Ukrainian Traditions, Superstitions & Other Things Nobody Ever Explained to Me

Wow, this is gonna be a fun one because there are just so many. And, for the fun of it, I decided to throw in some culturally relevant superstitions as well, just to make it even more entertaining. Especially that I grew up in very supersticious family.

But, not to overwhelm you, I will give you my top favorite ones.

Here we go…

🪑🤫🧳 Sit before you leave

Every time me and my family would leave for an important trip or work travel, my mom or dad would say — “Let us sit before the road.” And there we are — the entire family would obediently sit down and silently wait for a couple of minutes before we could get up and leave the house.

Not sure where this one originates, but it is like a good-luck-for-the-trip custom. So, as you already guessed, I am still doing it even when living in Germany (and moreover, I make my husband do it) — just in case.

🚪⚠️ Don’t hand things over the doorstep

From what I heard, the doorstep or the line between the doors was signifying the line between the worlds, and therefore you could not hand things over the doorstep or even shake hands over the doorstep.

Basically, if you wanted to give me something, you had better come inside or I was coming outside. We were not conducting business in the mysterious doorway dimension.

🐈🏠 Cat goes first

That is such a fun one — whenever you move to a new place, the cat should come into the place first. The idea is basically to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits.

So, imagine this — you are moving to a new home, and after all the hustle of acquiring or renting and moving all your things, you still need to find a cat somewhere to let it go inside first.

We actually did it when we had a big move back in the day.

Our neighbours were super nice enough to lend us one — and it got some pretty good treats in return.

Honestly, that cat probably had a better deal than the rest of us.

🤫💰🚫 Don’t whistle inside the house

And I honestly blame this one (at least partially) for me never learning how to whistle. You were not allowed to whistle inside the house.

And guess why? Guess…

Because you won’t have any money.

Yeah, the motivation not to whistle was purely monetary, but it worked like a charm for many.

Apparently, my family considered my future financial stability more important than my whistling career.

🪑↘️💍❌ Do not sit on the corner of the table, or you will never marry

That one I heard from my grandmother over and over again — she was obsessed with me getting married. And would always repeat it again and again.

One time when I was 23 years old, she looked at me and said that actually I should not worry anymore, I can always adopt a child if I will not get married.

She just gave up on me at the age of 23.

Well, different generation, different priorities and expectations.

💐🌷🌹 Flowers always come in odd numbers

This one can cause some serious cultural confusion. In Ukrainian culture, you generally give an odd number of flowers to a living person. Even numbers are traditionally associated with funerals.

So you might happily walk into a Ukrainian flower shop and ask for a beautiful bouquet of twelve roses.

The florist might happily make it. And the Ukrainian person receiving them might quietly wonder whether you are trying to tell them something.

🪵🤞 Knock on wood

This one is probably not uniquely Ukrainian, but it was definitely part of my childhood.

You say something hopeful — for example, “Hopefully nothing bad happens” — and then you immediately knock on wood. Usually three times. And sometimes, just sometimes, very rarely though, you would also spit over left shoulder (in very serious matter only).

It is basically a tiny ritual to make sure you haven’t accidentally jinxed yourself by saying something positive out loud. There better always be wood around when you say something positive… And this one I am still doing.

👰‍♀️🏃‍♂️💰 The bride gets kidnapped

Okay, this one is probably the most entertaining wedding tradition to explain to someone who has never seen it. At some Ukrainian weddings, the bride can be “kidnapped” by friends or guests during the celebration.

The groom then has to find her and, depending on the wedding, complete some super funny tasks, answer questions, negotiate, or otherwise prove that he deserves to get his bride back. And yes, there is often some sort of “ransom” involved.

And of course we brought this tradition to my Indian family and wedding.

🍞🧂 Bread and salt

And then we have one of the more beautiful Ukrainian traditions.

Bread and salt have traditionally been symbols of hospitality. Guests can be greeted with bread and salt, especially on important occasions.

It is basically about hospitality, generosity and showing someone that they are welcome.

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But that, of course, is just a snapshot of hundreds of different cultural traditions and superstitions that we have, and I love them so much. They are fun, sometimes completely ridiculous, and make absolutely no sense at all — and yet somehow you still find yourself doing them.

Because that’s the funny thing about growing up with traditions like these.

You don’t really think of them as traditions. You just do them.

And which ones do you have in your country?