No, not in Russia. It may be a nickname, but not a given name.
Cranberrys are feminine as it is, hence the feminine diminutive (which is also used for masculine given names).

Pyotr, excellent translation.

"Words like leli, ljuli, ljali and other variants are often found in Russian folksongs and stem from pagan times, where they were used with rituals in honour of the goddess of fertility Lelja (daughter of Lada, goddess of beauty, first mother)"

That is Russia's brand of Frazerian idiocy. Ethnomusicologists and other scholars with pagans on the brain heard the refrains and assumed that the ignorant peasents must have preserved the ancient traditions of their ancestors and are singing about two gods, Lada and Lel.
Rather like assuming that Musha Rim and Duram Da are ancient Celtic fertility and war gods.

Kalinka was written in 1860 by Ivan Petrovich Larionov from Saratov. He let one of his friends use it in his choir's repertoire, and the popularity spread from there.


"slightly more robust lyrics than the 'primary school' sanitizations.

.. but i'd like to see a translation of a 'real' version of this song

as sung by russian squaddies on a night out on piss-up !!!!"

As this serves as a drinking song, it is sung much the same way.