Thursday, October 21, 2010

Random News: Baba Yaga and Politics

In my news searches, I find many references to "fairy tales" in political and sports writing, none of which are pertinent here and are overall derogatory to fairy tales.  However, this one caught my attention and I'm happy I clicked through for it provided a taste of Russian culture and our favorite witch, Baba Yaga.

From Fairy-tale granny enters political fray over controversial budget:

Baba Yaga – a fairy-tale granny feared by Russian children – has entered the country's political arena.

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Putin tried extra-hard to persuade the Communist leader to back the draft budget.

Well, it's true that you always take budget discussions in parliament very seriously,” the PM said. “But it's also true that you act like the famous cartoon Baba Yaga, who always objects to everything.”

The cartoon Putin was referring to was filmed in the early 1980s.

In the original fairy tale, Baba Yaga is an old woman living in the forest who scares people away.

In the cartoon, she was depicted as a typical babushka who does not like modern things and objects to everything. She did, however, keep her wooden cabin in the forest – which had chicken legs for some reason, and could follow her instructions.

Those who were children in the 1980s still like to quote Baba Yaga's catch-phrase, “I object!”

And here's a video of the cartoon they referenced:

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