#1 Bear Home
We all heard the stories that Russians fight bears, but while that is true for some (albeit some impulsive and reckless people), it is not the truth for all Russians. What is true, however, is the fact that they are keeping bears as pets. Yes, you read that right, they are keeping bears as pets, some of them even in apartments! (God knows how they can all fit inside a tiny apartment).
The Russian authorities have tried to ban the practice for so long, yet nothing has been done so far and in fact, it is completely legal to keep a bear as a pet, despite them not being domestic animals in the slightest. Apparently, there have been owners of “domesticated” bears that just say that the huge animal is actually friendly and would never dream of hurting you. Even so, we would not recommend getting close to any bears, pet or not, they’re still wild animals at heart and rely on their basic animal instincts.
#2 Soup Love
It is said that most of the Russian population cannot live without soup. So, if you happen to be invited to someone’s house and they have Russian heritage, do not be surprised if there’s a steaming pot of soup waiting for you. If you are lucky, you will get to try borsch (hope you like sour cabbage). That is because soup is a customary lunch dish and is often eaten as the first course, while others eat lunches that are just soup, depending on how filling it is and how much time they have on their hands. It’s served with bread, depending on the type with sour cream, and occasionally with salo (cured pig fat).
#3 Bizarre Customs And Helicopter School
With how big Russia is, you wouldn’t expect the population to be entirely homogenous, especially since it spans over two very ethnically different continents. Thus, Russia is the world’s biggest multiethnic country, as they have over 200 different ethnic groups on their land. What is a bit weird is the fact that only 42,000 inhabitants are native people, out of whom 30,000 are from an ethnic group called the Nenets, who live in the Far North tundra. Here they live among reindeer as they are a nomadic population, even using their skin for tents.
One of their weirder customs is the fact that they eat the antlers of young reindeer and their children play with bird’s beaks as toys. Quite hard for us to wrap our heads around it, but it is what it is. What is the most surreal though is the fact that the children who attend school, live so remotely from the villages where the schools are that they are picked up by helicopters to be able to make it in time.
