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The landscape across northern Russia is still shivering in the aftermath of a bitterly cold and snowy winter as warm southerly winds announce the onset of spring across central Asia. By late March, the winter snows begin to melt in central and north Russia. In many of the larger cities snow is already gone. The true harbinger of springtime in Siberia is the breakup of ice along the middle reaches of the Lena, Yenisey and Ob rivers. The resulting rush of melting ice can cause great floods in low-lying areas. Along with the warmer days and nights of May comes a spectacular burst of color as wildflowers bloom and the forests are cloaked with the brilliant green of new growth.
Springtime in Russia marks the beginning of "dacha season," the time when many residents of Russia's cities and smaller towns begin leaving the wet bare soil of lawns and moving to the country to enjoy the bright sunshine of coming spring. To call a dacha "just a cabin," or just a shack," misses the truth of the matter, for the dacha is not just a cabin and much more than a shack for most Russians. It is a place to escape from the tumult of city life, a place to hunt for wild berries and mushrooms in the forests, a way to live closer to Russia's natural beauty. The dacha is an ideal location for BBQ parties (called "shashlyk" parties), samovar tea parties, singing songs, swimming in the rivers or lakes, or just soaking up the sun. These little "getaways" are so popular among Russians that Moscow and other cities are virtually deserted during spring and summer weekends, as people leave the heat and smog to visit their dachas in the countryside.
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