Superstitions Your Russian Date May Believe in

Whoever you are and wherever you’re from, you will almost certainly have some superstitions that you follow, and your Russian date will be no different.

However, when it comes to your Russian date, some of her superstitions may well be rooted in Russian history and her childhood, so they may seem a little random if you do not know the history of them.

So, while we may say hello to the neighborhood blackbird or avoid stepping on sidewalk cracks, some of those your Russian date follows will be new to you. So, to give you a heads up, here are a few that she may believe in.

I want to find my soulmate

Never have/give an even number of flowers

Whether you’re buying some flowers for a vase at home or you want to present your Russian date with a romantic bouquet, make sure you count the flowers first. In Russia, giving an even number of flowers is reserved for events such as funerals. Therefore, always give them a count – if you have an even number, throw one away before she notices!

Never kiss or shake hands across a threshold

When you welcome your Russian date and any of her family and friends into your home, or if you visit theirs, you need to beware of this particular superstition. In Russian folklore, the spirit of the house lives in the threshold – so, if you kiss, shake hands or embrace over the threshold, you’re leaving yourself open to bad luck. Wait until you’re fully inside.

Don’t spill the salt

Are you the one?

This is one of those superstitions that there seems little logic to. In Russia, spilling the salt is believed to be the cause of a family argument. So, don’t spill any!

Avoid sitting at the corner of the table

This one is pretty important if you ever see marriage in the future for you and your Russian date. If an unmarried person sits on the corner of the table – when you’re having dinner, for example – then they will be lonely forever and never get married.

Put empty bottles on the floor

This superstition is said to date back to 1814 and the time of Napoleon. If you finish a bottle of wine, vodka or some other drink, then the empty bottle should be put on the floor, not on the tabletop. Apparently, Parisian restauranteurs would charge for drinks on the basis of the number of bottles on the table, so Russian soldiers would hide them beneath the table. And so, the superstition has developed from there.