My Dream Destination: The Republic of Sakha, Russia

Doroobo! Since I was a teenager, my dream was to visit my top favourite Russian republics: the republic of Sakha was one of them. As I began to make progress in my Russian language skills, I started to delve deep into the authentic Russian culture, as well as some of the different ethnic groups that reside in Russia. Asides from the Sakha people of far eastern Siberia, a few ethnic groups that live in Russia are the Ingush, Chechens, Nogai, Kalmyks and the Dagestanis of the North Caucasus.

What interests me particularly about the Sakha republic is the way the people live and the sound of the Yakut language. The first Yakut song that I ever listened to as a teenager was the Yakut version of Krokodil Genas Birthday Song in one episode of Cheburashka. I randomly found it and listened to it on YouTube, and became immerse in the way the words are pronounced, as well as the alphabet that is used. The Yakut language, unlike any other dialect spoken in Russia uses the Cyrillic alphabet, after Stalin imposed it prior to the independence of each of the republics. The only discrepancy is each dialect had a few different letters in each of the alphabet, even if they use the Cyrillic alphabet.

The video of the Yakut song that I listened to in the summer of 2010 is below for you to check out!

At the beginning of my adulthood, I gained interest in learning about the different dialects and minority groups, like the Sakha language and people. In the spring of 2019, I eventually had the desire to learn the Turkish language. After learning several words in Turkish, I got back into exploring the Sakha language, because it is so similar to Turkish.

After discovering Maria Solko's (aka LifeinYakutia's) YouTube channel this year, my desire to explore the Sakha language, culture, cuisine and the republic itself grew bigger and bigger, making my dream of visiting the republic of Sakha even larger. I regularly watch her videos about the Yakut culture, language and national cuisine, and it is quite fascinating. I admire her knowledge, enthusiasm, creativity and outgoing personality that she exhibits in all her videos. Through sharing her own personal experiences, teaching us a few facts, showing us around Yakutia, and cooking some of the national foods, she can teach you more than a typical Russian history and culture professor at a university.

Feel free to watch one of her videos in which you can find below.

Subscribe to her YouTube channel and follow her on Instagram to be in the loop for more of her exciting videos and stories!

Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/lifeinyakutia/

YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtQtf9JHV6SosfsoDIK5b4Q

There are quite a few places that I want to visit during my dream trip to the republic of Sakha, Russia. Since it is insanely cold during the winter, I would preferably visit during the spring and summer months, when I don't have to struggle to breathe and go out in the freezing weather. Just like any place I want to visit in the near future, I cannot go to all the places during my first visit. Take a look at my list of most-desired places to explore and things to do during my first trip to the republic of Sakha, Russia.

1. Have some fun in the sun at the City Beach in Yakutsk

What's not to love about visiting this popular beach?! Everything is beautiful at a beach, whether it is in Yakutia or anywhere else across the globe. Just like when I visit any beach in Florida or anywhere else I take a vacation to, the things that I would typically do to kill time at a beach are reading books, listening to music, relaxing on the sand, frolicking in the lake, and of course eating sweets! It will be a good opportunity for me to have some down time prior to having a heavy meal at one of the restaurants I plan to dine in during my trip to the republic of Sakha.

2. Explore the traditional restaurant and recreation spot Chochur Muran in Yakutsk

This high-profile, aesthetic, cabin-style restaurant is on the "top of my list of restaurants" to dine in. Through looking at several photographs on the Internet and skimming through the menus and exploring the other amenities of this particular facility, I already determined that this would be an ideal place for me to visit during my first visit to the republic of Sakha. Not only is this a restaurant in which people eat traditional Sakha cuisine- it is also a hotel, recreation area and a museum where visitors can look at the artifacts that are displayed and can even stay overnight! I have a huge passion for history and Indigenous culture, so this is definitely a perfect place for me to explore!

3. Visit and tour around the National Art Museum in Yakutsk

To dive deep into the Yakut culture and heritage, I believe that touring the museum would be an advantage for me. I do not only want to experience the Yakut culture and lifestyle through the language, eating the national foods and meeting the locals; I also want to experience the Yakut tradition by actually seeing exhibits and art pieces that are displayed at a museum such as the National Art Museum in Yakutsk. Depending on what the protocols are with respect to picture taking, I would love to take some pictures from my iPhone, so I can remember the things I actually found and learned about during my trip to Yakutsk. For someone who has a penchant for ancient history and Indigenous culture such as myself, it would be fun for me to not just see the exhibits but to also recall the things I learned about and found.

4. Relax and have some quiet time at the City Central Park of Culture and Leisure in Yakutsk

Unlike Earl Bales Park in Toronto, the City Central Park of Culture and Leisure in Yakutsk is vast as an amusement park and outdoor museum! With all the art pieces, graffiti, grass, plants, and amenities such as a small amusement park, this specific outdoor facility would be ideal! I am not so much of a "rides" person, so I would preferably enjoy coming to this park to read a book, walk, have a solo picnic, listen to music, take a nap on the grass, take photographs and just take it easy, just like when I go to any type of park in Canada.

5. Attend an annual Yhyakh festival in any part of Yakutia

Similar to the Sabantuy festival in the republic of Tatarstan, Yhyakh (Seeding) is the Yakut New Year holiday, that occurs in the summer time. It typically occurs in the month of June, with Yhyakh happening in June 21 of this year. Surprisingly, the Yakut people celebrate new years twice a year: once in the winter and once in the summer, which is not typical in North American countries like the States and Canada. People in Yakutia celebrate new years twice a year, based on ancient traditions that were passed onto other generations. During Yhyakh, women and children decorate trees and tethering posts with salama (nine bunches of horse hair hung on horse hair ropes), singing and dancing Ohuokhai, playing national games, eating authentic Sakha foods and drinking kymys (fermented milk). The older men usually wear white garment and are the ones to open the holiday. He begins the holiday by sprinkling kymys on the ground and feeding fire. He prays to the Ai-ii spirits for the health of the people who worship them and asks the spirits to bless all the people who attend. For a sociable, cultural-driven, inquisitive, people-loving and spiritual person like myself, attending an annual Yhyakh festival during my first trip to the republic of Sakha would be quite meaningful and memorable. I would love to meet and mingle with some of the people, take pictures to bring home to my friends and family and learn a bit about the holiday to educate some of my family members and friends about the importance of Yhyakh.

*Doroobo= Hello in the Yakut language!