Annoying FSU habits/superstitions

[groovlstk]

I've noticed that when our Russian friends visit our home, after they exit the restroom they tend to close the door completely. If we have American family or friends visiting at the same time, inevitably a line forms outside the bathroom door with the Americans tentatively knocking and asking "is someone in there?"   

[possum]

I've noticed that when our Russian friends visit our home, after they exit the restroom they tend to close the door completely. If we have American family or friends visiting at the same time, inevitably a line forms outside the bathroom door with the Americans tentatively knocking and asking "is someone in there?"   

  You can chalk that one up to the fact that most Russian bathrooms are poorly ventilated, particularly those in old Stalin houses.. Your guests think they're doing you a favor by keeping the bad air out of your living area..

[possum]

Olga, I think the fear of the number 13 is irrational, and it's unfortunate that it's had such an impact on American culture.. The umbrella thing is also BS, but it's nothing compared to cleaning the floors with spring water after a dead relative's body has been taken outside for the burial, you know what I'm sayin'?.  

[SANDRO43]

Olga, I think the fear of the number 13 is irrational

Italian composer Gioachino Rossini was wary of 13 and Fridays, and rightly so :

According to folklorists, there is no written evidence for a "Friday the 13th" superstition before the 19th century.The earliest known documented reference in English occurs in an 1869 biography of Gioachino Rossini:

[Rossini] was surrounded to the last by admiring and affectionate friends; and if it be true that, like so many other Italians, he regarded Friday as an unlucky day, and thirteen as an unlucky number, it is remarkable that on Friday, the 13th of November, he died.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_the_13th

[ECOCKS]

Agreed. Which is what my wife tells me, too. But that just compounds the issue. If it's too dirty to wear inside the home, why the heck hang it back up and have it pressed against other clothing?

Everyone's different of course, but my wife keeps our houseclothes sitting on our bed and outdoor clothing is now expected to be washed on a near daily basis. It has to be a really slow day when she will wear something again without washing it first.

[Faux Pas]

Some 10 years ago I bought a washing machine that was also dryer-capable - the result was disappointing, cotton laundry would come out of it wrinkled and my house helper had to sprinkle-moist it before she could iron it.

In 1991 and 1997 I was in the USA and both my apartments had dryers - same result. I don't know if they improved them in the meantime, but in my experience hanging laundry to dry produced decidedly better results - possibly due to gravity, much less wrinkles and easier to iron - apart from the fact that laundry sun-dried in the summer has a richer and better smell, IMO . 

SANDRO The idea to most American clothes dryers is to remove the clothes when they are dry yet still hot from drying and either hang and fold thus, avoiding wrinkles. It works quite well 

[myrddin]

Italian composer Gioachino Rossini was wary of 13 and Fridays, and rightly so :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_the_13th

I was born on a Friday the 13th.  Some might say that explains a lot.     

When it comes to superstitions, I'm only interested in the sociological history.  But it's good to know them so as not to unintentionally start incidents.

[Sculpto]

I was born on a Friday the 13th.   

me too.  I consider it a lucky day. 

[SANDRO43]

me too.  I consider it a lucky day. 

Because you're not a Knight Templar :

On Friday, October 13, 1307 (a date sometimes incorrectly linked with the origin of the Friday the 13th superstition) Philip ordered Grand Master Jacques de Molay and scores of other French Templars to be simultaneously arrested.

[Chicagoguy]

It's not so easy to hang clothes out to dry in the Winter. Also, in better neighborhoods,  it is not too appealing to see clotheslines with stuff on them all the time.

I also don't like it when people hang their mattresses out the front window every morning.   

[OlgaH]

When it comes to superstitions, I'm only interested in the sociological history. 

I agree with you. The superstitions are component of folklore and they are interesting as a part of study of a nation culture and  folk arts. I can not say that I find the superstitions to be annoying, for me it would be equivalent to saying that the Slavic or Indian mythology (or any other national mythology) is nonsense and annoying after reading it. The superstitions as folk songs, legends, customs and traditions passed  from one generation to another through the centuries are like a bridge between the generations, and also they are interesting as a process of interaction and two-way influence between different cultures.   

[SANDRO43]

The superstitions are component of folklore

Both - and religions - are basically IMO attempts at explaining phenomena in pre-scientific cultures, when a cause/effect relationship involving higher powers would be guessed at, for want of alternative, testable explanations.

Not that all folk wisdom should be totally discarded. IIRC, in the early 1960s (pre-satellite times) the USAF commissioned a project aimed at collecting weather-related popular sayings, finding that many had some sound meteorological basis, probably because weather affects agriculture considerably and it paid farmers to develop some weather wisdom.

For instance, a popular Italian proverb goes: rosso di sera, bel tempo si spera (you can expect good weather from a red evening). Typically, you get a reddish sky at sunset with high cirrus clouds, themselves an indication of high pressure and hence stable fair weather.

[OlgaH]

Both - and religions

Yes, any mythology is a religion.   Even ancient costumes and household articles presented system of  believes.  The color and pattern of embroidery in the Slavic dresses, shawl, belts, towels, bedspreads, also earring and beads and so  are played role of protection from evil spirits and eyes.      

Signs (or superstitions) about weather are based on the centuries-old observation, and we also have weather wisdom in Russia and my granny follows it gardening.  

Every year our county holds a celebration devoted to the Seminole Indians. I love to visit it. It is very interesting to watch how the White people purchase the Indian amulets  

[SANDRO43]

Signs (or superstitions) about weather are based on the centuries-old observation, and we also have weather wisdom in Russia and my granny follows it gardening.

Does she follow this one, too?

Cielo a pecorelle,
acqua a catinelle.
(Fleecy sky, water in bucketfuls.)

Here cirrus clouds are multiplying and getting thicker/lower, a sign of increasing relative humidity and falling pressure - usually heralding deteriorating weather.

[OlgaH]

Does she follow this one, too?

I guess so and most likely she will not water her garden  

The abundance of cockchafers in spring means that the summer will be hot.   

[BC]

For instance, a popular Italian proverb goes: rosso di sera, bel tempo si spera (you can expect good weather from a red evening). Typically, you get a reddish sky at sunset with high cirrus clouds, themselves an indication of high pressure and hence stable fair weather.

Red sky at night, sailors delight.
Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.

[OlgaH]

Looking through my old photos I found a photo of my two dolls Fyenya and Foma I made by myself as oberegs (amulets) for home  

[CallMeSasha]

this won't sound good but..........

my wife has a habit of lying (usually over small things luckily!) she will say she'll be home at 11pm & then comes home at 2am - when i ask her why she is so late she will say "i felt guilty saying i'll be home so late" however she doesn't feel guilty about lying to me about it - i get very angry about her lying, i could throw the biggest tantrum in the world yet she'll repeat the lie the following week.

i say to her "just tell me the truth to begin with & i'll be fine with you going out til whatever time, however lie to me and i'll be upset that you lied - not how late you stayed out".

my second complaint follows on, if i phone her to ask where she is/why she isn't home on time she'll complain i'm checking up on her or that i don't trust her etc. however if i don't phone to check up on her (i.e. showing her trust by not phoning) then i don't care where she is or i'm not worried.

some times if feels like i can't win either way - any advice?

[OlgaH]

CallMeSasha ,

Yes, it doesn't sound good. It neither a habit  nor a superstition. I think you post should be in section Married.

A married woman comes home at 2am...  Where she spends that time? With whom?

Any advice? You should have with her a very serious conversation. And yes, it is all about trust and truth, the  fundamentals of any family along with love.

[boaterguy]

Yikes! I'm with Olga on this one. I'll be blunt and come right out and say it. Sounds like she's seeing someone. You know how time flies when your under the sheets.

this won't sound good but..........

my wife has a habit of lying (usually over small things luckily!) she will say she'll be home at 11pm & then comes home at 2am - when i ask her why she is so late she will say "i felt guilty saying i'll be home so late" however she doesn't feel guilty about lying to me about it - i get very angry about her lying, i could throw the biggest tantrum in the world yet she'll repeat the lie the following week.

i say to her "just tell me the truth to begin with & i'll be fine with you going out til whatever time, however lie to me and i'll be upset that you lied - not how late you stayed out".

my second complaint follows on, if i phone her to ask where she is/why she isn't home on time she'll complain i'm checking up on her or that i don't trust her etc. however if i don't phone to check up on her (i.e. showing her trust by not phoning) then i don't care where she is or i'm not worried.

some times if feels like i can't win either way - any advice?

[CallMeSasha]

OlgaH & boaterguy,

i suppose how it may sound like i picked a bad example, i very much doubt she is having an affair.

it's more a case of lying over things in general, she doesn't go out a lot it's just the most recent example that came to mind.

another example would be buying something & inventing a story that is was free, just silly needless lies

[groovlstk]

OlgaH & boaterguy,

i suppose how it may sound like i picked a bad example, i very much doubt she is having an affair.

it's more a case of lying over things in general, she doesn't go out a lot it's just the most recent example that came to mind.

another example would be buying something & inventing a story that is was free, just silly needless lies

Someone smarter than me once pointed out that lies are like cockroaches. If you see a few, you can be pretty sure you're place is infested w/them behind the walls

[UTRO]

OlgaH & boaterguy,

i suppose how it may sound like i picked a bad example, i very much doubt she is having an affair.

it's more a case of lying over things in general, she doesn't go out a lot it's just the most recent example that came to mind.

another example would be buying something & inventing a story that is was free, just silly needless lies

Okay, she comes home at 2am..... no big deal if you know who she's with. Guys go out all the time with other guys till 'closing time'. Do you know where she is and who she's with? If you do and you are confident of this, then no big deal... right? Maybe it isn't a lie.... perhaps she gets caught up in the conversation and good company??

[BC]

A lot depends on the circumstances..

We live, work and play together 24/7

Right now she's in RU, I just called and she's 'out' and really it doesn't bother me one iota.. we'll talk tomorrow, or maybe even the next day.

So what... If there isn't that much trust it ain't a relationship.

I've chased enough relationships in the past to learn that it ain't worth the mileage.

[CallMeSasha]

Okay, she comes home at 2am..... no big deal if you know who she's with. Guys go out all the time with other guys till 'closing time'. Do you know where she is and who she's with? If you do and you are confident of this, then no big deal... right? Maybe it isn't a lie.... perhaps she gets caught up in the conversation and good company??

oh yes i know who's she with & when she's out so late her friend's husband will pick them up so it's not a problem

it's not a case of getting caught up in conversation, it's a case of feeling guilty that she'll be out so late so she lies over the time she'll get home (i.e. she will know what time her friend's husband will pick them up but feels guilty saying she'll be in so late)

it just drives me crazy that she can't just say i'll be in at 2am - i'll say to her "i've no problem with you going out til late - just tell me the time you'll come home". obviously i'll give her some flexiblity before i get a bit "bothered" - i know things don't always run to schedule.

another example of a ridiculously silly lie, recently i came home and she was in bed & had left the backdoor open (and no before you ask it wasn't because her lover had just left!!!). when i mentioned she went to bed and left the door open she said "i knew you'd be home to shut it soon" when really she didn't know it was open - she just didn't want to admit that she forgot to check whether the door was open or shut.

and on the subject of lying, all her friends from RF or FSU all claim to have met their husbands "while on holiday abroad" - coincidence or lies?

thanks for listening!