Studying the Russian language is about more than just learning grammar and rules, it is also about understanding Russian culture and traditions of the past and today. We believe that a language teacher’s mission is to not only teach pupils technical aspects of the language, but to instill a love of Russian language and literature, a huge part of Russian culture.
While we were on holiday, Russian people celebrated Defender of the Fatherland Day. The holiday marks the date in 1918, during the Russian Civil War, when the first mass draft into the Red Army occurred. Nowadays, the 23rd of February is observed as men’s day because military service is obligatory for most men in Russia. Women often give presents and postcards to their male relatives, including those who never served in the military. On a workday before or after the holiday, many women also congratulate their male colleagues and schoolboys may receive small presents from their female classmates.
On 8th March Russia celebrates Women's Day. This is the traditional Russian day to appreciate everything that women do for their friends, relatives and colleagues. For children, it is a good opportunity to say thank you to their mothers and grandmothers. During this week we spoke with students about this topic and introduced them to traditions of this celebration. Some students made postcards for their mothers.
