Yes, I was quite aware of that . . .

Post #421,630 by Andrew Grygus 12/7/17 10:11:34 PM 12/7/17 10:25:28 PM Reply	Yes, I was quite aware of that . . . But she's a major saint in the Russian Orthodox Church, and I liked the picture. It works well for the Russian Winter program, as I mention in my invite heading, "In support of our theme, we present an icon of Saint Olga, who was easily as cold, cruel and treacherous as a Russian winter". She is described as the "Least saintly of all the Saints". Her favorite modus was to lure people by treachery and murder them by burying them alive or burning them alive. She was extremely vindictive. Of course, much of this may be myth, but there is likely some truth under it. Besides, as you point out, she couldn't be Ukrainian, as there was no Ukraine at the time. Of course, I could really, really offend you by calling it "Little Russia" like the Russians did. Edited by Andrew Grygus Dec. 7, 2017, 10:25:28 PM EST Expand All History
Post #421,633 by a6l6e6x 12/8/17 12:12:07 AM 12/8/17 12:12:07 AM Reply	The modern name Russia did not come into use until 15th century. The tsars and tsarinas had "Russification" programs in Ukraine to make them more Russian. According to my father, even our family name which originally ended in an "o" and was required to an end in an "a" to make it sound Russian. So, yeah. Saying Little Russia fits right in to that plan. You can call the Basques Spaniards. But, the Basque culture is older. Alex "There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge." -- Isaac Asimov
Post #421,638 by Andrew Grygus 12/8/17 3:25:37 PM 12/8/17 3:25:37 PM Reply	Belarus also suffered. Also a former part of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth, Belarus was subjected to an intense "de-Polanization" program. During the Soviet era Belarusian cuisine was banned. Cooks were commanded to come up with a new Belarusian cuisine based only on the crudest peasant products. Today, some effort is being made to restore the old cuisine, but now it has to compete with Italian, Chinese and other cuisines the people are interested in.
Post #421,654 by a6l6e6x 12/9/17 2:51:31 PM 12/9/17 2:51:31 PM Reply	It's amazing how the Soviets succeeded. I ran into a lady serving food samples at Costco in Charlotte a few years ago. The Russian sounding accent and flash of a stainless steel tooth made me ask her where she came from. It was Kazakhstan. So, I told her that originally I came from Ukraine. Well, she said, we're all the same people. Back in July on a camping trip I was registering for a site a Colorado State Park. So, the college age park office attendant asks me "What kind of last is yours?" It's Ukranian I told him. "Wow", he said, "my parents and I used to live in Kiev and we're Ukranian!" But, then he told me his family only spoke Russian! As I left, he said goodbye in Russian and I smiled and replied goodbye in Ukranian. :) Alex "There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge." -- Isaac Asimov
Post #421,655 by Andrew Grygus 12/9/17 3:56:05 PM 12/9/17 3:56:05 PM Reply	Yes, except in the Balkans. Those folks will be slaughtering each other 'till the end of time.
Post #421,662 by a6l6e6x 12/9/17 11:14:20 PM 12/9/17 11:14:20 PM Reply	The religious differences are deeper. Alex "There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge." -- Isaac Asimov
Post #421,679 by mmoffitt 12/11/17 8:01:52 AM 12/11/17 8:01:52 AM Reply	The "foreign language" in Kiev for 4th class was Ukrainian. The "official" language was Russian. bcnu, Mikem It's mourning in America again.

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