Russian customs and traditions
Custom and Tradition
Easter
Easter is not a national holiday, but to the Russians it is the most important festival in the church calendar, because it marks the rising of Jesus from the dead.
On Easter Eve there is a church service when everyone processes round the outside of the church with lighted candles. At midnight and during Easter Day and afterwards everyone greets each other with the words "Khristos Voskrese" (Christ Is Risen) in the same way others say "Happy Christmas". The reply is: "Vo istinu voskres" (He is risen indeed).
When Brezhnev was increasingly incapacitated this story circulated: he was greeted in the tradition manner on Easter Day in the corridor of the Kremlin. Instead of the conventional reply, he grunted "Thank you". Minutes later, another functionary said to him politely, "Khristos Voskrese". "Yes, I know," replied Brehnev grumpily, "they've already told me."
At Eastertime, the Russians eat special food after it has been blessed in church: paskha, a sweet pudding made with eggs, sour milk and raisins in a tall rectangular wooden mould, the top patterned with the Orthodox cross and turned out like a blancmange, and koulitch, a sort of cake.
Eggs - the symbol of the cycle of life - are coloured by being boiled in onion water for a traditional ochre, or with coloured paper to make them pink, blue, etc. Beautifully hand-decorated wooden eggs are widely sold in Russia at all times of the year.
New Year
The biggest national celebrations are held on New Year's Eve.
Flats are decorated with Christmas trees, and Grandfather Frost (Ded Moroz, a white-bearded figure suspiciously like Father Christmas) with his assistant, the Snow Maiden, gives out presents to the children.
Everyone has a party, and gathers round the television to see the Kremlin clock striking midnight, or they go to Red Square if in Moscow. It is the custom between adults to give a little gift - a decorated wooden box, perhaps, with the year marked inside. It has become smart to offer a gift representing the Chinese animal associated with the year ahead (a dog, a monkey, a rooster).
At a New Year party, don't raise your glass too soon as the clock strikes. For Russians, the magic moment comes with the twelfth "bong".
Name-days
The Russians celebrate their Name-day as well as their birthday. Every day on Russian television the list of saints whose day it is, is read out - Sergei, Anna, Agafiya, Vyacheslav, etc. On your name-day you get little presents such as chocolates or a bunch of flowers and you may have a party. The proper greeting is: "S imeninami" (Happy Name-day!).
Flowers
In Russia a certain number of flowers is given, depending on whether it is a happy or sad occasion. It is customary to give an even number for a death, and an odd number on a joyful occasion.
Flowers are given a great deal, for instance when welcoming people at an airport. When flowers are very expensive and the greeters are hard-pressed, the three tired carnations offered may well be on their third or even fourth time round, having been salvaged from a hotel bedroom as an honoured guest moves on.
Another holidays
About every two weeks there are other Days such as Rangers' Day, Marines' Day and so on. On these days, rangers and marines or whoever, gather and get extremely drunk and begin to fight amongst themselves and throw bottles at passers-by.
Anniversaries
Russians like to celebrate the anniversaries of births and deaths of famous people. Not satisfied with marking the major milestones - the round centuries, or at least fifties - they have been known to throw themselves into 43rd anniversaries, or 167th as the case may be.
Do not be fooled by anyone who tries to tell you that Russia is a "young country". It's just that their concept of time is different. They talk about the victory over the Tatars in 1380 as if it were yesterday, and mutter about "another Time of Troubles" (smutnoe vremya) - which is as if an Englishman started talking about "the Viking threat".
It is an old-fashioned custom to "wet" (obmyt), in other words to toast, a major new household purchase or even the award of a medal. In military circles, medals were dropped into a glass of vodka or champagne and the owner drank from the glass before removing the decoration and putting it on.
© Elizabeth Roberts
«The Xenophobe's Guide to the Russians»
The Russian People...
- ..do not like to whistle indoors for fear of losing all their money.
- ..feel praising a Russians appearance or a babies health will prompt a knock on unpolished wood or spit three time over the left shoulder.
- ..don't give knives or handkerchiefs or socks as a gift.
- ..prefer to never celebrate a birthday early.
- ..believe it not good to show your newborn baby to a stranger until it is at least 40 days old.
- ..feel they should not start anything new on a Friday or get your hair cut when a family member is ill or in danger.
- ..think it's bad to shake hands in a doorway..
- ..feel a kiss on the forehead is reserved for funerals only.
- ..never give flowers in even numbers only odd numbers, as odd numbers are for the living even numbers are for the dead.
- ..for good luck, sit silently beside your suitcase for a minute with friends or family before a trip.
- ..believe that if you have to return for something, look in a mirror and smile or stick your tongue out before leaving again.
- ..believe it's customary to drink alcohol at social events and it's encouraged.
- ..believe if you must give a sharp object as a gift ask for a coin in return.
- ..feel it's uncustomary to wear your shoes in their house
- ..believe that tipping with chocolates is appropriate ..think it's unlucky to be born or married in May.
- ..feel babies shouldn't have their fingernails or hair cut before one year of age.
- ..feel visibly pregnant women shouldn't cut their hair
- ..feel whoever can bite off the largest bite from a bread loaf at a wedding will be the head of the household.
- ..believe that if you are with a woman that you are not fully acquainted with yet, don't be photographed with her alone. Get an additional person. Otherwise it will not work between you two, as she's not your wife yet.
- ..believe if a knife falls down from the table, a male guest will come soon. If a spoon or a fork falls down, a female guest will come soon.
- ..believe if your left hand itches, someone will give you the money; if your right hand that itches, you will have to give someone your money.
- ..think if your left eye itches, success will be forthcoming; if your right one itches, a misfortune will happen.
- ..think that if you go to some place and you see a person coming towards you with an empty bucket, it's a bad sign, unless the bucket has something in it.
- ..when there's company and you have a silent pause, it's because an angel flew near.
- ..believe when plates or dishes break it brings good luck.
- ..feel that if one stands or sits between two people with the same name, a wish it will be realized.
- ..think if you don't recognize your fellow-friend he will be rich.
- ..believe if you dream something good, in reality it will be very bad in reality and vice versa.
- ..think that a black cat crossing your way is a bad sign ..believe a leap-year is considered to be difficult and the same is applied to the number 13.