Valentine's Day in Russia

[jeff9556]

Big deal or not? Should I send a rose or maybe a non-stick frying pan? How about I just pretend it never happened and save few bucks (bob for you English folk), since she's probably never gotten anything anyway, right?

OK, on a more serious note is it the done thing to celebrate V'day or not?

[Jack]

I can only voice to you my opinion and experience.

I'll tell this, I'm glad I don't have to buy for V-Day.  On March 8th I'll spend from $500 to $600 just on flowers and chocolates.  One expensive day for me. 

If I do not respect March 8th for the day it is, scratch off that girlfriend.  For V-Day, not a dime and no one will be offended.  Now once you get a Ukr/Rus woman here in the states, now it's both days, V-Day and March 8th.

[LAman]

Yes, never forget Woman's day.......other than B-day(the most important day)...........you gottsta remember this day!!!!
For V-day...a simple e-card will do wonders( even free ones)!!!!! As I always say...it was the thought that counts!!!

[jeff9556]

Now once you get a Ukr/Rus woman here in the states, now it's both days, V-Day and March 8th.

Yes, I suspected as much

For V-day...a simple e-card will do wonders( even free ones)!!!!! As I always say...it was the thought that counts!!!

Oh great, an e-card, I have a subscription at jibjab.com, I sent out a bunch of hilarious e-cards at Christmas and they went down a treat!

[mendeleyev]

In some areas of Russia Valentine's Day is thought to be a "Roman Catholic" holiday and that is not always a compliment from Eastern Orthodox Russians. However it could be a plus in regions of Western Ukraine that were formerly part of Poland where Catholicism and the Uniates (Greek Catholic) churches are strong.

We don't celebrate Valentine's day but as mentioned earlier, to forget Woman's Day on 08 March is to invite disaster.

[ML]

My current Gal and other RW I  know  say that Valentine Day is celebrated more and more each year.

It never hurts to at least send an email greeting with perhaps a romantic poem thrown in for good measure.

[chivo]

Big deal or not? Should I send a rose or maybe a non-stick frying pan? How about I just pretend it never happened and save few bucks (bob for you English folk), since she's probably never gotten anything anyway, right?

OK, on a more serious note is it the done thing to celebrate V'day or not?

Quite the romantic aren't you? Just make sure you're in Sweden when you send that frying pan so she doesn't club you with it. 
 
Come on, if you care about the lady, send her a rose already. Matter of fact why wait until Valentine's day. You should be doing this regularly.
 

My current Gal and other RW I  know  say that Valentine Day is celebrated more and more each year.

This is true. Every year I'm asked more and more about "what are you doing on Valentine's day?"

[jeff9556]

Come on, if you care about the lady, send her a rose already. Matter of fact why wait until Valentine's day. You should be doing this regularly.

Why? Is this what RM do? Send roses to women they have chatted to for a brief period over the internet?

Addendum: I am not being cynical (it may sound that way now I have read my comment), I am inquiring about social convention, not my strongest suit...

[chivo]

Bro when a RM courts a lady he goes after her no if, ands or butts. That is if he really wants her. This isn't Sweden. Matter of facts he'll probably send her hundreds of roses.
 
If you just want to be friends, no sweat, don't send her anything. Or, maybe that frying pan will do. 

[jeff9556]

Bro when a RM courts a lady he goes after her no if ands or butts. That is if really he wants her. This isn't Sweden. Matter of facts he'll probably send her hundreds of roses.
 
If you just want to be friends, no sweat, don;t send her anything. Or, maybe that frying pan will do. 

Interesting concept, not one I am likely to buy into, literally. I hasn't escaped you that these women are single having rejected such ploys in the past, no?

[chivo]

She'll only reject it if she's has no interest in you. You'll understand this (or should) rather quickly. Buy into it or not at your own discretion (or loss). Up to you.
 
It's not all you should do BTW, as you will need to separate yourself from the pack if that's the case. But, if you send a rose "just because" it will surely distinguish you from other foreigners.
 
The basis of my point is that a RW will expect you to come after her strong, otherwise you're nothing more than a "бобник" or merely just a friend.
 
And yes I'm not sure where you're at in this particular relationship, but I still wouldn't date her like a would an American women or in your case Swedish.

[clancyhound]

My experience is that Chivo is correct.
Before my girl and I made a real commitment each other, there were a few Russian men that showed her interest.  But they were not "active". Apparently I was "active", much more so than them.
One day during a talk, my girl says to me, I do realize how hard you worked to win my relation.  And yes, I did work at it, a lot.
Sending her flowers on Valentines day and randomly, when you can, will go a long way in making you stand out from others.
 

[jeff9556]

I can accept these perfunctory social graces may be required, I will send the roses, rejoice!

[clancyhound]

Find a shop local in Russia to send the flowers from, its a much better in price than any you will find in the west that will take order for delivery to Russia.  I use 2 in local shops in Chelyabinsk and they both have web sites that take the order and take credit card for payment. 

More than likely the site would be in Russian, but that should be no problem.
Oh, the quality of the flowers in Russia, is never like it is here in America, they all seem to die within 5 days, the flowers bought here locally can last up to almost 3 weeks.

Which is OK, all will die eventually, its the thought that is important.
 
Wish you the best!!

[Chicagoguy]

SEND ODD NUMBER OF FLOWERS !           Russian custom.

[Faux Pas]

I can accept these perfunctory social graces may be required, I will send the roses, rejoice!

Of course different strokes for different folks but, IMO never miss an opportunity to send your woman flowers. Every available opportunity and when there is no holiday or special occasion send some anyway. Just because you can and let her know you are thinking about her. Flowers universally give most women the flitters. If you're interested in the woman, it's your duty to make her feel good

[jeff9556]

Oh, the quality of the flowers in Russia, is never like it is here in America, they all seem to die within 5 days, the flowers bought here locally can last up to almost 3 weeks.

Could be the weather (the cold), here if they don't wrap the flowers properly before delivery they can get a dose of -10 which is not healthy for them, so usually they come bundled up in layers of insulating paper or even in special cases.

[Jack]

I can accept these perfunctory social graces may be required, I will send the roses, rejoice!

Jeff as I had previously posted I really haven't had to send flowers or gift to Ukr/Rus women for V-Day over the years except on some rare occasions.  I can remember back in 96 and 97 and 98 when Western influence was educating these women as to this special day we referred to as Valentine's Day and oh, the agencies, were they pushing this Valentine's Day on there sites and how not to forget your favorite ladies.   I was thinking then it was just a matter of time.

Every year more and more women from the FSU hear about his V-Day and if they have a boyfriend from America I think many are beginning to expect something on this day. Well Jeff, yesterday I got an email from one of my favorite ladies, Ilona, and she mentioned something about going to the market to buy me a gift for Valentine's Day and she will give it to me when she see's me in May.   Just great, now what to do?   So it looks as though I will be sending some flowers and nice chocolates after all.

[mendeleyev]

Mixed reactions, depending on the lady. Some say it is a Roman Catholic holiday for Saint Valentine and therefore some Orthodox believers show little interest, however the opposite would be true in Western Ukraine where the RC and Greek Catholic (Uniates) are a bigger part of the population.

(For those who know the difference, I wish to assure you that the use of the term Uniate is not meant to be offensive, only to distinguish those whose church is headed by the Pope of Rome but are not Roman Catholic, unlike those who are RC in doctrine, governance and affiliation.)

As we wrote earlier today in the Mendeleyev Journal...

Is Valentine's Day becoming more popular across the former Soviet Union?

Not yet to any real extent but we expect eventual change. Of course those selling flowers and candies online would like to convince you otherwise but only in the last couple of decades have those living in Eastern Europe and Asia even heard of Saint Valentine and Cupid. Even then, many believe it to be a Western (Roman) Catholic holiday and in this world of Orthodoxy, anything Roman Catholic is a hard sell.

Some say it is a Roman Catholic holiday for Saint Valentine and therefore some Orthodox believers show little interest, however the opposite would be true in Western Ukraine where the Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic (Uniates) are a bigger part of the population.

There are some who believe that Valentine's Day is yet another unwelcome Western intrusion into the life and culture of the FSU. Take this popular banner from Russian social media sites:


 

(This social media banner labels Valentine's Day as nothing more than a Western way to sell more flowers.)

For others however, it is welcome sentiment and any celebration of love is an opportunity to be cherished. So on the same social media sites it is becoming more common each year to see Valentine greetings like the one below.



Is Valentine's Day gaining in popularity in areas outside of the Western world?

One thing is certain: nothing rivals what is termed "8 March" in this part of the world. March 8 is International Women's Day and it is customary to honour every woman in a home with special focus on wives and mothers. Daughters, grandmothers and aunts are remembered as well. The most common gifts are flowers (in odd numbers), chocolates and champagne. Think of 8 March as Valentine's Day and Mother's Day combined into one big celebration on steroids.
 
So, we'll let Saint Valentine and Cupid slide on past this day for now. We're saving our rubles for the big event still to come--8 March!




Whatever day you celebrate we extend our congratulations. Love is a good thing!

[mendeleyev]

We'd be remiss by failing to mention that a new holiday was instituted in Russia to celebrate love and families on 8 July.

The first celebration of this Day of Love, Agreement and Faithfulness was on the 8th of July in 2008. It hasn't really caught on yet outside of church circles but is celebrated by many devout Orthodox families. Russians call it день Петра и Февронии (the day of Peter and Fevronia).

More on the story of these two saints here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tale_of_Peter_and_Fevronia

[Chicagoguy]

mendeleyev - Is American Halloween creeping into Russia also ?

[mendeleyev]

Is American Halloween creeping into Russia also?

I love your choice of the word "creeping." Creepy, but yes Western Halloween is making headway, and has been around these parts longer than Valentine's Day. 

[chivo]

I love your choice of the word "creeping." Creepy, but yes Western Halloween is making headway, and has been around these parts longer than Valentine's Day. 

Valentine's Day has easily passed up Halloween around these parts in popularity, even though it has been around less time.
 
If you were here Tuesday and had been here during previous Valentine's Day/ Halloweens you could have easily noticed that Valentine's Day is not only becoming more popular by the year, but that Halloween takes a distant second to it.

[steste1122]

It may not be as popular as in the US, but a girl I am talking to knows of it, and likes the holiday.  All about love makes her feel warm inside, or so she says.  And I take anything that does that to be a good thing.  I only sent an ecard though, as I did not know at the time how much Valentines meant to her.  Will make up for it on March 8th though.

[mendeleyev]

Valentine's Day has easily passed up Halloween around these parts in popularity, even though it has been around less time.

Not much disagreement there. As I said, "(Halloween) has been around these parts longer than Valentine's Day." I don't think that Halloween is even a distant third.

For now I see 3 sides: Valentine's day will continue to grow in popularity, others remaining unmoved as they wait for 08 March, and those who see it as a Western intrusion. I have observed all 3.