Most Russian homes, especially in
the countryside have a ‘red corner’. Originally that is where the religious
icons were displayed. After the Bolshevik Revolution the religious icons were
replaced with busts of Lenin and Stalin. Since the demise of the USSR in 1989
the religious icons again have a place of honor.
Russians believe they have an angel on or over the right
shoulder and the devil on or over the left shoulder. By spitting three times
over the left shoulder sends the devil away.
Flowers are
always given in odd numbers.
Never shake hands
with a Russian over a threshold. Step
inside the room, otherwise it is bad luck.
Always
use the middle finger to point at
something, never use the index finger as Americans do.
When taking a picture Russians say, say raisins, which in Russian sounds better than say cheese, which just brings a confused
look to a Russian.
Denge means
money, chi means tea, zavaka means tea concentrate, pravda means truth.
Russian nesting
dolls are called matryoshka.
The brightly
colored and decorated lacquered boxes are called palekh.
Russian expressions:
Russians say got up on the left leg, not the wrong
side of the bed.
The
expression when elephants fly becomes when crawfish whistle in Russian.
The
quieter you go the farther you get is equal to our haste makes waste.
Two peas in
a pod becomes two drops of water to a Russian.
The first pancake has lumps is equivalent to if
you don’t at first succeed, try try again.
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