Babooshka

Babooshka (also commonly written as Babushka; бабушка) is a Russian word meaning "grandmother", "mother-in-law", or more generally, "old lady".

Babooshkas give Russian culture a lot of its flavour, and you will see them everywhere dressed in long jackets, long skirts, boots, hats or head-scarves.

Especially in the warmer months, babooshkas like to spend time outside, sitting on park benches or gathering together in little 'babooshka markets' to sell vegetables they have grown at their 'dacha' (country house). Usually they sell their produce for an incredibly cheap price (outside of the major cities) and are grateful for every sale as their pensions are barely enough to sustain life.

Be nice and respectful to the babooshkas - most have had a hard life and have experienced a very different side of Russia that we see today.

Please note, sometimes people incorrectly refer to Russian nesting dolls (a set of wooden dolls of decreasing sizes placed one inside another) as "Babooshka dolls". In Russia they are known as "Matroshka" dolls.