2. Early Russian Culture Early on, Russian culture was highly influence by the Finno-Ugric tribes and by the nomadic Turkic peoples of the Pontic steppe. What largely defined Russian culture was a synthesis of Slavic and Byzantine cultures. Due to Russia’s late involvement in the modern globalisation, much of Russia’s culture remains unknown to foreigners.
3. Russian Language, Folklore, Literature, and Philosophy Russia has over 160 ethnic groups that speak about 100 different languages. According to a 2002 census, 142.6 million people speak Russian, followed by Tatar with 5.3 million and Ukrainian with 1.8 million speakers. Old Russian Folklore takes root in the pagan beliefs of ancient slavs and are now represented in the Russian fairy tales. Russian literature is considered to be among the most influential and developed in the world, contributing many of the world’s most famous literary works. Such examples are Alexander Pushkin & Leo Tolstoy. Russian Philosophy has grown since the 19th century when it was defined by “the opposition of Westerners”. In the 20th century, Russian Philosophy has become dominated by Marxism.
4. Russian Performing arts, Visual arts, Media/Technology, andCuisine Russians have a distinctive tradition of folk music. Typical ethnic Russian musical instruments are gusli, balalaika, zhaleika, bayanaccordian, and Gypsy guitar. Ethnic Russian dances include korovod, barynya, kamarinskaya, kazachok, and chechotka. Russian art followed much of the Western European style. Russia was among the first countries to introduce radio and television. Russia also leads in the number of TV broadcast stations and repeaters due to the size of the country. Russian cuisine widely uses fish, poultry, mushrooms, berries, and honey.
