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Interesting Things About Russia You’d Like To Know

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Here are some interesting and fun things about Russia you might hear for the first time…

The beer was considered an alcoholic drink in 2011, not before that.

The Russian president of 2011, Dimitry Medvedev put his signature on the law that says beer is an alcoholic drink, and with this came limitations on where this is sold.

In Russia, you can try McShrimp

If you visit Moscow one day, make sure to order the McShrimp. The McDonalds in Moscow has some things you wouldn’t expect in a McDonalds. This one is battered shrimp that is served with the regular McDonalds soft buns – worth a try.

Bears in Russia are jet fuel addicts

Some regions of Russia have bears that are literally hooked on jet fuel because those regions have leftovers of gasoline and kerosene in containers, so the bears sneak near them just to have a sniff…

Some rich Russians drive in ambulance vans…

To avoid getting stuck in traffic, the richest sometimes rely on the fast emergency ambulance vehicles to get through traffic. Usually, this is done in rush hour. Clever, right?

During the Soviet era, Beatles albums were forbidden, so…

…some medical students used to burn and save Beatles songs on old X-rays. In this period, things from the West were mostly forbidden in Russia, so the youths would cleverly find their way around getting what they want.

There is a moment of silence before traveling starts…

It is a custom in Russia for passengers to sit quietly before the journey starts. They say “let us sit down for the road” – meaning being in silence or saying a quick prayer prior to the trip.

Some Russian restaurants replaced the word ‘borscht’ with ‘beetroot soup’

Why? Because the word ‘borscht’ is Ukrainian. This is similar to the Americans and their usage of ‘freedom fries’, instead of ‘French fries’ (or freedom toast, as opposed to French toast).

They have a superstition for whistling…when indoors.

This is considered a no-no. Whenever you’re at home or someone else’s home, or closed premises for that matter, whistling is forbidden. They believe if you do this indoors, the money of that household will be gone fast.

Russians are Christians, yet they prefer New Year’s festivities more than Christmas

The gifts people exchange take place on New Year’s Eve and not Christmas as the West does it mostly. Russians have Christmas celebrations on January 7th, so New Year’s Eve comes first and they can’t wait to give each other gifts earlier.

A legend says Russians refused Islam and chose Christianity because they love alcohol…

Prince Vladimir the Great who was the ruler of ‘Kievan Rus’ (980-1015) was a Pagan person, but he chose Christianity and Christian conversion to Kievan Rus in 988. Why? Because Islam rejects alcohol and prohibits alcohol drinking. And Vladimir the Great thought the greatest fun and joy for the Rus is to drink.

They celebrate a ‘Conception Day’

This holiday sounds fun, right? Being given an official day for…conceiving a child. This is September 12th, and this day was proclaimed as such to motivate people into raising up the birth rates in the area of Ulyanovsk. But, there are prizes too, so it’s not just a meaningless date! Those mothers that give birth on June 12th (9 months after September 12th) get a flat screen TV or a Jeep.

Smiling is not considered always a positive thing

Especially if you don’t know a person or meet them for the first time. In this case, if you smile as a way to greet and meet them, you’ll be considered ‘strange’, ‘ill’, or ‘bizarre’. The smile is considered a sign of affection, and as their logic says, you don’t show that if you don’t know the person.

There’s a superstition of bad luck once you leave the house…

…so once you leave the house, you shouldn’t immediately go back. For example, if you forgot something, avoid going back instantly. Instead, they ask relatives to get something for them, just to avoid stepping into the house once they left.

Their ‘smiley emojis’ have no eyes

 

In Russia, it’s common to see ) or ))), but never : ) ! We’re not sure why is this like this, but one thing is certain – more parentheses means more liking toward something.

They like chicken feet in a soup and meat stuff in jello 🙂 !

Do you know some other fun things about the Russians? Don’t hesitate ti share with us 🙂

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