Frozen: Family Life in the Extreme Cold at -50°C/-58°F #travel

10 a.m. Ivan, a resident of Yakutia, begins his day by breaking the big blocks of ice in his garden to collect water for the day. Ivan is a welder and he has a big family with seven daughters. The youngest five are helping with the chores, while the oldest are at the university in the city far away from the village. Together they carry the heavier blocks into the house. This ice is a precious resource in this harsh unforgiving climate, providing the family with fresh, clean drinking water for the day ahead. As Christmas approaches, the temperature in Yakutia plummets to a bone-chilling minus 50 degrees Celsius. In this severe climate, Ivan and his family take extra precautions to keep their home warm and to keep every last bit of heat within their homes. Ivan built the house by himself. It's made of large wood, a durable material that withstands Yakutia's harsh winters. They are not connected to the gas grid, so they rely on an electric boiler to heat the house. And Ivan must constantly tend to it, filling it with a block of ice harvested from the frozen lake nearby. The cost is about 10 dollars per month. Thankfully, in Yakutia there are subsidies, which covers the majority of the heating expenses, to help keep their home warm and help them survive. Another way that Ivan and his family stay warm during the winter is to wear the right clothing. Ivan's wife Nadezhda, a local shoemaker who makes traditional Yakutian boots from ranger skin. The fur-lined boots are the only and best material that can keep us warm and help to survive the winters of Yakutia. These handmade boots are both functional and beautiful, with traditional beaded patterns at the top. The art of crafting these essential garments has been passed down for generations, but it's becoming increasingly rare. There are not many people left who still make traditional Yakutian boots, known as Unti, by hand. Nadezhda, who is known for her skill, is one of the few remaining makers of Unti in her area. She takes great pride in her work and is dedicated to preserving this ancient tradition, passing on her knowledge to her kids so that the art of Unti making does not fade away. Each pair is a labor of love, each one taking Nadezhda weeks to complete. A single pair of boots can cost upwards of one thousand dollars. Meanwhile, the girls venture go outside to the garden to work and breathing in the fresh frosty cold air. Armed with shovels, the family sets to work clearing the snow from their garden. In Yakutia, we have a saying that hard work is the key to staying warm. After 20 minutes, the girls' eyelashes are coated with frost and their cheeks are rosy from the cold. Now it's time to visit their grandma. The family lives in a cozy, close-knit village of about 1,000 residents, where everyone knows each other by name. Grandma lives just down the road in an old wooden house with a wood-burning stove. As the girls arrive at her home, they are greeted by warm hugs and love. They are chopping firewood and stoking the fire to help keep their grandma's home warm. Back at the home, Nadezhda is preparing fish for lunch. The Yakutian cuisine is rich and nourishing and consists of many hearty dishes made from fish, meat and bread. After coming back home, the girls are eagerly assist their mother in the cooking process. Another favorite dish of the family is traditional Yakutian fried hand pies filled with rice and meat. Eating regularly helps to fill the body and keep it warm, especially in such extreme temperatures. While the hand pies are sizzling in the pan, Nadezhda boils some fish and brews a pot of tea made from ice water. She is also making a homemade jam made from berries harvested during the short Yakutian summer. The family traditions and customs, including the preparation of hearty meals and making traditional Yakutian boots, help them to survive and thrive in this harsh environment. If you want to order Nadezhda's handmade traditional Yakutian boots or other crafts from There you will find a wide selection of crafts and other items from Yakutia, all made by skilled artisans using traditional techniques. And I also want to say thank you to Squarespace for sponsoring this video. I made my website on Squarespace. I love how it's so easy to use, it took me only a few hours to set up a shop. There are lots of really nice looking templates that are designed by professional designers. It has a number of built-in features, you can manage your online store very well, like handling shipping, fulfillments, payments and more. And all in one place. If you are looking to set up a website for yourself or business, go to squarespace.com where you will get a special offer to try Squarespace for free for 14 days, and if you like to upgrade, you can get 10% off using the code KUNB. When the food is ready, the family gathers together to enjoy the delicious foods, relishing the warmth and comfort of home-cooked meals shared with loved ones. It can be so cold outside in Yakutia, but the colder it is, the warmer it's inside, not just from heat, but also from love.