Russian customs

The Russian national eating habits have the following characteristics:

Sour: Russians like to eat sour food. Bread and milk are sour, and most vegetables and soups are sour and cold: lunches are mostly cold dishes. Mainly include red and black caviar, various sausages, ham, red fish, salted fish, sour mushrooms, pickled cucumbers, salad dishes, cheese, etc.

Soup: Russians like to drink soup for lunch and dinner. There are various kinds of broth, fish soup, pickled cabbage soup, red cabbage soup, cabbage soup, etc.

Alcohol: Russians like to drink strong alcohol, and they generally drink a lot.

Tea: Russians like to drink black tea, adding lemon slices and sugar to the tea. When pouring tea, first pour some fermented tea from the samovar and then dilute it with water.

Staple food: Most staple food is bread made of rye and wheat flour. Black bread is a favorite food of Russians and is often used as a food for entertaining guests.

Non-staple food: mainly fish, shrimp, mutton, vegetables and fruits. Such as mutton skewers, mutton soup, roast mutton, fried mutton chops, fried mutton intestines, etc. Vegetables include cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, radishes, lettuce and onions. But Russians do not eat certain seafood (squid, jellyfish, sea cucumbers) and fungus.

Eating rules

In service establishments, tips are generally given, also called tea money. When paying the bill, just pay a little more if appropriate and say "no need to look for it".

When you are invited to be a guest, you should take off your clothes and hat before entering the house to show your respects to the host and other guests. In the host's house, you should first bow to the hostess and say hello, and then sit in the seat given by the host.

When eating Western food, you should hold the fork in your left hand and the knife in your right hand. Bread is usually held with your hand. When drinking, hold the cup with your right hand; when chewing, keep your mouth closed and do not make any noise. Fruits are usually eaten by peeling them. Be a "gentleman" at banquets and take good care of the women around you.

Hygiene habits

Smoking and spitting are not allowed in public places in Russia. On the street, even if you smoke far away from the crowd, someone will come over and "take care of you." Russians have a strong sense of public morality in this regard.

Russians have the habit of "taking baths". Their bathhouse is very unique - a steam bathhouse. There is a stove in the bathhouse with hot stones on it. Water is poured on the stones and steam appears immediately, and then the body is beaten with a "little broom" made of birch strips.

Greetings

Russians are very particular about their addresses. In the streets, shops, buses and other places, you can call each other "you" or "comrade". If you talk further, you can call the other person Mr., Miss, Madam, Friend, or Young Man according to their gender and age.

If you meet and talk to a Russian in a more formal setting, you should try to remember the other person's full name, both by calling him by his first name and by adding his father's name

Surname to show respect and courtesy. And be sure to remember: "you" cannot be called "you".

Communication taboos

When giving away cigarettes, you should generally hand over the cigarette box and let them pick it up, not just one. Be especially careful not to use one match to light cigarettes for three people. When a man smokes, he should first ask the women around him if they mind. When going out and entering, men should help the women they are traveling with put on their coats and open the door.

When talking, you should look at the other person and do not interrupt to show respect. The code for going to the toilet is "Sorry, please wait a moment", or "Sorry, I'm going to make a call, please wait a moment." Take off your gloves when shaking hands and do not shake the other person's hand. If the relationship is normal, hold it gently; if the relationship is good, you can hold it harder. To an older woman, you should not extend your hand first; to a woman you meet for the first time, you can bow first. If you are a woman, avoid using your skirt as a fan to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. Do not point your fingers at others and do not shout when talking. Russians either don't speak in public places or talk in low voices, which is very civilized. (Nighthawk)

Russian social customs give priority to ladies (Far East Economic and Trade Herald 2003-29-1)

Russians have always regarded respecting women as a measure of a person's high quality and good cultivation. symbols of. Although "female first" is not a common saying, men are very concerned about whether their words, deeds and actions are civilized. In front of women, they not only pay attention to their appearance, but also speak elegantly, politely and courteously.

Russian respect for women is reflected in every move in daily trivial matters. Over time, it has formed a social morality and fashion unique to the society, which can be seen almost everywhere. For example, we often see men taking the initiative to hold doors for women at the entrances and exits of public places, offering seats to women on buses and cars, letting women go first on crowded streets, etc., which reflects the entire society's attitude toward women. Caring, loving and considerate.

Russian women naturally enjoy a lot of benefits in this environment, and they have also formed some small and medium-sized habits. For example, they are used to not opening the door themselves when riding in a car, and are used to having others open the door when they go out. Put on your coat, get used to being helped off the bus, in short, get used to all civilized and courteous services. Even little boys of seven or eight years old behave like gentlemen. Whenever the bus stops, they will jump out of the bus first, then turn around and hand a hand to their mothers or elders to help them get off. Totally macho demeanor.

If these little actions in ordinary times are not enough to reflect society’s care for women, then the attentive service Russian women receive when traveling abroad is even more obvious. When flying or taking trains, women sometimes have to carry heavy luggage and have difficulty walking. At this time, strangers will come over and enthusiastically extend their hands to help her. Helping women seems to have become an extremely natural and normal thing to do in Russia. Male and female passengers who share a compartment take great care of each other. After the train starts, the male passengers will automatically leave their seats to make room and time for the female passengers. At this time, the women can change into the comfortable clothes they wear during the trip. Before going to bed at night, the men also give up their boxes and wait for the women to get dressed and lie down before returning. No language is used in these processes, and it seems to have become a routine.

There are many smokers in Russia. When women are present, they must first obtain their consent before smoking. Of course, there are also people who turn a blind eye to women and "spit" them in public places. Women dare to protest against this unconscious behavior until they restrain their behavior. It may be a small thing, but respecting women has indeed become an elegant style for Russian men.

Respecting women is not something that happens overnight. It is a traditional virtue that has been formed by the Russian nation for a long time. In the textbooks for primary and secondary school students, there are texts dedicated to respecting women for students to read. Formal education since childhood, positive teachings from parents, and influence from society have cultivated the good habits of Russians who are civilized, polite, and respectful of others. (Shanshan)

Traditional marriage customs: In the ancient Russian and feudal eras, Russian marriages were strictly restricted by social class and family status. They advocated that they should be well-matched, and nobles would not intermarry with commoners or serfs. Marriage between men and women must follow the orders of their parents, and children have no freedom in marriage according to the words of the matchmaker. After the development of capitalism in the second half of the 19th century, the trend of independent marriage gradually spread, but the influence of traditional marriage customs still exists for a long time, especially in rural areas.

The ancient Russian wedding customs have very national characteristics, but the wedding ceremony is very complicated and grand, and the process is roughly divided into five parts.

The first is matchmaking. Before the October Revolution, every village and town had professional matchmakers who made a living as matchmakers. Most of them were middle-aged and elderly women who were eloquent. They know the situation of unmarried men and women in the surrounding families and their family property very well. They advise the man specifically, recommend his fiancée, and are entrusted by the man to go to the woman's family to propose marriage. The time when the matchmaker goes is usually on the evening of a single day (never on the 13th of every month or Wednesday). After the matchmaker enters the room, he cannot reveal his identity or the purpose of his visit. Instead, he calls himself a hunter, a pilgrim, a businessman, etc. After a while, he explains his purpose in a rhetorical way: "You have a little pigeon at home, and I have a little eagle at home." "There is a little mink in your family, a hunter in my family, a girl in your family, and a boy in my family. Let's get married. The girl is a flower, why stay at home?" After some persuasion, the girl's parents agreed to consider it. For this marriage, they and the matchmaker went around the table three times and then agreed on a blind date. On the day of the blind date, the fiancé, parents, and matchmaker came to the woman's house to meet her. The man’s parents came forward to request marriage. After the girl's parents meet her fiancé, and if they initially agree, they will cut the bread brought by the man into two or four equal pieces and eat it with the man's family. Later, the parents of the man and woman and the matchmaker discuss issues such as the betrothal gift and dowry that each party should pay, as well as the wedding date, while drinking. Russians attach great importance to betrothal gifts and dowries. If the betrothal gift is small or the dowry is not enough, it will be difficult to form a good match.

The next step is the engagement. The man's parents and fiancé, accompanied by the matchmaker, come to the woman's home again on a certain day to formally propose to her. The woman formally agrees and accepts the bread and salt offered by the man's parents. After taking the bread with both hands, kiss the bread to express gratitude, and then place it on the banquet filled with delicacies. Parents of both parties wish the unmarried couple, and the unmarried couple exchanges gifts. Usually the fiancé gives an engagement ring or jewelry to his sweetheart, and some even put a short whip in the gift box to show the husband's rights. The fiancée gave back to her lover scarves, gloves and other scarves embroidered by her own hands. After the ceremony, the banquet began, with the fiancée toasting the guests and giving each of them a silk handkerchief.

On the eve of the wedding or on the morning of the wedding, the bride-to-be invites her close friends to hold a "crying wedding" ceremony to bid farewell to her girlhood. She untied her braids, gave the hairbands to her girlfriends, and sang songs with them about the tragic fate after marriage. These songs all described the bride's unfortunate life after marriage: Oh, the water is so cold and so yellow/They Send me this girl to fetch water/I have two bare feet and no shoes to wear/I am naked and have no clothes...

This is followed by a bath and farewell to the family god. Unmarried couples must bathe before the wedding and take a steam bath in a traditional bathroom. When getting married, newlyweds also exchange bath brooms made of birch branches.

An important activity before marriage is the giving of dowry. The dowry convoy usually consists of five carriages. The first carriage is loaded with idols and samovars, and carries a boy holding tea leaves and sugar cubes; the second carriage is filled with the bride's godmother, holding porcelain and silver salt dishes; The three carriages contained two thick and thin quilts, two pairs of large and small pillows, six sheets and bedspreads, two bed curtains, one goose feather mattress, and the bride's clothes and belongings; the fourth carriage contained furniture and carpets; the fifth carriage carried furniture and carpets. On the vehicle sat the bride's aunt and the matchmaker holding a hen turkey.

If the bride's family is wealthy and has a large dowry, the convoy will be longer.

The climax is the wedding day. In the morning of the same day, the bride changed into a wedding dress made of white gauze, put on a married woman's hairstyle, put on a kichga (a hat only worn by married women), and sat under the statue to wait for the welcoming motorcade. At this time, the groom, best man, matchmaker, relatives and friends came in four carriages, all of which were extremely gorgeously decorated with ribbons, flowers and branches. The wedding team has to go through a lot of twists and turns (paying money to buy a way, looking for a bride, etc.) and making fun before they can enter the bride's room. The best man toasts three glasses to the bride's family, then puts a handkerchief into the groom's hand, leads him to the bride, and asks the bride to hold the other end of the handkerchief. Then, the bride and groom sit together to receive the blessings from the bride's parents. After that, the bride, the bridesmaids and the matchmaker go to the church with the wedding procession. Before departure, the bride and her family members usually have to cry bitterly, which is the turning point of the entire wedding. According to custom, the bride should not cry again after leaving home.

Religious wedding ceremonies are presided over by a priest. The priest puts wedding crowns on the newlyweds, asks both parties if they are willing to marry each other, and prays for the couple. Then, the bride and groom exchange wedding rings. According to custom, only marriages that have a wedding ceremony held in a church and receive blessings from God are happy and strong.

After the church wedding, the newlyweds went to the groom's house. Guests greet the newlyweds with bread and salt at the door, sprinkle wheat grains, hops, flower petals, etc. on them to wish the newlyweds a prosperous and happy life after marriage. Then, the grand wedding banquet began. In addition to various delicacies at the wedding banquet, special bread is a must-have food. It is decorated with the sun, moon, stars, and doves, which means that the newlyweds are in love with each other like the sun and the moon. According to traditional customs, during the wedding banquet, a woman dressed as a farm cook served a jar of wheat porridge and asked the newlyweds to drink all the porridge. She also muttered: "If there are more tree stumps in the woods, you will have more sons." If there are more tree stumps in the grass, you will have more daughters." During the banquet, the guests frequently raised their glasses to bless the newlyweds and shouted "Kuwa, Kuwa" for the newlyweds to kiss. At this festive banquet, the newlyweds, who sit in the most prominent position, cannot move around or eat or drink at will.

The party lasts until late at night, and the newlyweds enter the bridal chamber. There must be arrows hanging in the corner of the bridal chamber or on the bed, symbolizing love. In Russian legend, marriage is forged by a blacksmith, and both the blacksmith and the arrow represent the God of Thunder. Only when there is thunder can it rain, and when there is rain can there be a good harvest, so the arrow also symbolizes many children and good fortune. The arrow also symbolizes power and protects the happiness of the couple. On the bridal night, the bride must take off her shoes for the groom to show her obedience.

The last step of the wedding is to return to your parents’ home. On the second day after the wedding, the newlyweds go to the woman's home. The first dish that the mother-in-law treats her son-in-law to eat is an omelette. After eating, the son-in-law must put a coin into a goblet of wine and hand it to the mother-in-law to acknowledge the bride's chastity.

This is a traditional wedding etiquette with complicated etiquette. In the past, only wealthy families could do it.

Wedding customs in Soviet times: After the October Revolution, the engagement ceremony of urban residents was very simple. Usually, the woman prepares refreshments at home to entertain the guests, and the time is usually selected on a certain day within three months before the wedding. On this day, relatives and friends of the unmarried couple gathered together. First, the woman's father announced the engagement of his daughter, and then the fiancé presented an engagement ring to his fiancée. The future hostess poured fragrant tea and raspberry jam for the guests, and invited them to taste the desserts baked by herself. As usual, the guests tasted and commented on the fiancee's craftsmanship.

Weddings in cities are also very simple: unmarried couples first register with the municipal and district civil affairs offices, and then, accompanied by relatives and friends, take two cars to the "Happiness Center" specially designed for newlyweds to hold weddings. palace". , the groom and the bride walked into the hall during Mendelssohn's wedding march. The groom usually wears a dark dress and a white shirt, standing on the right side of the bride. The bride usually wears a white wedding dress, a wreath on her head, and a bouquet in her hand. Traditional garlands are made of orange blossoms, either in buds or half-open. Bouquets are usually made of roses, tulips, carnations and peonies, and are either white or rose-colored. White symbolizes purity and tenderness; rose symbolizes youth.

The wedding host first asks the unmarried couple whether they are voluntarily united. After receiving a positive answer, the bridegroom, bride and witnesses are asked to sign the marriage certificate. Then the newlyweds exchange rings and receive blessings from their parents. After the wedding ceremony, the couple will go to some meaningful places, such as the place where they first met, places they often travel together, or go to martyrs' tombs, monuments and other places to lay flowers, or plant trees in the wedding forest. Then go home or go to a restaurant to celebrate with your guests at a wedding banquet and evening party. The whole process usually ends in one day. Rural weddings retain more traditional etiquette forms.

Contemporary Orthodox weddings: After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the status of religion has gradually increased in Russia, and church weddings have also increased. The Orthodox Church prohibits marriage with people of different faiths, so those who come to the church for a wedding must be baptized into the church, and must hold a citizenship certificate and a marriage certificate issued by the official civil affairs department.

Unmarried couples must fast for 7-10 days before the wedding. The bride must wear a white wedding dress, but she can also wear a blue, rose red or light brown wedding dress, but purple or dark colors are prohibited. There must be a hat, hijab, etc. on your head. The groom wears a dark suit and cannot wear a hat.

The bride and groom walked into the church accompanied by their groomsmen. After entering the church, the groom stands on the right side and the bride stands on the left side.

After the priest asked that they indeed agreed to the union, he blessed the bride and groom three times, prayed for God's blessing, handed the lit candles to their hands, and put the rings on the altar on their hands. After that, the couple exchanged rings three times. , each drank three sips of red wine. Then the couple kisses the statues of Jesus and the Virgin and receives the blessings of those present. After the ceremony, the newlyweds walked out of the church hand in hand.

According to Orthodox Christian custom, weddings are not held during fasting periods, certain religious holidays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

The concept of left and right orientation: Ancient Greece and Rome both had the concept that the right side is good and the left side is bad. Influenced by these cultures, the Russian nation formed the concept that the right is respected, noble, and lucky, and the left is humble, base, and unlucky, and the right is associated with men and the left with women. In Russian, the word "right" also means "correct, just"; while "left" means "negative". A bad mood may be the reason why the left foot touches the ground first when getting up; when dressing, Russians must put on the right sleeve first, and putting on the left sleeve first is unlucky; a mole on the right cheek is auspicious, and a mole on the left cheek is unlucky. . Russians still have the custom of spitting three times behind their left shoulder to ward off disasters.

The concept of good and bad omen: The concept of omen is a legacy of traditional culture and is shared by all ethnic groups in the world, and the Russian nation is no exception.

In Russia, the following phenomena are regarded as good omens: a child is born with an amniotic membrane covering the whole body, which indicates a lifelong happiness; a son is like his mother, and a daughter is like her father, which also indicates that the child will be happy throughout his life; when the two are talking, suddenly Say a word at the same time, which indicates that a certain wish of the two people will come true in the future; when sitting between two people with the same name, think of a wish in your heart, and this wish will come true; when moving in, let a cat into the house, Life will be smooth in the future; when taking a bath in a Russian bathhouse, beating the upper body with birch branches will make the body healthy; when a girl is trying on new clothes, she is pricked by needles, which indicates that someone, especially a young man, will like her when she wears this clothes; Spider If it falls into a person's hand, it indicates that the person will receive a letter or good news; if the tea leaves float vertically in the water, it indicates that the tea drinker will receive good news.

The following signs are considered to be bad omens: looking at someone with poisonous eyes means the other person is unlucky; crows cawing on the roof indicate death; meeting a cat (especially a black cat) on the way, or seeing a rabbit crossing the road, or Meeting someone carrying an empty bucket indicates that the trip will be unlucky; if you forget to bring something with you when you go out and go home to pick it up, it will be unlucky. The way to avoid evil is to look in the mirror when you return; it is unlucky to see someone wearing the same clothes as you; it is unlucky to see someone wearing the same clothes as you; it is unlucky to spill salt, foreshadowing a quarrel with others; it is unlucky to have tea suddenly poured out of the cup, foretelling an emergency. .

Taboos: There are some taboos in Russian traditional customs, such as: you cannot give others sharp things, such as knives, pins, etc. If you must give them, you should get a coin back or use a coin. Prick each other with sharp objects; do not give handkerchiefs to others, because giving handkerchiefs indicates separation; two people using the same handkerchief to wipe their sweat indicates that they will eventually separate; avoid whistling at home and in public places, as the whistle will attract ghosts Don't let a girl sit facing the corner of the table. Sitting here means that the girl won't be able to get married in three years.