National Traits

"The Russians are open-hearted, generous, good-wishers, friendly, inventive and family-oriented".

"The Russians are very sympathetic. Most of them will always give money to the beggars. Their hearts bleed for others as they try to put themselves in the other person's shoes".

"Another national feature of the Russians is optimism, and belief in a happy future. The Russians say that hope dies last even if the situation is the pits. Hope is valued because it gives a meaning to our life. They believe that they'll overcome all the difficulties, and will live in peace".

"They never give up or get cast down. Humor always helps. The Russians try to be in a good mood, that helps them survive. What do we laugh at? Politics, financial problems, fashion, famous people, but most of all - ourselves!

"The most important feature of the Russian character is patience. We stand everything what our government does. And this patience helps us overcome all the difficulties".

Hospitality

"If you ask any Russian person what he considers the main feature of the national character his most probable answer will be "hospitality". Indeed, since ancient times it has been honor for every Russian to receive a guest, especially a foreigner. Russian people always try to give the guest the best things they can offer: the best food, drink, place".

"Hospitality stems from Russian history of a multinational state, where people of different nationalities, values, beliefs live together, help each other and survive despite anything. Time taught the Russians to be kind and hospitable to anyone, regardless of appearance or cultural, educational, ethnic background".

"When guests come, the Russians try to do their best to make their guests feel at home. They put the tastiest dishes on the table (often everything they have, or something special that they do not usually eat in their daily life). You may even hurt the hostess' feelings if you don't taste everything!"

"If you are invited by a Russian family, you shouldn't have dinner before leaving your place for theirs. Many wives can cook a very tasty dish from nothing. If she doesn't have anything, she'll borrow it from a neighbor (good relationships between neighbors are also easily observable, and valued in this country) or immediately run to the shop - the table will be breaking from food. They say, there is a belief, if a man comes to you with any evil thoughts, he'll forget about doing harm and get kinder, when you feed him".

"The Russians are very hospitable and sociable people. That is true, that the doors of Russian homes are always open for guests. You needn't give an advanced call if you want to see your friends, you can come and even if you are not at the right time, you'll be heartily welcomed and offered a cup of tea".

"We like to invite guests, to treat them, to have different parties at home. At the same time, it's easy for us to go to some place without calling and it wouldn't be considered rude".

Friendship and Assistance

"It is important for the Russians to live in a society, and have a lot of friends. I think it comes from our history. All the time when there was a hard and difficult period in the country, people had to unite, and rely only on their friends and themselves, not on the government".

"There's a saying in Russia: "don't have a hundred of rubles, but have a hundred of friends". In practice, it will turn out, that you'll have both. It is common in Russia to borrow money from your friends, as friends are always ready to help you even in money matters".

"The Russians are very kind and helpful. They are always ready to help a person if he is in trouble and needs help. There is a good saying: 'One for all and all for one'".

"The Russians need somebody close and intimate, to whom they can talk anytime, who will always help them. These people are friends. They can calm you, support, and give a good piece of advice, with them you can share your problems and success".

"Friendship has a special meaning in Russian culture. When we say "friend" we mean not only a person, who is nice to spend time with, or has the same interests. To be friends is to be always ready and eager to help each other, to give all kinds of support: moral and financial".

"It is often embarrassing for a Russian to remind his friend about a debt, or not to give the right answers for a test, for example. Russian friendship may be well defined with the help of a famous proverb: "You may die, but your friend must be saved."

"It is very important to have a lot of relatives and friends, because it will be easier for you to get a job as an employer in our country would rather hire his relative or friend than a stranger".