Russian Rituals, Customs and Traditions about Death

RUSSIAN RITUALS:

Cultural Clues for Death and Family

Death is something that is inevitable. Every culture has its own rituals, customs and traditions for death. The University of Washington Medical Center has published End-of-Life Cultural Clue, an informational guide about Russian terminally ill patients and their families for doctors.

Are you Russian? Do you agree with their perception of your cultural rituals? If you are not Russian, how do these rituals relate or differ from your own?

From the University of Washington End of Life Cultural Clue for Russians:

"Don’t be surprised if you come across the following rituals related to death and dying: This list includes some of the rituals that your patients may practice. Always ask your patients and family members about their customs, as there are variations among individuals, ethnic/religious groups, urban and rural practices, and socio-economic status."

• Russians tend to be cheerful with the dying person to avoid distressing the patient.

• Family plays a major role in supporting the sick person. Usually there is a family member nursing day and night at the bedside. Continuous death watching is a widespread phenomenon in Russia.

• Relatives and friends are all expected to visit the patient. Usually people bring food and may include gifts for the clinicians. Often visitors sit for hours visiting with the patient and one another to catch up with all the news. Prayer may or may not be part of the visit.


• Patients who practice their religion may consider prayer as an important and powerful healing tool.

• For Russians in general, and in particular for Russian Jews, nutrition is the primary determinant of health. The family may be happy when the patient is able to eat.

• For some families it is customary for the dying person to offer a blessing by laying hands on their family members’ heads.

• Religious icons may be brought in the room depending on the religion and the level of practice of the people involved.


• The earth is considered sacred. Even today, people who have left Russia sometimes keep pots of Russian soil in their adopted homes.

• Depending on the denomination, it may be desired by the family to have a pastor, priest, or rabbi present at the moment of death.

• The patient and family may want all mirrors covered during the time of death.

• You may see the Orthodox priest say a prayer and light a candle right after the death.

• The family may close the eyes and mouth of the deceased; otherwise, it is considered a bad omen. The family may want to place coins on the eyelids and a roll of cloth under the deceased’s chin.


• The family may desire that the coffin be taken to the patient’s home on the way to the funeral service, so that the deceased can visit their home for the last time.

• Wailing and other displays of grief may be reserved primarily for expression in the home.

• The family may have some specific practices for washing the body after the death. Ask about preferences and try to accommodate.

• Your Russian Orthodox patients and their family members may decline cremation.

• In accordance with the Jewish tradition, Russian Jews want to bury the dead within 24 hours, except when the death occurs on Friday after sundown, on Saturday, on a Jewish holiday, or when waiting for family members to arrive.

Source: http://depts.washington.edu/pfes/PDFs/End%20of%20Life%20Care-Russian.pdf

Russenorsk Russian-Norwegian Pidgin Language

Руссенорск (Russenorsk)

Руссенорск (Russenorsk) or 'Russo-Norwegian' was a pidgin language originating in the Arctic.

Russenorsk drew upon both Russian and Norwegian in order to form a dual-source pidgin. It developed as a result of interaction between Russian traders and Norwegian fisherman. The language has not been actively used for more than two centuries, nonetheless, it is still fascinating to read about. Look at the following example of Russenorsk dialog below:

Example dialog in Russenorsk:

Норвежец: Драсви, гаммель гу вен по моя. Твоя фиск купум? (Здравствуй, мой старый добрый друг. Ты покупаешь рыбу?)

Русский: Да. (Да)

Норвежец: Kак прис? (По какой цене?)

Русский: Эн вога мукка, со ту вога треска. (За вог муки два вога трески.)

Норвежец: Эта мала. (Это слишком мало)

Русский: Шлик шлаг, эн о ен хальв вога треска, со эн вога мукка. (Такого рода. Один с половиной вог трески на один вог муки)

Норвежец: Эта грот дюр. (Это еще слишком дорого.)

Русский: Но давай по кают ситте нед со докка лите чай дринком. Икке скаде. (Спускайся же в каюту и попей чаю. Это не повредит.)

Норвежец: Kак прис? (По какой цене?)

Examples with English explanation:

• "Moja på tvoja" - "I speak in your language" (wordwise: "My (R) in (N, R) your (R)")

• "Kak sprek? Moja njet forsto." - What are you saying? I don't understand. (How (R) speak (N)? My (R) no (R) understood (N).)

• råbbåtom - to work (R: rabotat’)

• klæba - bread (R: khleb)

Note: "R" marks Russian origin, "N" marks Norwegian.

Sources:

* Wikipedia: http://j.mp/3rtT7J (Russian) http://j.mp/2IAijh (English)
* "РУССЕНОРСК" Каролине Серк-Ханссен. Перевод с норвежского: Анастасия Гортер, 2003 г. http://biarmia.narod.ru/library/russenorsk.htm

Vodka - Russia's Secret Home Remedy

РУССКАЯ ВОДКА

Russian Vodka - Not just for drinking?

Russia has made vodka famous around the world. Vodka is known for its clear appearance, high alcohol content, and intoxicating effect. In reality, vodka is much, much more. Besides consumption, it can be used in a number of useful ways.

The word vodka was first recorded in 1405 in court documents of Poland. It is believed that vodka first originated in Russia during the 14th century. The word водка is thought to be derived from the Russian вода or 'water' as a diminutive.

The history of this alcohol spans many centuries. Over this time, many uses for vodka have been discovered.

Here is our list of twenty alternative uses for vodka:

1. Use as local anesthetic to disinfect and treat an open wound
2. Treat poison ivy to remove urushiol oil from the skin
3. Painlessly remove a bandage
4. Clean your eyeglasses
5. Treat an earache to kill bacteria in ear
6. Treat vomit stains
7. Use as an astringent for clean skin and to tighten pores
8. Add to shampoo to clean the scalp, remove toxins and stimulate hair growth
9. Kill bees or wasps with a vodka spray
10. Clean bathroom caulking to kill mold and mildew
11. Freeze water with vodka for refreezable ice pack
12. Use as your own mouthwash for rinsing
13. Apply to a cold sore to dry it out
14. Treat hair dandruff and flaky scalp
15. Prolong the life of razors and prevent rusting
16. Relieve a fever with vodka-soaked cloth on chest
17. Treat foot odor
18. Alleviate pain and disinfect a jellyfish sting
19. Remove cigarette smoke from a room
20. Numb a toothache

Now take part in our official Russian Vodka Survey!

Let us know for what purposes you use vodka.

We will post the official results in an upcoming post!

References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vodka

http://www.divinecaroline.com/33672/45476-uses-vodka

Living A Communist's Life - Collective Housing

I live in a Soviet-era apartment building and not just any. It was built as housing for the worker families of the ХимЗавод, or chemical factory, of Vladimir. My host mother's family moved into the apartment shortly after its construction, in 1935. She has lived here her entire life... and so many others lived here too. During the Soviet times, the Communists decided that they wanted to collectivize life for its citizens. This ensured the equality of life.

In the collectivization of housing, many families would often live in the same apartment, as mandated by the government. For example, in the 3 room, 1 bathroom, 1 kitchen apartment I presently live in, 2 families consisting of a total of 10 people would live together.

To realize that my room is intended to house a family of 4 is shocking. I estimate the total size of the apartment to amount to no more than 1000 square feet. While the room is large, I wouldn't expect more than 2 people to live in it at any one time.

While it was an era of communism, there still was not true equality for all during the Soviet times. I was surprised to find the director of the chemical factory, himself, used to live here in this very room. I was furthered surprised to find this was one of four rooms he was allotted for his family.

Collective housing also had other advantages for the Bolsheviks. Living in close quarters allowed the different families to make sure that everyone was a devoted communist and would not think or say anything to the contrary. For example, under communism, most churches were closed and the Bible was outlawed. Possessing the Bible was a serious offense, possibly resulting in your sudden disappearance.

In a time where disobeying the will of the government could result in you being sent to the gulag, a series of working camps mainly located in Siberia where many people were worked to death, you would be taking a serious risk in possessing the Bible. Also, to speak ill of Lenin or Stalin was considered blasphemy because for all intents and purposes of the Soviet people, Lenin is God and Stalin is his disciple.

To further describe the apartment in which I live, at the time of its construction, there was no hot water, no gas, no central heating, no washing machine and no refrigerator. These were installed only later.

Water had to be heated on the stove. Since there was no gas, in order to use the stove, you had to use another fuel source, such as wood. To this day, there is still no central heating for the apartment itself. Hot water is routed from a central city water heating plant that closely resembles the structure of a nuclear silo and transported to apartments across the city using a series of above-ground pipes. This hot water is delivered to apartments not only for use by its inhabitants, but also fed through a series of water radiators which keep the apartment warm.

On the radiators in my apartment, there is no way to regulate the temperature of the radiator. If there happens to be a problem at the central water heating plant of the city or a repair needs to be made to one of the many pipes supplying hot water to your apartment, you are without hot water. This has already happened to me twice, once in fall and again in winter. During these times, it is important to keep the windows closed tightly and use an extra blanket. If bathing, you need to heat water on the stove and take a bucket bath.

Clothing had to be washed by hand. In most Russian apartments, a special rack can be found in the bathroom. While this may look like a towel rack, it is actually much more. Its structure is actually a series of pipes through which hot water is running. This can be useful in order to dry your clothes more quickly. If you have a lot of clothes, you can also use your radiators as another location in which to dry your clothing.

Food had to be kept on the window sill to stay cool during the winters or preserved to be kept during the summers. While there were not the many luxuries that you would find in the West during this era, there was, however, electricity and indoor plumbing.

Arborescent Study Abroad

The study abroad experience is like being a tree. You arrive to the country as a small sapling, planted in a foreign environment. You began to grow roots and become acclimated to your surroundings. Your branches grow and extend as you reach out to the world around you. You begin to sprout leaves in order to photosynthesize as much nourishing knowledge as possible as you can. You hope your broadening trunk will give you a firm grounding to weather the storms that may come to impede your development. With time, your core also grows and distance between the rings indicates the growth you have made. Once you have become established in your environment, you find it difficult to consider existence somewhere else. You don't want to be uprooted and forced to acclimate once again. No matter where you are, you can always look back at the your rings and remember the growth you made during that time.

A Week of Russian Cuisine

Day 1: FRIDAY
Breakfast: сырники (curd fritter / cottage cheese pancakes), бутерброды с маслом и сыром (open-faced sandwich with butter and cheese), виноградный сок (grape juice)
Lunch: суп (soup); хлеб (bread); огурцы с лукой; (cucumber and onion salad); курица (chicken), капуста (cabbage); блины с яблоками (Russian apple pancakes); пирог (pie)
Dinner: сосиски с кетчупом (hot dogs with ketchup), капуста (cabbage), сырники (curd fritter / cottage cheese pancakes), пиво

Day 2: SATURDAY
Breakfast: гречка с молоком и сахаром (buckwheat porridge with milk and sugar), бутерброды с маслом и сыром (bread with butter and cheese), виноградный сок (grape juice)
Lunch: суп с фаршем, лукой, картошкой, морковью (soup with meatballs, onions, potatoes and carrots); хлеб (bread), огурцы с лукой и майонезом (cucumber and onion sald with mayonnaise), курица с кетчупом (chicken with ketchup), блины с фаршем и маслом (meat and butter pancake wrap), чай (tea)
Dinner: макароны с мясом (pasta with meat), соленья (pickles), бутерброды с мясом (open-faced sandwich with meat), чёрный хлеб (black bread), торт (cake), пирог (pie), пиво, водка, яблочный и апельсинный сок (apple and orange juice), чай (tea)

Day 3: SUNDAY
Breakfast: rice puffs с молоком (with milk), бутерброды с маслом и сыром (open-faced sandwich with butter and cheese), виноградный сок (grape juice), чай (tea), печенье (crackers)
Lunch: картофель печеночный с сыром (baked potato with cheese), пепси (Pepsi), суп с фаршем, лукой, картошкой, морковью (soup with meatballs, onions, potatoes and carrots); хлеб (bread), винегрет (beet salad), мясо с рисом и острым соусом (meat with rice and hot sauce)
Dinner: пирог (pie)

Day 4: MONDAY
Breakfast: пельмени со сметаной (meat dumplings with sour cream), апельсинный сок (orange juice)
Lunch: салат с помидором и огурцом (tomato and cucumber salad), лапша (noodle soup), пицца (pizza), пирожки (pastries), чай (tea)
Dinner: суп с фаршем, лукой, картошкой, морковью (soup with meatballs, onions, potatoes and carrots); хлеб (bread), огурцы с лукой и майонезом (cucumber and onion salad with mayonnaise), мясо с рисом (meat with rice), чай (tea)

Day 5: TUESDAY
Breakfast: каша с бананом (hot cooked cereal with banana slices), бутерброды с маслом и сыром (open-faced sandwiches with butter and cheese), апельсинный сок (orange juice)
Lunch: щи с острым соусом (cabbage soup with hot sauce); хлеб (bread); две кутлеты с рысом, маслом и острым соусом (two meat cutlets with rice, butter and hot sauce); пирог (pie); чай (tea); вода (water)
Dinner: суп (soup), корейские моркови (korean carrots), куриная котлета (chicken cutlet), картофель-фри с острым кетчупом из чили (french fries with hot chili ketchup), круассаны (croissants)

Day 6: WEDNESDAY
Breakfast: каша (hot cooked cereal), бутерброды с маслом и сыром (open-faced sandwiches with buter and cheese), апельсинный сок (orange juice)
Lunch: винегрет (beet salad), борщ (borscht beat-soup), гуляш с макаронами и острым соусом (goulash with pasta and hot sauce), пицца (pizza), пирог (pie), сок (juice), чай (tea), вода (water)
Dinner: суп (soup), овощи: помидоры, баклажан, перцы (vegetables: tomatoes, eggplant, peppers), курица с острым соусом (chicken with hot sauce), круассаны (croissants), чай (tea)

Day 7: THURSDAY
Breakfast: каша (hot cooked cereal), бутерброды с маслом и сыром (open-faced sandwich with butter and cheese), апельсинный сок (orange juice)
Lunch: салат из капусты (cabbage salad), щи с хлебом (cabbage soup with bread), картофельное пюре (mashed potatoes), котлета (meat cutlet), вода (water)
Dinner: суп с хлебом (soup with bread), курица (chicken), картофель-фри (french fries), чай (tea), вода (water)

Note: Every aforementioned reference to hot sauce with food is my own personal twist on Russian cuisine and is not typical. In hopes of making Russian food more flavorful, I've eaten it with three different hot sauces and well as curry powder. I found that hot sauce with щи (cabbage soup) isn't as tasty as I would hope, although when hot sauce is added to meat cutlets and rice, it is a match made in heaven.

Russians generally find hot sauce to be too spicy. The hottest food they eat is usually Georgian food, specifically шашлык (shashlik kebab) with a spicy sauce.

I have had two different homestays during my time here in Russia. Not every Russian family eats all of the typical Russian foods. In my first homestay, I never ate каша (hot cooked cereal) or пельмени (meat dumplings). In my present homestay, I have never eaten плов (pilaff rice dish) or чёрный хлеб (black bread).

Vladimir, Russia - KORA Center for Russian Language

In case your curious about what I actually study while I'm here in Vladimir, I'll break it down for you.

I take seven classes, which total to 20 hours of study per week. All classes are conducted entirely in Russian.
Грамматика (grammar): 5 hours per week
Фонетика (phonetics): 2 hours per week
Практика Речь (speaking): 5 hours per week
Русская Истрория (Russian history): 2 hours per week
Художественный Текст (literature): 2 hours per week
Искусство Письма (writing): 2 hours per week
СМИ (current events): 2 hours per week

Our Russian study center, KORA, is located in a technikum. The program rents out a number of rooms on the third floor of the building, which we use as our study space.

Lunch is included by the program. We dine on authentic Russian food in the cafeteria of the technikum.

On Friday, we have excursions to points of interest both near and far. Some of the excursions this semester include Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Murom and Sochi. It is mandatory that we speak Russian at all times while on excursions and all guides speak only Russian with us.

In addition to classes and excursions, there are extra-curriculars. Folklore is an extra class conducted every other week to expose us to Russian culture through dance and music.

Kruglii Stol or Russian-American club is a round-table discussion with our Russian counterparts at the linguistics university about prearranged topics.

Internships give us on site experience in various Russian organizations.

Basketball is played with the Russians every week as a good way to get out some extra energy and exercise.

We are allotted two personal days every semester, which can be used for personal travel. This is a wonderful way to see more of Russia that you otherwise wouldn't have the chance to see with the program. Combined with a three or four-day weekend, these days provide a great opportunity to travel throughout Russia.

Russian Dangers

Since my arrival this January to Russia, it has been quite cold here. For example, the high for today is -12 Celsius [5F] (or -19C [-3F] windchill factor). Tomorrow's forecast doesn't look much better, -14C and -21C windchill. Due to the sub-zero temperatures, there has been a build up of ice everywhere. I have had a recent sense of paranoia of being impaled by an icicle. I keep flashing back to a number of horror movies I've seen where people are impaled them. With some of them being over two feet in length, hanging from the rooftop edges many stories up, one can understand why I might want to be a little more careful. I now choose to walk at least a few extra feet out, away from the building as I make my way about the city.

Drivers in Russia are as crazy as in winter as they are in summer. They still drive far too fast. On the walk to my study center today, one driver slammed on his brakes two times, skidding each, after realizing he was plowing through a crosswalk. I'm lucky I was paying attention. The coup de grâce of all my horseless carriage stories is from Moscow. While crossing the street in a crosswalk not more than one block from my apartment, an ambulance came barreling out of nowhere and nearly struck me. What was the driver to do, hit me and then put me in the back of his vehicle?! I know that there is an economic crisis, but do they need business that badly?

So far I've successfully avoided both of the aforementioned dangers. While the various dangers of Russia might seem bad, they are relatively easy to avoid if you pay attention and keep your head on straight.

Vladimir Weather Information:
http://www.accuweather.com/world-index-forecast.asp?partner=accuweather&traveler=0&locCode=ASI|RU|RS087|VLADIMIR&metric=1

I Wish You A Merry Christmas

I Wish You A Merry Christmas (С новым годом!)
I have a friend in Russia who just loves to sing (quite well I might add). They previously asked me to help them find the lyrics to some popular American Christmas songs. I found the most perfect gift to bring them from America. I decided on a book of traditional American carols (it even came with a CD with the music to all of the songs!) After giving it to them, they excitedly opened it up and were curious as to how the tune went for each carol. Of course they could just go home and listen to the disc that came with the book, but it is not the same and they would have to wait to listen. In America, I might be more reluctant than to open up right there and begin to sing on the street, but in Russia, I could care less. People seem to be less judgmental here. My friend was so pleased with the gift and enjoyed listening to me sing the various carols. I had fun seeing that they were so pleased with the gift and sharing a part of my American culture. Being here is not only about me learning about Russia, but about Russians learning about America. It is a bilateral cultural exchange.

Alcohol

According to Walking on Ice, by Frederick Andersen, 5% of Russians are alcoholics (p.45). While this figure may be less shocking than you expect, the following statistics are. "On a national average, each adult drinks the equivalent of over 38 liters of 100 proof vodka a year. Take out many women and a surprising number of men who drink a little, if at all, the rest must have it running in their veins. With populist politicians pushing for cheap or free vodka, it seems as if some politicians would like to keep the people forever in this debasing form of self-imposed slavery. To me it is more than a fraternal thing, but a way to pull the others down so all are equally dead." (Walking on Ice by Frederick Andersen, p.44)

While drinking in moderation is one thing, drinking in Russia by some individuals can be taken to excess. Walk around a Russian city and you will son tons of бабушки (Russian grandmothers), but where are the men? Life expectancy for males is shocking: 59.19 years. Compare it with an average life expectancy of 73.1 years for females and you realize that there is something wrong. Where are the дедушки (Russian grandfathers)? Wouldn't it be great if they were there to nurture and support their families, provide wisdom or to tell their grandchildren how lucky they are with the abundance they now have as compared with the Soviet era. Of course every country has its own problems. In order for Russia to continue to grow and prosper, it may finally need to deal with its alcoholism.

Life Expectancy Statistics Source: CIA World Factbook - Russia
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rs.html