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14 Things You Should Never Practise In Russia

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America is a "melting pot" of different cultures and ideas, and every bit a upshot Americans aren't (usually) super-sensitive about people who practice things a bit differently than nosotros do. But most of the earth's cultures evolved over centuries, sometimes millennia, and ofttimes in relative isolation. That's one of the reasons why people from other cultures tin become so bellyaching at American travelers — American travelers don't always get the whole cultural respect affair, and they do things that can come across equally stupid and rude.

That'southward why it'due south a adept idea to do your homework earlier visiting whatever foreign nation. You don't really want to piss anyone off, non but considering information technology sucks to get into an atmospherics with someone whose language you don't speak, but likewise because you never really know what tradition dictates ought to happen to those who defy tradition. So only in case you're planning a summer vacation to Russia (But why? Seriously, go to Paris.), here'south a list of the top things yous should never do while you're in Mother Russia.

Don't habiliment gloves when you shake hands

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If you're going to exist in Russia in the summer, you don't have to worry too much about this rule because Russian federation is freaking hot in the summer and yous're not likely to be wearing gloves. Simply the residual of the fourth dimension, Russia is like a balmy afternoon on Neptune and if you don't wear gloves your fingers might really snap off when you lot endeavor to take your telephone out of your back pocket.

Yet, at that place are occasions when you're simply not allowed to wear gloves, and no one in Russia cares how cold your wussy foreign fingers are. According to the Moscow Times, one of these occasions is whenever you are shaking hands. Merely why? Considering from the Russian perspective you are not wearing that glove out of a desire to accept a warm hand, you are wearing it because y'all don't desire to bear on the icky Russian person. Hopefully, y'all tin see why that might be considered a bit rude. And really, a handshake just takes a couple seconds, and and then yous tin put your glove dorsum on.

Never decline a drink

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Be warned, if yous are trying to stay away from alcohol, Russia is a terrible place to travel. The Russians are friendly, generous, and they like vodka. Really, that'south not just some horrible cliche.

So when yous go to Russia, expect to exist offered a drink. And according to PRI, when you go to Russian federation, don't expect that you can just say, "No thank you, I don't drinkable" because no 1 will sympathize with or sympathize that for some people alcohol is a life-ruining strength of destruction — they will just think yous're being insufferably rude. (Tip: Some travelers say you can use the sometime "doctor'south orders" excuse to politely dodge the booze without raising whatsoever eyebrows.)

As well being obligated to accept alcohol when it's offered to you, you are also at adventure of finding out what the Russian hospital organization is similar after you get so intoxicated that you lot demand medical attention. Because the Russians will not just offering you 1 drink, they will proceed to make full your glass until you either pass out or dice. If y'all don't want that to happen, nursing your drinks while you're in Russian federation is a actually practiced idea. If you always let your drinking glass go downward to less than half full, await a refill.

Don't go out empty bottles sitting on the table

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The Russians are really superstitious people — a 2013 poll constitute that more than half of the Russians surveyed believed in things similar omens, astrology, prophetic dreams, and bad luck.

1 such superstition has to do with empty bottles, specifically, empty bottles that one time had booze in them. According to the Moscow Times, Russians believe that an empty canteen left sitting on a table is an omen of financial hardship, or maybe even grief and suffering. Don't worry, though, no i expects you to get upwardly and eolith it in a recycling bin or anything — traditionally, y'all just put information technology on the floor.

No one is sure where this superstition came from, but it'south thought that Cossack soldiers brought it dorsum from France later the Napoleonic wars. When eating in Parisian restaurants, the Cossacks figured out that their waiters would charge them for the empty bottles on their table rather than for the total bottles they got from the bar, so they started leaving a few bottles on the floor to lighten the beak.

Don't tell "your mama" jokes

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For some reason, Americans enjoy "your mama" jokes, even though most "your mama" jokes are notoriously unfunny and offensive. And yet at that place still seem to exist thousands of variations of them and we still all seem to take at least one friend or family unit member who insists on telling the latest.

If you have a "your mama" joke in your repertoire of funnies, you'll want to avoid throwing it out as an ice-breaker while yous're in Russia. Russians are about universally unamused by jokes nearly a person's mother, or even a person's father. In fact according to Russia Beyond, yous might exist better off just non making jokes at all when you're in Russia considering the Russian sense of humor doesn't really line up with the American one. Y'all might even observe that some Russians are taking your jokes seriously because zilch in their universe has ever prepared them for the stupidity of the American sense of humor, and therefore they don't actually know it when they meet information technology.

Don't argue with a babushka

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Okay, so first of all, it's not "bab-OO-shka," it's "BAH-boo-shka." So don't say it wrong because the Russians volition be pissed at y'all. And 2d, respect the babushka. Babushka is a title and a status symbol. Babushkas are tough and terrifying and they are not afraid to tell you lot exactly how you lot've offended them. According to Way to Russian federation, you can expect to exist shoved aside, cut in front of, and generally looked down upon by every babushka you lot encounter, and you'd better not practise or say anything almost it because babushkas rule Russian federation.

If you don't know what a babushka is, you'd meliorate know before you get on that plane: A babushka is an elderly Russian woman. In fact US Represented says when a Russian woman becomes a grandmother, she achieves a kind of status that's "something just brusk of gaining sainthood."

So basically, what a babushka wants, a babushka gets. Equally a traveler who is not a babushka, you are obligated to let her elbow you aside, cut in front of yous, and yell at you lot for transgressions you lot don't empathize considering y'all don't speak Russian. Be prepared.

Don't whistle indoors

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Virtually Western superstitions about bad luck are specific to the person who offended the tradition — everyone else is usually spared. Walking under a ladder, for instance, is a solo transgression. So is opening up an umbrella indoors. But in Russian federation, violating the rules of superstition sometimes means dragging everyone else down with y'all, so that's why you really practise have to know all the Russian superstitions before you spend time there.

Co-ordinate to Savour Russian, you lot should never whistle indoors considering for whatever reason, whistling is associated with fiscal hardship. Information technology's especially bad course to whistle in someone else's house because it's non just yous who might endure financial misfortune, simply likewise your hosts.

Like most long-running superstitions, no one really seems to know for sure where this i came from. In the West we have a similar rule about not whistling indoors, merely our dominion is non attached to a bad-luck matter. It's possible that the Russian superstition started out the same way, and and so morphed into "shut up already or you'll whistle all your money away!" Does it actually matter, though? At least the Russians have a good way to shut that abrasive crap down.

Don't show up empty-handed

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This is really just mutual sense no matter what country you're in — whenever you're invited to someone'due south home, you should bring a bottle of vino or a nice dessert to share with your hosts. If yous're not already doing this, you might need to accept an etiquette class or just stay in America where you're gratis to show upwards to your friend's house bearing nothing but the words, "Where's the beer?"

Co-ordinate to Russia Beyond, when you're invited into a Russian home you're expected to bring something with you, typically a food or drink item that will exist served with the meal. Make certain it'southward something you actually relish — if you're not a wine drinker and you brought a canteen of wine, your hosts might be annoyed at you for refusing to partake.

In that location are some other do's and don'ts that household guests have to retrieve — for instance, practise bring alcohol but don't bring vodka because your hosts might think you're insulting them. Do bring flowers for any women in the firm, but not yellow flowers or flowers in fifty-fifty numbers. If at that place are children in the domicile, it'due south customary to bring something for them, too, like a pocket-sized treat or a fun activity. And maybe take notes considering that'south way likewise much to remember.

Don't let a woman carry heavy things

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Hither in the West, women pride themselves on their independence. Sometimes, Western women will fifty-fifty get offended at offers of help because those offers, all the same well-intentioned, imply that they tin't accept care of themselves — which is 1 of the reasons why you don't come across so many random acts of chivalry in the 21st century. Some of us miss it and some of us don't, but generally speaking offering to hold a door or carry something heavy for someone simply because she'southward female isn't really a matter anymore in America.

In Russian federation, though, this brand of chivalry hasn't ever gone out of style. Co-ordinate to Russian federation Beyond, the Russians believe that a human has a responsibleness to help a woman out when he sees her carrying something heavy. If you lot're a woman traveling in Russia, it's a good thought to simply have the help when information technology's offered — the Russians don't mean to imply that you can't take intendance of yourself, they're just genuinely trying to help. If you're a human traveling in Russia and you see a woman struggling with something heavy, yous should too offer to help. And if she'south your traveling companion, you're probably not going to brand many skillful impressions with the locals if you permit her struggle with her own suitcase.

Don't take an offer of kindness until it's been offered several times

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You've almost certainly seen this play out in a sitcom: Person A offers to do some kindness for Person B. Person B refuses, and Person A says, "No, actually I insist." Person B refuses again, and so on and and so along until everyone is mad at each other. In Russian federation, this is all part of the tradition of gift giving.

According to Globe Speaking, when someone in Russian federation offers you a gift, y'all should never, ever have outright, even if it's something you actually demand. Instead, you should let the person offer a 2d time, and so you should refuse over again. If that person is really serious near giving y'all a gift, he or she volition offer a third time, and at that point it'southward probably okay to say yes. But information technology's definitely not polite to just bound on the offer immediately — you lot must at to the lowest degree make a show of existence unwilling to accept the gift, so the other person tin can brand a show of beingness willing to give information technology to you.

Don't criticize Russia

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In the W, especially in America, we love to talk almost politics, and we especially dear to criticize our government and our politicians. We all consider ourselves to be patriots, but other than that nosotros're pretty polarized virtually which mode the nation appears to exist moving and which politicians are most responsible for "destroying our land."

Information technology's kind of natural to take some of that with y'all on vacation, simply if your destination is Russia, Travel Mono recommends keeping whatever criticism of Russian politics that you might take tightly under wraps. So no comments virtually Russian election interference, don't mention Crimea, and definitely don't make fun of shirtless Putin on a horse.

Russians are also very patriotic, but to them, patriotism means not making fun of or criticizing the government and its leaders because that's not being a good citizen and also because the the government might put their families in a penal colony. And information technology'due south especially obnoxious to them when a pretentious Westerner shows up, eats all the food, sees all the sights, and complains nigh Putin. So just don't do it. There are enough of other things to talk about when you lot're in Russia, like "Why is it and so damned common cold all the time?" and "Why exercise all those buildings look like they're topped with scoops of ice cream?"

Don't article of clothing shoes indoors

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Russians don't believe in wearing shoes indoors. In that style, Russia is like to a lot of Asian countries, where shoes in living spaces but don't compute. Information technology really makes a ton of sense, really, and information technology kind of seems strange that it hasn't actually dawned on all cultures how gross it is to walk effectually the house in your shoes. Your abode is supposed to be a respite from all the filth and germs of the real world, and nothing yous wear on your trunk is quite every bit filthy and germy as a pair of shoes.

According to Russia Across, you should e'er go out your shoes in the hallway whenever you walk into a Russian home. Most Russians keep slippers on mitt specifically for their guests considering putting your feet where someone else'due south sweaty, athlete's human foot-covered toes accept been is marginally less gross than tracking germs all over the house.

Russians are so germ-balky, in fact, that they will usually change into "house clothes" when they come home from work because their house dress are cleaner than anything they wore around the city during the day.

Don't sit on public ship

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Afterward a long, difficult day of sightseeing, existence forced to drink alcohol, and not proverb anything bad about Vladimir Putin, you might be looking forward to jumping on the Metro just so you can sit down downwardly for a few minutes. Not and then fast, though. Many metropolis-dwelling Russians use public transportation, and public transportation is frequently at capacity. So on a crowded train there's e'er going to be someone who needs that seat, and in the eyes of the Russians, it is terribly uncouth and selfish for you to assume that it's yous, unless you fall into one of the following categories: You are elderly, you lot are disabled, yous are a kid, or y'all are pregnant.

According to ITMO.news, failure to surrender your seat for someone in one of these groups is a gigantic false paus, and you might actually get told off (in Russian!) for being a selfish jerk. That's totally not worth resting your anxiety for a few minutes.

Don't grin

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Popular civilization sometimes portrays the Russians as being kind of gloomy, or peradventure even angry all the time. There are plenty of goofy explanations almost why this might be — perhaps it's because they're and so freaking cold all the fourth dimension or perhaps it's because they've finally realized that all their buildings are topped with snow and not scoops of ice cream. But it's actually a misconception that Russians are perpetually in a bad mood — they're non, they're just very selective smilers.

According to the Atlantic, the Russians feel like they shouldn't grinning unless they accept a reason to. In fact this is even written into their civilisation in the form of a proverb, which loosely translated means "laughing for no reason is a sign of stupidity." So grinning at strangers is considered weird, and uncouth, and perchance even disingenuous. Instead, the Russians believe that you should reserve your smiles for your family, friends, and occasions when yous accept a proficient reason to smiling.

Don't go out without your passport

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For the near office, Russia is a friendly and hospitable place. But Russia is not exactly the state of the gratuitous, the home of the unrestricted traveler. According to Russia Beyond, the Russian police force can stop anyone at whatsoever time for the sole purpose of "checking papers," only like in every movie you've ever seen where American travelers get into problem in countries that aren't the USA. And aye, police do tend to do this based on profiling — if you don't look like a Russian, you're probably going to become stopped. And if you don't accept your passport, you lot might fifty-fifty be taken into custody. Also, you'll probably soil yourself because you won't have any idea why you're existence taken into custody considering you lot don't speak Russian.

The Russian constabulary can hold you lot for upwards to three hours while they endeavour to effigy out who you are, and that can seriously interfere with your plans to tour the Peterhof Gardens and Fountains or the Museum of Vladimir Putin. So don't exit your passport in the hotel because you'd rather travel light — y'all truly do not know when y'all might need it.

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Source: https://www.grunge.com/153696/things-you-should-never-do-in-russia/

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