The short Russian summer is packed with festivals and outdoor events. Along with grand festivals that take place in Moscow and St. Petersburg, many towns and villages welcome tourists and locals for a range of rather unusual events. This weekend the village of Krapivna (the toponym can be loosely translated from Russian as “nettle place”) for the eighth time invited visitors to take part in the Nettle Festival.
Krapivna, located approximately 140 miles south-east of Moscow, is a village known mostly for its most famous justice of the peace, Leo Tolstoy. Despite the pouring rain, visitors enjoyed a nettle culinary show and nettle fights, took part in traditional handicraft competitions, or simply looked around for souvenirs.
