Leonid talks about a ritual of making offerings and sacred trees in Kalmykia: Before going fishing I pray and utter the following words, ‘Let us not to come home empty-handed. May our ancestors and Tsagan Aav help us!’ Fishermen may also sprinkle drops of vodka onto the water. When it hails we see it as a blessing (arshan). We also worship the Volga river by making offerings with candles (zul), coins and foodstuff. About sacred trees. I do not know what these trees are called. Russians call them ‘kobly’. They are tall trees that grow along small rivers. They are sacred. We pray by these trees, toss coins to the ground and after the prayers we bless ourselves with sacred water. We also believe nearby water sources to be sacred. We drink such water even if it is not clean.