Ukrainian traditions and customs. Ukrainian Marriage Agency. Girls from the Ukraine for marriage

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We selected some articles, specially for you, to give you a better idea about Ukrainian people, their customs and traditions. We really want you to understand Ukrainian Soul. We hope you’ll find this information interesting and helpful.

Ukrainian traditions include superstitions and customs of the Ukraine and neighbouring former Soviet Union countries. Many of them are now inseparable parts of every day life, or simply common social etiquette, though they often have their origins in superstiti

The awareness of them, and their perceived importance, depends on various factors including region and age. Some are extremely common and practiced by the vast majority of the population, while some are extremely obscure.

Ukrainian Etiquette

Men in the Ukraine will always shake hands (or at least offer a wrist if a hand is dirty, wet or otherwise unavailable) when they greet for the first time during the day. However, it is taboo to shake hands with your gloves on. A glove must be removed, no matter how cold it may be. the Ukraine is one of the many countries where this handshake tradition is rigorously upheld.
Shaking hands and giving things across the threshold of a house is taboo. Usually a guest will come inside before shaking a host's hand when arriving and shake it before leaving the threshold when leaving. Sometimes people will even avoid saying "hello" and "goodbye" across the threshold.
It is traditional in the Ukraine for men to give flowers to women on nearly every occasion, but only an odd number can be given. Giving an even number of flowers is taboo, because even numbers are brought to funerals.
You should never go to someone else's house empty handed. Alcoholic beverages and/or dessert is a common gift to bring when invited to someone's home.
You should not forget to "Thank" the hosts for the welcoming and the dinner.
You must remove the shoes in the house, because many people keep icons at home and according to Ukrainian Orthodox religion it is a bad custom wear shoes in front of an icon, or even to say something bad about someone. It brings bad luck.
It is traditional to always propose some kind of toast when drinking. Refusing to drink alcohol on certain occasions or to a certain toast may sometimes be considered rude. Your glass cannot touch the table from the time a toast is proposed to the time you drink. Your glass should remain on the table when it is being refilled.
It is also considered bad form to drink alcohol, including relatively mild beverages such as beer, without eating something between sips or shots. For this reason, Ukrainian cuisine is particularly rich in appetizers and finger-foods.
One should never hand a knife directly to another person. Instead a person should always place the knife down on a surface, and only then can the other person pick it up. In several cases you can give it directly, but only pointing the sharp end to yourself and making the knife's handle accessible for the opposite person.
It is impolite to point with your finger. But if you must point, it's better to use your entire hand instead of your finger.
It is impolite to put your feet up on furniture with your shoes on. Sometimes, simply showing the soles of your shoes is considered rude.
Whistling indoors is taboo. The Ukrainians sometimes say superstitiously that you will "whistle away your money". The origins of this are in superstition, as it used to be considered a sin: it was believed that when you whistled you were entertaining the devil. In general it is considered rude.
Traditional Ukrainian cheek kissing is done using three kisses, but it is not widely upheld all the time.
When someone sneezes you tell them Bud'te zdorovy which literally means "Be Healthy" (in the formal form of address). It used to be believed that saying this would help the sneezer keep from getting sick.

Customs that are more often regarded as superstition

Before leaving for a long journey the traveler(s), and all those who are seeing them off, must sit for a moment in silence before leaving the house. It is often conveniently written off as a time to sit and think of anything one may have forgotten.
After someone has left the house on a long journey, their room and/or their things should not be cleaned up until they have arrived.
Knocking on wood is practiced in the Ukraine as in other countries. However the Ukrainians tend to add a symbolic three spits over one's left shoulder (or simply with the head turned to the left), and the Ukrainians will often knock three times as well. Traditionally one was spitting on the devil (who is always on the left).
Breaking a mirror is considered bad luck in the Ukraine. And the effect is more severe than 7 years of bad luck. To look into the broken mirror is even worse than that!
On examination day, you shouldn't make your bed, wear anything new or cut your fingernails. It's good luck.
It is bad luck to use physical hand gestures to demonstrate something negative using oneself or someone else as the object. For example, when describing a scar you saw on someone's face you should not gesture on your own face or someone else’s. If you must, you can demonstrate in mid-air. If one does it without realizing, it can be countered by making a hand motion towards the body part used and then an abrupt motion away (as if to pick up the bad energy and throw it away).
Birthday parties should be celebrated on or after one's birthday, not before. So when one's birthday falls during the week, it's best to celebrate the following weekend.
Talking about future success, especially boasting about it, is considered bad luck. It’s better to be silent until the success has been achieved or to even sound pessimistic.
Returning home for forgotten things is a bad omen. It is better to leave it behind, but if returning is necessary, one should look in the mirror before leaving the house again. Otherwise the journey will be bad.
Many the Ukrainians consider giving sharp objects, like knives or scissors, as gifts, to be taboo. You can avoid this taboo taking symbolic little money, for example one Ukrainian Hrivnya, in exchange as if it is a trade, not a gift.
Birds that land on a windowsill should be chased away. If they tap on the window, or fly into it (open or closed) it is considered a very bad omen (often of death).
Things bought for a new born baby (such as clothes, toys, furniture, etc.) should only be purchased after the baby is born. This is usually done in a big hurry.
It is often considered taboo to step over people, or parts of their body, who are on the ground. It is often said that it will prevent the person from growing (if they are not fully grown already). It is better to politely ask the person to move or to find a way around them. If one accidentally steps over a person (or people), it is sometimes standard to step backwards over them.
Unmarried people should not sit at the corner of the table. Otherwise they will not marry. This mostly applies to girls.
A purse (or any other money holder) as a gift requires a little money inside. Given empty it causes bad financial luck.
A woman with empty water buckets coming towards you is considered a bad omen.
A group of two or more people should not walk on either side of a tree. They should all keep to one side or the other.
Two or more people should never use one towel at the same time to dry their hands or bodies, or it is said to bring conflict.
A stranger should not look at a new born baby before it is a certain age (between two months and one year) or baptized. If one looks at the baby it is considered bad luck to compliment it. Instead, one could say, "Oh, what an ugly child!"
It is considered bad luck to put keys on the kitchen table.
It's also considered bad luck to put/leave empty bottles on the table during/after the party.

"Cause and effect" Ukrainian superstitions

If your ears or cheeks are hot, someone is thinking or talking about you (usually speaking ill).
If your nose itches, you'll be drinking soon. For children they might say, "You'll get hit in the nose."
If your right hand itches, you're going to get money soon. It sometimes means you're going to greet someone. If your left hand itches, you're going to give someone money.
If you have the hiccups, someone is remembering you at this moment.
If an eyelash falls out you'll receive a gift. If someone finds an eyelash on someone he or she will sometimes let the person blow it away and make a wish.
If a fork or spoon falls on the ground, expect a female guest. If a knife falls, expect a male guest. (Spoon and fork have feminine gender in Russian while knife- masculine.)
If you eat from a knife, you'll be "angry like a dog".
If someone is not recognized when seen or heard, he or she will be rich. So if someone calls you on the phone and you don't recognize them you can cheer them up by telling them they'll be rich.
If a black cat crosses your path, it's bad luck (as it is in most places). People will often avoid crossing the place where it crossed, or will at least wait for someone else to cross it first.
If you spill salt, it's bad luck and is said to bring conflict.
If it's raining when you leave a place, it means you'll return, and it is considered a generally good omen.
If it rains on someone's wedding, it means they'll be wealthy.
If someone sneezes while telling something, it means he or she is telling the truth.
If you wear clothes (such as an undershirt) inside out, you will get beaten.
Lucky in cards not lucky in love. This, however, is only a pre-marital superstition. The reason for the division is that marriage is a sacrament in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and this sacrament, ordained by God, eviscerates the pre-marital superstition. Thus, when a man is bonded by divine sacrament to a single woman whom he loves the cause and effect is reversed: namely, his married love for a single woman, and her love for him, will bring him good fortune in all endeavors including cards.
The Ukraine lacks some of the superstitions Westernerns find commonplace. Most Ukrainians are not particularly concerned with the number 13, opening umbrellas indoors or walking under ladders.

Ukrainian Character

Most Ukrainians are not very different from most westerners in the way they perceive things or in their desired lifestyle. However, there are certain peculiarities, which may emerge when you get to know your Ukrainian friends closer. Mainly they emerge from the old times, as well as the communist upbringing. Below we tried to list the most common traits of the Ukrainian character. It doesn't mean that everybody is like this, but you have quite a good chance of noticing at least one thing in your average Ukrainian's behaviour.

If you are lucky enough to meet a person whose character incorporates all of the items from the list below, we can assure you that this person possesses the pure Ukrainian character and should be treated with high respect. If you decide to become a Russian, you can use the list below as guidelines.

We are a free nation. Here we despise all the rules. It’s an honor for our drivers to move on the red light or to bother other drivers and scorn pedestrians.
If you're invited for a meal, expect that the hosts will feed you until you feel completely full and not capable of moving. If you think that's dangerous for your health, or you're on a diet, we advise you to emulate satiety, otherwise you will end up badly.
We value generosity. We can give you the last piece of bread we have if we believe you really need it. And we expect the same in return.
Some of us are naturally indifferent; we don’t care too much about dirt on the streets, saving money, breaking the rules, risking without particular reason, drinking too much...
Some of us are quite emotional, but somehow it’s all kept inside most of the time. We may seem a bit cold and too much to ourselves at first, but when you get to know us better, we're like a volcano.
We don't feel easy about talking to strangers on the street, but if you start conversation saying that you're from another country or ask for some help, there's a good chance we will be very open, because we are naturally curious about foreigners.
Women and old women are very respected here. It’s considered polite if while being in the metro and seeing a woman or an old woman coming in and there’re no free seats, man offers her his seat.
Beware of the babushkas (old women). They are active, pushy and very proud of themselves, so if you do something not the way they think you should’ve done, better disappear.
When you are invited to the party bring something with you – beer or any other alcohol drink is usually accepted with pleasure.
If you invited a girl or a woman somewhere be prepared to pay for her everywhere. If you invited a man, he’ll pay for himself, and there's a good chance he'll pay for you as well without telling you about it.
Men should be strong and assertive and women should be smart and beautiful. That's just one of our stereotypes.
No, the Ukrainians are not racists. We were grown up in the world, where everybody is equal and where the friendship of nations is an important part of our agenda. If you notice one of us staring occasionally at a black person, it's just because we are curious -- there's not many black people in the Ukraine... The only word of warning is about older people, who are sometimes too much patriotic, so be careful: don't offend their feelings.
Yes, we love vodka, but we're not alcoholics. Despite what some people think, the Ukrainians are not drunkards, they just have a special resistance to alcohol, that's why they can drink so much. And we actually get our strength from it and it warms us during the cold winters. By the way, if you drink with us, you'll have to drink as much as we do, or we will be offended.
The Ukrainians are hooligans. It's not because we're bad - we just like everything extraordinary. But too often we don't express this feeling enough, so when it comes out, it's like a volcano.
We believe in magnetism. The thing is, that every so often the sun sends some electro-magnetic signals and this affects the whole course of events on the earth, including our mood and feelings. So, if you see two housewives discussing how bad their day went because of the electro-magnetic storm that happened in the afternoon - don't think they are adepts of some sort of new age philosophy, it's completely normal here.
Yes, we are superstitious. And if you want to shake our hand, you can never ever do it through the door: you have to come in, otherwise we will quarrel. If you come back to your house just after you left - look at the mirror, it's for your own good. If a fork falls, a woman is going to come, if a knife falls, a man will certainly appear.
Most of us know many words in English, but we are too shy to speak - no practice, you see... However, you will be surprised at how many things are written in English on the streets: it is used to show a shop or a cafe, to advertise a new product, and there's a lot of foreign goods. Also, almost more than a half of Ukrainian products have their ingredients listed in English. The Ukrainians learn English at school, and many people can understand the basics, but are shy to speak to a stranger.
We like all things fancy. But our understanding of it is very original. You will often see men in suits or tucked-in shirts and office trousers (even in clubs on Friday night), while women prefer noticeable and sexy outfits. The colors for men are usually dark or grey, while women like light and white colors. This is a generalization and of course you'll see a lot of different people and outfits.
We express what we feel, but we're not extrovert. We shout in public and we kiss in public. It's acceptable to show affection in public but extrovert behaviour may be resisted. You won't see a lot of people sitting in public places with their legs stretched or crossed. The Ukrainians usually do not gesticulate much when they are talking.
Most Ukrainians feel a bit strange about gays and lesbians, but prefer not to talk or express their feelings about it.
Smoking is a national sport, but many people understand it's not good for health and will always agree to extinguish their cigarette if it bothers you. One can smoke in the majority of places.

Many people have a positive attitude towards healthy lifestyle and have a daily morning exercise routine or run in the park.

You want to know more about Ukrainian customs and traditions?

Traditions and Customs of the Ukraine
UKRAINIAN TRADITION