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.
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