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Nesting dolls

A wooden girl in a brightly patterned sarafan and a kerchief is the most popular souvenier from Russia. The name Matryoshka came from the common Russian woman’s name Matryona. But the idea came to Russia from Japan at the end of XIX century.

The doll splits in two and another girl reveals, then another and another.

Most dolls have 5 to 7 pieces but some sets are really big and have 30 or 50 pieces. The biggest piece is 1 metre high and the smallest is 1 centimeter high.

Some of the them represent characters from Russian literature, fairy tales and politics.

The most famous schools are:Polkhov Maidan ,Sergiev Posad,Semyonov,Kirov. In 1960 Matryoshkas in the national costumes from Bashkiria and Mari El appeared.