Guest Author - Marianne Gibson

As in any country, some people in Russia regard superstitions as pointless nonsense, some as a dangerous pagan influence, some as a law to be obeyed. What is interesting for the culturally curious in superstitions? For me they represent traces from deep in a people’s past, hinting at both material reality and attitudes of an age now closed to us but which exists deep in the roots of today’s cultures. Below are a few beliefs and practices I have come across in modern-day Russia.

Common superstitions – Do’s and Don’ts

Never place an empty bottle back on the table, it is unlucky. The table should be plentiful, to encourage plenty (a case of like creating like?)

If you need to give money to someone, for example in a shop, never try to place it in their hand. Money should be placed on the counter and then picked up by the recipient. Not everybody minds of course, but it is a general rule.

Don’t shake hands or kiss across a threshold. This seems to symbolize a break in your relationship with the other person, and is to be avoided.

I have been told off for wearing odd socks as unlucky, however others have it that this can be a positive action. A confusing one!

Omens

The poor old black cat crossing the path is just as unlucky in Russia as in most of Europe, and people will go to great lengths to avoid this occurrence.

A magpie entering your house is a very bad sign and can forewarn of ill luck or even a death in the family.

I have been told that if the first person you see in the morning is a woman carrying rubbish out to the bin, then you will have bad luck that day. Likewise the notion that encountering a woman with an empty bucket is bad, but a full one speaks of luck to come.

Making Journeys

Setting off on a long journey needs to be done in a particular way if you are to have success and return safe and sound. When you are ready to leave, everyone present needs to sit down quietly, just for a moment. After that you can start your journey. Be sure you have everything with you though! It is very bad luck to re-enter once you’ve left. If it’s absolutely necessary to go back inside, you can ward off ill-fortune by looking in a mirror.

Here’s an old superstition which relates to journeys by boat, especially long or dangerous ones. As you set off you may drink a toast of vodka to your journey, and tip one glass into the water, to ensure a safe trip. Water spirits are a feature of Russian pre-Christian beliefs, as indeed they are of very many ancient peoples. This is clearly an offering to a spirit or spirits in the water.

Other practices

One rather lovely and ancient practice is the tying of coloured rags to trees and the placing of offerings in beautiful or sacred places. This practice has a shaman feel, and is by no means confined to Russia or Russians. In Russia I have seen this phenomenon at springs, beautiful viewing points, and even by a large rock believed to be a pagan god in Pereslavl Za-Lesskii. This practice is interesting in that it often marks a point of worship that far outdates orthodoxy, writing, or even the tribes from which the modern population came, a continuity across the ages which demands our respect.