Lake Baikal in Winter

The Russian banya is a form of sauna accompanied by bathing. After perspiring from the steam and high heat in a sauna, bathers dip themselves in cool water. During wintertime at Lake Baikal, bathers take dips in the lake where holes have been cut into the ice. 

Traditionally, Russian banya can be public or private, indoors or outdoors and its temperatures can exceed 200°F or 93°C. This mobile wooden sauna has heated wooden benches inside. 

Bathers strike their bodies with venik or branches and leaves from oak or eucalyptus in order to improve their blood circulation. Russians often go to banya for relaxation and relief from body pain.

Here, two people are dipping into the icy waters for about 30 seconds to cool off. There is a very strong tingling from switching from extreme heat to extreme cold.

Fun fact: Many informal business meetings may take place in the relaxed atmosphere of a banya.

This is the Listvyanka Fish Market at the Listvyanka Settlement on Lake Baikal. Humans are at the top of the food chain and the people living around Lake Baikal eat fish caught from the lake. The Lake Baikal omul fish, an endemic species of whitefish, is a Siberian delicacy and probably the most popular fish in the area. 

The omul looks average, but it is actually special because it is Siberians’ favorite fish. They like to eat omul fried, dried, smoked, grilled, salted, and in many other ways. At one point, omul fishing was met with strict quotas after the omul population had declined drastically due to overfishing.

Here are omul cleaned inside out and smoked. Some people describe the taste of smoked omul to be similar to smoked salmon—maybe because omul belongs to the salmon family. 

The blue advertisement is for bottled water and it says "For the clean future of Lake Baikal."

Most of the stalls are run by “Babushka.” That’s the Russian word for elderly woman.

More and more tourists are visiting Listvyanka every year, especially from other parts of Russia. Tourists can go sightseeing, eat at cafes and restaurants, and even go fishing on Lake Baikal. 

Buddhism is one of the prominent faiths of the Buryatia Republic in Russia. The Ivolginsky Datsan Buddhist monastery, opened in 1945, was the first Buddhist spiritual center and now is the largest in the country. It is located 47 miles (77 km) from Lake Baikal and 15 miles (25 km) southwest of Ulan-Ude (the capital city of Buryatia). Let’s observe the main prayer hall. 

The main statue in the center is the Buddha and to its right and left are statues of the Buddha’s disciples: Tapussa and Bhallika. In front of the center statues is the main chair for the Hambo lama, or the head leader.

A Lama is like a Buddhist priest or spiritual leader. In this case, the lama are wearing yellow and their students are wearing red. These monks are getting ready for a ceremony. 

Students and teachers are reading the Kangyur, or Tibetan Buddhist canon, which is a series of sacred texts recognized by various schools of Tibetan Buddhism. They also read out the names of the people who’ve donated to the monastery. The monks pray for their health, luck, and well-being.

The local Gelugpa form of Buddhism is different from Mongolian and Tibetan Buddhism. For example, a lama is allowed to marry. 

There is a symbolical meaning to the items placed on the desks. The peacock feathers symbolize purity and the cups represent longevity and well-being.