CUSTOMS & TRADITIONS

Customs &Traditions

Holidays
The biggest Russian holiday is New Year (1 January). During the Soviet time people were not allowed to celebrate Christmas (Russian Christmas is 7 January) and New Year was the most cheerful holiday.
Next is February 23, Soldier's Day, known until recently as Soviet Army Day, popularly viewed as a holiday for all men and closely followed by its female counter-part, Women's Day, March 8, when women receive flowers, presents and are toasted by men.
Mayday, until recently officially termed International Workers' Solidarity Day, is now known as Spring and Labour Day. On some years, it occurs on or close to the Russian Orthodox Easter, so some people celebrate in church, while some attend customary demonstrations.
Russia celebrates Victory Day on May 9 to commemorate the millions fallen in World War II. Flowers and wreaths are laid on wartime graves on this day and veterans come out into the streets wearing their military orders and medals. Alas, there are fewer of them with every passing year.
June 12 is Russia's newest holiday, Independence Day, which commemorates the adoption in 1991 of the Declaration of Sovereignty of the Russian Federation.
November 7 - the anniversary of the socialist revolution of October 1917, which established communist power — still survives. The system is gone, but many still cling to the custom.
Church feasts have been reborn. Easter is celebrated nationwide, as of old, and Christmas became a day off. Muslims, Jews and Buddhists also celebrate their feasts without fear of secular authorities. 

Traditions
Men in Russia 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. Russia is one of the many countries where this handshake tradition is rigorously upheld.
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 also impolite to put your feet up on furniture with your shoes on. Sometimes, simply showing the soles of your shoes is considered rude.
Traditional Russian cheek kissing is done using three kisses, but it is not widely upheld nowadays.
When someone sneezes you tell them "Bud'te zdorovy" (Russian: Будьте здоровы), 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. Russian speakers will say it just as freely as an English speaker will say, "Bless you", but the superstitious origins of the phrase have been widely lost in both languages.
Meet more and enjoy Russian people. They are the most valuable treasury in Russia, even more precious than oil & gas or diamonds & gold. 

Religion
 The majority of Russians consider themselves as Christians and belong to the Russian Orthodox Church. Christian churches - be they Protestant, Orthodox, or Catholic - are a vital part of Europe’s cultural, artistic, architectural, and religious heritage and as such you are likely to visit many of them. However, most of them are even today not only major tourist attractions, but also religious sites where people come to pray. This is something to be respected.

Education
Since both education and culture facilities used to be widely available, Russians can be considered a highly cultured nation. Their general knowledge is very good: they know a little bit about virtually everything. Having a university or college degree is common.
Russians read a lot, books are cheap and one can afford to buy 5-10 books a month without serious damage to a family budget. Russian people are also very fond of live performances at theatres and, since tickets are affordable (prices in cinemas and theatres are comparable), they enjoy attending theatres: opera, musical, ballet, drama etc.  

Russian cuisine
Russian cuisine is one of the most popular and widely spread in the world. French cuisine is festive and elegant, Chinese cuisine is exotic, Russian cuisine is healthy and delicious. Russian dishes are easy to cook and they do not demand much skill and special ingredients, they do not need exotic equipment and tools and everybody who knows how to hold a cooking knife and how to peel potatoes can cook delicious Russian dishes. 
When the guest arrives, he'll find a big table loaded with snacks and savouries. The guest should be prepared to eat and drink a lot, as it is considered impolite to reject the food or drinks. By doing so, the guest tells his host that he's a bad host. So, when in Russia, don't be shy in accepting food and drink. One tip though: the only exception to this rule is to be made when vodka is considered! You should never go to someone else's house empty handed. Alcoholic beverages and/or dessert are a common gift to bring, when invited to someone's home.
National specialities:
• Kasha (porridge) is a staple breakfast dish, made with milk and oats, buckwheat or semolina.
• Blini (small pancakes filled with caviar, fish or jam, melted butter or sour cream).
• Ponchiki (hot sugared doughnuts).
• Pirozhky (fried rolls with different fillings, usually meat and vegetables).
• Borshch, a beetroot soup served hot with sour cream.
• Pelmeni (meat dumplings).
National drinks:
• Chai (tea).
• Vodka (often flavoured and coloured with herbs and spices such as zubrovka (a kind of grass), ryabinovka (steeped with rowan-tree berries), starka (dark, smooth, aged vodka) and pertsovka (with hot pepper). Russky Standard, Stolichnaya and Gzhelka are popular brands.
• Krushon (cold ‘punch’; champagne, brandy and summer fruit are poured into a hollowed watermelon and chilled for several hours).
• Nalivka (sweet liqueur made with fruit or berries).
• Nastoika (fortified wine made of herbs, leaves, flowers, fruit and roots of plants with medicinal properties).
Tea is popular in many countries and each country has own traditions and preferences in drinking of tea. Russia is the country where tea-drinking formed into an individual tradition. The "cup of tea" is not just a tea but  lots of cookies, sweets, pirozhkies, sandwiches. Often tea is served with milk or slices of lemon .

Russian national pastime
­Russian people are very friendly and active. They love visiting their friends and relatives, going out or hiking.
In summer, Russians enjoy swimming, countryside rambles and fishing.  Also, in summer, it is customary for city people to stay at a dacha. Children swim and play at the dacha, while adults fish, swim, tend the garden, walk in the woods and enjoy a life in complete contrast to the busy city.
Winter activities include skating, country skiing and fishing through ice holes.
Outdoor ice-skating has long been a national pastime in Russia for people of all ages. In winter, frozen ponds or flooded artificial rinks attract crowds of skaters, who glide gracefully to piped music. The ice is regularly swept free of snow and heated cabins allow skaters to put on their skates in comfort.
In autumn, people of all ages love to go mushroom picking in the woods. Armed with baskets and buckets, people scour the countryside and even city parks, for the many varieties of edible mushrooms. They take their trophies home to eat straight away or to dry for future use.
Popular sports include soccer, ice hockey and tennis, as well as gymnastics and other Olympic sports. Favorite games include chess and dominoes; older people can often be seen playing these in city parks.  Even though most people have modern bathrooms, the weekly steam bath is still a regular event in both the city and the countryside.

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