Ethnic groups of Russia: Veps

This Finno-Ugric people number only about 5,000, most of whom live in the Republic of Karelia. Until 1917, the Veps were known as the Chud. They’re believed to have played an important role in the formation of the Old Russian state back in the 9th century.

The Vepsian language is one of the few ​​in Russia with a writing system based on the Latin alphabet. It’s now rapidly dying out and is spoken by just over 2,000 people, mostly by members of the older generation.

The Veps adopted to Christianity as early as the 11th-12th centuries and, today, most of them profess Orthodoxy. They even have their own saint – a Vepsian by birth, St. Alexander of Svir. He is considered the only Russian saint to have received the apparition of the Holy Trinity.

The staple diet of the Veps is rye bread. It's used to make thin flatbreads called "skantsy" and small open pies called "kalitki." The filling is made from mashed potatoes, barley, pearl barley, or rice.