I have mentioned in my anti-stereotype post that women in Russia don't really go around in kokoshinks, but there might be an element we have still preserved since olden times. And this ia the Russan braid or ру́сская коса́ (Fem.).
Although the ladies' hair is a bit shorter nowadays and doesn't reach the floor, many women prefer longer hair as it is associated with femininity and grace.
Yes, we still love to заплета́тьво́лосы в косу (Fem., Acc.) или в ко́сы (pl., Acc.) and плести косы (pl., Nom).
Would you like to read a longer post about modern braid fashion in Russia? If yes, please, like this mini-post or even add a comment
I would really like to introduce you this wonderful song "Я свобо́ден / I am free", whose original version was recorded in 1997. Most of the sources in the Internet define its genre as a rock-ballade.
This song is known to almost everyone in Russia and is mostly asoociated with Sergei Mavrin / Серге́й Ма́врин, a guitar virtuoso, and Valerii Kipelov / Вале́рий Кипе́лов, tenore di grazia, who are definitely the two most widely known Russian rock musicians.
Below you can see the music video and the lyrics with the English translation and some grammar comments.
От предска́занной судьбы́ (Participle, Past, Passive + noun Fem., Gen.)
И от земны́х око́в (adj.+noun, Gen., pl), от зла (Neutr., Gen.) и от добра́ (Neutr., Gen.)
В мое́й душе́ (Fem., Prep.) нет бо́льше ме́ста (Neutr., Gen.) для тебя́ (Gen.).
Silence is above me, and the sky full of fire,
The light is passing though me
And I am free again.
I am free from love,
From hatred (enmity) and gossips,
From predicted destiny
And from earthly chains, from the good and the evil
In my soul there is no place
For you any more.
In 2016 the song reemerged on TV being perfomred by Danil Pluzhnikov, the winner of the show Го́лос Де́ти 3 / Voice Children 3 who impressed the jury and the viewers with his talent and courage.
I love the combination of the deep lyricism of the melody and Kipelov's voice and the brutality of typiically heavy metal strumming and percussion. Probably the Russian lyricism will penetrate into every decent piece of music even if it is the heaviest metal in the world.
Thank you for reading this post. Hope you have learnt something new and enjoyed the rock-ballade. You are very welcome to leave your feedback below.
Have a good day and very musical greeeting from Russia!
Укра́сить or наряди́ть (нового́днюю) ёлку means to trim or decorate a New Year tree
Укра́сить / наряди́ть - Perfective
Украша́ть / наряжа́ть - Imperfective
Они украша́ют / наряжа́ют ёлку.
Чем же мы бу́дем наряжа́ть / украша́ть на́шу ёлочку?
What are we going to dress up / decorate our New Year tree with?
Наряжа́ть мы будем че́м-то (кем? чем?). Поэ́тому в отве́те существи́тельные у нас бу́дут в твори́тельном падеже́.
We are decorating our NY tree with something which means we will need Instumental case in our answers.
Украша́ть мы на́шу ёлочку бу́дем игру́шками, разноцве́тными шара́ми, до́ждиком, огня́ми, гирля́ндами, сосу́льками, свеча́ми, венка́ми, мишуро́й и снежи́нками, а на маку́шку мы наде́нем большу́ю звезду́ (adj. + pron. Acc.).
Попро́буйте перевести́ э́то предложе́ние. Try to translate this sentence.
Я дам вам подска́зки. I will give you some hints.
Ни́же вы уви́дите назва́ния ёлочных игру́шек в имени́тельном падеже́ с указа́нием ро́да и фо́рмы мно́жественного числа́, е́сли она́ употреби́ма примени́тельно к на́шей те́ме.
Below you will see the names of NY tree ornaments in Nominative case with references to the gender and plural form if it is used in relation to our topic.
Please, visit my podcast on soundcloud, where you can listen to how to pronounce the words and phrases given below and get the relevant explanations: Say It In Russian Podcast on Soundcloud. You are very welcome to follow me there.
Decorating a New Year Tree. A Popular Russian Fashion Show
Как укра́сить нового́днюю ёлку. Популя́рное росси́йское шо́у о мо́де
Dear friends,
Today is the 27th of November which means that the countdown of how many days are left till Christmas has started all over the world. Everywhere you can see Christmas trees being installed, shop windows displays being revealed, streets being decorated with lights and sculptures.
And I see my facebook friends uploading photos of the beautifully decorated Christmas trees in their homes. Such wonderful things to see. And what about you? Have you already trimmed your Christmas tree or are you still thinking about how to do it?
In Russia, Ukraine and Belarus decorating a Christmas tree or a New Year tree, as we would more likely call it here, is as important as in the Western World.
As I would really like you, my dear readers and subscribers, to get into the spirit of Christmas and New Year as soon and as much as possible, I am about to dedicate some of my posts to this fabulous season.
Today's post is going to be really short. I would just like to share with you an episode from a really famous Russian show called Мо́дный пригово́р or a Fashion Verdict. The episode is devoted to trimming a Christmas tree and choosing all kinds of ornaments.
I really love the TV show for its friendly and positive atmosphere, sensible fashion tips and brilliant polished language the hosts speak. For this particular episode you need Pre-Intermediate or Intermediate Russian but even if it is Elementary, you could still enjoy the visual side and pick up some simple phrases the hosts are exchanging, choosing the ornaments in the shop and discussing whose New Year tree is better later in the studio.
So, please, meet the hosts starring in the episode:
Alexander Valilyev, fashion historian. He always provides some interesting information from the history of fashion. Do you know what the first Christmas tree ornaments were? Alexander says, these were apples. This fact inspired him to pick up so many fruits for decorating his нового́дняя ёлка :-)
Nadezhda Babkina, folk, folk-rock and ethno-pop singer. With her vivacious character and radiant charisma she is the one who defends the person accused in neglecting his / her looks. Indeed, she has so much faith in people and their ability to make a change for better. This is truly incredible!
Evelina Khromchenko, fashion expert / editor-in-chief of L'officiel and Russian Miranda Priestly (she was actually synchronizing Miranda's voice for the Russian viewers). She shares with us her expert's opinion and comments on style and fashion. She tends to be strict and precise in her statements, yet her words are so encouraging for many women (and sometimes men) to change not only their looks but also their lives.
Here are Evelina's inspirational comments on New Years trees:
Ёлка как сва́дебное пла́тье – когда́ ка́ждая неве́ста демонстри́рует своё вну́треннее я. Ёлка мо́жет быть соверше́нно любо́й – одното́нной, разноцве́тной, стари́нной и́ли совреме́нной, темати́ческой или истори́ческой.
A New Year Tree is like a wedding dress – when every bride demonstrates her inner self. New Year trees can be absolutely different – sole-coloured, multi-coloured, vintage or modern, theme-based or historical.
This song will be guessed by almost everyone in Russia from the first word of its refrain which means virtually from its first two notes. If you start singing 'тóлько' following the tune, your Russian friend will sure enough continue 'рю́мка вóдки на столе́'. You can try and check it. I will venture 10 bucks :-)
A dramatic, one of a kind melody, deep and poetic lyrics by Yevgeny Grigoryev, a bit abstract but at the same time revealing the innermost, and the unique expressiveness of Grigory Leps's voice make this song a real masterpiece.
When Yevgeny Grigoryev wrote the song in 1995 he meant it to be a rock-ballade, but there are lots of blues elements in the Leps's version (Leps bought the rights for this song in 2000).
But you must be getting really impatient to actually listen to the song so it is high time for me to share the link to the official video from youtube with you. The clip was created in 2002 by Alexander Solokha (the director) and Sergey Danduryan (camera operator). Enjoy :-)
So, what's you impression? How Russian is the song in your opinion?
***
Now once you have enjoyed the song itself let's have a look at the lyrics and learn some Russian!
First, I am going to provide the lyrics with some grammar comments and a literal translation revealing the typically messed up Russian word order. Then I am going to make a tanslation from disfigured English into a more or less comprehensible language. I shall start with the refrain, not with the couplets, as the refrain is the nasties part of the haunting tune.
Тóлько рю́мка вóдки (noun+noun, Gen.) на столé (Prep.),
Целовáть (Inf., Imperf.) послéдний раз (adj.+noun, not sure about the case, formally it is Nominative, but it is hard to pose 'a case question'. To be checked).
To kiss for the last time.
***
The night started walking down the streets with her queenly footfall
The elegance of words and numbers has scattered the bird feathers at the heavenly bridge
(Please, don't ask me what this line means, that is too poetic for my earthly brain, but that does sound beautiful)
The feast of the lips and the offences of the eyes will not be forgotten by anyone.
Take me into your captivity to kiss this line of knees for the last time.
Сам (pron., Masc., Nom.) не знáю (Pres., 1st pers sg.), почемý.
Myself don't know why.
***
It is not easy to give you away / back to the sails of winds and birds
Maybe it is even impossible for me to understand you
Maybe it is even impossible for me to recognize you among thousands of women's faces.
Let my eyes be silent and stare silently at the moon
If somebody meets my gaze, he / she will hurry back, [although] I don't really know why.
* The above promised clarifications
'Мóжет дáже не поня́ть, мóжет дáже не узнáть...'
The formula 'pronoun / noun in Dative + particle not + Perf. Inf.' means 'it is impossible for me / him / her / us / you / them to do something.
Мне не поня́ть – It is impossible for me to understand / I can't understand. Мое́й подрýге не уви́деть – It is impossible for my (female) friend to see / My friend can't see.
However, the phrase 'Ей не помóчь' can actually mean both she can't help and she can't be helped. It is impossible to help her and it is impossible for her to help. Beware of the double meaning!
Sometimes the pronoun is omitted in this pattern (like it is in the song). В э́той ситуáции не помóчь. It is impossible to help in this situation.
Здесь не разобрáться без 100 грам. Haha, this is a humorous phrase and a quite popular one. It is impossible to understand / puzzle out / make sense here without 100 grams (meaning 100 grams of vodka, of course). Just trying to keep with the topic of the post:-)
Ok, for now I think more information on the subject will be already too much. Thank you reading this post, watching the song video and taking interest in Russian music :-)
I hope you have enjoyed listening to the song and improved your Russian by picking up some interesting vocabulary or becoming aware of some useful Grammar patterns.
Maybe I will give you one more recommendation for dessert. As you know practice makes perfect so if you really loved the song you could sing it along. Here is the link to the karaoke version:
If you feel shy about singing or doubt you vocal skills there is always a 'рю́мка во́дки на столé' to help you with that:-) I think it is a good way to improve here. And I also hope your neighbors will share your music tastes and become fascinated by Russian music. So if they happen to drop by and ask you about this awesome music, don't forget to tell them about me and my blog.
I am trying my best to make you fall in love with the Russian culture if you still haven't.
Have a good and musical day!
Warm greetings from Russia and a big bear hug for you and your musical neighbors!
Love and be loved and take care of your close ones!
PS: I would really appreciate if you leave your comments below. What are your impressions about this song? Would you like to know more Russian songs? Did you find my translation / vocabulary and grammar comments useful? Maybe you would like to know anything else on the subject? Thank you so much :-)
