Ukrainians are very superstitious. I am not. So as you can imagine, I am constantly making cultural faux pas. In honor of Halloween, I thought I’d do a round up of some of these faux pas, otherwise known as Ukrainian superstitions.
1. If you whistle indoors, you will invite the devil in.
We learned this one early on during PST when the boys in my cluster were scolded by our language teacher for whistling. I’ve also heard it said that whistling indoors means you will whistle your money away, but no matter the consequence, I think the lesson is the same!
2. Don’t pass things over a threshold or through a doorway
This is another one that our LCF taught us during training. I remember a few times when I forgot this rule and tried to give her something across a threshold and she would pull me to the other side before taking whatever it was. I didn’t really know the reason for this one until I looked it up but apparently it stems from the belief that your home is a safe place and as soon as you leave it you are at the mercy of evil forces. Thus, if you take something from someone over a threshold or through a doorway, you might be letting in those evil forces.
3. Don’t give someone salt as a gift.
When I was moving into my own apartment, my host mom was running around their house looking for things she could give me to take with me. One of the things she found was an old salt and pepper shaker set that they didn’t use anymore. There was still some leftover salt however and my host mom made sure to throw it away before giving me the empty shaker. Apparently, she was taking precautions to avoid the argument that would inevitably come if she were to gift me with salt. I don’t really understand where this one comes from but, needless to say, I bought my own salt at the store later that day.
4. Before leaving for a journey, you must sit in silence for a few minutes.
When I went home to surprise my brother for his graduation back in May, my host family all came with me to the bus stop. I had grabbed all my bags and everyone had their things with them but we all had to go in the kitchen first and sit down at the table together for probably only about 15 seconds. But apparently, this was supposed to ensure that my trip would be safe and successful. And in the end, it was both of those things, so maybe this one has some truth to it.
5. Don’t go back into your house if you’ve forgotten something but if you must, look into a mirror before leaving again.
This one seems to be less strictly followed than some others, as I have seen my host mom go back home to get something a number of times. But I have also been jokingly scolded by my host dad for doing this myself. So who knows. I think the reasoning is that you are supposed to be checking to make sure the devil isn’t following you. I guess he preys on forgetful people?
6. Don’t take money in the evening.
I’ve never actually encountered this one, but I’ve had friends who have had their landlords tell them they would come to collect rent the next day, so as not to take money from them in the evening. If they did, they wouldn’t be wealthy in the future, or so Ukrainians say.
7. Never give someone an even number of flowers, unless it’s for their funeral.
While I have never attempted to buy flowers for someone and thus have never myself run into this problem, I’ve heard that florists will ask if you’re going to a funeral if you try to buy an even number of flowers. There is also a significance to what color flowers you buy, but I decided it would be easier to continue avoiding buying flowers, rather than try to learn all the rules.
8. Unmarried women who sit at the corner of a table will not be married for seven years.
So, I obviously make a point to sit at the corner of most tables, to the chagrin of whichever Ukrainians I’m with.
9. You can celebrate your birthday on or after the actual date, but never before.
It is considered bad luck to celebrate your birthday before it arrives, but for someone who likes to have a whole birthday month, this one is rather disappointing.
10. If you need to sew something on yourself, keep a piece of thread in your mouth while doing it, or you will sew up your memory.
This one has kind of a nice elegance to the reasoning, albeit slightly creepy. But as my sewing skills definitely leave something to be desired, I’m not sure I’d be capable of sewing something on myself, even if I wanted to.
11. Don’t take trash out in the evening.
Like so many others, the consequence for this one is that you will lose money in the future.
12. Girls should not sit on cold surfaces or they could become infertile.
I am by no means a medical professional, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that this one has no actual basis in reality. But Ukrainians feel quite strongly about it, whether because of the whole infertility thing or because of their disproportionate fear of the cold, I can’t really say.
13. If you put your clothes on inside out, you will be beaten up.
I saved the best for last, because I think this one is hilariously absurd. But also, I’m not trying to get beaten up, so I guess I should be more careful when getting dressed in the morning.
Based on these superstitions, it is almost inevitable that I will end up unmarried, unlucky, and poor. So if you’re curious about that, stay tuned.
YOURS IS THE EARTH 
Fantastic and funny post SDC…Your sense of humor is wonderful as is your appreciation of the joy to be found in another countries customs (and foibles!) Since Ive been married to Pop for 58 years and he whistles wherever he goes , frequently forgets things and has to return and has almost never looked at himself in a mirror which may be why his clothes are often inside out; often gives me salted camels as a gift since they are HIS favorites; often sits in silence not only before but during trips; counts on the florist to count the flowers; always celebrates family birthdays for many days; takes out the trash whenever it suits him, (which is rarely!); and..to my knowledge has never sewn on a button with or without a string in his mouth (tho’ the mental image makes me want to encourage him to do so!); will take money to invest whenever anyone will give it to him, day or night; and always passes things out the door or over the threshold because he would never get the car loaded if he didn’t!; He married a woman who always had to sit at the corner of the table because she was the third child; and someone who grew up in the north sitting on icy walls and gave birth to three children ; And yet he doesn’t appear to be poor, rarely has bad luck and has never been beaten up, and if the devil lives here he/she comes in the form of 9 super grandchildren,!! ……so ……my my surprising conclusion is: he’s not Ukrainian!!! However….since his memory sometimes does seem to be a bit “sewn up” perhaps he has more Eastern European blood that I thought!! You are truly a delightful writer and fun loving grand daughter and we love you lots. Cheers Granny
SUSAN B. SCOTT 4919 L0CKGREEN CIRCLE RICHMOND, VA 23226 Home:804-355-9926 Cell: 804-405-9926 sebs39@aol.com
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