Love, Friendship, Drinking and Itchiness: 20 Ukrainian Superstitions
Every culture has its own peculiarities. Some of them are funny, some are useful, and some might be pretty annoying. But for a foreigner coming to the country it's essential to know at least a little bit about local traditions, to avoid awkward situations and to have the general understanding of what is going on there.
Ukrainian culture has absorbed plenty of ancient Slavic traditions, including the wide range of different superstitions and signs. Some of them take their origin in Orthodox tradition; some are much older and go as far as pre-Christian times.
For someone from Europe or the USA it might seem ridiculous to find that people in the 21st century still believe in "black cat crossing the road" or "do not spill the salt" signs. After all, we are all civilized people, salt is no more a treasure, and a black cats are definitely as good as white, red or bald ones. So why do people still believe in something like that? They cannot be serious, can they?
The funny thing is that people really do not truly believe in all these things, but are still quite serious about them. The epoch of superstitions has gone, but traditions are much more resilient. Most of the things which seem like superstitions for a foreigner are just as simple as a tribute to traditional culture. It is in people's general nature to do something just because their parents and grandparents used to do it.
So If you ever decide to come to Ukraine, it might be interesting to know some of these traditional superstitions, so that you do not have to guess what is going on when you get there. We have picked out the most common funny ones for you; Ukrainian superstitions about love, friendship, drinking and itchiness!
A single girl should never sit a corner of the table, or she will never get married. Do not even try to laugh at it, Ukrainian girls take marriage extremely serious!
When something falls down from the table (a fork or a spoon), it means that someone is about to come and join the dinner. However, if you are tired of new guests coming, you can leave the fallen thing on the floor, and this might save you from the new guest.
When you are dining with other people, there is always one particular person pouring the drinks. Whoever it is, they should carry on doing this job all evening. Do not even dare to change the person or pour the drink to yourself! They believe that you should never change the pouring hand during the party. There is even a special proverb about it, saying "Never change horses midstream".
Do never put an empty bottle back on the table, as it will give you a headache in the morning. Empty bottles go under the table. It is quite difficult to find any real connection between these two facts, but people still hide all the empty bottles under the dining table even in restaurants, much to the confusion of waiters.
If the food is over salted, it means that the cook is in love. Sounds quite reasonable, really, as a person in love is always a bit careless about the world around them. However, if the food is under salted, the husband of the cook might take offence, claiming that she does not love him!
If your nose is itchy, you will get drunk tonight. If you want to avoid it, then ask someone to show two-fingers gesture in your nose (sounds a bit rude, but people really do it!).
If your right palm is itchy, you will greet someone soon (i.e. will shake hands). If that is your left palm, you will earn some money. Some people believe that the more they scratch their left palm, the more likely it will be to get paid!
A pimple on the end of your nose means that someone fell in love with you.
Do not pass money or other valuable things over the doorstep, it is a bad sign. No one knows what happens if you actually do it, but if you try, they will physically drag you into the house.
If you whistle in the house, the house will never have any money. So if you are a whistling fan, do it in your own house, and never on a visit.
It is also a bad sign to repair your clothes on yourself. If you are in a rush and have to do it, take a piece of thread in your mouth, otherwise you might stitch up your memory (useful to avoid Alzheimer disease!).
Do not step over a sitting or lying child, or it will never grow up. Apparently this one was born in the times when peasant houses were so full of children that it was difficult to cross the room without stepping over one or two.
If you accidentally done that, you have to step over it back to avoid the disaster.
If you hit your heads with someone, you need to do it again, otherwise you two will have a fight.
There are actually a lot of superstitions about friendship: for example, you should not give a knife as a present to your friend for the same reason. If you think this is the best present, take some small change in return, this will make your present a bargain and let you avoid the bad sign.
When you leave the house for a journey, you need to sit down for a minute before departure. They say this is to be done to listen to the advice of the house spirits (the same ones that hide your socks). We cannot guarantee the house spirit will give you good advice, but this tradition really does help you to recall something you forgot to put in your suitcase! And, if you leave the house and do forget something and have to go back - then don't forget to take a look in the mirror, before leaving again, just to avoid bad luck.
And the last one is, in our opinion, the most optimistic one: if you a bird "drops" on you, this good sign and will soon bring you money. The same if you step in some excrement on a street. Sort of a relief, isn't it?
About the Author:
Maria Fuchs-Alcox is a journalist, singer, film-maker. She is currently working as PR adviser to 'Your Interpreter in Odessa, Translation Agency', and Wired: Corporate Video Production in London.
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