🇷🇺 The Shors are a Turkic-speaking indigenous people of Russia residing in the southern part of Western Siberia. Their primary settlement area is Mountain Shoria (Kemerovo Oblast), as well as parts of the Republics of Khakassia and Altai, and Krasnoyarsk Krai. According to the 2021 census, their population is approximately 12.9 thousand people. Their language belongs to the Khakas subgroup of Turkic languages, but today many Shors speak Russian, and their native language is endangered.

📜 The formation of the Shor ethnicity occurred between the 17th and 19th centuries as a result of the mixing of local Samoyedic, Ket, and Turkic tribes. Traditionally, the Shors engaged in taiga hunting, fishing, pine nut gathering, and blacksmithing—they were called "Kuznetsk Tatars" for their metalworking skills. Reindeer herding was less common compared to other Siberian peoples.

👻 Before the arrival of Russians in the 17th century, the Shors practiced shamanism, animism, and totemism. They believed in nature spirits (of mountains, rivers, forests) and performed hunting-related rituals. After Christianization, many adopted Orthodoxy, but traditional beliefs persisted in a syncretic form.

🥩 Shor cuisine is highly caloric, as meat is present in nearly every dish, consumed constantly and in large quantities. To this day, the people avoid using meat grinders or modern blenders; meat is deliberately chopped with a knife or cleaver and fried only in fatty sour cream.

🥟 The Shors’ favorite dish is pelmeni (dumplings) called pelben, made from beef, venison, and horse meat. The dumplings are boiled in milk.

🩸 Their national food is blood sausage, kan, made from animal blood.

🎉 One of their main holidays, Maltyk-Pairam, is celebrated on January 18th. It is a fascinating festival where people eat pelmeni with predictions. A small symbolic object is placed inside each dumpling, foretelling the eater’s fortune for the year.

👩‍👩‍👦 Fun fact: It is considered highly auspicious for a man to marry a widow with a child, symbolizing prosperity.

#PeoplesOfRussia

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🇷🇺🇺🇸 Another round of contacts between Moscow and Washington could take place as early as next week, according to Kirill Dmitriev, Special Representative of the Russian President and Head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).

📌 He described this week’s talks as "very respectful" and expressed cautious optimism that Russia-U.S. dialogue has been restored.

#news

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🐾 At the Moscow Zoo, raccoon dogs named Notik and Buba have woken up after their winter hibernation.

🐕 Raccoon dogs are the only members of the canid family that go into winter dormancy. Although their hibernation is shallow, they wake up during thaws and then fall back asleep, each in their own den.

They fell asleep in November and only woke up in April!

#InterestingFacts

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📔 Fairy-Tale Homestead "Vikhlyandiya" in Kozelsk, Kaluga Region

Here you’ll find figures of fairy-tale characters, traditional cottages, the "Lovers’ Bridge," greenhouses, play areas, and much more.

#VideoOfTheDay

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🇷🇺🇫🇷 While strolling through Moscow, you might unexpectedly stumble upon the romantic streets of Paris!

The French-style architecture immerses passersby in the ambiance of France. Plus, you can capture beautiful photos here.

📍Petrovskie Linii, 1

#InterestingPlacesMoscow

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