Main features of national character. National character of the Russian person

Reaction to attack, tactics against invaders, tactics in relations with foreign powers and the need to be the best in everything. An interesting article about the uniqueness of the Russian national character.

If you think that Byzantium had little cultural influence on Russia, then you are mistaken: its influence was actually decisive. It began with the advent of Christianity - first through Crimea (the birthplace of Christianity in Russia), and then through the Russian capital Kiev (the same Kiev, which is today the capital of Ukraine) - and allowed Russia to “skip” an entire millennium of cultural development. This influence also determined the opaque and clumsy bureaucracy of the Russian state apparatus, which, along with many other things, irritates the West, which so loves transparency, especially among others. Russians often like to call Moscow the Third Rome, after the real Rome and Constantinople, and this is not entirely unfounded. But this does not mean that Russian civilization is something derivative. Yes, she managed to absorb the entire classical heritage, which was looked at primarily through an “eastern prism,” but the vast northern expanses turned this heritage into something radically different.

This topic is generally very complex, so I will focus on four factors that I consider fundamental to understanding the transformations we are witnessing today.

1. Reaction to attack

Western states were born under conditions of limited resources and unrelenting population pressure, which largely determines how these states react when targeted. For quite a long time, when the central government was weak, conflicts were resolved by bloody means, and even the most insignificant prick from a former friend immediately turned him into a rival with whom they fought with swords. The reason was that in these conditions, protecting the territory was the key to survival.

On the contrary, Russia extends over an almost endless territory over which resources are dispersed. In addition, Russia skillfully took advantage of the bounty of the trade route that led from the Varangians to the Greeks, and was so active that Arab geographers were confident in the existence of a strait that connected the Black and Baltic seas. In these conditions, it was important to avoid conflicts, and people who grabbed weapons at every side glance would have had a hard time living in such an environment.

Therefore, a very different conflict resolution strategy was formed, which has survived to this day. If you offend or harm a Russian in any way, it is unlikely that a fight will break out (although this is exactly what happens during demonstrative confrontations in public or during the expected settling of scores through violence). More often than not, the Russian will simply send you to hell and want nothing to do with you. If the situation is complicated by physical proximity, then the Russian will think about moving - in any direction, but most importantly, away from you. In ordinary conversation, all this is formulated with the one-syllable statement “Pshel,” a form of the verb “to send.” With an almost endless amount of free land on which to settle, this strategy works great. Russians live sedentary lives, but when they need to move, they behave like nomads, among whom the main way to resolve conflicts is voluntary movement.

This reaction to insult is something of a permanent aspect of Russian culture, and therefore the West, which does not understand this, can hardly achieve the results it desires. For people from the West, an offense can be redeemed with an apology, something like “I am sorry!” But for a Russian, to a certain extent, this is nothing, especially in the case when the apology was made by the one who was sent to hell. A verbal apology, which is not accompanied by anything tangible, is one of the rules of good manners, which for Russians is a kind of luxury. Just a few decades ago, the usual apology sounded like “I’m sorry.” Today Russia is much more polite, but the basic cultural patterns are preserved.

And while a purely verbal apology is priceless, tangible restitution is not. “Getting things right” could mean parting with a rare possession, proposing a new and significant commitment, or announcing a fundamental change in direction. The main thing is to do everything, and not only in words, because at a certain stage words can only aggravate the situation, and the call to “go to hell” can be supplemented by the less pleasant phrase “let me show you the way there.”

2. Tactics against invaders

Russia has a long history of invasions from all sides, but primarily from the West, due to which Russian culture has come to a certain type of thinking that is difficult to understand from the outside. The first thing to realize is that when the Russians fight off invasions (and the fact that the CIA and the US State Department are running Ukraine through Ukrainian Nazis is considered an invasion), they are not fighting for territory, at least not directly. They are rather fighting for Russia as a concept. And the concept is that Russia has been attacked many times, but no one has ever conquered it. In the Russian consciousness, conquering Russia means killing almost all Russians, and as they like to say, “You can’t kill us all.” The population can be restored over time (22 million were killed at the end of World War II), but once the concept is lost, Russia will be lost forever. To people in the West, the words of Russians about Russia as “a land of princes, poets and saints” may seem nonsense, but this is precisely the line of thought we are talking about. Russia has no history, it itself is history.

And since the Russians are fighting over a concept rather than a specific piece of Russian territory, they are always willing to retreat first. When Napoleon invaded Russia, he saw the land scorched by the retreating Russians. Finally he reached Moscow, but it also died in the flames. He stopped there for a while, but in the end he realized that he could not do more (did he really have to go to Siberia?), so he finally left his retreating, hungry and frozen army, leaving it to the mercy of fate. As he retreated, another aspect of the Russian cultural heritage became increasingly clear: every peasant in every village burned during the Russian retreat had participated in the Russian resistance, which created many problems for the French army.

The German invasion during World War II also moved very quickly at first: a large territory was occupied, and the Russians continued to retreat, evacuating the population, entire factories and other institutions to Siberia, families moved inland. But then the German march stopped, turned around and eventually turned into a complete defeat. The standard model was repeated when the Russian army broke the will of the invaders, and most of the local residents who found themselves under occupation refused to cooperate, self-organized into partisan detachments and inflicted the maximum possible damage on the retreating aggressors.

Another Russian method in the fight against an invader is to rely on the Russian climate, which will do its job. In the countryside, people usually get rid of all unnecessary living creatures in the house by simply stopping heating: in a few days at minus 40, all the cockroaches, fleas, lice, nits, as well as mice and rats will die out. This also works with occupiers. Russia is the northernmost country in the world. And although Canada is further north, most of its population lives along the southern border, and no major cities are located above the Arctic Circle. And in Russia there are two such cities at once. Life in Russia in some respects resembles life in space or on the high seas: you cannot live without mutual assistance. The Russian winter simply will not allow one to survive without cooperation with the local residents, so to destroy the aggressor it is enough to simply refuse cooperation. And if you are sure that the occupier can force cooperation by shooting several locals in order to scare the rest, see point 1.

3. Tactics in relations with foreign powers

Russia owns almost the entire northern part of the Eurasian continent, which is almost a sixth of the land. On the scale of planet Earth, this is enough. This is not some kind of exception or historical accident: throughout their history, Russians have sought to ensure their collective security by developing as much territory as possible. If you're wondering what prompted them to do this, go back to Tactics Against Invaders.

And if you think that foreign powers have repeatedly tried to attack and conquer Russia in order to gain access to vast natural resources, then you are mistaken: access has always been there - all you have to do is ask. Typically, Russians do not refuse to sell their natural resources - even to potential enemies. But the enemies, as a rule, wanted to “suck in” to Russian sources for free. For them, the existence of Russia is a nuisance, which they tried to get rid of through violence.

But they only achieved that after their failure the price for themselves increased. This is a simple principle: foreigners want Russian resources, and to protect them, Russia needs a strong, centralized state with a large and powerful army, so foreigners must pay and thereby support the Russian state and army. As a result, most of the Russian state's finances come from export tariffs, primarily oil and gas exports, rather than from taxation of the Russian population. After all, the Russian population had paid dearly fighting constant invaders, so why burden them with even more taxes? This means that the Russian state is a customs state, which uses duties and tariffs to obtain funds from enemies who could destroy it, and also uses these funds for its own defense. Due to the fact that there is no replacement for Russian resources, the principle works: the more hostile the outside world behaves towards Russia, the more money it will pay for Russia’s national defense.

But this policy is used in relations with foreign powers, not with foreign peoples. Over the centuries, Russia has “absorbed” a mass of immigrants, say from Germany, during the Thirty Years’ War, and France, after the revolution there. Later people migrated from Vietnam, Korea, China and Central Asia. Last year, Russia accepted more migrants than any other country except the United States. In addition, Russia accepted almost a million people from war-torn Ukraine without much difficulty. Russians are a displaced people more than many others, and Russia is a bigger melting pot than the United States.

4. Thank you, but we have our own

Another interesting cultural trait is that Russians always see the need to be the best in everything - from ballet and figure skating, hockey and football to space flights and microchip production. You may think that “Champagne” is a protected French brand, but recently on New Year’s I was convinced that “Soviet Champagne” is still selling out at the speed of light, and not only in Russia, but also in Russian stores in the USA, because, understand, French things may be good, but they don’t taste Russian enough. For almost everything you can think of, there is a Russian version, which the Russians consider the best, and sometimes they directly say that it is their invention (for example, Popov, not Marconi, invented the radio). Of course, there are exceptions (say, tropical fruits), which are acceptable provided that they are from a “brotherly people,” which, for example, is Cuba. This model already worked in Soviet times, and it seems to have survived to a certain extent to this day.

During the ensuing “stagnation” of the era of Brezhnev, Andropov and Gorbachev, when Russian ingenuity truly declined along with everything else, technologically (but not culturally) Russia lost ground in relation to the West. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russians craved Western imports, which was understandable, since Russia itself produced practically nothing at that time. In the 90s, the time came for Western managers who flooded Russia with cheap imports, setting themselves the long-term goal of destroying local industry and Russian production, turning Russia into a simple exporter of raw materials, which would be defenseless against the embargo, and which could easily be forced to lose sovereignty. It would all end in a military invasion, against which Russia would be defenseless.

This process got quite far before it hit a few snags. First, Russian production and non-hydrocarbon exports have recovered and increased several times over the course of one decade. The growth also affected the export of grain, weapons and high-tech products. Secondly, Russia has found quite a few friendlier and more profitable trading partners in the world, however, this in no way diminishes the importance of its trade with the West, or more precisely with the EU. Thirdly, the Russian defense industry was able to maintain its standards and independence from imports. (The same can hardly be said about defense companies in the West that depend on Russian titanium exports).

And today, a “perfect storm” has broken out for Western managers: the ruble has partially depreciated due to low oil prices, which displaces imports and helps local producers. Sanctions have undermined Russia's faith in the West's reliability as a supplier, and the conflict in Crimea strengthens Russians' self-confidence. The Russian government has taken the opportunity to support companies that can immediately replace imports from the West with other products. The Russian Central Bank was entrusted with financing them at a lending rate that makes import substitution even more attractive.

Some compare the current period to the last time the price of oil fell to $10 a barrel, which to a certain extent brought the collapse of the USSR closer. But this analogy is wrong. At that time, the USSR stagnated economically and depended on Western grain supplies, without which it would not have been able to feed the people. The collapse was led by the helpless and controlled Gorbachev - a peacemaker, capitulator and phrase-monger on a global scale, whose wife loved to go shopping in London. The Russian people despised him. Today, Russia is once again one of the world's largest grain exporters, led by an exemplary President Putin, who enjoys the support of more than 80% of the population. By comparing the USSR before the collapse with today's Russia, commentators and analysts are only demonstrating their ignorance.

This passage literally writes itself. This is a recipe for disaster, so I’ll write everything down, point by point, as in a recipe.

1. Take the people who respond to attacks by sending you to hell, turning away from you and not wanting anything to do with you - instead of fighting with you. Realize that this is a people whose natural resources are essential to keeping your homes light and warm, so you can produce transport planes, military fighter jets, and much more. Remember that a quarter of the light bulbs in the United States come on from Russian nuclear fuel, and cutting off Europe from Russian gas would mean a real disaster.

2. Introduce economic and financial sanctions against Russia. Watch in horror as your exporters lose profits and the Russian response blocks agricultural exports. Remember, this is a country that has suffered a long chain of attacks and traditionally relies on unfriendly countries to fund Russian defenses aimed precisely at those enemies. Or Russia turns to methods such as the already mentioned winter. “No gas for NATO countries” sounds like a great slogan. Hope and pray that Moscow doesn't like him.

3. Organize an attack on their national currency, which will lose part of its value, and do the same with oil prices. Imagine how Russian officials chuckle as they go to the Central Bank when the low ruble exchange rate means filling the state budget despite the low oil price. Watch in horror as your exporters go bankrupt because they can no longer take a place in the Russian market. Remember that Russia has no national debt worth discussing, that it is run with a miniscule budget deficit, and that it has large gold and foreign exchange reserves. Remember your banks, which “lent” hundreds of billions of dollars to Russian companies - those companies to which, by imposing sanctions, you cut off access to your banking system. Hope and pray that Russia doesn't freeze debt payments on the West Bank when they impose new sanctions, because that will blow your banks out of business.

4. Watch in horror as Russia rewrites gas export agreements that now involve everyone except you. And when they start working, will there be enough gas left for you? But it seems that this is no longer Russia’s concern, because you offended it, because the Russians, so and so, sent you to hell (and don’t forget to take Galich there). Now they will trade with countries that are more friendly to them.

5. Watch with horror as Russia actively seeks ways to exit its trade relationship with you, seeks suppliers in other parts of the world, and sets up production to replace imports.

And then a surprise appears, by the way, underestimated by everyone, euphemistically speaking. Russia recently proposed a deal to the EU. If the EU refuses to sign the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the US, it could join the Customs Union with Russia. Why freeze yourself when Washington can freeze? This would be reparation for the EU's previous aggressive behavior, which Russia would accept. And this is an extremely generous offer. And if the EU accepts it, it will prove a lot: that the EU does not pose any military or economic threat to Russia, that European countries are very nice and small, produce delicious cheeses and sausages, that the current crop of politicians are worthless, dependent on Washington, and that it is necessary to create a big pressure to understand where the interests of their peoples really lie...

“Nations in many ways repeat the destinies of individual people. They also have their own home, work, live better or worse, but the main thing is that, like people, they are unique individuals with their own habits and character, with their own way of understanding things. History has made peoples like this, all the circumstances of their long, difficult life,” the Russian philosopher Ilyin spoke figuratively about the national character of the people.

In a broad sense, national character is a natural phenomenon. Its bearers, ethnic groups, come and go; with them come and go various types of ethno-national character. In the narrow sense, national character is a historical phenomenon; national character changes over time as the people self-organize, the historical situation changes and the historical tasks facing society. Thus, the circumstances of the peaceful coexistence of various ethnic groups on the territory of European Russia gave rise, in the words of the writer F.M. Dostoevsky, national tolerance and “worldwide responsiveness” of Russians.

An important feature of the Russian character was patience, which ensured survival in the natural and climatic conditions of Eastern Europe. Added to this were constant wars, upheavals, and the hardships of life under the 250-year-old Tatar-Mongol yoke. In Rus' they said: “God endured and commanded us,” “For patience God gives salvation,” “Patience and labor will grind everything down.” The main condition for patience was its moral validity.

The life of a Russian person required unification into work collectives, artels, and communities. A person’s personal interests and his well-being were often placed below the well-being of the community and the state. Harsh life required fulfillment of duty, endless overcoming of difficulties; Circumstances often acted not on the side of a person, but against him, so the fulfillment of what the Great Russians planned was perceived as rare luck, luck, a gift of fate. Due to low productivity and riskiness, unpredictability of results, work for the Russian peasant became a natural, God-given occupation, rather, a punishment (suffering - from the word “suffering”).

The openness of borders and the constant external threat instilled in Russian people feelings of self-sacrifice and heroism. The consciousness of the people connected foreign invasions with the sinfulness of people. Invasions are punishments for sins and a test of perseverance and pleasing to God. Therefore, in Rus' it has always been righteous “not sparing your belly” to defend your land from the “infidels”.

The soul of the people was largely nurtured by Orthodoxy. The philosopher S. Bulgakov wrote: “The people’s worldview and spiritual way of life are determined by the Faith of Christ. No matter how far the distance between ideal and reality may be here, the norm is Christian asceticism. Asceticism is the whole story, with the Tatars oppressing him, standing at the post of guarding civilization in this cruel climate, with eternal hunger strikes, cold, suffering.” The values ​​of Orthodoxy merged with moral values ​​and formed the moral core of the people.

Traits of the Russian national character include irrationality of thinking, when figurative, emotional forms prevail over conceptual ones, when practicality and prudence recede into the background. This is also one of the sides of Russian “dual faith,” that is, the preservation and mutual integration of paganism and Orthodoxy.

Patience and humility went hand in hand with love of freedom. Byzantine and Arab authors wrote about the love of freedom of the Slavs in ancient times. The cruelest serfdom could easily coexist with the love of freedom as long as it did not encroach on the inner world of man or until boundless violence ensued. Protest resulted in uprisings and, more often than not, retreat to undeveloped lands. The geopolitical realities of Eastern Europe and Siberia allowed this to be done for many centuries.

At the same time, the best features of the national character crystallized within subethnic groups. In the minds of the Cossack, military valor and fulfillment of duty were elevated to absolutes, in the minds of the Siberian - inflexibility, perseverance and perseverance.

Thus, the partially examined traits of the Russian character make it possible to highlight duality, the struggle of opposites. According to the philosopher N. Berdyaev, Russia itself is “dual”: it has united different cultures, “Russia is East-West.”

Academician D.S. Likhachev wrote: “We need to understand the traits of the Russian character... Correctly directed. These traits are an invaluable quality of a Russian person. A revival of self-esteem, a revival of conscience and the concept of honesty - this is, in general terms, what we need.”

IN. Klyuchevsky:“The prudent Great Russian sometimes loves, headlong, to choose the most hopeless and imprudent solution, contrasting the whim of nature with the whim of his own courage. This inclination to tease happiness, to play with luck is the Great Russian maybe. Not a single people in Europe is capable of such intense labor for a short time as the Great Russians can develop... we will not find such an unaccustomed attitude to even, moderate and measured, constant work as in Great Russia.

He is generally reserved and cautious, even timid, always on his own mind... self-doubt excites his strength, and success weakens it. The inability to calculate in advance, figure out a plan of action and go straight to the intended goal was noticeably reflected in the mentality of the Great Russian... he became more cautious than prudent... Russian people are strong in hindsight...”

ON THE. Berdyaev:“In a Russian person there is no narrowness of a European person, concentrating his energy on a small space of the soul, there is no this prudence, economy of space and time... The power of breadth over the Russian soul gives rise to a whole series of Russian qualities and Russian shortcomings. Russian laziness, carelessness, lack of initiative, and a poorly developed sense of responsibility are associated with this. The land rules over the Russian man... The Russian man, the man of the earth, feels helpless to take possession of these spaces and organize them. He is too accustomed to entrust this organization to the central government...”

Alfred Goettner:“The severity and stinginess of nature, deprived, however, of the wild power of the sea and high mountains, taught him the passive virtues of contentment with little, patience, obedience - virtues further strengthened by the history of the country...”

The Russian people are representatives of the East Slavic ethnic group, the indigenous inhabitants of Russia (110 million people - 80% of the population of the Russian Federation), the largest ethnic group in Europe. The Russian diaspora numbers about 30 million people and is concentrated in countries such as Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, the countries of the former USSR, the USA and EU countries. As a result of sociological research, it was found that 75% of the Russian population of Russia are followers of Orthodoxy, and a significant part of the population does not consider itself to be a member of any particular religion. The national language of the Russian people is Russian.

Each country and its people have their own significance in the modern world; the concepts of folk culture and history of a nation, their formation and development are very important. Each nation and its culture are unique in their own way, the flavor and uniqueness of each nationality should not be lost or dissolved in assimilation with other peoples, the younger generation should always remember who they really are. For Russia, which is a multinational power and home to 190 peoples, the issue of national culture is quite acute, due to the fact that in recent years its erasure has been especially noticeable against the background of the cultures of other nationalities.

Culture and life of the Russian people

(Russian folk costume)

The first associations that arise with the concept of “Russian people” are, of course, breadth of soul and strength of spirit. But national culture is formed by people, and it is these character traits that have a huge influence on its formation and development.

One of the distinctive features of the Russian people has always been and is simplicity; in former times, Slavic houses and property were very often subjected to looting and complete destruction, hence the simplified attitude towards everyday issues. And of course, these trials that befell the long-suffering Russian people only strengthened their character, made them stronger and taught them to get out of any life situations with their heads held high.

Another trait that prevails in the character of the Russian ethnic group can be called kindness. The whole world is well aware of the concept of Russian hospitality, when “they feed you, give you something to drink, and put you to bed.” A unique combination of such qualities as cordiality, mercy, compassion, generosity, tolerance and, again, simplicity, very rarely found among other peoples of the world, all this is fully manifested in the very breadth of the Russian soul.

Hard work is another one of the main traits of the Russian character, although many historians in the study of the Russian people note both its love of work and enormous potential, as well as its laziness, as well as complete lack of initiative (remember Oblomov in Goncharov’s novel). But still, the efficiency and endurance of the Russian people is an indisputable fact that is difficult to argue against. And no matter how much scientists around the world want to understand the “mysterious Russian soul,” it is unlikely that any of them can do it, because it is so unique and multifaceted that its “zest” will forever remain a secret to everyone.

Traditions and customs of the Russian people

(Russian meal)

Folk traditions and customs represent a unique connection, a kind of “bridge of times” connecting the distant past with the present. Some of them have their roots in the pagan past of the Russian people, even before the baptism of Rus'; little by little their sacred meaning was lost and forgotten, but the main points have been preserved and are still observed. In villages and towns, Russian traditions and customs are honored and remembered to a greater extent than in cities, which is due to the more isolated lifestyle of city residents.

A large number of rituals and traditions are associated with family life (this includes matchmaking, wedding celebrations, and the baptism of children). Carrying out ancient rites and rituals guaranteed a successful and happy life in the future, the health of descendants and the general well-being of the family.

(Colorized photograph of a Russian family at the beginning of the 20th century)

Since ancient times, Slavic families were distinguished by a large number of family members (up to 20 people), adult children, having already gotten married, remained to live in their home, the head of the family was the father or older brother, everyone had to obey them and unquestioningly carry out all their orders. Typically, wedding celebrations were held either in the fall, after the harvest, or in the winter after the Epiphany holiday (January 19). Then the first week after Easter, the so-called “Red Hill,” began to be considered a very successful time for a wedding. The wedding itself was preceded by a matchmaking ceremony, when the groom's parents came to the bride's family along with his godparents, if the parents agreed to give their daughter in marriage, then a bridesmaid ceremony was held (meeting the future newlyweds), then there was a ceremony of collusion and hand-waving (the parents resolved the issues of the dowry and the date of the wedding festivities ).

The rite of baptism in Rus' was also interesting and unique, the child had to be baptized immediately after birth, for this purpose godparents were chosen, who would be responsible for the life and well-being of the godson all his life. When the baby was one year old, they sat him on the inside of a sheep's coat and cut his hair, cutting a cross on the crown, with such meaning that evil spirits would not be able to penetrate his head and would not have power over him. Every Christmas Eve (January 6), a slightly older godson should bring kutia (wheat porridge with honey and poppy seeds) to his godparents, and they, in turn, should give him sweets.

Traditional holidays of the Russian people

Russia is truly a unique state where, along with the highly developed culture of the modern world, they carefully honor the ancient traditions of their grandfathers and great-grandfathers, going back centuries and preserving the memory of not only Orthodox vows and canons, but also the most ancient pagan rites and sacraments. To this day, pagan holidays are celebrated, people listen to signs and age-old traditions, remember and tell their children and grandchildren ancient traditions and legends.

Main national holidays:

• Christmas Jan. 7
• Christmastide January 6 - 9
• Baptism January 19
• Maslenitsa from 20 to 26 February

• Forgiveness Sunday ( before the onset of Lent)
• Palm Sunday ( on the Sunday before Easter)
• Easter ( the first Sunday after the full moon, which occurs no earlier than the day of the conventional vernal equinox on March 21)
• Red hill ( first Sunday after Easter)

• Trinity ( on Sunday on the day of Pentecost - the 50th day after Easter)
• Ivan Kupala July 7
• Peter and Fevronia Day July 8
• Elijah's day August 2

• Honey Spas August 14
• Apple Spas August 19
• Third (Khlebny) Spas August 29
• Pokrov day October 14

There is a belief that on the night of Ivan Kupala (July 6-7), once a year a fern flower blooms in the forest, and whoever finds it will gain untold wealth. In the evening, large bonfires are lit near rivers and lakes, people dressed in festive ancient Russian attires lead round dances, sing ritual chants, jump over the fire, and let wreaths float downstream, in the hope of finding their soul mate.

Maslenitsa is a traditional holiday of the Russian people, celebrated during the week before Lent. A very long time ago, Maslenitsa was more likely not a holiday, but a ritual when the memory of departed ancestors was honored, placating them with pancakes, asking them for a fertile year, and spending the winter by burning a straw effigy. Time passed, and the Russian people, thirsting for fun and positive emotions in the cold and dull season, turned the sad holiday into a more cheerful and daring celebration, which began to symbolize the joy of the imminent end of winter and the arrival of the long-awaited warmth. The meaning has changed, but the tradition of baking pancakes remained, exciting winter entertainment appeared: sledding and horse-drawn sled rides, a straw effigy of Winter was burned, throughout the entire Maslenitsa week relatives went to pancakes with their mother-in-law and sister-in-law, an atmosphere of celebration and fun reigned everywhere , various theatrical and puppet shows were held on the streets with the participation of Petrushka and other folklore characters. One of the very colorful and dangerous entertainments on Maslenitsa was fist fights; the male population took part in them, for whom it was an honor to take part in a kind of “military affair” that tested their courage, boldness and dexterity.

Christmas and Easter are considered especially revered Christian holidays among the Russian people.

The Nativity of Christ is not only a bright holiday of Orthodoxy, it also symbolizes the revival and return to life, the traditions and customs of this holiday, filled with kindness and humanity, high moral ideals and the triumph of the spirit over worldly concerns, are being rediscovered and rethought by society in the modern world. The day before Christmas (January 6) is called Christmas Eve, because the main dish of the festive table, which should consist of 12 dishes, is a special porridge “sochivo”, consisting of boiled cereal, drizzled with honey, sprinkled with poppy seeds and nuts. You can sit down at the table only after the first star appears in the sky. Christmas (January 7) is a family holiday, when everyone gathered at one table, ate a festive treat and gave each other gifts. The 12 days after the holiday (until January 19) are called Christmastide. Previously, at this time, girls in Rus' held various gatherings with fortune telling and rituals to attract suitors.

Easter has long been considered a great holiday in Rus', which people associated with the day of general equality, forgiveness and mercy. On the eve of Easter celebrations, Russian women usually bake kulichi (festive rich Easter bread) and Easter eggs, clean and decorate their homes, young people and children paint eggs, which, according to ancient legend, symbolize drops of the blood of Jesus Christ crucified on the cross. On the day of Holy Easter, smartly dressed people, meeting, say “Christ is Risen!”, answer “Truly He is Risen!”, followed by a three-time kiss and an exchange of festive Easter eggs.

Russia cannot be understood with the mind, it cannot be measured with a common yardstick: it has become something special - one can only believe in Russia. Fedor Tyutchev.

If the holy army shouts:

“Throw away Rus', live in paradise!”

I will say: “There is no need for heaven,

Give me my homeland."

Sergey Yesenin.

Who are these strange Russians, and what strange laws do they live by?

What is so special about the Russian character, and why doesn’t even a similar mentality exist anywhere in the world?

Why is the behavior of a Russian person abroad so recognizable, and for what reason are we either adored or hated, but never simply indifferent?

All attempts by the government to build in our state a state that lives strictly according to the laws and consciously observes them have failed with a deafening crash. Any imposed Western-style values ​​are rejected by our people like a foreign body.

What is the reason? After all, all of Western Europe and America has stood and prospered on these principles for many years.

At the same time, the revolutionary ideas of Lenin and, which have no analogues anywhere in the world and are not supported by any other countries, were received with a bang, and in just two decades they turned the political system upside down, creating a society that was fundamentally different in its mechanisms of existence.

What was it? A utopian idea that has taken root in an atypically thinking society?

You can't understand Russia with your mind,

The general arshin cannot be measured:

She will become special -

You can only believe in Russia.

Fedor Tyutchev.

Faith has always occupied a special place in the life of Russian people, but at the same time we have always been tolerant of people of other faiths. Many nationalities have always coexisted in Russia, and each had its own religion.

Russian character has always been a mystery to any foreigner. Completely illogical actions - this strange tendency towards daring recklessness, ostentatious, inexplicable generosity, reaching the point of wastefulness, love for luxurious expensive things, even for one day, even without a penny in his pocket, as if it were his last day, and then take it and give it away everything to anyone, even to the first person you meet - no, it’s impossible to understand.

Terrible, brutal crime, total corruption and thieves' laws, which are observed better than the criminal code - is this also a feature of the national character or a dead end into which the whole country has reached?

Can our people abroad become so “at home” that they feel happy?

What determines the Russian character - heredity, climate, social system or landscape conditions?

Read on for the most comprehensive and most unexpected answers...

National character. Hot blood of the cold steppes

Russian character is a psychological portrait of an entire people, the mentality of the state, and not even Russia alone. It is partially present in every Russian person; these are the features that unite us, make us similar, create the basis on which we understand each other a little better than people with a different mentality.

The formation of national character took place over many centuries, the foundation for this was the special geopolitics of one of the great leaders of the past - Genghis Khan.

The unique combination of endless steppes and impenetrable forests created the preconditions for the emergence of the urethral-muscular mentality, which forms the basis of the Russian character.

The specific role of the representative of the urethral vector is the leader, the head of the tribe, his task is to preserve the living matter of the flock, advance it into the future or develop new lands.

Unpredictable strategic thinking, complete absence of fear and high endurance are the properties that ensure the implementation of its species role.

The highest rank, the first right to bite, given by nature, cannot be challenged or doubted. Anyone who encroaches on his primacy will instantly know what urethral lion wrath is. There can only be one leader in a pack; when a second one appears, everything is decided by a mortal fight, the outcome of which is either the death of one of them or expulsion. The defeated one, at best, leaves to look for his pack.

He himself does not obey anyone and does not recognize any restrictions, having an innate sense of mercy and justice. Merciless towards strangers and the most tolerant towards his own, he forgives everything except crimes against the pack, for which he punishes immediately - cruelly and mercilessly.

The interests of the pack are of the highest value to him; personal interests are always deeply secondary. His pleasure is in giving, in the realization of his animal altruism. That is why the communist ideas of building an ideal society, where everyone works for the good of the country, receiving as much as they need to live, turned out to be so close to the hearts of the Russian people.

The most generous and selfless, he will give his last shirt to the one who needs it most. With this he satisfies his needs for bestowal and receives his pleasure. A fur coat from a master's shoulder, expensive gifts and fabulous tips - all this is a manifestation of urethral generosity, a kind of evidence of his highest rank, his status.

Hence the love for fame and luxury - the leader must have everything that is most expensive, luxurious and unique, but at the same time he has absolutely no intention of keeping, saving or hoarding it all. These are trifles, albeit royal ones, but compared to his goals and values, all these are trifles that he can give to anyone he meets whenever he wants.

Risk is a noble cause!

This expression is typical only for Russians. A leader cannot have fear. He is always the first to rush into battle, the first to attack, conquer new unexplored horizons, and commit actions that no one else is capable of. He was born for this, the whole flock follows him, he does not and cannot have any other way. Only for the flags, only forward, contrary to common sense, logic or experience. Restrictions, rules, laws are for others, he has a purpose and nothing else matters. And this goal is to preserve the flock, even at the cost of one’s own life, the goal is still more important.

Only a representative of the urethral vector is capable of making the decision to ram or throw himself into an embrasure, as the Heroes of the Great Patriotic War did, defending the Motherland, their people, even at the cost of their own lives.

The Russian man is a simple man

The impenetrable taiga and other forest areas of Russia are the closest and dearest place for representatives of the muscle vector: only they can accurately navigate and feel quite comfortable among dense forests.

The properties of the muscle vector are basic for all living beings, so they simply dissolve in the desires of other vectors, strengthening them.

The perception of oneself, characteristic of the muscle vector, as only an inseparable part of the common collective “we” and a wary attitude towards strangers is strikingly mixed with urethral generosity, tolerance and hospitality, turning into so-called xenophobia in reverse. This was manifested by our inexplicable love for foreigners, for whom we always set a sumptuous table, organized holidays, gave gifts, and gave the most beautiful girls as wives.

It is thanks to this property that a wide variety of nationalities with their own culture, traditions and religions coexisted peacefully in our vast country.

A muscular person will never take more than he needs for life, he simply does not have such a need and such a desire, and in combination with urethral altruism, he would rather give his own than take what is extra. , it was the muscular people who were ready to work for the good of the Motherland practically for free all their lives.

We have always lived this way - at the call of our souls

The reasons are obvious why the sound idea of ​​Lenin and Trotsky, pushed forward by the urethral commissars and which found a response in the inner world of every Russian person, in such a short time brought such significant results and radically changed the face of the country.

Close to the urethral mentality, such values ​​of the anal vector as honesty, decency, friendship, respect for elders, for the traditions of the past became widespread and became generally accepted, especially during the anal phase of human development, which ended with the end of the Great Patriotic War.

With the transition to the Russian people who until recently considered themselves Soviet, they found themselves in a contradictory situation.

On the one hand, the urethral mentality was and remains, but at the same time, the new values ​​of modern society are sharply opposed to such a mentality.

The basis of all properties of the skin vector are restrictions that absolutely cannot be perceived in the urethral mentality. Any laws, rules, regulations, which are mandatory mechanisms for regulating skin society, are rejected by the Russian character, which is based on an unrestricted urethral mentality.

The cutaneous phase of human development, like any other, is inevitable for everyone, including Russians. To judge her as good or bad would be wrong. It continues, and Russia also lives in a world of consumption, high technology and law. Somewhere it’s clumsy, somewhere it’s different, but we are learning to adapt the landscape in such strange conditions for us. This is development, moving forward, a kind of evolution, overcoming obstacles.

It is impossible to fence off the endless steppe, it is simply impossible. Making a leader obey is even more impossible. He would rather die in a mortal fight, but would not bow his head, especially in front of some leather worker, who by nature has a rank significantly lower than the leader. This behavior is contrary to the entire urethral nature. He didn’t care about any skin laws. The law is his word! This is how nature sets it, this is how he feels and simply cannot live any other way.

His urethral laws are the most correct, since they are based on real mercy and justice without a shadow of personal gain, only for the good of the pack, for the same reason they completely contradict logical and rational skin values ​​and cannot be understood.

Representatives of the urethral vector, who have not received sufficient development of their properties before the end of puberty, and often, on the contrary, are beaten at home and driven into the school confines, run away from home in search of their pack, which they find on the street, among street children. Perceiving the world as hostile, as it was throughout childhood, they learn to defend themselves from it and protect their pack, living by their own laws and turning into a crime boss.

The laws of thieves, for all their cruelty, are fair, but they are fair for a primitive society, for an animal pack and are, in fact, a manifestation of the archetypal program of the urethral vector.

In which feelings of mercy, justice and responsibility for others are brought up, he perceives the entire society as his flock and is capable of bringing socially useful benefits into it like no one else.

Representatives of the Western skin mentality, being next to Russians, subconsciously feel their lower rank due to our urethral mentality. It manifests itself in any case, even if we are talking about a person with a skin vector, who, it would seem, has every chance of harmoniously fitting into a developed consumer society. A Westerner gets enormous stress from the way Russians spend money, because for him saving is a priority, rational logical thinking in everything, which does not fit into urethral habits. Many Western women are captivated by the passionate, generous Russian nature, but at the same time they are alarmed by inexplicable behavior and illogical life decisions, and men are humiliated by the position of a lower rank next to the leader, even if all these points are not clearly manifested in behavior.

Misunderstanding of the behavior of Russians abroad is due to the peculiarities of the national character, which simply cannot be understood in a skin society due to the significant remoteness of innate properties. Only awareness of one’s own nature and the qualities of another person makes it possible to harmoniously communicate with a representative of any vector or mentality, since there are no bad or good vectors, everything depends on the level of development and degree of realization of the properties of each individual person.

A society with a urethral mentality is where the next phase of human development will begin, based on spiritual altruism. Read what awaits us in the next article.

National character is a set of the most significant defining features of an ethnic group and a nation, by which it is possible to distinguish representatives of one nation from another. A Chinese proverb says: “As the land and river are, so is the character of man.” Each nation has its own special character. Much has been said and written about the secrets of the Russian soul, about the Russian national character. And this is not accidental, because Russia, having a long history, experiencing a lot of suffering and changes, occupying a special geographical position, having absorbed the features of both Western and Eastern civilizations, has the right to be the object of close attention and targeted study. Especially today, at the turn of the third millennium, when, in connection with the profound changes that have occurred in Russia, interest in it is increasingly increasing. The character of the people and the fate of the country are closely interconnected and influence each other throughout the entire historical path, so there is a noticeable increased interest in the national character of the Russian people. As the Russian proverb says: “When you sow character, you reap destiny.”

National character is reflected both in fiction, philosophy, journalism, art, and in language. For language is a mirror of culture, it reflects not only the real world surrounding a person, not only the real conditions of his life, but also the social consciousness of the people, their mentality, national character, way of life, traditions, customs, morality, value system, attitude, vision of the world. Therefore, a language must be studied in inextricable unity with the world and culture of the people speaking the given language. Proverbs and sayings are a reflection of folk wisdom; they contain the people’s idea of ​​themselves, and therefore the secrets of the Russian national character can be tried to be comprehended through Russian proverbs and sayings.

Limiting the scope of the essay, I will not list all the features of the Russian people, but will focus only on typical positive features.

Hard work, talent.

Russian people are gifted and hardworking. He has many talents and abilities in almost all areas of public life. He is characterized by observation, theoretical and practical intelligence, natural ingenuity, ingenuity, and creativity. The Russian people are great workers, creators and creators, and have enriched the world with great cultural achievements. It is difficult to list even a small part of what has become the property of Russia itself.

Love of freedom.

Love of freedom is one of the main, deep-seated properties of the Russian people. The history of Russia is the history of the struggle of the Russian people for their freedom and independence. For the Russian people, freedom is above all.

Willpower, courage and bravery.

Possessing a freedom-loving character, the Russian people repeatedly defeated invaders and achieved great success in peaceful construction. Proverbs reflect the traits of Russian soldiers: “Better death in battle than shame in the ranks,” “Either a colonel or a dead man.” These same traits also manifest themselves in the lives of peaceful people. “He who doesn’t take risks doesn’t drink champagne” - about the fact that the Russian people love to take risks. “It’s either hit or miss” - about the determination to do something, to take risks, despite possible failure, death. The proverbs are similar in meaning: “Either your chest is in the crosses, or your head is in the bushes,” “Either your foot is in the stirrup, or your head is in the stump,” “Either you eat a fish or run aground.”

The proverb “If you are afraid of wolves, do not go into the forest” says that there is no point in getting down to business if you are afraid of the difficulties ahead. And luck always accompanies the brave: “Luck is the companion of the brave,” “He who dares eats.”

Patience and perseverance.

This is perhaps one of the most characteristic features of the Russian people, which has become literally legendary. Russians seem to have limitless patience, an amazing ability to endure difficulties, hardships and suffering. In Russian culture, patience and the ability to endure suffering are the ability to exist, the ability to respond to external circumstances, this is the basis of personality.

Hospitality, generosity and generosity of nature.

Russian hospitality is well known: “Even though you’re not rich, you’re welcome.” The best treat is always ready for the guest: “When there is something in the oven, it’s all swords on the table!”, “Don’t feel sorry for the guest, but pour it thicker.”

Russian people greet a guest on the threshold of their home. The custom of presenting guests with bread and salt comes from time immemorial and is still preserved in Russia. Bread and salt is at the same time a greeting, an expression of cordiality, and a wish for good and prosperity to the guest: “Eat bread and salt, and listen to good people.” Without bread there is no life, there is no true Russian table.

Responsiveness.

A distinctive feature of the Russian people is their responsiveness, the ability to understand another person, a sensitive attitude to someone else’s state of mind, the ability to integrate with the culture of other peoples and respect it. Amazing ethnic tolerance, as well as an exceptional ability to empathize, the ability to understand and accept other peoples allowed the Russian nation to create an empire unprecedented in history.

Religiosity.

One of the deepest traits of the Russian character is religiosity. The religious worldview played an important role in the formation of both the nation as a whole and the Russian personality individually. This characteristic deep feature of the Russian national personality has been reflected since ancient times in folklore, in proverbs: “To live is to serve God,” “God’s hand is strong,” “God’s hand is master,” “No one can, so God will help,” “With God.” If you go, you will reach good things" - these proverbs say that God is omnipotent and helps believers in everything.