Almost every of 195 countries on planet Earth has its own symbol, a particular object, event, etc. that represents and differentiates that country from others. For example, the symbol of France might be the Eiffel Tower, England – 5 o’clock tea, Italy – Pizza, Brazil – carnival, Cuba – salsa, and so on. Some countries have more than one symbol, some symbols are more unique and some are more common or usual. So there are all sorts of symbols but what is important about them is that in the minds of foreigners they are so closely connected to the particular country that they relate to that when foreigners see, hear or think of that “thing” they always remember that country. Hence, this symbol becomes an essential part of county’s image, its brand, its identification.
How does a particular object become country’s symbol? In some cases, the answer is quite obvious: just recall Canada and maple leaf. But in some situations the connection is not that cleat. For example, one of the symbols of Russia is definitely a matryoshka also referred to as a babushka doll or simply a Russian doll. How did it become the symbol of Russia? Very few people even in Russia are aware of the fact that matryoshka is originally Japanese and that it’s fairly young (the first one was made in Russia in 1890s) as opposed to the common notion that it’s been produced there for hundreds of years. Miraculously, matyohska made its way to the hearts of Russian people as well as those outside of Russia and became an inseparable symbol of my country. From then on, it’s been an integral part of Russian culture and inspired people from all over the world working in different industries and thinking in different ways to create beautiful outfits for it.
Below, there are a couple of pictures of matryoshkas that were created by famous designers for the 20th Anniversary of Russian Vogue. I think they are simply adorable!
For more matryoshkas, go here.
