See how many cultural mistakes can you find in the following paragraph:
On his way to a date, Joe stopped at the bazaar to buy his Russian girlfriend Dasha a dozen yellow roses. He also bought a new hunting knife for her father, and after handing the clerk 200 rubles, he headed across the street to Dasha’s building.
Joe knocked twice, and extended his hand for a shake as Dasha’s father opened the door. Inside the apartment, Joe whistled in admiration of Dasha’s beautiful dress. At the end of the date, Dasha mentioned an important exam she has to study for, and Joe assured her she’ll do great. With a kiss, he headed home.
Did you catch all of Joe’s cultural blunders as he violated one Russian superstition after the next?
There were eight in all:
1) A dozen roses?
He might as well have bought her a card, “Condolences on the Loss of Your Loved One.” In Russia (and throughout the F.S.U.), an even number of flowers is given only at funerals.
2) …And they were yellow roses! It seems Joe doesn’t realize that by giving his girlfriend yellow flowers, he’s putting their relationship in jeopardy. Yellow flowers are for funerals, and are also a sign of an impending break-up.
3) Joe also had a lapse of etiquette when he bought the knife as a gift. Buying someone a sharp object is a big taboo. He even had a chance to redeem himself by requesting a ruble or two as “payment”, but he blew that opportunity, too.
4) In the market, Joe handed money directly to the clerk. Didn’t he notice the tray on the counter? He should have put the money down so that the clerk could pick it up herself from the tray. Otherwise, he’s inviting bad luck for everyone.
5) At her apartment, Joe knocked twice. Russians prefer three knocks.
6) Joe was so thoughtless, he actually extended his hand across the threshold to shake hands! Imagine! In doing so, he created a “bridge” that the demons outside the house could then cross to enter Dasha’s home. Offering to shake hands across a threshold is a violation of a major Russian superstition.
7) As if inviting demons into their house wasn’t bad enough, Joe then whistled while still inside. So now, the family would never have any money. (Whistling scares away the angels who bring money into your home.)
8) Finally, when Dasha mentioned her exam, Joe should have said in Russian, “Nee pukha, nee pera!” which means, “No tar, no feathers!” (A bit like our say, "Break a leg!") Dasha would then reply with, “K chortu” or “To the devil!” and then she’d be sure to do well on her test.
The above constitutes only a small portion of common Slavic superstitions, and if you spend any time in Russia or the F.S.U. (the Former Soviet Union), you are bound to encounter many of these.
Here are a few more...
If a Russian person forgets something at home, they will NOT want to return home to get it. Evidently, the guardian angel who accompanies them will get lost, which then is an invite for evil spirits to do them harm. If the person must retrieve the forgotten item, they will glance in a mirror, where the evil spirits often reside, to scare them away.
Just before someone leaves home on a long trip, Russians will sit together for a moment of silence. Many reasons are given for this behavior, the most likely explanation being that the moment of inaction will cause the evil spirits to get bored and thus not follow you on your journey. Every Russian family I have visited adheres to this pre-trip ritual.
Finally, don't wish someone Happy Birthday ahead of the actual day. It's a bit like our apprehension of counting our chickens before they've hatched. Congratulating ahead of time is bad luck.
There are many more Russian superstitions, but these represent the basics that every traveler should be acquainted with. Respect these beliefs, and in turn you'll win the respect of your Russian friends!
P.S. About bread juggling...Don't do it. Bread is nearly sacred in Russia and treating it so casually such as tossing it to yourself is considered disrespectful.
