Superstitions

Something that’s very prevalent in Ukrainian culture is belief in superstitions. Superstitions affect many parts of life and people take them quite seriously, so as a foreigner, you need to be aware. Never buy an even number of flowers for someone, except for a sad occasion like a funeral – it’s bad luck. Don’t whistle inside, you’ll lose your money. Don’t shake hands over a doorway, it’s bad luck, etc.

The other day in my English class my students were learning “first conditional” sentence structure, i.e. If/will statements. If you eat 10 hot dogs, you will get sick. If you toss a penny in a fountain, you’ll have good luck. Perfect for superstitions. So I gave them a list of American superstitions and we talked about them. Then they wrote down their own Ukrainian/Russian superstitions, and shared with the class. The activity could’ve lasted all afternoon. Even after the written lists were exhausted, the superstitions kept coming. If you meet a person with an empty bucket, you’ll lose your money. If you sit on the corner of a table, you won’t get married. If you forget something and go back home to get it, you’ll have bad luck. If a pilot says goodbye to his friends, he won’t come back. And on and on.

So here was my golden opportunity to ask for clarity about a few “superstitions” that had proved to be particularly strange to me. So I asked about my favorite – If a woman sits on concrete (such as a step or ledge), she won’t have kids. (Apparently they say your ovaries will freeze). The prevalence of belief in this superstition was experienced firsthand by friends of mine who were sitting on the steps at the train station, enjoying the nice warm weather, when a babushka scared them away with her fury. I figured this was maybe a superstition of the older generation and that my young, intelligent, educated students could give me some background. My students’ explanation? “That’s not a superstition, it’s medical advice.”

Ok, so I won’t be sitting on cold concrete anytime soon. But hopefully my students know first conditional.

Laura

Graduation day

Tuesday was DCU graduation. Members of the very first Theological English class I taught here at DCU were among the graduates, as were many members of our prayer group, so we had a greater connection to the grads than last year. Graduation festivities include a big meal in the cafeteria for all who attend graduation, and an evening party in which the grads break out their formal wear. This year a drama was part of the production – well done, and fun to see our co-workers and friends show their acting talent. Now begins my full-time work with the Summer English program. Saturday is my last community English class, then I can spend all my time on summer program plans. So far we have a good team lined up – 27 native English speakers joining us from the States, Australia, Canada and Great Britain. (We could still use more if anyone’s interested!). We’re hoping for 200 total students during our intensive summer session, which runs throughout the month of July.

Laura

Retreat in Crimea

This blog is a bit belated. We spent the second week of May near Yalta in Crimea (southern Ukraine) with the rest of the MCC Europe team, at summer retreat. Although the setting was beautiful - our balcony overlooked the Black Sea - the weather was cold. Perhaps ok, though, since most of our time was spent inside in meetings. We had a good time nevertheless - it's always fun to connect with other MCCers from other places. It was also great to see a different side of Ukraine - mountains, winding roads and the sea, compared with plains, coal mines and smoke-belching factories. As everyone back in Donetsk advised, we breathed deeply and got our fill of fresh Crimean air. A few photos:


Even though it was freezing cold and cloudy, Dave and David Martin (Serbia) had to take a dip in the Black Sea, just to say they'd done it.

At a scenic spot along the coast.

The "Swallow's Nest" castle near Yalta.

Greenhouse Harvest I

We returned from retreat and I was pleased to find that the greenhouse looking good. Most of the plants are around 5.5' tall and we have already harvested over 200lbs. It is rather exciting.

Flowers in bags

One interesting cultural trend in Ukraine (and certain other Eastern European countries) is that everyone carries plastic bags. Women have a purse, plus a plastic bag to carry whatever doesn’t fit in the purse. Men also carry them. Shoulder bags, briefcases and backpacks are around, but not as popular as the plastic bag. And it can’t be any bag. Usually they’re bags made of more durable plastic than a typical plastic grocery bag, with name brands and bright colors printed on them – Calvin Klein is a big one, also Boss. Some say random English words and phrases like “Scotch Whiskey” or “Thanks We Invite.” The grocery stores all sell them, for a few kopecks more than the ordinary plastic shopping bags that you get with your groceries. You can also buy them at the market, where whole kiosks are devoted only to plastic bags. It’s no small task to pick the right one, since you can use it for several months before it wears out. Durable nylon-weave bags are also available to tote your stuff around, but are generally only appropriate for pensioners to carry. The rest of us should strive to be more stylish.

Anyway, as people carry their bags around, I’ve noticed that you can tell what season it is by what sort of plant or flower is sticking out of their bags. In general, Ukrainians have especially green thumbs, so plants and flowers are very important – both indoors and out. Daffodils bring the first signs of spring. On Easter weekend pussy willows and weeping willow branches seemed to be the greenery of choice. The first few weeks in May are full of holidays, so tulips are especially plentiful these days. After that will be lilacs, then daisies and other summer flowers. Meanwhile, flowers are interspersed with young trees, rose bushes and garden transplants like tomatoes, all of them peeking out of the plastic bags. Fall brings mums, which last into October. Then at Christmas, evergreen boughs are common, on their way to a decorative centerpiece at a holiday celebration. Bagged plans are pretty scarce in January, February and March – I guess then it’s too cold to carry plants very far in a bag. So my bag-watching tells me it’s spring again, and I’m happy that it’s finally here.

Laura

20 years since Chernobyl

Yesterday marked the 20 year anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, which took place in Ukraine in 1986. Much has been written recently in the media, and rememberance services have been held in Kiev and in the towns surrounding Chernobyl (north of Kiev). The photo shows the abandoned town of Pripyat, completely evacuated after the disaster, with the nuclear power station visible in the background. For more about Chernobyl, BBC News has an in-depth look at the tragedy.

Photo courtesy of BBC News

Easter weekend

Today is “Easter Monday” in Ukraine, following the Eastern Orthodox church calendar. Following are a few Ukrainian Easter celebration traditions. The majority of people in Ukraine are Ukrainian or Russian Orthodox. Protestants make up a small minority, and it’s interesting to see how the different traditions of celebration intermingle.

Chisti Chetvirg – “Clean Thursday.” In Ukraine, the Thursday before Easter weekend is a day of cleaning. Orthodox tradition says that you should get up before the sun rises, and thoroughly wash yourself. Then you’re supposed to clean your apartment and get ready for the holiday, since no one should once Easter weekend has begun. Cleaning apartments and washing yourself probably stems from spiritual cleansing that also takes place in preparation for Easter. Some people fast on this day as well. Even though lots of people aren’t religious, the cleaning habits have infiltrated the culture enough that on Thursday, people everywhere could be seen washing windows, sweeping sidewalks and streets, and painting. In the Baptist tradition (the church we attend is Baptist-affiliated), churches have communion services on Thursday evening.

Easter – There are two times a year when the Orthodox church has all night services – Christmas Eve, and Easter Eve. People gather Saturday night and don’t leave until Sunday morning. (And they stand all night – no benches in Orthodox churches!) They bring with them wicker baskets of food – bread, sausage, cheese, even vodka – to be blessed with holy water by the priest. Sunday morning we saw many basket-toting churchgoers, heading home for an Easter feast of “holy” food. Protestant churches have a regular Sunday morning service (maybe a bit longer than usual) and everyone greets each other, saying, “Christ is Risen” “He is risen indeed.”

Paska – This is Easter Bread, and also the translation of “Easter.” It is a sweet raisin bread, baked in a can, so it’s tall and skinny with a round top. The top of the loaf is frosted with white icing and colored sprinkles. About every store/kiosk that sells food has paska for sale on Easter weekend. Some say the top of the loaf symbolizes the cupolas of Orthodox churches (though I don't think the Protestants would say that), others say paska bread originated with ancient Slavic pagans. Wherever it came from, it's tasty.

People also decorate eggs, but more popular than colored dye are little plastic sheaths with colorful designs of flowers, birds and Orthodox churches that mimic real decorated Ukrainian eggs.

Laura