AND DON’T FORGET TO SPIT 3 TIMES!

Superstitions in Russia

What superstitious rituals you will see your Russian friends follow? Every culture has its own superstitions and beliefs and Russia of course is no exception. We do not even realize how superstitious we are. Some think that avoiding a black cat crossing your way is common for both Eastern and Western countries but we actually found out that our international friends have different reactions to some of Russian superstitions. To prepare yourself for Russian language course in Petrozavodsk read about these 5 most common superstitions.

5  most common Russian superstitions

1. Sitting down before going on a long trip. Russians usually sit for a while somewhere near the door inside their home before going to holidays or a business trip. Even if just one person is traveling from a family the whole group will sit down for couple minutes. It’s actually important to sit quietly! This is supposed to ensure the successful trip or rather prevent the disastrous trip.
2. Knocking on wood. When someone says something they hope will remain that way (for example “I’m healthy”) they will knock on wood. We perform knocking action and then spit 3 times over the left shoulder. However, we do not spit actually we just make the motion and the sound. It is supposed to symbolize spitting on the devil.
3. Stepping on someone’s foot. If a person accidentally steps on someone’s foot in Russia it is common for another person to “return step” and step slightly to first person’s foot. This is the way to prevent the fight between each other.
4. Don’t step over people! If someone staying somewhere on the ground you are not supposed to step over them or any part of their body. This is because they stop growing if someone stepped over them. But if this happened accidentally you should step backward over them to lift the “curse”.
5. Friends and couples should not go on different sides of the road. Otherwise, it means your relationship will soon be over!

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To find out more about Russian lifestyle and traditions check out other posts.  But it’s better to see once than to hear a thousand! So come to live with Russian host family and learn the language with us!