Russia isn’t all about Putin:

Largely because of Russia’s attack on Ukraine and President Putin’s seemingly total disregard for human life and human rights, Russian people in general have gotten a bad press in recent times and have had to keep their heads down. But there is another side to Russia, one which I encountered on a daily basis when I worked there full time. I am still in touch with former colleagues, most of whom abhor what is being done in their name. Back in the day, I wrote a book about Russia but I never had it published. It consisted of seventy five different articles about different aspects of life, people, customs, environment etc. Just as a sampler, here is chapter one:

Seasons:

It is said that in Russia, there are only two seasons, summer and winter. After enduring five long months of ice and snow which was preceded by five months of glorious sunshine, it would be hard to disagree with them. When the weather decides to change, it sometimes appears to happen almost instantly. After many months of sub zero drudgery, the temperature climbs into the plus section, maybe even getting up to 12C and the sun comes out again.

It is like a metamorphosis. Within days, grass miraculously re-appears and very soon, the snow, which had seemed never ending, is a distant memory. While birds are here throughout the year, there are many migrants who reappear in summer. They emerge in great quantities, seeming to compete with each other to announce the arrival of some good weather at last. Little roadside and street-side cafes appear as if by magic, selling beer, coffee, soft drinks, shashlik (barbecued meat) and sandwiches. Goodness knows what they do in winter. Trees acquire leaves. Growth of flowers and plants is rapid. The place, for many months dull, dark, grey, now erupts into a cornucopia of colour. Heavy winter clothes are shed. Heavy coats and hats are consigned to the wardrobe for six months. They are replaced with lighter, brighter, happier garb. You can actually see people again. People are smiling again. Lovers walk hand in hand through parks, along canals and rivers — beauty spots come back into fashion. It is like a renewal — a rebirth, wonderful to live through and behold. It is almost as if the earth has been jealously guarding its treasures for months, only to release them in a mad burst of growth, noise and colour. In the cities, flowers and shrubs reappear as if by magic. In the countryside, the winter wonderland of ice and snow clinging to trees and carpeting the countryside is replaced within days by the vivid green of new growth.

But let us slow down and rewind for a moment. In most years, from November to March here, the countryside is covered with snow and frozen solid. Surely lean pickings for our feathered friends, hence so many depart for warmer climes. Snow can start as early as October and you can even get some in late April.

Generally though, its five months of winter, five of summer with the other two months competing to provide a touch of spring and autumn. Because of Russia’s northerly latitudinal position, it has longer days in summer and shorter in winter, particularly in the North West, where I spent most of my time. The short winter days and lack of sunshine, where, for at least two months, it never really gets bright at all, can cause problems for many people who are affected by seasonal affectation disorder (S.A.D.)

This affliction has only been recognized as a condition in recent years but Russians will tell you that they have always been very aware of it. One of our business partners told me that for many years, he could do nothing for around two months, usually December & January. He just went to work and came home again, ate and slept. He couldn’t even bring himself to go to meet friends or have them call to his apartment. He said he thought he was suffering from depression until he realised that many more people suffered from the syndrome, brought on by lack of sunlight. He is lucky enough to now be able to spend these two months each year abroad but many are not so fortunate. I am firmly convinced that Russia’s collective mood goes into a downer during this period, only briefly raised by the New Year celebrations.

In contrast, there is a period in summer which lasts between six weeks to two months, where it doesn’t get dark at all. This is known as “White Nights” and is a huge tourist attraction. In some ways, it skews the tourist business as everyone seems to want to come during this short period. Hotel rates go up and often give the impression that the country is prohibitively expensive, whereas excellent value can be had for the rest of the year.

My first encounter with White Nights was amazing — we went on a boat trip through the rivers and canals of St Petersburg, eventually finishing by “following the bridges” as they opened in the small hours. St Petersburg is built on a series of islands in the Finnish Gulf and is connected by a marvelous series of bridges. These have to be opened for a few hours each night to allow shipping to pass. The stunning thing about our trip was that the sunlight was so strong that we had to wear sunglasses until 12.30 am. It does get a little dusky between two am and four am but it never gets dark.

In the countryside, summer is the dacha season. Everyone who can moves back to their summer retreats and the ritual of planting new life begins. As summer progresses, the other traditional searches for wild mushrooms and berries commences. Russia is so vast that this hunt can be literally endless. During mushroom season, I was constantly being given gifts of delicious wild mushrooms. The earth is so abundant with them that most Russian people preserve them and store for the long winter.

The mind can play tricks on you. Snow clearance from roads here is excellent and I have never encountered either flight or road delays due to heavy snow falls. There are some things that Russians do really well and snow clearance sure is one of them. Within minutes of a heavy snowfall, the clearance teams are in action. Streets are cleared and life goes on as normal but everywhere else, snow is just left to pile up. In a winter with heavy falls of snow, there are literally mountains of the white stuff everywhere. It is so all embracing and even intimidating that you cannot imagine it ever melting or clearing, never mind imagine new life appearing from underneath it. Ah but it does, and in a rapid way.

Russia has a massive amount of woods, trees and forests and in spring time, the combination of colour, fresh air and an admixture of aromas of new life make a walk in the forest a wonderful experience. One year in late March, I went there on a Saturday afternoon. There was still a lot of snow on the ground but grass and other patches of green were beginning to peep through and spring was definitely in the air. Forests are vast and you need to be careful if you don’t wish to lose your way. I had learned this to my cost many years earlier. Anyway, as I came towards a clearing in the forest, I heard loud chanting and singing. I was still fifty metres away and suddenly I saw someone set fire to what appeared to be a woman tied to a stake. I wondered momentarily if I had stumbled on to some ancient ritual and a brief moment of panic ensued. I noticed though that most of the revelers were children and I quickly realised that it was just a straw woman that was being burned. As I approached the group, I saw that a big celebration was underway — there was an abundance of food and drink and everyone was in party mode.

I enquired politely as to what was happening and I was told this was the ancient Russian custom of “Maslinitsa,” the ritual burning of the Goddess of winter and the celebration of the onset of spring. Obviously I wasn’t the only one who noticed this great renewal. Russians have been aware of it for centuries and even have a way of celebrating it.

I will write elsewhere about problems in Russian agriculture. In spring and early summer — April to June, growth is rapid and from a position where you can have snow on the ground in mid March, you can buy new potatoes on the roadside in May. Growth continues through to September and the hot months of July & August usually signal the onset of grain harvesting season. These months are also interesting particularly in the countryside and a whole new array of aromas permeate the air — fresh mown hay, harvested wheat and barley in such vast quantities that the aroma is all encompassing.

Some Russians call the Autumn season Golden Autumn as given the enormous numbers of trees and forests, the place is saturated with golden leaves. This, to my mind is a wonderful time to visit the country as the weather is still warm enough and there are few tourists so it is possible to see all of Russia’s many attractions in comfort. A particularly evocative sight for me is the reflection of light, either at dawn or sunset, off the golden domes and spires of the churches against the backdrop of autumn colour.

And then winter comes again. Thankfully, winter comes more slowly and it often takes a few snow showers before the real cold sets in. But then when it does, a whole new stratum of life appears. Skiing is popular despite the lack of high hills. Parks are filled with children using toboggans, sleds, tyres and all manner of transport to surf the slopes and paths of the parks and forests. Shrieks and laughter fill the air. The downside is that the day is so short so the fun only lasts a little while.

The one type of weather people hate is when it snows, freezes, then thaws again, leaving the footpaths, streets and parks slushy and dirty. There have been a few winters like this in recent years and they haven’t helped the national mood. Thankfully, the last two winters have been cold and crisp with mountains of snow so children were happy again. Then of course, there was spring.