In 988 AD, Prince Vladimir the Great of Kiev brought the Orthodox Christianity to Ukraine. It was a period of a mass baptism when Ukrainians converted to Christianity. Prince Vladimir destroyed all the national idols that people used to worship. Today, and over the past 1000 years, Orthodox Christianity remains the main religion. Before converting to Christianity, a lot of people were pagans, they worshiped water, fire, and trees. Unfortunately, we can still detect the remains of those pagan beliefs today, like superstitions, in Ukraineian culture. Superstitions play a significant role in athe social life of non-religious Ukrainians. It’s hard to find a Ukrainian who streets, magazines and know about common superstitions that are practiced in the society. Even though I was raised not to believe in or follow superstitions, I was aware of them, because in public schools, on the streets, in magazines, and TV you could read and hear people talking about it.
Nowadays people still use superstitions in their everyday conversations. For example, if you receive a call from a person you can’t recognize, people say, “This person will get rich”. Another one is, that before leaving a house for a long time, you, and everyone in the house should sit for a minute in silence, as people say, “Let’s sit before the long journey”. People also say, Iif your right palm itches you’re going to spend money or if your left palm itches you’re going to receive some money. It is also considered a lucky to break a dish. People believe that whistling indoors is rude, and that you will lose a large amount of money. When buying flowers for somebody, you have to make sure the number is odd, as even numbers are for funerals. It is also considered a bad luck to celebrate a birthday before the day arrives. People never throw bread crumbs in the trash because they think they’ll go hungry.
People believe in the superstition that if you are sitting on cold stones, you won’t have children, especially if you’re a girl. It is a bad luck to buy or accept baby gifts, like clothes, or toys before the baby is born. If you accidentally step on someone’s foot, let them gently step on yours, so you won’t risk a future conflict. Another common superstition, is that black cats are bad luck when they cross your path. It's a lucky to sit between two people with the same name. If you get hiccups, it means someone just thinksought about you. If someone sneezes while telling you something, it means they are telling the truth. If you find a fallen eyelash on someone, take it and let the person blow it away and make a wish. It is believed that a cooker fell in love if one of the dishes is salted. In theis culture, it is assumed, Ithat if two or more people are walking outside and let a tree or a pole pass between them, it may cause a big argument between them. If it rains on the wedding day, it means they will be wealthy. You should not take your wedding ring off to show it to someone else, or worse to let them try it on. When suffering from a cold, Ukrainians generally avoid drinking cold liquids or eating ice cream, and prefer overall to drink hot beverages like tea. Pre-Cchristian Ukrainian culture has a long history of paganism, nevertheless, superstition is a belief that lacks a natural link. Another word for superstition is “idolatry.” Christians do not support the idea of superstitions because nothing is done outside of God’s sovereign control. Either He causes or allows everything in keeping with His plan.