National character each country is influenced by many different conditions: history, territory, climate. Foreigners celebrate character traits Russian people: patriotism, collectivism, religiosity and others. All of them can be explained: patriotism arose due to the constant military danger, collectivism due to unfavorable climate, which forced people to work together. Now the situation has changed, but the Russian character remains. And if we ourselves do not notice any pronounced features in ourselves, then foreigners immediately highlight this.

Russian mentality

• Date: June 17, 2013

Russian holidays through the eyes of a foreigner

Any foreigner who comes to Russia for at least a few days immediately notices that Russians really love holidays. A thousand years ago the Great Kyiv prince Vladimir said “Rus' cannot live without joy and drink.” Six hundred years later, the British ambassador wrote in his book: “It is common for a Russian to drink on any day of the week, finding a suitable occasion.” And British journalist and translator Edmund Harris, who lived in Moscow for six years, says that it was Russian holidays that brightened up his life in the cold Russian capital.

Russian mentality

• Date: June 03, 2013

Moscow through the eyes of foreigners

As a rule, all foreign tourists first go to Moscow. Those foreigners who decide to settle in our country also prefer to live in Moscow. We are accustomed to our capital, we do not notice its shortcomings or advantages, but visitors can clearly see all the capital’s life from the outside. Some things are surprising to them, some are puzzling, some they really like. Collected here different opinions foreigners about Moscow, its good and bad sides.

Russian mentality

• Date: May 20, 2013

Stereotypes about Russians

Swedish family, goodbye in English, roller coaster, French kiss - all these expressions one way or another show our stereotypes about other nationalities. And in other countries, well-established phrases about Russians are no less often used, which can lead us to bewilderment. However, they are quite popular, and, moreover, many people believe in the truth of these stereotypes.

Russian mentality

• Date: May 08, 2013

How to behave in Russia if you foreign tourist

Typically, tourists traveling abroad are given advice related to characteristics and culture different countries. These are not only recommendations on where you can change money, how to find your way, how much to tip in restaurants - but also tips on communicating with local residents, on behavior in in public places and visiting. The cultures of different nations can vary significantly, so every little thing matters. What advice do they give to those foreigners who go on holiday to Russia?

“Tourists from Russia are amazing!” Confessions of foreign travelers who happened to encounter Russians on vacation.

For many years now, Russians, along with Germans and Americans, have been occupying the not at all honorable first places in various ratings of the worst tourists. There are many reasons for this.

On the eve of the holiday season, we have collected some of the most annoying habits of Russian tourists that cause nervous tics in foreigners. Take note if you suddenly decide to spend your holidays abroad.

1. Men come to dinner scantily clad

A tourist from the UK, after a trip to Thailand, complained in a review on TripAdvisor:

Russian tourists have this habit - they come to a restaurant in the evening with their tops bare. After all, it’s completely unpleasant to look at sweaty and red bodies at dinner!

2. Women dress too provocatively

But according to participants in a survey conducted by the Skyscanner service, ladies from Russia would do well to understand that dressing as if they are scouring the hotel and its surroundings in search of a lover is rude and vulgar.

3. They eat like it’s the last time in their life.

A TripAdvisor user from Denmark who visited Turkey commented:

They gather so much food as if they had been starving for months before. In the end, they don’t eat everything and leave half on the plate after the meal.

Laments about manners for buffet and a traveler from the UK on holiday in Bulgaria:

It's amazing how you can pack so much food that you can't possibly eat in one sitting?

4. They never offer help.

The same aforementioned tourist from Denmark continues to share his memories:

At dinner, our family sat at a table with not enough chairs. And we asked two Russian women, at whose table there were two extra chairs, to lend them to us. But they didn’t even think of helping - they said that even though they weren’t sitting on the chairs, they still wouldn’t give it up, since their purses should rest on them!

5. They jump in line or take it in advance

And then he adds: Wherever possible, Russian tourists line up in advance. Early in the morning they lay out their towels on the sun loungers, and come to sunbathe only two hours later. It’s the same with tables in a restaurant - they leave their things (a hat or something else) on the chairs and go about their business.

6. Get drunk and rowdy

A tourist from the UK who was on holiday in Turkey complains:

They constantly sit at the bar, drink, walk around drunk, and quarrel with each other. And they also jump into the pool so that everyone around them is doused with water from head to toe!

7. They brazenly stare and push

A UK tourist complained to TripAdvisor after visiting Turkey:

Tourists from Russia amaze with their manner of jostling with other people, and also with their gaze at the person they are interested in, without looking away for a long time.

8. Scandals and bullying of staff

A tourist from London is indignant:

Even with very polite hotel staff, they manage to be rude!

An indignant traveler from Ukraine echoes her:

Tourists from Russia bully hotel staff. In front of me, one girl ordered the waiter who was serving her to smile, saying: “Smile, you don’t smile, I’m ordering you.”

Where do Russians plan to go this season?

There is a high probability that this summer Europeans will not have to often deal with the shocking antics of travelers from Russia.

If you believe the results of a recent VTsIOM survey, Russians suddenly stopped striving to go abroad and began dreaming of a vacation in Crimea. Those wishing to bask in the sun of the annexed peninsula have already reached 36%. However, two years ago there were only 8 percent.

Congratulations, Europeans!

What do foreigners think about Russia? How has their opinion of us changed? Which stereotypes remain stable, and which, after years, have long since disappeared, like dust from “white apples”?

I. “The law is not written for Russians”

We got used to this quite a long time ago. However, foreigners still say something like the following about life in our country:

“Surprisingly, for these Russians, not following the rules seems to be the absolute norm.”

And indeed it is. For them, on the contrary, compliance with any rules is considered the norm, even if there is no control nearby.

It is inconceivable in their opinion that Russians, without the slightest doubt, cross the road at a red light, only because, according to their calculations, it is still quite far away from the entrance of a moving car.

II. “Russians drink completely”

IN Western world There is a persistent stereotype that our nation is an incredibly heavy drinker. Literally everyone talks about this to one degree or another. But meanwhile, if we look at the official WHO statistics, Russia will not take first, not second, or even third place in alcohol consumption per capita. Even the reserved Balts have overtaken us on this issue.

At the same time, foreigners are sincerely surprised that in our country there can be absolutely any reason for drinking, and the process that began with the idea of ​​sitting “little by little” almost always develops into a full-scale table.

The most striking difference between Russians and residents of foreign countries is that Russians, when tipsy, “get smarter” and begin to have active, highly intellectual conversations. Talking about politics, the meaning of life, and simply philosophizing, while all the other nations in the world, on the contrary, are recklessly drunk and stupid, boasting, lying and telling a series of fictitious stories.

III. “There is no feminism in Russia”

With this stereotype, unlike the previous ones, everything is exactly the opposite. Foreigners like him extremely.

Men from abroad openly dream of choosing a Russian woman as a wife, since most American women, European women and other representatives of the fairer sex are trying to prove their mythical “independence”. They scare men with their lack of basic femininity, pay for themselves in restaurants, react painfully if they are helped to open the door, do not understand why they offer a hand, or simply sit them down in their chair. Such representatives, when creating a family, are guided primarily by material considerations, rush to draw up a marriage contract, and even choose the first question on a date:

"What do you do for a living?".

Of course, foreigners run away from them as quickly as they can.

Our women, on the contrary, like to appear weak, although in fact they are the strongest. Thanks to this, even an American in our country feels like a man much more than in his own homeland.

This is where the above stereotype came from, in general.

IV. “Russians have an incredible culture”

This is a true template that has more than a monolithic rationale behind it.

Mostly foreign excursion groups from abroad visit St. Petersburg and Moscow, and this is where the most famous Russian attractions are located. In this regard, it is not surprising that everyone speaks with delight about the Hermitage, Winter Palace, Tretyakov Gallery, Intercession Cathedral and Red Square. Another thing is surprising: for some reason many guests are extremely amazed that people of absolutely all ages go to museums and galleries in Russia. Often you can find young couples in love, and for Americans, with their culture of popcorn and Mickey Mouse, this is simply an inexplicable problem...

The love of Russians and their craving for reading amazes everyone who comes to us, because neither a tablet nor a modern smartphone could fight it off.

V. “Russians have a strange attitude towards food”

Foreigners very often talk about life in Russia, remembering dumplings, borscht, pancakes with meat and caviar. In this regard, Russia seems to them to be a rich power. This conclusion stems from the fact that all feasts in our country are held on a huge scale, and are always kept that way, regardless of the occasion and financial situation.

An American does not understand why it is so important for a Russian to set the table with dishes with all kinds of salads, cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese and sausage slices, fried chicken legs and other food. But those who know Russia better already realize that a Russian will invest and give everything he has for the convenience of the guest. And what is most surprising is that he will do this not in order to impress, but first of all for himself, and from the heart for those whom he receives.

Of course, in this situation, it also seems strange to a foreigner that after such a feast the organizer may well remain in his last shirt, but even so, he will not be afraid and will go for it anyway.

VI. "Russians never smile"

Almost all foreign guests remember kind words our sincere Russian hospitality, but at the same time, they consider us serious and gloomy. They think that our harsh climate is to blame for this. And therefore, they say, on the street you can rarely see men, women, young people, or old people smiling.

But the strange thing for them is that the situation changes dramatically, all they have to do is turn to the Russians for advice. If you ask a question, enter their social circle, or meet the person the next day, then, for inexplicable reasons, the moodiness disappears.

“Why can’t you smile from the very beginning?” they ask with incomprehension. And the “tolerant” ones do not realize that in Russia such an approach is called insincere, and an empty smile without real feelings is not worth a damn.

VII. “This mysterious Russian mentality”

Any European or American in Russia has to adapt. For example, to the fact that for some reason Russians constantly keep all sorts of unnecessary things. “They say that this is in case something can be fixed,” and this fact raises even more questions among Americans.

They don’t understand why Russians (unlike modern Westerners) learn to “be able” to do everything at once? But we really can be completely professionals in various areas. Every man, regardless of his type of activity, is able to hold a power tool in his hands, work with the construction of a house, be his own cook, or make and repair everything. For a foreigner, this state of affairs seems the height of absurdity.

“Why be prepared for anything when you can always call the service or rescue service?!”

And the “comrades” do not understand that real life, such an opportunity may not always present itself.

But main feature Russian person, which extremely amazes guests who come to our country - this is a wide and mysterious soul Russia.

To be always ready to help, to provide this help free of charge, not to evaluate the offered leverage in monetary terms, all this for the Western man in the street is still inexplicable and completely incomprehensible from beginning to end...

What do foreigners think about Russia? How has their opinion of us changed? Which stereotypes remain stable, and which, after years, have long since disappeared, like dust from “white apples”?

I. “The law is not written for Russians”

We got used to this quite a long time ago. However, foreigners still say something like the following about life in our country:

“Surprisingly, for these Russians, not following the rules seems to be the absolute norm.”

And indeed it is. For them, on the contrary, compliance with any rules is considered the norm, even if there is no control nearby.

It is inconceivable in their opinion that Russians, without the slightest doubt, cross the road at a red light, only because, according to their calculations, it is still quite far away from the entrance of a moving car.

II. “Russians drink completely”

There is a persistent stereotype in the Western world that our nation is an incredibly heavy drinker. Literally everyone talks about this to one degree or another. But meanwhile, if we look at the official WHO statistics, Russia will not take first, not second, or even third place in alcohol consumption per capita. Even the reserved Balts have overtaken us on this issue.

At the same time, foreigners are sincerely surprised that in our country there can be absolutely any reason for drinking, and the process that began with the idea of ​​sitting “little by little” almost always develops into a full-scale table.

The most striking difference between Russians and residents of foreign countries is that Russians, when tipsy, “get smarter” and begin to have active, highly intellectual conversations.

Talking about politics, the meaning of life, and simply philosophizing, while all the other nations in the world, on the contrary, are recklessly drunk and stupid, boasting, lying and telling a series of fictitious stories.

III. “There is no feminism in Russia”

With this stereotype, unlike the previous ones, everything is exactly the opposite. Foreigners like him extremely.

Men from abroad openly dream of choosing a Russian woman as a wife, since most American women, Europeans and other representatives of the fairer sex are trying to prove their mythical “independence”.

They scare men with their lack of basic femininity, pay for themselves in restaurants, react painfully if they are helped to open the door, do not understand why they offer a hand, or simply sit them down in their chair.

Such representatives, when creating a family, are guided primarily by material considerations, rush to draw up a marriage contract, and even choose the first question on a date:

"What do you do for a living?"

Of course, foreigners run away from them as quickly as they can.

Our women, on the contrary, like to appear weak, although in fact they are the strongest. Thanks to this, even an American in our country feels like a man much more than in his own homeland.

This is where the above stereotype came from, in general.

IV. “Russians have an incredible culture”

This is a true template that has more than a monolithic rationale behind it.

Mostly foreign excursion groups from abroad visit St. Petersburg and Moscow, and this is where the most famous Russian attractions are located. In this regard, it is not surprising that everyone speaks with delight about the Hermitage, the Winter Palace, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Intercession Cathedral and Red Square.

Another thing is surprising: for some reason many guests are extremely amazed that people of absolutely all ages go to museums and galleries in Russia. Often you can find young couples in love, and for Americans, with their culture of popcorn and Mickey Mouse, this is simply an inexplicable problem...

The love of Russians and their craving for reading amazes everyone who comes to us, because neither a tablet nor a modern smartphone could fight it off.

V. “Russians have a strange attitude towards food”

Foreigners very often talk about life in Russia, remembering dumplings, borscht, pancakes with meat and caviar. In this regard, Russia seems to them to be a rich power. This conclusion stems from the fact that all feasts in our country are held on a huge scale, and are always kept that way, regardless of the occasion and financial situation.

An American does not understand why it is so important for a Russian to set the table with dishes with all kinds of salads, cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese and sausage slices, fried chicken legs and other food.

But those who know Russia better already realize that a Russian will invest and give everything he has for the convenience of the guest. And what is most surprising is that he will do this not in order to impress, but first of all for himself, and from the heart for those whom he receives.

Of course, in this situation, it also seems strange to a foreigner that after such a feast the organizer may well remain in his last shirt, but even so, he will not be afraid and will go for it anyway.

VI. "Russians never smile"

Almost all foreign guests remember our sincere Russian hospitality with kind words, but at the same time they consider us serious and gloomy. They think that our harsh climate is to blame for this. And therefore, they say, on the street you can rarely see men, women, young people, or old people smiling.

But the strange thing for them is that the situation changes dramatically, all they have to do is turn to the Russians for advice. If you ask a question, enter their social circle, or meet the person the next day, then, for inexplicable reasons, the moodiness disappears.

"Why can't you smile from the very beginning?"- they ask with incomprehension. And the “tolerant” ones do not realize that in Russia such an approach is called insincere, and an empty smile without real feelings is not worth a damn.

VII. “This mysterious Russian mentality”

Any European or American in Russia has to adapt. For example, to the fact that for some reason Russians constantly keep all sorts of unnecessary things. “They say that this is in case something can be fixed,” and this fact raises even more questions among Americans.

They don’t understand why Russians (unlike modern Westerners) learn to “be able” to do everything at once? But we really can be professionals in completely different fields. Every man, regardless of his type of activity, is able to hold a power tool in his hands, work with the construction of a house, be his own cook, or make and repair everything. For a foreigner, this state of affairs seems the height of absurdity.

“Why be prepared for anything when you can always call the service or rescue service?!”

And the “comrades” do not understand that in real life, such an opportunity may not always present itself.

But the main feature of a Russian person, which extremely amazes guests who come to our country, is the broad and mysterious soul of Russia.

To be always ready to help, to provide this help free of charge, not to evaluate the offered leverage in monetary terms, all this for the Western man in the street is still inexplicable and completely incomprehensible from beginning to end...

I found one funny site where foreigners prepared quite well. Usually, foreigners’ idea of ​​Russia is somewhere at the level of an old joke: Russian family as seen by a foreigner:
- Darling, I'm home!
- Why so late?
“On the way, the bear sprained his leg, so I had to drink it with vodka.”
- Sit down, everyone! Let's drink vodka.
- Mom, I’ll go play with the bear.
- Okay, just drink some vodka first.
-Where is our grandfather?
“He’s been standing in line for two weeks to get coupons.”
- It’s good that he drank vodka before that. And don’t sit around doing nothing - go and drink vodka too.
- Okay, go for a walk, son, and don’t forget to write a report to the KGB in the evening! And on the way home, don’t forget to buy vodka - it’s running out.
- Honey, it’s kind of hot. Please turn off the nuclear reactor.

Now I’ll finish the vodka and turn it off, while you play the balalaika

Well, plus cold winters and Red Square usually come to mind. And these noticed many subtle contradictions. For example, they called the Russian character contradictory, persistent and friendly, noting the Russians’ sense of humor. Our character has been compared to Russian weather, when long winters are interrupted from time to time by a sudden, severe snowstorm. Likewise, they see our way of life as slow with sudden bursts of activity. That's why Russians are famous for procrastinating and procrastinating instead of gradually doing them properly, and then doing everything in one evening.

That is why all attempts to conquer Russia ended the same way: first, the Russians were defeated in several battles, and then they gathered their will into a fist and quickly destroyed the enemy.

Well, or the love of fighting. It is described as an old Russian tradition. They say that previously in Russia it was customary to fight village to village or street to street. Moreover, foreigners tremble, the fights were quite brutal, but they were carried out according to the rules: until the first blood was drawn and not to hit people who were down. The Russian character, they report, is explosive. Russians are brave, but not vindictive. Men will drink together, then fight, and then drink together again.

Foreigners note in Russians superhuman endurance and the ability to courageously endure adversity: harsh, long winters, hunger, drought, wars and natural disasters. Foreigners note with trepidation: what Russians call invigorating frost is, for a foreigner, a climate catastrophe. Citing examples of Russian endurance, the authors of the text suggest turning to Tatar-Mongol yoke, famine in 1891-1892 and 1921-1922 and the siege of Leningrad.

They noticed that old Russian fairy tales almost always have a hero. In European fairy tales, the heroes are focused on profit and quick enrichment, they are looking for gold and treasures, and Russian fairy tale heroes go to great lengths for the benefit of other people.

Foreigners are no less amazed by the love of Russians for water. They note that Russia is predominantly northern country with cold rivers and lakes. But the courageous Russian people preferred to settle on the banks of reservoirs. As a result, Russians cannot live without swimming in icy water and fishing. The authors report that traditionally in the Russian outback, men spent their time like this: drinking vodka (finally, otherwise I was already desperate to wait for this traditional “drink vodka!”), chasing after women, getting into fights and swimming in an ice hole.

Russian women are described as incredibly strong and caring mothers who easily do a man’s work, do not ask for help and “will stop a galloping horse and walk into a burning hut” - yes, surprisingly, they even know this saying - or rather, they called it a proverb. A line from Nekrasov's poem.

Suddenly, despite the fact that previously there was an emphasis on the fact that Russia is a country with a terribly cold climate, it is noted that Russians have high sexual activity. Therefore, it is not surprising (o__O) that the absolute record for the number of children in a family belongs to a Russian woman who lived in the 17th century and gave birth to 69 children. The material draws attention to the fact that in a Russian family it was normal to have up to 15 children. True, the authors were smart enough to note that currently the birth rate has decreased for social reasons.

And finally, my favorite part. The authors very cleverly intertwined the mythical insatiable sexual temperament of Russians with a passion for foul language, the mastery of which Russians are incredibly proud of. The authors explained it this way: the high sexual potential of Russians finds outlet in the famous Russian swearing, the variety of which is limited by rich descriptions of sexual intercourse. At the same time, foreigners do not even try to understand them, noting that all expression, as a rule, disappears when translated into another language.