Puzzled by the local age-old words I asked the guide at the Vitoslavlitsy village museum near Velikiy Novgorod if there are any. Potchyopotchka turned out to be the rope to hang up and shake (or to zyb) the zybka, the baby craddle.

Recorded June 2nd, 2009 (SP-TFB-2)
Published August 6th, 2010.

Lyudmila Galitskaya is a true legend for those sergiyevoposadians who enjoy all sorts of concerts and retro parties she’s been hosting for decades at the Gagarin cultural centre (they are known as Palaces of culture in Russia). Thousand of admirers could easily tell her distinctive style from the hundreds of others and her rhyming too – the usual tactics when hosting a show. Grey-headed and tall, this lady is the queen of the local scene. Hear her conducting a children’s quiz by the Gagarin hall stairs.

Recorded May 30th, 2010
Published July 18th, 2010.

Sberbank banking hall, Sergiyev Posad, Valovaya street.

Recorded May 18th, 2010
Published June 24th, 2010.

There’s something special about listening to chilling winter sounds on a hot summer day. This is ski orienteering contest in woods of Semkhoz village within a few miles from Sergiyev Posad. The echoing beeps come from the clocks at the starting line, and the voices belong to the contest hosts and participants.

Recorded January 31td, 2010
Published May 6th, 2010.

Conscripts’ friends at the assembly position. They seem to be drunk, have presumably stayed up all night and it looks like they’ve inherited the age-old custom of stormy parties originated from the days of 25 year-long serve time (currently one). As the bus leaves they give a massive send-off to their friends gone to the army forces.

Recorded May 13th, 2010
Published May 26th, 2010.