How it was that in the eighteenth century Russian mythology was trumped-up in the Western manner? Who wanted it? And where did we get Lel, Yarilo and Zimtserla? We explain everything you'd want to know about Russian fakelore.

June 22nd marks the 78th anniversary of Operation Barbarossa, the Nazi invasion of Russia that changed the course of WWII and, perhaps, history itself.

Peace! Land! Bread! This was the battle cry of the 1917 October Revolution (old calendar) that changed the history of Russia and indeed the entire world. Since the time of Ivan the Terrible, the tsars concentrated on centralization of their power and control. The most common way of doing this was to take power away from the nobility, appeasing them by giving them dominion over their land and workers. This soon developed into the oppressive, slave-style condition known as serfdom.

Why is Georgian food so popular in Russia? Turns out there's more to it than deliciousness.

It is a common trope that Russians never smile. Which of course is interpreted to mean they are unfriendly, gloomy, sullen – positively Dostoyevskian. This, of course, is a complete misreading of body language and cultural norms.

On October 14, 1991, St. Basil’s Cathedral was reopened after six decades. Here are five fun facts in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Cathedral’s rebirth.

Museum Day is an annual celebration of boundless curiosity hosted by Smithsonian magazine. The Museum of Russian Icons, participating museums, and cultural institutions across the country provide free entry to anyone presenting a Museum Day ticket.

Mastering the challenging medium of egg tempera, as well as the learning the "grammar" of iconography, is like the old joke about how one gets to Carnegie Hall: it takes practice, practice, practice!

Wrestling with Angels explores how God relates to man and how man wrestles with God in order to understand life's meaning. In this curator's talk, discover the unspoken assumptions behind the icons, how the iconographer communicates these assumptions artistically and why they matter.

Russian traditional music, songs, and dances with multiple costume changes.

Irina Nakhova: Museum on the Edge is the artist’s first museum retrospective in the United States. Nakhova stands apart both from the first generation of Moscow conceptualists and from her younger peers. Unlike many of her colleagues, in whose works the narrative or textual component plays a prominent role, Nakhova draws on the visual and cultural dimensions of her dialogue with art history for the conceptual content of her work.

Join a Museum Guide for a free Russian-language tour of the special exhibition Rembrandt to Picasso: Five Centuries of European Works on Paper.

Inspired by Russian fairytales, the artwork in this exhibtion is a collaboration between Oksana Prokopenko and Anthony Santella.

A new mini-exhibition of trays and boxes painted in the traditional Zhostovo-style will be on view in the lobby at the Museum of Russian Icons through October 20.  These treasures are created by American decorative painter and teacher Tricia Joiner, and Zhostovo Master Painter Vyacheslav (Slava) Letkov.

Don't miss the Annual Russian Festival, marking more than 45 years in Baltimore. During this festive weekend, we invite you to savor the authentic foods, prepared by the parishioners, browse the import kiosk, visit the children's corner, and enjoy the dance groups and musical ensembles.

Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra Karina Canellakis makes her San Francisco Symphony debut in a presentation of music by two Russian heavyweights.

An exhibition of forty-six luminous contemporary icons by sixteen iconographers from the Prosopon School of Iconology and Iconography. Exploring the recent renaissance of this ancient tradition, the exhibition will feature icons by the founder of the Prosopon School, Vladislav Andrejev, along with works by master iconographers, instructors, and apprentices.

The National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine performs an afternoon of some of Russia’s greatest works conducted by Volodymyr Sirenko and featuring the extraordinary pianist Olga Kern as guest soloist.