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

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.

Remarkable Russian R & R

It was the last week of my fall semester studying abroad in Vladimir. I took Thursday off to travel to Moscow, spend time with my friend, Natasha, and visit some of the remaining sights I had not seen yet. She cooks so well. Every time I visit, I feel like I am at home, eating my grandma’s cooking. I enjoyed a delicious casserole she prepared and then went about my business. I had to travel across the city by metro and walk about 1.5km to get to the Armed Forces Museum. Making a wrong turn, I was pleasantly surprised to end up on Pushkin square and see a beautiful Christmas tree. Orienting myself, I easily navigated to the museum. It was impressive. The museum was built during the Soviet times to commemorate the accomplishments and history of the military. The museum continues to function today with limited additions pertaining to post-Soviet armed forces activity. My favorite exhibition was the wreckage of the American U-2 spy plane which was shot down in the 60s.

Natasha and I met again and we decided to go ice skating. We went Gorky Park. At first she was hesitant to skate, fearing that she might fall, but I assured her that I would not let that happen. After enjoying a brief snack, we headed out on the ice. The first time around was slow, but as time went on, it was no longer so difficult. During my visit, there were a number of coincidences, perhaps the most surprising being that Natasha happened to see a student from her University group that she had not seen in over 5 years! Heading back home, it was late. We had big plans for the following day. I wanted to visit the Tretyakov Gallery again. Since my last visit, I had greater exposure to Russian art and I also knew that the religious icon of Vladimir was located in the Tretyakov. Natasha later joined me there later on. It was great sharing our knowledge of the artwork and learning even more. We left the Tretyakov to eat dinner. We ate in an upscale mall not far from the American embassy and listened to a pianist.

After dinner, we left for the Gosudarstvii Teatr Kinoaktiorov. This theatre is famous for its actors, many of which are also TV and movie stars. We watched a comedy that was set in the 19th century about marriage between different economic classes. The language used in the play was fascinating. They used a special form which adds an “s” to the end of certain words in a sentence to denote respect when speaking to others. This style of speech was typical of the era. Seeing an advertisement for a special hot wine at the skating rink, we had decided to prepare some of our own at home. It reminded me of a more delicious apple cider. We stayed up late talking and enjoying each other’s company.

Early the next morning I returned to Vladimir. For the first time since summer, I decided to travel by bus since there was not a train leaving any time soon. I prefer the train because in summer, I once spent over 7 hours on a bus from Moscow to Vladimir due to traffic jams. The bus was only 32 rubles cheaper than the train and it was packed. I sat uncomfortably for four hours, ineffectively sleeping for brief spurts of time. I had to return to Vladimir on Saturday because I had my oral proficiency interview to evaluate my level of spoken Russian.

That evening, some of my friends and I wanted to celebrate the conclusion of our program so we gathered and split a bottle of Putinka. We also had delicious Russian crackers, caviar and cake. After our little gathering, I left for the center. With perfect timing, my coworker had called me and invited me to go clubbing with her. We went to a small discotheque in the center. The DJ there was playing my favorite music, Eurodance. We toasted with champagne and hit the dance floor. I’m glad to know such wonderful people here in Russia. It makes it just that much harder to fly home to America.

Multilingual

Right now I feel that my brain is like a hard drive. It has been partitioned into two parts: one partition with what is the English language and the second with what is 'the other'. Until recently, 'the other' had been Spanish. When studying the Spanish language, I learned new grammar concepts, rules and vocabulary as if they were simply what was not native to me. For example, when speaking Spanish and thinking of the word for 'basketball', initшally my mind might think of the word in my native tongue and since this was not what is was looking for, it would revert to what is 'the other' and choose 'el baloncesto' instead. Previously, this was not an issue, but since I've started learning Russian, this system has not been functioning as well. It is no longer an option for my mind to alternate between two languages, for it now has a second foreign language option to contend with. To continue with the hard drive analogy: what I've noticed is that my mind will seemingly overwrite the words I've previously learned in Spanish with the equivalent in Russian. Of course this is not the case. My Spanish listening and comprehension skills are as good as they ever were. After memorizing a new word in Russian, it's Spanish equivalent becomes more difficult to recall. When I wish to speak in Spanish, my mind has difficulties switching from Russian to Spanish and back again with ease. A former Russian professor of mine has described this phenomenon as Russian eating other languages. She had previously studied French and Spanish. After an intensive study of Russian, the language burrows deep into the mind and consumes what other languages that may reside there. I'm going to everything in my power to keep that from happening!

I believe I've determined the solution to this quagmire. As I've stated previously, it's like my mind has been partitioned into two parts. What I need to do is create a third partition. I need to focus on dividing what is 'the other' or foreign in my mind into two parts. While I wish that this was as easy as partitioning a hard drive and then loading my data on to it, it is not that simple. My solution is to forget English altogether, for the time being. I will focus on going back and forth between Russian and Spanish in my mind until it is as fluid as the change from Russian to English and back. I've purchased a Russian-Spanish categorical dictionary to help me accomplish this. Thus far, this method has been a success. I'm learning new Russian words based upon my understanding of the Spanish equivalent. I'm even learning some new Spanish words that I only previously knew in Russian! I only hope that during this partitioning process, my hard drive doesn't crash! We'll see how it goes. Until then, до свидания and hasta luego!

A side note - when listening to Russian radio, it's always exciting to hear a Spanish song. They are played here frequently. I don't always immediately notice that the music is not Russian! I'm excited for the day to come when my Russian is as good as or even better than my Spanish! In any case, I know that both languages will continue to be an important part of my life for many years to come!

Burger Time

Continuing in my theme of firsts from my previous blog post, upon my return from Волгоград, I was really craving a hamburger. While I really try not to indulge myself with foods from home while abroad, it was late, my hostmom was asleep and I knew that there was a 24-hour burger joint around the corner. I layered myself up with coats and headed out into the cold. Seeing the menu at Мистер Гамбургер, I was delighted to see familiar names, although they were written in Cyrillic. I decided to go for the чизбургер (cheeseburger) and a coke. In typical fast food fashion, the fine people at Mister Gamburger give me my tray and I'm off. Sitting down at a nearby available table, I hastily unwrap the burger. While the bun looks a little strange, that doesn't stop me from biting right in. What do I think after my first bite?: This tastes nothing like a hamburger! There is something known as бутерброд in Russian, which is roughly equivalent to an open-faced sandwich. This чизбургер tasted nothing like a grilled burger loaded with deliciously unhealthy American cheddar cheese, but more like a toasted bun with provolone cheese and a slice of deli meat. While the latter description may sound appetizing for some, the taste left something to be desired. There is another burger chain in town, MacKing. While I am really craving a good burger right now, I don't know if I want to risk my life on some unholy pseudo-fusion of McDonalds and Burger King at МакКинг. I guess I'll just have to wait another two months before I have my big, fat, juicy cheeseburger... maybe even with bacon and avocado!

Periodically speaking... / Where did this TV come from?

So I've bought my first comic book ever. (My former roommate, Nay, a comic book-addict is now tickled pink.) Any guesses as to what it might be? Yes, 90% of you are right in that I bought a Simpsons comic. While many of you may know that I don't think too highly of comics, since they are generally a waste of time, but I figured it would be fun to give my Russian a run for its money, putting it in the context of a Russian-language Simpsons comic. My general impression of the comic is overall positive. It's as if it's its own self-contained Simpsons episode. Since the can't seem to make episodes fast enough for me to watch, this was a fun new way to get my Simpsons fix.

On a related note, I am dismayed to hear that the РФ will soon be pulling the plug on The Simpsons in Russia. The cancellation is rumored to occur sometime during the next two months. As a diehard Simpsons fan, I am sad to hear that the Russian population will be missing out on what millions people around the globe enjoy on a daily basis, often in their own native languages.

After returning from my long trip of the semester, a cruise down that Volga river, I was surprised to find a TV in my room. It had been at the dacha of my hostmother. While I normally don't watch much television and the two month gap with one was hardly noticed, I do appreciate having a TV while in Russia. It's nice to have that extra opportunity to expose myself to spoken Russian and test my listening comprehension skills.

My other new purchase was a Russian National Geographic Magazine. It looks just like the American version with the golden border, although it is all in Russian and the articles are differently, mainly pertaining to Russia. As I had mentioned earlier in one of my photo album captions, one of the clubs I frequented in Moscow was featured in the National Geographic. This just happens to be that very issue. In case you're curious, the club is called Propaganda.

Reflections on Russia - Раз, два, три, четыре...

Reflections on Russia - Раз, два, три, четыре...
Of all the things I thought I would be doing in Москва, the last thing I thought I would be doing is taking dance lessons, but after I considered it, the idea grew on me. In seizing the opportunity to further practice our Russian, a number of my fellow program members and I decided to brave the two-hour ballroom dancing lessons of a strict Russian instructor who only yells... oops, I mean speaks in Russian. Once you get past how direct and forceful spoken Russian sounds when spoken by native-speakers, you realize that people are merely talking and not yelling or angry. In the lesson plan contained a myriad of difference dances, ranging from кадриль, a traditional Russian dance, to the tango. Of the many dances we studied, I would have to say my favorite was the шведский вальс, a waltz that moved at such a rapid pace and contained seemingly endless turns, it made quite for quite an amusing spectacle to see. After having the serious "Russian face" on all day, it was nice to smile, laugh and even be silly. To slow it down a notch, we would dance the медленний вальс and further focus on our footwork, stature and staying in sync with our partner. When taking the lessons seriously, I had the most success at the tango, probably due to my underlying love for Latin music. The most memorable part of the dance lesson experience was our spunky, charismatic, energetic and unrelenting middle-aged female dance instructor. Her bleached platinum blonde hair, tight jeans and seemingly endless supply of indescribable tops along with her unique personality and passion for dance made an impression on all of us. After each lesson, throughout the rest of the day, on into the week and seemingly into eternity, in our heads will always be her voice counting the steps: раз, два, три, четыре....