|
|
RUSSIAN SUPERSTITIONS
Russians are very superstitious people. They will deny this, but it is
true. These superstitions affect my life on a daily basis. Most of the
time they are harmless and I go along with them to humor my wife.
Sometimes I tease her about them.
New superstitions pop up all the time, as new situations arise in our
life. I keep telling her that I need a rulebook for them. Perhaps
someday I will codify them in a book.
Russians are raised with these superstitions so they have no need to consult a manual.
Here are some of them. It is by no means an exhaustive list:
1) You can’t whistle in the house or car, as they believe that you are whistling away your money.
At a dinner party at our house, a friend of mine started whistling. My
wife silenced him immediately. She explained to him, “You can whistle
in your own house, but you can’t whistle in mine. In my house, it’s my
money you are whistling away.”
When she first came to America, she would see people standing at
intersections holding signs. She asked me what they were doing. I told
her they were asking for money. She asked me why. I told her that they
had done entirely too much whistling in their house for their own good.
2) If you step on your spouse’s shoe by accident, you have to let the
other person step on your shoe, or you will have an argument.
I never tested this superstition. It seemed easier to go along with the remedy than pay the price for violating it.
3) If you leave your house, you cannot go back inside for something you
have forgotten, or your trip will result in ‘nothing good,’ as my wife
says.
4) If you must go back in to get the forgotten item, you can try to
mitigate the bad effects of returning by looking into the mirror at
your own reflection for a moment before you leave again.
5) Never demonstrate another’s surgery or wound on your own body with
your hand or other means as you are likely to visit that upon yourself.
In the few times I have done this, my wife has tried to remedy this by
wiping away the spot where I made the imaginary incision with her hand,
blowing on her hand to blow it away to the wind, and covering it with
the sign of the cross.
6) Never give a Russian woman an even number of flowers. Even numbers
are for the dead. Always give odd numbers. When you order a dozen, or
two dozen roses, for her, ask them to throw in an extra one for good
luck.
7) Never give yellow flowers to a Russian woman. It signifies infidelity and may mean that your relationship will not last.
8) Never give a watch as a gift to a Russian woman. Time is running out on your relationship.
9) Never give knives or handkerchiefs as gifts. I don’t know the reason for this one.
10) Never celebrate a birthday early. You are pushing your luck.
11) Don’t show your newborn baby to strangers until after forty days.
They are waiting for their soul to arrive and they may take on
another’s soul or energy during that time.
12) It’s best to cut your hair or nails during a full moon.
13) It's considered bad luck to shave or cut your hair when a family member is in danger or bad health.
14) Whenever someone praises you or offers a positive comment, you
knock on wood or imaginarily spit three times over your left shoulder
so that you are not jinxed by the comment.
15) Do not shake hands or kiss over the threshold of a door. It forms a
bridge that allows the devil or evil spirits from the outside to enter
the house this way. When I have done this by mistake, my wife usually
pushes me back outside or pulls me inside before greeting me with a
kiss at the front door.
16) Before anyone takes a long trip, the whole family sits together silently for a few minutes before the traveler leaves.
17) The truly superstitious have been known to eat ‘lucky’ bus tickets,
when the sum of the left three numbers equals the sum of the three
numbers on the right.
18) Recently, while preparing to give my infant daughter a bath, the
little tyke peed on me while I was taking her clothes off. My wife
laughed and said that it was good news. It meant that I would live to
dance at my daughter’s wedding!
This list is not exhaustive by any means. Superstitions vary by country
and locale. There is a popular Russian television show that travels
around the country exploring the unique superstitions of each
particular town or village.
Many of the superstitions came from folk tales or fairy stories,
Russian Orthodox tradition, or had peasant or agricultural roots. Most
Russians are only one or two generations from the farm or village.
At any rate, be aware of the superstitions and try to show some respect
for them whether or not you believe in them. Your Russian friends will
appreciate it.
by John Kunkle
John has been married to a Russian women for over five years. He has travelled the path from finding her, to traveling to Russia, to bring his wife to America, and adjusting to married life. He will show you step by step how to do this yourself.
FULL
ARTICLES LIST
|
