Source: AFP/East News, Reuters/Vostock-Photo, Michael Fomichev/RIA Novosti, Getty Images/Fotobank, Corbis/FotoSA, Alamy/Legion Media, PhotoXPress, Itar-TASS, Ilya Varlamov
Say "Russia" and it triggers images of thick Siberian frosts. Indeed, it sometimes does get really cold in Russia, even though the climate ranges from polar to subtropical on the Black Sea shore, with its average January temperature of plus 15 degrees Celsius; for instance, in Sochi, which is located on the same latitude as Nice. Russians from other regions are envious of Sochi residents. The 470 residents of Oymyakon, a town in Yakutia, where the mercury dropped to minus 72 degrees C last year, must be especially envious. Winter naturally colours all aspects of their lives but the locals have long been accustomed to frosts and take them calmly. Apart from freezing temperatures, there are other winter phenomena to reckon with in Russia. Icy roads and pavements force car drivers and pedestrians to take extra care while making their way. One more thing to consider in cold weather is choice of clothing in order not to catch a cold.
What do Russians wear when it’s freezing cold?
Mittens are the absolute must if you don’t want to run the
risk of freezing your fingers. They were brought to Russia by Varangians,
hence, the Russian name for mittens, “varezhki”. Mittens are in fact much
better at keeping hands warm than gloves because all the fingers of the hand
except for the thumb are together. Russians often wear mittens when they go
skating or skiing or simply when it’s colder than average. Mittens keep hands
warm, and grannies love knitting mitts for grandkids.
Felt boots (“valenki”) are the next important part of a winter outfit. They are made by felting lamb wool. These boots protect you from cold even at below 30 Celsius. But they are not water-resistant and have no outsoles, which is why they are traditionally worn with galoshes. Russia’s annual felt boot production is estimated at 4.5 million pairs.
One more garment that can come in handy for protecting yourself from the frost is ushanka - a fur cap with ear-protecting flaps. The word derives its name from the Russian word “ushi” – ears. It's a style statement and symbol of the Russians.
Tourists admire snow but car owners prepare for challenging driving
Many Indians who visit Moscow in winter are delighted to see snow. But it can be a trial for the city because when winter comes to Russia, it is the real deal: winter lasts for about four months, with snow falling on approximately 50 days. Up to 16 inches of snow can fall overnight, prompting municipal utilities to swing into action and clear the streets.
As soon as it starts snowing, snow-cleaning machines are sent on to the city streets. A single machine not only cleans about 12 kilometers of road surface per hour, but also does valuable extra work: it detects holes in the road and reports electronically on their exact location to the road construction service.
Snow-ploughs push snow to the side of the road, where the piles are loaded into dump trucks and then taken to one of 200 snow-melting units. It costs the city 20 million Euros a year to maintain its snow-clearing fleet.
Car owners also brace themselves for the cold season. All winter tyres are equipped with spikes, and huge amounts of windscreen-washing fluid are used – up to 5 litres a day - to enable smooth driving.
Banya and samovar: good ways to warm up in winter
“I’m going to the banya, make up the fire in the oven and put on the samovar.” This was what a typical Russian would say only 50 years ago. “Banya” is a Russian sauna, “oven” here stands for a big stone stove that any “izba” – a Russian wooden house – used to have. A “samovar” is a big boiler used to make tea, which also symbolises Russian hospitality and an invitation to have a cup of tea often means a long and hearty conversation. Going to the banya in winter months still remains a recreational mood-boosting (and some say, also immunity-enhancing) habit for many. But the pressure of growing urbanisation is gradually eroding popular traditions. Soviet urban construction has made them somewhat obsolete. Modern Russia only has central heating, with no individual thermostats. As a result, rooms are overheated and hot dry air becomes a universal problem for the country. Despite this, the “central heating” model seems to remain the only viable one. To prevent the water pipes from freezing, hot water is first heated at power plants and then pumped directly to homes. Russians have to pay for the shortages in summer, when the hot water supply is traditionally suspended for up to three weeks to allow for maintenance of heat pipelines.
Source: ITAR-TASS
