{"id":2032,"date":"2011-04-28T08:00:21","date_gmt":"2011-04-28T08:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=2032"},"modified":"2014-07-17T14:45:29","modified_gmt":"2014-07-17T14:45:29","slug":"bottles-under-table-rules-of-marital-bliss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/bottles-under-table-rules-of-marital-bliss\/","title":{"rendered":"Bottles Under Table and Other Rules of Marital Bliss"},"content":{"rendered":"

I disagree with the classic who once wrote \u00ab<\/strong>\u0412\u0441\u0435 <\/strong>\u0441\u0447\u0430\u0441\u0442\u043b\u0438<\/span>\u0432\u044b\u0435 <\/strong>\u0441\u0435<\/span>\u043c\u044c\u0438 <\/strong>\u0441\u0447\u0430<\/span>\u0441\u0442\u043b\u0438\u0432\u044b <\/strong>\u043e\u0434\u0438\u043d\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0432\u043e\u00bb<\/strong> [All happy families are alike].<\/p>\n

Do you know who wrote this? How about the book that starts with this famous opening line?<\/em><\/p>\n

Back to business, however. As the saying goes, \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u0438 <\/strong>\u0437\u0430\u043a\u043b\u044e\u0447\u0430<\/span>\u044e\u0442\u0441\u044f <\/strong>\u043d\u0430 <\/strong>\u043d\u0435\u0431\u0435\u0441\u0430<\/span>\u0445\u00bb<\/strong> [marriages are made in heaven] meaning that you can\u2019t foretell with whom you\u2019re going to end up. Or as some Russians would say, \u00ab<\/strong>\u043b\u044e\u0431\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u044c <\/strong>\u0437\u043b\u0430, <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u043b\u044e<\/span>\u0431\u0438\u0448\u044c <\/strong>\u0438 <\/strong>\u043a\u043e\u0437\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> [love is blind; lit: love is cruel and one might end up falling in love with an ass].<\/p>\n

Chances are high now for many Russians (both men and women) to meet, fall in love with and marry a foreigner. I\u2019m speaking \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u043e <\/strong>\u0441\u043e<\/span>\u0431\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0435\u043d\u043d\u043e\u043c\u0443 <\/strong>\u043e<\/span><\/strong>\u043f\u044b\u0442\u0443\u00bb<\/strong> [from my own experience] here.<\/p>\n

After years of mostly happy and occasionally very happy marriage, we got used to many things that seems to be a bit odd to us when we first met. Like my husband actually liking and getting alone splendidly with my mom, his \u00ab<\/strong>\u0442\u0451<\/span>\u0449\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [mother-in-law]. Or me refusing to say \u201cbeach\u201d and instead preferring an accent-safe \u201cseaside\u201d.<\/p>\n

The minor disagreements of the first couple of years have been settled to mutual satisfaction. Things like \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u0442\u043e <\/strong>\u0432\u044b\u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0441\u0438\u0442 <\/strong>\u043c\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u043e\u0440\u00bb<\/strong> [who takes the trash out], \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u0442\u043e <\/strong>\u043c\u043e<\/span>\u0435\u0442 <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0441\u0443<\/span>\u0434\u0443\u00bb<\/strong> [who washes the dishes], and \u00ab<\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u043a\u0430\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u0439 <\/strong>\u0446\u0432\u0435\u0442 <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u043a\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0441\u0438\u0442\u044c <\/strong>\u0433\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0438<\/span>\u043d\u0443\u044e\u00bb<\/strong> [what color to paint the living room].<\/p>\n

But little cultural details keep popping up even now. Here are three things that \u00ab<\/strong>\u043c\u043e\u0439 <\/strong>\u0430\u043c\u0435\u0440\u0438\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439 <\/strong>\u043c\u0443\u0436\u00bb<\/strong> [my American husband] still doesn\u2019t get:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \u00ab<\/strong>\u041f\u0443\u0441\u0442\u044b<\/span>\u0435 <\/strong>\u0431\u0443\u0442\u044b<\/span>\u043b\u043a\u0438 – <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0434 <\/strong>\u0441\u0442\u043e\u043b\u00bb<\/strong> [Empty bottles go under the table] – This goes for alcohol, but also in many cases for juices and bottles of water. Ask any Russian and they will tell you that leaving an empty bottle on a table is asking for trouble in form of bad luck. Why? Well, for most it\u2019s just a superstition they\u2019ve been brought up with and follow automatically. But originally, back in the 19th<\/sup> century, this weird custom was very practical. It was brought back by the \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u0430\u0437\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> or \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u0430\u0437\u0430\u043a\u0438<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> [Cossacks] returning from Paris in the aftermath of the Great Patriotic War of 1812. While they were toasting their victory in Parisian restaurants, they learned that the waiters charged them not for the number of the bottles ordered, but by the number of the empty bottles left on their tables. Soldiers resorted to \u00ab<\/strong>\u0432\u043e\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u043d\u0430\u044f <\/strong>\u0445\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0440\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [military cunning], hiding some of the empty bottles under the tables.<\/li>\n
  2. \u00ab<\/strong>\u0412\u043e\u0437\u0432\u0440\u0430\u0449\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f <\/strong>\u043f\u043b\u043e\u0445\u0430<\/span>\u044f <\/strong>\u043f\u0440\u0438\u043c\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [Go back for something is a bad omen] – it happens to the best of us. Say I go \u00ab<\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u043c\u0430\u0433\u0430\u0437\u0438<\/span>\u043d\u00bb<\/strong> [to a store], but once I get into the car realize that I forgot \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u043e\u0448\u0435\u043b\u0451<\/span>\u043a\u00bb<\/strong> in the house. My American husband calmly goes back in to retrieve it. I simply cancel the shopping trip. After all, no good would come out of it. \u00ab<\/strong>\u0412\u0441\u0451 <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0439\u0434\u0451<\/span>\u0442 <\/strong>\u043d\u0430\u043f\u0435\u0440\u0435\u043a\u043e\u0441\u044f<\/span>\u043a\u00bb<\/strong> [Everything will go wrong]. Fortunately, there are a few loopholes to those of us who really need to get going. Return for your item, but make sure \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0441\u043c\u043e\u0442\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u044c <\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u0437\u0435<\/span>\u0440\u043a\u0430\u043b\u043e <\/strong>\u0438 <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u043a\u0430\u0437\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044c <\/strong>\u0441\u0435\u0431\u0435<\/span> <\/strong>\u044f\u0437\u044b<\/span>\u043a\u00bb<\/strong> [to look in the mirror and stick the tongue out] on your way out. Or just sit down for a few seconds before going out again.<\/li>\n
  3. \u00ab<\/strong>\u0412 <\/strong>\u0434\u043e<\/span>\u043c\u0435 <\/strong>\u043d\u0435 <\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u0438\u0441\u0442\u044f<\/span>\u0442\u00bb<\/strong> [No whistling in the house] – c\u2019mon, everyone knows this! As kids we got scolded for this a lot as we tried \u00ab<\/strong>\u043d\u0430\u0441\u0432\u0438<\/span>\u0441\u0442\u044b\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c <\/strong>\u043f\u0435<\/span>\u0441\u0435\u043d\u043a\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> [whistle little tunes]. Why is that? First of all, money will run out and you\u2019ll be facing financial ruin. Secondly, \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u0438\u0441\u0442\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u044c <\/strong>\u043f\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0441\u0442\u043e <\/strong>\u043d\u0435\u043a\u0443\u043b\u044c\u0442\u0443<\/span>\u0440\u043d\u043e\u00bb<\/strong> [whistling is a sign of uncivilized behavior] and \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u0443\u043b\u044c\u0442\u0443<\/span>\u0440\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [civility] is an important and much-regarded quality<\/a> for Russians.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    So my question is this – what other uniquely Russian traditions and customs our non-Russian significant others or friends don\u2019t get? For those of us that have to live, work, or party with Russian spouses, roommates, colleagues, and friends, what habits do you find odd?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

    I disagree with the classic who once wrote \u00ab\u0412\u0441\u0435 \u0441\u0447\u0430\u0441\u0442\u043b\u0438\u0432\u044b\u0435 \u0441\u0435\u043c\u044c\u0438 \u0441\u0447\u0430\u0441\u0442\u043b\u0438\u0432\u044b \u043e\u0434\u0438\u043d\u0430\u043a\u043e\u0432\u043e\u00bb [All happy families are alike]. Do you know who wrote this? How about the book that starts with this famous opening line? Back to business, however. As the saying goes, \u00ab\u0431\u0440\u0430\u043a\u0438 \u0437\u0430\u043a\u043b\u044e\u0447\u0430\u044e\u0442\u0441\u044f \u043d\u0430 \u043d\u0435\u0431\u0435\u0441\u0430\u0445\u00bb [marriages are made in heaven] meaning that you…<\/p>\n

    Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":2037,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,7827],"tags":[1131,55667,1227,35333,13008],"class_list":["post-2032","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-russian-life","tag-learning-russian","tag-married-to-russian","tag-russian-culture","tag-russian-customs","tag-russian-sayings"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2032"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2032\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6312,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2032\/revisions\/6312"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2037"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}