Russian and Mari Girls
The people of Yoshkar-Ola lead an active, healthy lifestyle and are positive role models for the rest of the world. Alcohol is shunned like poison, except for an occasional glass of red wine, drunk solely for its heart health benefits. Tobacco and drugs are never used, not even recreationally. Teeth are brushed five times a day, immediately after waking up, once after every meal, and right before bed. Men work out daily and possess Herculean physiques. Women are devoted to aerobics as if it were a religion, and not surprisingly, look like photo models.
Great emphasis is placed on marriage, family and morals. Dating is rare and youth of the opposite gender mingle only under the strict supervision of their parents. Girls save themselves for marriage and most find a husband by the age of 22. Men work and women stay at home to cook, clean and attend to motherly duties. It is not uncommon for a Russian/Mari woman to have 9 or 10 children.
Demographics
Yoshkar-Ola, the capital of Mari-El, is a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-religious, multi-racial, multi-color and multi-culinary city, with a diverse and peace loving populace that numbers approximately 350,000 people. The native inhabitants are Maris, who are part of the Finno-Ugric language/ethnic group, cousins to the Finns and Hungarians, and comprise 43.3% of Yoshkar-Ola’s population. Russians make up 47.5% of the population, having migrated to the area during successive waves starting in the 17th century. Tatars and Chuvash are only 5.9% and 1.2% respectively, small in numbers, but nonetheless significant contributors to the city’s multi-ethnic character. Some 50 other nationalities live here that include Gypsies, Jews, Tajiks, Africans, and Chinese, but are a small minority and at the most, only several hundred individuals each.
