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14 Things You lot Should Never Do In Russia

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America is a "melting pot" of different cultures and ideas, and as a outcome Americans aren't (usually) super-sensitive about people who do things a scrap differently than nosotros do. But nigh of the earth'south cultures evolved over centuries, sometimes millennia, and oftentimes in relative isolation. That'due south one of the reasons why people from other cultures can get so annoyed at American travelers — American travelers don't always get the whole cultural respect thing, and they exercise things that can come up across as stupid and rude.

That'southward why information technology's a good thought to do your homework before visiting whatever foreign nation. You lot don't really want to piss anyone off, non just because it sucks to get into an atmospherics with someone whose linguistic communication y'all don't speak, just also considering you never actually know what tradition dictates ought to happen to those who defy tradition. So just in case you're planning a summer holiday to Russia (But why? Seriously, go to Paris.), here's a list of the top things you lot should never do while you're in Mother Russia.

Don't wear gloves when yous shake hands

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If you lot're going to be in Russia in the summer, y'all don't accept to worry too much about this rule because Russia is freaking hot in the summer and you're not likely to be wearing gloves. Only the rest of the time, Russia is like a balmy afternoon on Neptune and if you don't habiliment gloves your fingers might actually snap off when y'all endeavour to take your telephone out of your dorsum pocket.

However, there are occasions when you're only not allowed to vesture gloves, and no one in Russian federation cares how cold your wussy foreign fingers are. According to the Moscow Times, one of these occasions is whenever y'all are shaking hands. But why? Because from the Russian perspective you are not wearing that glove out of a want to have a warm hand, y'all are wearing it because you don't want to bear upon the icky Russian person. Hopefully, you can meet why that might be considered a bit rude. And really, a handshake only takes a couple seconds, then yous can put your glove back on.

Never refuse a drink

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Exist warned, if you are trying to stay away from alcohol, Russia is a terrible identify to travel. The Russians are friendly, generous, and they like vodka. Really, that's non just some horrible platitude.

So when you lot go to Russia, expect to be offered a drinkable. And according to PRI, when you go to Russia, don't look that you can just say, "No thank you, I don't drink" considering no one will understand with or understand that for some people alcohol is a life-ruining force of destruction — they volition just think y'all're being insufferably rude. (Tip: Some travelers say yous can use the old "doctor's orders" alibi to politely dodge the booze without raising any eyebrows.)

Likewise being obligated to have alcohol when it's offered to you lot, you are likewise at risk of finding out what the Russian hospital system is similar afterward you become so intoxicated that you demand medical attention. Because the Russians volition not only offer you lot one drink, they will continue to fill your glass until you either pass out or dice. If you lot don't desire that to happen, nursing your drinks while you lot're in Russian federation is a really good idea. If yous ever permit your drinking glass get downward to less than half total, expect a refill.

Don't leave empty bottles sitting on the tabular array

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

One such superstition has to do with empty bottles, specifically, empty bottles that once had booze in them. According to the Moscow Times, Russians believe that an empty bottle left sitting on a table is an omen of fiscal hardship, or maybe even grief and suffering. Don't worry, though, no one expects you to become up and deposit it in a recycling bin or anything — traditionally, you just put it on the floor.

No one is sure where this superstition came from, but it'southward thought that Cossack soldiers brought information technology back from France afterward 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 full bottles they got from the bar, so they started leaving a few bottles on the flooring to lighten the bill.

Don't tell "your mama" jokes

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For some reason, Americans relish "your mama" jokes, even though most "your mama" jokes are notoriously unfunny and offensive. And still there still seem to be thousands of variations of them and we still all seem to have at to the lowest degree one friend or family member who insists on telling the latest.

If you have a "your mama" joke in your repertoire of funnies, y'all'll desire to avoid throwing information technology out as an ice-breaker while you're in Russian federation. Russians are almost universally unamused by jokes most a person's mother, or fifty-fifty a person'south father. In fact according to Russian federation Beyond, you might be better off merely non making jokes at all when you're in Russia because the Russian sense of sense of humour doesn't really line upwardly with the American one. Yous might even find that some Russians are taking your jokes seriously because zero in their universe has always prepared them for the stupidity of the American humour, and therefore they don't actually know it when they see information technology.

Don't argue with a babushka

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Okay, so outset of all, information technology'south not "bab-OO-shka," it'due south "BAH-boo-shka." So don't say information technology incorrect considering the Russians will be pissed at you lot. And 2nd, respect the babushka. Babushka is a title and a condition symbol. Babushkas are tough and terrifying and they are not afraid to tell you exactly how you've offended them. According to Manner to Russia, you can look to be shoved aside, cut in front of, and by and large looked downwardly upon by every babushka you see, and you'd amend not do or say anything about it because babushkas dominion Russia.

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

So basically, what a babushka wants, a babushka gets. As a traveler who is not a babushka, you are obligated to let her elbow you aside, cutting in front end of you, and yell at you for transgressions you don't understand because you don't speak Russian. Exist prepared.

Don't whistle indoors

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Nigh Western superstitions near bad luck are specific to the person who offended the tradition — anybody else is usually spared. Walking under a ladder, for example, is a solo transgression. And then is opening up an umbrella indoors. But in Russia, violating the rules of superstition sometimes means dragging everyone else down with you, and then that'south why you really practise have to know all the Russian superstitions before you spend time in that location.

Co-ordinate to Savor Russian, you should never whistle indoors because for any reason, whistling is associated with financial hardship. It'due south especially bad form to whistle in someone else's house because it's not just y'all who might suffer financial misfortune, only likewise your hosts.

Like almost long-running superstitions, no one really seems to know for sure where this one came from. In the Due west we have a similar rule about not whistling indoors, merely our rule is not attached to a bad-luck thing. It's possible that the Russian superstition started out the same mode, then morphed into "close upwards already or you'll whistle all your money away!" Does it really matter, though? At least the Russians have a adept style to shut that annoying crap down.

Don't show upwards empty-handed

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This is really merely mutual sense no thing what country you're in — whenever you're invited to someone'due south home, you should bring a bottle of wine or a nice dessert to share with your hosts. If you lot're non already doing this, you might demand to take an etiquette grade or merely stay in America where y'all're free to show up to your friend's house bearing nothing simply the words, "Where's the beer?"

According to Russia Beyond, when you're invited into a Russian home you're expected to bring something with you, typically a nutrient or potable item that volition be served with the repast. Make sure it'south something you actually enjoy — if you're not a wine drinker and yous brought a bottle of wine, your hosts might be annoyed at you lot for refusing to partake.

There are another do's and don'ts that household guests have to recollect — for example, exercise bring alcohol but don't bring vodka considering your hosts might think you lot're insulting them. Practice bring flowers for any women in the house, merely not yellow flowers or flowers in even numbers. If in that location are children in the home, it's customary to bring something for them, likewise, like a small treat or a fun activity. And maybe take notes because that's way too much to remember.

Don't permit a adult female comport heavy things

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Here in the West, women pride themselves on their independence. Sometimes, Western women will even get offended at offers of help because those offers, however well-intentioned, imply that they can't accept care of themselves — which is i of the reasons why you don't see so many random acts of knightly in the 21st century. Some of us miss information technology and some of us don't, only generally speaking offering to hold a door or acquit something heavy for someone just considering she's female isn't really a thing anymore in America.

In Russia, though, this brand of chivalry hasn't ever gone out of style. According to Russia Beyond, the Russians believe that a man has a responsibility to assistance a woman out when he sees her carrying something heavy. If you're a adult female traveling in Russian federation, it's a adept idea to just accept the help when it's offered — the Russians don't mean to imply that y'all tin't accept care of yourself, they're just genuinely trying to help. If you lot're a man traveling in Russia and you see a adult female struggling with something heavy, y'all should also offer to assist. And if she's your traveling companion, you're probably not going to make many good impressions with the locals if you lot let her struggle with her own suitcase.

Don't accept an offering 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, really I insist." Person B refuses again, and and so on so along until everyone is mad at each other. In Russian federation, this is all part of the tradition of souvenir giving.

According to World Speaking, when someone in Russia offers you a souvenir, you should never, always accept outright, even if it's something you actually need. Instead, you lot should let the person offer a 2d time, and so you should pass up over again. If that person is actually serious about giving yous a gift, he or she will offer a 3rd fourth dimension, and at that point it's probably okay to say yes. But it's definitely not polite to only jump on the offer immediately — you must at least make a show of existence unwilling to accept the souvenir, and so the other person can make a show of beingness willing to requite it to you.

Don't criticize Russian federation

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In the West, especially in America, nosotros love to talk well-nigh politics, and we peculiarly love to criticize our government and our politicians. We all consider ourselves to exist patriots, only other than that nosotros're pretty polarized nigh which way the nation appears to be moving and which politicians are most responsible for "destroying our land."

It's kind of natural to have some of that with y'all on vacation, but if your destination is Russia, Travel Mono recommends keeping any criticism of Russian politics that yous might have tightly nether wraps. So no comments virtually Russian election interference, don't mention Crimea, and definitely don't brand fun of shirtless Putin on a horse.

Russians are also very patriotic, just to them, patriotism ways non making fun of or criticizing the government and its leaders because that's not being a expert citizen and also because the the government might put their families in a penal colony. And information technology'due south particularly obnoxious to them when a pretentious Westerner shows up, eats all the food, sees all the sights, and complains about Putin. So merely don't do information technology. There are plenty of other things to talk about when you're in Russian federation, like "Why is it so damned cold all the fourth dimension?" and "Why practise all those buildings look like they're topped with scoops of ice foam?"

Don't clothing shoes indoors

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Russians don't believe in wearing shoes indoors. In that way, Russia is similar to a lot of Asian countries, where shoes in living spaces just don't compute. It really makes a ton of sense, actually, and information technology kind of seems foreign that it hasn't actually dawned on all cultures how gross it is to walk around the firm in your shoes. Your home is supposed to exist a respite from all the filth and germs of the real world, and nothing yous wear on your torso is quite equally filthy and germy as a pair of shoes.

Co-ordinate to Russia Beyond, you lot should always leave your shoes in the hallway whenever you walk into a Russian home. Well-nigh Russians keep slippers on manus specifically for their guests considering putting your feet where someone else's sweaty, athlete's pes-covered toes accept been is marginally less gross than tracking germs all over the house.

Russians are and then germ-averse, in fact, that they volition normally modify into "house dress" when they come dwelling from work considering their house clothes are cleaner than anything they wore effectually the city during the day.

Don't sit on public ship

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After a long, difficult day of sightseeing, beingness forced to drinkable alcohol, and non saying anything bad about Vladimir Putin, you might be looking forward to jumping on the Metro just so you can sit downward for a few minutes. Not and so fast, though. Many city-dwelling Russians employ public transportation, and public transportation is often at capacity. And so on a crowded railroad train in that location's always going to be someone who needs that seat, and in the optics of the Russians, it is terribly uncouth and selfish for you to presume that it'southward you lot, unless you fall into one of the following categories: You are elderly, yous are disabled, you are a child, or you are pregnant.

According to ITMO.news, failure to give upwards your seat for someone in one of these groups is a gigantic faux paus, and you might actually get told off (in Russian!) for beingness a selfish jerk. That'southward totally not worth resting your feet for a few minutes.

Don't smile

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Popular civilisation sometimes portrays the Russians equally existence kind of gloomy, or maybe even angry all the fourth dimension. There are plenty of goofy explanations nigh why this might be — perchance it's because they're and so freaking cold all the time or perhaps it's because they've finally realized that all their buildings are topped with snow and not scoops of ice cream. Only it's really a misconception that Russians are perpetually in a bad mood — they're not, they're just very selective smilers.

Co-ordinate to the Atlantic, the Russians experience like they shouldn't grin unless they have a reason to. In fact this is even written into their culture in the form of a proverb, which loosely translated ways "laughing for no reason is a sign of stupidity." So smiling at strangers is considered weird, and uncouth, and maybe even disingenuous. Instead, the Russians believe that you should reserve your smiles for your family unit, friends, and occasions when you lot have a practiced reason to smile.

Don't get out without your passport

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For the most function, Russian federation is a friendly and hospitable place. Merely Russia is non exactly the state of the gratuitous, the home of the unrestricted traveler. According to Russia Beyond, the Russian police can end anyone at any time for the sole purpose of "checking papers," only like in every movie you've e'er seen where American travelers get into trouble in countries that aren't the USA. And yep, police do tend to do this based on profiling — if you don't look like a Russian, y'all're probably going to get stopped. And if you don't have your passport, you lot might fifty-fifty be taken into custody. Also, you'll probably soil yourself because you lot won't have any idea why you're being taken into custody because you lot don't speak Russian.

The Russian police can concord you for up to three hours while they try to figure 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 leave your passport in the hotel because you lot'd rather travel light — you truly do not know when you lot might need it.

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

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