March 31st, 2012, at Palace Square, the people of St. Petersburg will celebrate Earth Hour. Dozens of people will gather at exactly 20:30 and light candles as a sign for the importance of the future of St. Petersburg and the Earth. 

Every year on the last Saturday in March, millions of people around the world turn off their lights for an hour. It is a symbolic gesture to show the importance of energy consumption and that we should give the Earth a break from electricity. Earth Hour is a symbol of respect for nature, and a concern for the limited resources of our planet.

DISCLAIMER: If you proceed to this section, please exercise caution, as Russian curse words are given WITH English equivalents!!!

The word “хуй” (pronounced "huj") is one of the most popular and most used words in Russian cursing. The word can have several different meanings, but the direct translation is "dick". "Хуй" is definitely one of the most productive formative roots of the whole Russian cursing family. =) There are dozens of different ways that it can be used. Different expressions, responses, and just cursing in different songs are very common in everyday Russian speech. Typically, Russian cursing is used by teens, but can be heard by Russian men also.

Perhaps the most well known drink in the world, VODKA is the most popular alcoholic drink in Russia. Although vodka originated in Poland around the early 1400’s, Russia has perfected the drink over the years. The world enjoys fine Russian vodka exported from Russia itself. Over the centuries, many different types and tastes of vodka have been created. Polish merchants first brought vodka to Russia during the Kievan Rus era in history. Originally thought to be a cure for disease and sickness, vodka had quickly turned into a favorite drink of the countries of Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. The “vodka belt” consists of mainly Slavic countries of Eastern Europe, and the three Scandinavian countries of Finland, Sweden, and Norway.

The traditional Russian nesting doll called the MATRYOSHKA (Russian: матрешка) is another export and sign of Russian culture. Vasily Zvyozdochkin, making the doll a symbol of Russian culture, carved the first Matryoshka in 1890. The word Matryoshka comes from the Russian name Matryona, meaning little matron. The Matryoshka is carved from wood, and a set of Matryoshkas consists of a wooden figure that separates, top from bottom, in which holds a smaller figure similar inside. A set of Russian Matryoshkas can come in three, five, seven, nine, or however many one wants to make. Traditionally, the Matryoshka comes in a set of five.

The annual graduation of schools in St. Petersburg, also known as scarlet sails, will be taking place on June 23rd to June 24th from 11 pm to 4 am. This tradition will be broadcasted throughout Russia, and this year’s festival will be attended by at least 24,000 graduates of St. Petersburg. Also accompanying the graduates are around one million residents and guests of St. Petersburg, Moscow, Novgorod, and Pskov regions.

The night of the museums is a special night for all museums around St. Petersburg, large and small, to show visitors a different aspect of cultural experience. All around St. Petersburg on the night of May 19th until May 20th, museums will open their doors starting in the evening until the early morning in a combination of exhibitions, concerts, performances, author tours, master classes, and historical recreations will be joyful for all who attend. This year, the theme for the program will be “urban mystery”. 

On April 8th, St. Petersburg will be transformed into a city of bubbles! Everyone who participates will experience a beautiful city of bubbles. A city where there are no taboos or bad moods. It will be a city in which everyone is happy. Let’s for one-day plunge into a pleasant atmosphere of freedom, love, and understanding. The event will take place with bubbles and bright clothes. If one doesn’t have bright clothing, wear wings! If one doesn’t have wings, take bright umbrellas with you! =)

Dear all, St-Petersburg Guide is happy to annouce about the start of a new project. Soon you will all be able to buy cheburashkas, matreshkas, shapka-ushnkas, t-shirts, souvernirs and what not right off our website. Bear with us, We are under construction and we expect the store to be added to the website shortly.

Its tasty, its fast, its amazing, it’s SHAVERMA! Also known around the world as SHAWARMA and Gyro, Shaverma is originally from the Middle East, though it has spread around the whole world over its history. In Russia and especially St. Petersburg, it is called Shaverma or Shaurma in Moscow. It is a personal favorite of mine, and I recommend everyone to try it when in St. Petersburg or anywhere in the world. 

Typically in St. Petersburg, Shaverma is a quick meal that usually consists of a type of meat, (usually lamb, goat, chicken, or beef) are the main meats used. The other ingredients consist of tomato, cucumbers, onion, and a tasty white sauce usually made from kefir and mayonnaise. One can get a shaverma in a few different ways, wrapped with pita bread, lavash bread, or on a plate with a sort of make it yourself approach. In all these variations, one can experience the great taste of shaverma.

The pride and love of St. Petersburg, FC ZENIT is the only main club of the city. The passion of its fans can be seen at the infamous Petrovskiy Stadium on match days, and around the whole city when the team isn’t even playing. Blue, white, and sky blue are the colors of the club, and the fans walk around the city with these scarves and hats on to support their club. In the past few years, Zenit has experienced great success in the Russian league and the European leagues. The influx of money can be found by its’ main sponsor, Gazprom. The oil and gas giant recently became the club’s sponsor shortly after the turn of the millennium.