticipate to see, to read,  to find there something new, unusual and exciting. And what’s more pleasant I know that this new information, somebody’s new idea will cause the process of inspiration inside me. It gives some kind of 'explosion’ in my mind, opens new horizons, new directions of thinking and understanding. It’s such an exciting process! I simply feel some kind of revival when I read or see  something that inspires me, thrills me and I start thinking differently. This process attracts me a lot. I’m also happy when I see that other people are inspired by someone else and this has wonderful results and this process is endless!

For me EC is a wonderful source of inspiration while learning about different things or facts. It’s a kind of ideosphere of fascinating ideas! Ideosphere is the "place" where thoughts, theories and ideas are thought to be created, evaluated and evolved. For the first time I’ve learnt about ‘ideosphere’ from the book of the French writer Bernard Werber “Encyclopedia of Absolute and Relative Knowledge”. I immediately accepted this fact. It seemed to me I thought about it but couldn’t express it, give definition. Bernard Werber thinks that ideas are living things, which always keep circulating the earth in search of a host in order to express themselves.

Our EC ideosphere is powerful and huge as it gives the opportunity to share the ideas and use the ideas with people all over the world at the same time.

Our EC is a magic place for generating ideas thanks to its creative members. It has a brilliant collection of talented creative people. I’m simply happy to meet such people in my life. I want to give some examples, but, of course, I won’t be able to mention all creative members of our EC.

Tara's fantastic blogs about different things in our life inspire me to accept everything from different point of view and see beyond my perception. I simply feel her rich imagination and it touches me and makes me discover something new inside me! I also appreciate her efforts in helping us to master English!

Gabriel enchanted me with his fabulous English and inspired me to use  a better command of English. I’ve learnt about thesaurus from him. His Study Sessions with his wonderful feedback inspires me to learn English, to teach English, especially spoken English. I was inspired to learn more about phonetics, idioms, creating short verses, creating colourful blogs and what not... He often surprises me with his unusual ideas in different spheres of life!

Tawfeeq’s poetic blogs about people’s psychology and relationships and about moral principles always inspire me to read poems and speculate and enjoy reading them. He always awakes a poet inside me!

Hala’s blogs about teaching English inspires me to find new information about methods of teaching English, about how to  motivate students and so on.  She’s a real gifted teacher and has an ability to inspire others!

Hani, Charos, Ha, Robbie share my belief in miracles and often inspire me to see usual things in an unusual way. They also inspire me to see poetry in nature and admire it! Sometimes it’s enough for them to use only one word and it immediately causes some associations in my mind and I start to think differently. It’s a wonderful process!

Grace, Junco, Fumi impressed me greatly with their fascinating photos. They woke up a photographer inside me. Before joining the club, I took photos mainly  of people ( my relatives and friends). Now I enjoy catching different views of nature and other things of our everyday life. I always take my camera with me just in case of taking a fascinating shot.

When people love their country and tell us about it in an exciting way it teaches you a lot of new facts, attitudes and inspire you to find something unknown to you. The last was Zakir’s blog about Hunza people. I was greatly impressed reading it. It inspires me to find new information about things, mentioned in his blog.

Scarlett, Anele, Rajesh, Asma, Sakshi, Sandeep, Selma, Nafis and Mahgol your brilliant ideas often have become the sourсe of inspiration to me.

Now there’re a lot of many talented creative new members on EC: Mickey, Noaslpls, Fahime, Noorany, Nina, Shabeen, Asif, WMW, SERA, Sima, Nighthawk, Bala, Irina and many others! Sorry If I forgot to mention your name. I love all of you!

I’m very grateful to you, my EC members, for making my life so interesting and exciting!

P.S. The logo on the top of the page was made by Gabriel Sowrian

Hello, my dear friends!

I still have a New Year mood and that's why I invite you to share some interesting New Year customs and traditions! I think every country has something unique and unusual. New Year is a holiday when miracles can happen. So let's try to prolong this condition of miracles anticipation.

In Russia we’ll celebrate Christmas only on the 7^th of January, that’s why New Year celebration is more important than in many countries of Europe and America. Now all Russian people are having New Year holidays ( from 1^st till 8^th January).

Of course, some New Year traditions are similar around the world but I’m sure that every country has its own peculiar customs. Here in Russia we have our own Santa Claus and he’s called Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost). He’s old and he wears a long furry blue or red robe and a furry cap. He lives in the North of Russia in the town of Veliki Ustug.

But my favourite New Year character is Snegurochka - Russian Snow Maiden. I have had great passion for this tradition since my childhood. I adored animated cartoons and films about this magic character. When I studied at school I always performed the part of Snegurochka at our school New Year celebrations. I was so proud about it. And not only me. My daughter also did it many times.

The name Snegurochka is derived from the Russian word for snow, sneg.

A version of a folk tale about a girl made of snow and named Snegurka or Snegurochka was published in 1869 by Alexander Afanasyev in the second volume of his work The Poetic Outlook on Nature by the Slavs. In this version, childless Russian peasants Ivan and Marya made a snow doll, which became alive. Snegurka grows up quickly. A group of girls invite her for a walk in the woods, after which they make a small fire and take turns leaping over it; When Snegurka's turn comes, she starts to jump, but only gets halfway before evaporating into a small cloud.

In another story, she is the daughter of Spring the Beauty (Весна-Красна) and Father Frost, and yearns for the companionship of mortal humans. She grows to like a shepherd named Lel, but her heart is unable to know love. Her mother (Spring) takes pity and gives her this ability, but as soon as she falls in love, her heart warms and she melts. This version of the story was made into a play The Snow Maiden by Aleksandr Ostrovsky, with beautiful music by Tchaikovsky in 1873.

The tale was also adapted into an opera by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov titled The Snow Maiden: A Spring Fairy Tale (1880-81).

The story of Snegurochka was adapted into two Soviet films.

In late Russian Empire Snegurochka was part in Christmas celebration, in form of figurines to decorate the fir tree and a character in children's pieces.

In early Soviet Union, the tradition of Christmas was banned, together with other Christian traditions. However in 1935 the celebration of the New Year was allowed, which included, in part, the fir tree and Ded Moroz. At this time Snegurochka acquired a role of the granddaughter of Ded Moroz and his helper. The Russian Snegurochka is a beautiful girl with blond hair and blue eyes and she usually wears a long silver-blue robe and a furry cap.

For me the image of Snegurochka is always connected with childhood, New Year and miracles!

If you have any peculiar traditions and customs, please, share!

Hello, everybody!

I know that a lot of members here on EC would like to improve their spoken English. The most determined learners are already doing it right now on Rajesh’s Virtual Classroom. They follow Gabriel Sowrian’s Study Sessions devoted to pronunciation. They  learn everything about English sounds: how to read phonemes, how to read transcription, how to pronounce sounds. Study Sessions are organized in a logical way: the sound, the word, the sentence, the short paragraph, tongue-twisters and so on. After learning the given material, learners should do the audio assignment and record their answers. If you don’t know how to record your answer, this is the link to Gabriel Sowrian’s blog “ Make your voice heard”.

http://my.englishclub.com/profiles/blogs/make-your-voice-heard

Now I’d like to describe all the steps of practicing the given material. I’ve already told some learners about it, but there’re new people who join the group. If you think you can do all the tasks all by yourself, the way you see it, you’re mistaken and you won’t get any result. So, there’re some steps:

1. Try to listen attentively the explanation of Alex and other native speakers ( video).
2. Try to practise as much as possible in pronouncing the sounds and the words.
3. After that try to do the audio assignment: read the task attentively and translate all the words.
4. If you don’t know the pronunciation of some words, try to read the transcription and listen the pronunciation of the word using the online  'Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary'.
             
   After you’ve learnt how all the words are pronounced, you can start to practise the sentence, the paragraph, the tongue-twisters. First of all, you should listen to the way native speakers pronounce it. How can we do it? Personally I use Audiopal for it ( there're some other tools ). We can also use Audiopal for recording our voice, but you can use any other tool for it as well. Audiopal has such option as Text To Speech ( TTS). You can hear any text, you paste there.  It's very important to do it as you'll practise proper English intonation as well.This is a short video how to use Audiopal:

After listening and repeating several times your audio assignment, you can record your voice.

If you regularly do these exercises, you’ll acquire good near native pronunciation.

This is the link to Rajesh’s Virtual Classroom. There you'll find the link to all Gabriel Sowrian's Study Sessions:

http://my.englishclub.com/group/virtual-classroom

This is the link to Gabriel Sowrian's latest Study Session 5:

http://my.englishclub.com/profiles/blogs/05-improve-your-pronunciation-study-session-5?xg_source=activity

This is the link to the blog about the importance of good pronunciation "Pigmalion, My Fair Lady and the Importance of good pronunciation".

http://my.englishclub.com/profiles/blogs/pygmalion-my-fair-lady-and-the-importance-of-good-pronunciation

Happy learning and speaking!

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear friends, Gabriel Sowrian left such a valuable comment in the comment box that I decided to paste it into the blog. These are his words:

Hello, my fellow EC members!

English spelling is non-phonetic, unlike Spanish spelling. “What do you mean by non-phonetic?” You may ask! You see, the thing is, the sound and the spelling is not always the same in English. You’ll be muddled to see that there is an inconsistency in the letter and sound relationship. Some letters or combination of letters can have many sounds. This is a real headache for non-native speakers of English. For example:

The letter combination 'ou' doesn't sound /aʊ/ as in 'round' /raʊnd/ all the time, does it? It can make five different sounds! This is merely just one example. There are many other letters and combination of letters which are multi-valued (having more than one sound). How are you going to overcome this complication and perplexity? Is there a workable solution or approach? Think about it!

Now, if you could give me ‘totally effective’ answers to the following three questions whereby  all your pronunciation problems would be solved, I’ll stop posting any more study sessions and keep my mind on my offline commitments. I promise!  :-)

Your questions are:

    Your answer ……………………

     Your answer ……………………

     Your answer ……………………

Now, if you ask me the same questions, these would be my answers.

Question 1.  Who?   –   The phonetic symbols in my dictionary!

Question 2.  How?   –   I’ll check the phonetic symbols in my dictionary!

                                          symbols in my dictionary!

The answer is same, phonetic symbols, for all the three questions! It worked for me and will work for you too! What is your next move? I rest my case here. Thank you!

~* GS *~

Hello, everybody!

It’s not a secret that EC is one of the best places not only to communicate but to improve your English. To do it we should develop different skills, such as  listening, reading, speaking and writing. It’s great that we have different interesting activities here to develop our written skills.  Our dear teacher Tara has a wonderful ability to find and give us various exciting tasks. We are very grateful to her for it.

But I noticed that only few members here try to improve their spoken English, their pronunciation. And this is the most important part of learning a foreign language! Bernard Shaw ( a famous English writer) tried to prove the importance of good pronunciation even in the beginning of the 20th century in his famous play “Pygmalion”. It was written in 1912 and it describes the story of Henry Higgins, a professor of phonetics, who makes a bet with his friend, Colonel Pickering, that he can transform a common flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, into a ‘proper lady'. Higgins succeeds in teaching her how to speak with a proper upper-class accent.

In Shaw’s time, upper class people pronounced their  words clearly. However, the working class in London spoke with a strong Cockney accent and often used incorrect grammar, as well. In ‘Pygmalion’, Higgins believes that he can teach anyone to sound like a member of the English upper class.

The play is extremely popular, and many variations of it have been made. In 1938 it was made into a film and in 1956 the Broadway musical ‘My Fair Lady’ was produced. In 1964 a film version of the musical, starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison, was released. In 1999, the film ‘She’s All That ‘ told a modern version of Shaw’s story.

Here are two videos showing us how  Professor Higgins is teaching Eliza. We can understand that it’s not so easy to improve your pronunciation, but it’s possible and rewarding. The main thing here is to do all the exercises regularly.

In this video Eliza Doolittle ( Audrey Hepburn) drives Professor Higgins ( Rex Harrison) mad with her Cockney accent:

And here we can see the the joy of Eliza and Professor Higgins, when she acquires a perfect pronunciation:

Now you have a wonderful opportunity to acquire good pronunciation here in EC.  Gabriel Sowrian conducts English Pronunciation Virtual Class. Now the learners are doing their first audio assignment in Study Session 3. So, you are just on time to join!  This is the link:

http://my.englishclub.com/profiles/blogs/03-imporve-your-pronunciation-study-session-3?xg_source=activity

If you don’t know how to record your voice, you may use some tips of advice, which Gabriel Sowrian gives in his blog " Make your voice heard":

http://my.englishclub.com/profiles/blogs/make-your-voice-heard

So, you are welcome!

Every year different generations of my 11^th grade students finish school in May. During the last English lesson I  usually present them, as my parting words, the poem of Rudyard Kipling "If”. It has become an annual farewell tradition. And every year different generations of students to my great pleasure admire the poem. It means they understand moral values of our life.

I decided to share this poem with you, as every line of it can be considered as a quotation. Rudyard Kipling is a famous English author and poet, born in Bombay, India. "If" is Kipling’s most famous poem. (1895). It is an inspiring, motivational poem about how to overcome difficulties. It emphasises the value of inner strength and the ability to not show your emotions. 

                                           Joseph Rudyard Kipling

                                   (1865 - 1936)

                                                               If    

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build them up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

Knave -  a dishonest person (old fashioned usage)

Pitch-and-toss  - a gambling game played with coins

Sinew  -  a cord connecting a muscle to a bone

Foes  - enemies

If all men count you   - are important to you ( old fashioned)

Today is the Day of Memory and Mourning in Russia. 71 years ago on June 22,1941 Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union without declaring a war. It was a peaceful Sunday morning.... 4 am..............Thousands of innocent people died during the first hours of massive attacks. The Great Patriotic War broke out. In the world it's known as World War II, but in Russia it's known as the Great Patriotic War, because all people of Russia ( including women and children) defended their country. This war is considered as the most murderous one in the history of mankind.The Soviet Union had to come across inhuman hardships gaining the victory and releasing the world from fascism. The war lasted 1, 418 days, 26 million soviet peole died, hundreds of the cities were destroyed and thousands of the villages were burnt.

On this day there're different events in Russia, including lighting candles and laying carnations to the memorials to commemorate the fallen.

Unfortunately, now we live in the world full of violence, too. But still most people in the world dream to live in the world of peace and harmony....I think our dream will come true and the future of the planet Earth will be peaceful and happy....

John Lennon has a nice song " Imagine" concerning this topic....I love it very much....especially the words: " Imagine all the people living life in peace"......now it's only a dream, but......

Do you like dancing? I simply adore it, but now in our busy life I don't have enough  time to do it regularly. And dancing is very useful for our health. First of all, it's a good physical exercise. Secondly, it reduces stress and increases serotonin level, with its sense of well-being. The most recent research shows another benefit: frequent dancing apparently makes us smarter. Dancing increases cognitive acuity at all ages. 

"Socrates learned to dance when he was 70, because he felt an essential part of himself has been neglected."              ~ Unknown~

A week ago I visited a seminar at some school in Saratov and the studens there peformed an old but well-known song of Dean Martin "Dance with me, sway with me" (1954). I was so impressed and inspired....it's about the beauty of dancing...about people's feelings....

I invite you to listen to the song, to sing and to dance.... 


         Dance with me

When marimba rhythms start to play
Dance with me, make me sway
Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore
Hold me close, sway me more

Like a flower bending in the breeze
Bend with me, sway with ease When we dance you have a way with me
Stay with me, sway with me

Other dancers may be on the floor
Dear, but my eyes will see only you
Only you have the magic technique
When we sway I go weak

I can hear the sounds of violins
Long before it begins
Make me thrill as only you know how
Sway me smooth, sway me now

Other dancers may be on the floor
Dear, but my eyes will see only you
Only you have the magic technique
When we sway I go weak

I can hear the sounds of violins
Long before it begins
Make me thrill as only you know how
Sway me smooth, sway me now
You know how
Sway me smooth, sway me now...

"Talk about dance? Dance isn't somethingto talk about. Dancing is to dance."

                                                                                     ~ Peter Saint James~

"Dance even if you have nowhere to do it but your living -room."   ~ Kurt Vonnegut ~

This week I had a chance to visit a theatre. I can’t do it often because of my busy life. So it was a great event for me. And it isn’t surprisingly, as there were some important reasons for it. First of all, the performance was given in a new-built theatre for the first time after the opening. It is the theatre for young spectators but it gives performances for adults as well. A new building is magnificent. The next reason was the performance itself. It was a premiere of the well-known Russian novel “The Captain’s daughter”. It’s a historical novel by a great Russian writer  Alexander Pushkin. It was first published in 1836. So, it’a a classic of Russian literature.  The novel is about Pugachev’s rebellion in 1773- 1774 (Peasants’ War).

The main character Pyotr  Grinyov, a young officer, is assigned to serve at Belogorskaya fortress near the city Orenburg. There he meets Masha the daughter of the Captain Ivan Mironov and falls in love with her.

Soon the fortress is besieged by Yemelyian Pugachev, who claimed to be emperor Peter III.  He  hangs the Captain and his wife. But Pyotr Grinyov’s life is suddenly spared, as Pugachev turns out to be the guide that rescued Pyotr from the blizzard at the beginning of the novel. Masha’s life is also under the threat and Pyotr tries to rescue her using all possible and impossible ways.. The novel describes a lot of dramatic events.

 At the end of novel the rebellion is defeated and Yemelian Pugachev is beheaded. Pyotr is arrested for having friendly relations  with Pugachev. Masha goes to Tsarskoe Selo near St. Petersburg ( the official residence of Russian tzars) and presents a petition to Russian empress Catherine the Great. The empress spares Pyotr’s life as she has become convinced of Pyotr’s innocence. Pyotr marries Masha.

The novel narrates about the great event in the history of Russia through the description of the life of ordinary people and when actors reproduce it on the stage it affects the audience greately.

I was impressed by the actors’ performance, as they were able to create the Russian spirit of that period. The scenery and the music were majestic, too. I liked the character of Yemelian Pugachev most of all, as he is a real great Russian personality ( strong, wild, and at the same time kind and just with a good sence of humour), that affects you a lot.

But while I was sitting and watching the performance I noticed only few teenagers there. Why do you think teenagers prefer to go to the cinema rather than going to the theatre? And not only teenagers. Theater vs Cinema. Which do you think has more benefits?

Do you often go to the theatre? Are there any unique theatres in your country?   

This is the final scene of the performance. You can see the empress Catherine the Great and Yemelian Pugachev next to her.....then to the right Pyotr Grinyov and Masha.....

Hello, my dear members of EC!

Today I have a wonderful mood and want to share it with every person in the world. The reason for it is my today’s lesson, which I gave for my ten-year-old students. You know this digital generation. They’re crazy about laptops, computer games, robots and so on. The theme of the lesson was “My favourite things”. And just for a change I offered them the video and the song from the musical “The Sound of Music” (1965).  A young woman Mary sings about the things she loves, such as ‘raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens’. These are the things she selects to fill her mind with when times are bad. To my surprise  my digital generation students liked the song a lot.  So I decided to share it with you just to pass you some positive energy. There’re two variants, one of them is with the lyrics. The song is sung by Julie Andrews.

There are a lot of people who don’t believe in miracles.  The reason is man’s power and knowledge. But miracles surround us every day. We just have to open our eyes and hearts to see them. I find  that simply walking on the earth is a miracle.

But I’d like to remind you about the miracle of flowers. Spring has come to Russia at last and there’s a general feeling of renewal in the air. Nature’s awakening in spring is wonderful (a miracle of miracles)!  And I have a wish to share this energy, this feeling when everything is potential, this spring mood  with all people. This feeling is pure magic!

I think that looking at the  flower in a spring bloom is the best way to do it. Do you remember amazing words of H.C. Andersen “Living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower”.

Just look at this flower sprouting.

It is transcending the stones and shells of pragmatic earth…unfurling…spiralling…turning…facing the sun.

Isn’t it a miracle?

Or just look at the first snowdrops (first spring flowers).  There’s  snow everywhere but still clumps of green snowdrop leaves start to pop up  above the frozen ground.  Then appear flowers of purest white on a slender stem.

The miracle of the first stirring of spring.

And what do you think about the urban flowers? Just look at the flower that can grow through the cracks of the city pavement!  They seem so fragile in the concrete jungles. Isn’t it a miracle?

We can see flowers on the rocks, among the stones…

Wonders will never cease!

“People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy to have such things around us.”             

                             ~ Iris Murdoch~

What is the miracle of miracles for you ?

Congratulations to all ladies of MyEC on Women’s Day! This day is devoted to you for your Grace, Beauty, Charm and Intelligence. .Feel .special, unique and on the top of the world because...

If you know any interesting quotation about women, please share it in the comment box below. Thank you!.

This day , the last day of Maslenitsa and the day before the Great Lent, is  one of my favourite Christian traditions. As we all know forgiveness is the core message of Christianity and also a powerful tool to free our blocked heads from a mess of thoughts. The God will forgive your sins if you forgive other people. Forgiveness is a must!

According to this tradition you can ask forgiveness of every person you meet this day, but especially people whom you might have really done some harm, or just your parents, relatives and friends ( we never know if by chance we could have hurt anyone!).

Normally one person greets another and says “ please forgive me”, in response he/she says “God will forgive you. And I forgive too”. Then they can hug each other heartily…Isn’t it beautiful?

Observing this wonderful tradition, let me humbly ask each of you, my dearest members of EC: “Please forgive me!”

Love and Hug,

Galina

Congratulations on Broad Maslenitsa! This week February 20 to February 26 is devoted to celebrating Maslenitsa in Russia. Maslenitsa ( Shrovetide, Butter Week, Pancake Week) is perhaps the most cheerful holiday in Russia. The name of the festival has its roots in the Russian word for butter “maslo”. This holiday is considered to come from pre-Christian time, when the slavs were still pagans. In Slavic mythology, Maslenitsa is a sun festival, celebrating the end of winter and the beginning of spring. But Maslenitsa combines Christian traditions as well. It has been absorbed into the Eastern Orthodox religion.  On the Christian side, Maslenitsa is the last week before the Great Lent.

The rituals of Maslenitsa are very unusual and interesting. Every day of Maslenitsa is  devoted to special rituals ( though many of them were observed mostly in the past, now we can see the return of these traditions).

On Monday Maslenitsa is welcomed.

Tuesday is called “zaigrysh” (game day): sleigh riding, folk festivals.

Wednesday – gourmand – opens feasts houses with blini (baked pancakes) and other delicious food.  

Thursday – revelry – the climax of games and fun, Broad Maslenitsa.

On Friday and Saturday people visit their relatives.

Sunday – “Forgiveness Sunday. On that day people ask each other for forgiveness for all grievances and troubles. Thus Great Lent begins in the spirit of reconcilliation and Christian Love.On the last day of Maslenitsa comes the most interesting event – saying goodbye to Maslenitsa – solemn burning of the stuffed figure of winter, Lady Maslenitsa.

Blini are Russian pancakes and they are essential to the celebtation. Blini are topped with caviar, jam, sour cream and butter.

Maslenitsa ends with the first day of the  Lent – Clean Monday, which is considered the day of purification from sin and fast forbidden food.

All in all Maslenitsa is a good excuse to go out and have a good time, eat until your burst and do something unusual.

This is the way we lay the table at Maslenitsa.     You are welcome!

The celebration of Maslenitsa in Russia in the past. Broad Maslenitsa.......

С Рождеством Христовым! This means Merry Christmas in Russian. I congratulate all people who belong to Orthodox Church on this great holiday.

Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on the 7^th of January in accordance with the old Julian calendar. There is a Christmas all-night service in church (liturgi). It’s traditional for all family members to gather and have a meal. People also visit their relatives and friends. In the past there were a lot of special traditions. Unfortunately many of them are not held now.

e.g. In some small towns and villages there’s still  an interesting and funny tradition called “Kolyadki”. Early in the morning on the 7th of January children go from house to house singing a song or reading poems and asking a penny for Jesus Christ. People usually give them a coin and some sweets and fruits.

Though New Year remains a bigger event in Russia Christmas is becoming more and more important as now we can observe the rebirth of religion in Russia. 

                                С Рождеством Христовым!