Hotel Lena

Hotel Lena playing cards were intended as a souvenir for guests at a hotel of the same name in the city of Yakutsk, the capital city of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located about 280 miles south of the Arctic Circle. The pack was published by Bichik in Yakutsk in 2001 and consists of 36 cards (no Jokers). The court cards depict men and women in national costumes. In addition to the usual Russian indexes of K, D and V, the author includes their denomination in Yakut: “Toyon” (“lord”), "Khotun" ("lady") and "Kulut" ("slave"). The “Toyon” king can be distinguished from the "Kulut" jack only by the fact that the Toyun wears a hat.

The Toyon kings in the deck correspond to the heads of the clan, the ladies - to the mistresses, keepers of the family hearth, and Kuluts to the master's servants. The aces depict the towers of the wooden fortress of ancient Yakutsk. The cards of each suit are executed in a different colour scheme: Hearts are shown against a yellow background; Spades against a green background; Diamonds against a pink background and Clubs against a blue background. The pip cards are decorated with images of livestock and utensils: the tens of all four suits show horses; the nines and eights – cows; the sevens and sixes - multi-coloured bowls and cauldrons.

Above: Hotel Lena playing cards published by Bichik in Yakutsk in 2001. 36 cards (no Jokers).