Can Anyone Help with a Finger Game from the Country of Georgia that Ends with the Line, “Zagaloo, Zagaloo, Zagaloo”?

Rachel wrote asking for help with a rhyme/finger game her grandfather would play from Georgia. Here's her email... I am currently diving a bit more into my history, and I was wondering if you could help me find a certain nursery rhyme/finger game. My Grandfather was from Georgia during the [...]

Malanka – A Ukrainian Holiday Celebrated in January

Malanka is a Ukrainian holiday that's celebratedbetweenJanuary 13th and 14th. It celebrates the New Year according to the old Julian calendar. (Nowadays the Gregorian calendar is used.) The holiday involves lots of good food, parades, caroling and even pranks! Malanka is a figurefrom [...]

Can Anyone Help with a Russian Song about House Chores?

Patricia is looking for a Russian song learned in St Petersburg. It sounds like... Koupimi babouchka (Koopeemee babooshka) Oun tibi kourichkou (Oon teebee kooreeshkoo) When you sing the song youmimic house chores while listing them: sweeping, ironing, etc. If anyone can help with the lyrics to [...]

The Ant and The Dove – Aesop's Fable in English and Russian

“The Ant and The Dove” is an Aesop's Fable about how compassionate behavior is rewarded. Aesop was a storyteller from Ancient Greece who livedbetween 620 and 560 BC. His fables where spread by word of mouth and eventually collected. They've been translated into many languages. The [...]

Blini are eaten in Russia before Lent

Pancakes are eaten in England before Lent... crepes are eaten in France. In Russia and other Slavic countries, they eat blinis () which are more like crepes than pancakes. They're made with flour, milk and eggs and cooked in butter. They're often topped with sour cream, folded up and eaten. They [...]

Can Anyone Help with a Russian Rhyme?

Brenna Aunalee wrote asking for help with a Russian rhyme... Hello! My name is Brenna and my great grandmother was a Russian immigrant. We have this little diddy that she used to sing to the family, and so now we all know it, but we don't know what it means. I sent an audio file

The [...]

The Game of Five Stones or Knucklebones around the World

The game ofFive Stones is also known as Knucklebones. It's atime-honored game that was played in ancient Greece, Rome and even earlier. Nowadays, in the US it's played with jacks. In some parts of the world it's played with 5 flat stones or pebbles. In other places, it's played with the ankle or [...]

Father's Day Traditions Around the World

In America, we celebrate dad on the 3rd Sunday of June by treating him to his favorite meal or spending quality time doing something he loves. But that's not the case in every country. Every culture has their own ways to show appreciation to their fathers. For example, in South Africa families [...]

Can Anyone Help with the Words to a Yiddish or Russian Finger Game?

Ruth Cooper wrote to us asking for help with a Yiddish or Russian rhyme that's a finger game.  Here's her email: The finger game I am trying to track down has motions that go with it. The words (from close to 80 years ago) were something like: Pippa kasa varele, nafshe studge   [...]

Improve Your Language Learning with Real Video Games

Playing real video games for fun is a great way to improve your foreign language skills. I'm talking about games you'd want to play in your own language, not specifically language learning games. There are many fun games that are available in many different languages. I'm an early advanced [...]