The title “Kalinka” is a loving diminutive of the word kalina, which refers to the snowball tree (Viburnum opulus). The chorus also mentions malinka, which is the diminutive for raspberry (malina).
Alongside Коробейники (Korobeiniki) (1861), it was featured in Tetris (A. Пажитнов, 1984), most notably as “Type-B” or “Type-C” tracks in various iterations).