Russia occupies a grand place on the world's stage. Its sprawling landscape encompasses flat, grassy steppes and soaring mountains, as well as a wide array of ethnic groups and religious traditions. Hockey, bandy, and the Bolshoi Ballet; the sweeping novels of Tolstoy; the hearty richness of borscht; the springtime holiday of Maslenitsa-all these and more are celebrated in this volume on Russia's customs and culture. Covering history and religion;...