The Samovar Victoria Filippova from Russia The samovar is a traditional thing in Russia. It isn't important to everyone now, but it is an interesting thing. A hundred years ago, the samovar was a very popular and necessary thing in a Russian home. Every Sunday, people went to the bania; this is like a sauna. After the bania, all the family sat around the table to talk and to drink tea. The samovar stood in the middle of the table. A samovar is usually made of copper, and it must shine. We put branches of different trees underneath it and light a fire. Then, we fill the samovar with water. There is a special place on the top of the samovar for a tea pot. We put leaves of mint or raspberry in the pot to give the aroma of tea. The host puts a traditional Russian food called blini (like a pancake) and a lot of sweet things on the table. Then the family discuss things after the week of hard work. They stay at the table a long time because it's not dinner only, but it's a traditional family meeting. I like this tradition. I tried tea from a real samovar a few times. It was wonderful because it was a very aromatic and perfect tea. You can see samovars in village houses or in the houses of people who have been in Russia and bought the samovar as a souvenir. When
I lived in Russia, I didn't think about the samovar
or other things that were Russian, but now I
remember everything that reminds me of my country
or my culture. I think it is very important for
everyone to know and remember the history and
customs of the country where they were born and
grew up.
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