Christmas Nesting Dolls

Russian nesting dolls – your way to wish someone a happy family life

These beautifully painted wooden dolls bring you to the fairy tale of Russian family life. The traditional nesting doll was created at the dawn of the twentieth century and consisted of up to fifteen pieces, one stacked inside the other. They portrayed a traditional Russian household: large, with three or more children and the extended family living together.

A tribute to the mother and a large family

The alternative name for the Russian nesting doll is Matryoshka, which derives from the Latin word that means “mother”. Sometimes, it is also called – erroneously – the Babushka doll, perhaps because of the headkerchief worn by the female dolls. Yet “babushka” translates from Russian as "grandmother", while the nesting doll pays tribute to the central role of the mother as the bearer of life. Each remaining doll is stacked inside her in rank order, reflecting the unique role of every family member.

Today’s Russian nesting dolls are getting smarter and display a larger variety of shapes and forms. Yet the ritual of opening up the doll and finding another in it still brings great joy and excitement for adults and children alike. The Matryoshka remains a puzzle doll, a source of magic and mystery.

Multiple themes and forms

The nesting dolls from the workshops of Saint Elisabeth Convent come in two sizes - 17 and 24 centimetres and consist of five pieces. Beyond the classic “family” Matryoshkas, with women in headkerchiefs, we offer Matroshka doll sets on multiple other themes. Here is a nesting doll set depicting the family of a priest. Its biggest doll is the priest, with the Matushka, his wife, nested inside him, and the children inside her. Another set is titled “a family on a fishing trip”, with the father, mother, two children and a cat, each holding their fish. This winter-themed Matryoshka features a Russian beauty with her friends in a winter forest. Each is petting a forest dweller - a little reindeer, rabbit, and robin. The smallest is holding a snowball. Here is another nesting doll set. Its pieces are friends gathered to decorate a Christmas tree, and each is bringing a bauble.

A gift for the whole family

A nesting doll is a perfect gift to wish someone a happy family life or express appreciation to your parents. It will evoke the joy of loving, togetherness and sharing that exists in a loving family. A nesting doll is also a practical gift - a toy, a storage container and a souvenir. One look at it brings a smile to everybody’s faces. Treat yourself to the joy of having a Russian nesting doll, and share it with those you love.