Russian Language Exported: MATRYOSHKA
A wooden doll with a secret that has become one of the main symbols of Russia throughout the world.
A ‘matryoshka’ (English ‘matryoshka’, French ‘matriochka’, Spanish ‘matrioshka’) is a wooden doll containing several similar, smaller dolls inside. It appeared at the end of the 19th century: the doll, dressed in a Russian sarafan, was given the female name ‘Matryona’. But, it did not become a main Russian souvenir until the Soviet era. Foreign tourists visit and buy them as a keepsake. The word has become established in many foreign languages, including as a term for objects nested inside similar objects.