In Ukrainian society there are special peculiarities, norms of behavior which may seem unusual. Some of them are a tribute to the tradition, others are a result of a fancy historical and cultural development. We’ll try to tell you about habits, customs, peculiarities of culture which are characteristic for Slavic ladies, which may seem strange.
Well, if you are planning to visit Ukraine, keep in mind the following things. First, here guests are always welcome. Ukrainian women consider it necessary to show all places of interest in their city. Second, they always worry that a guest should be well fed as if he has just left the table. You will have to get used to it.

Anna from Donetsk		Yuliya from Lugansk		Alina from Artemovsk

How and what about do they talk?

Don’t be embarrassed if you meet many smiling faces in the street or in any other place. It doesn’t mean at all that something bad has happened. Ukrainians are not used to smiling without a reason. But try to smile to a girl passing by and she will surely answer you with a smile. And, be sure, she will smile to you with all her heart. Ukrainian girls are used to doing everything connected with communication sincerely. It is inappropriate to ask ‘how are you?’ in Ukraine. Having heard this question, a woman can really think that you are interested in it and you will get an answer level of detail of which will depend on your level of acquaintance with her and on how much time you have. That’s why it is better to use traditional ‘Good afternoon’, ‘Hello’ and so on. And, on the opposite, if a woman asks ‘How are you?’ she is ready to get much more than a simple answer and not just of an interest, but because she is really ready to support you.

What language does she speak?

What language do people speak in Ukraine? One can hear much about a language problem in Ukraine. What’s it about? Ukrainian is an official language here, and it’s quite logical. It is used in education at schools and universities, people speak Ukrainian in government departments, during official events. However, during several centuries, beginning from the times of the Russian Empire which included the major part of modern Ukraine, and later USSR, Russian language occupied stable position in Ukrainian society. There is a territorial differentiation: in the East and the South of the country the majority of people speak Russian in everyday communication, and in the West and the North Ukrainian is used in all spheres. Fortunately, almost in the whole country both languages are understood. One should specially admit that many young women speak foreign languages as well . English, German, and French are the most popular for learning in Ukraine.

Julia from Kiev		Liliya from Kostopil		Veronika from Odessa

If you are invited on a visit…

We should warn you that such events as visits and parties are not planned by Ukrainians beforehand if it is not a holiday or an important event in one’s life. By the way, they can invite to their birthday one day before or even at the same day. It’s also a peculiarity of communication culture. For example, it is quite normal to call a friend and ask if she is not busy in the evening to come on a visit or to accept for a visit. And if everyone agrees, a warm meeting may occur at home or in the restaurant in the same evening. Probably, it’s not quite rational and can be not very convenient. However, here are some pros. Why should one postpone it if one wants to have a holiday today? Those who come on a visit usually take something to eat or drink with them. It can be juice, wine, a cake or candies. If you are invited for a family holiday, a gift or a bouquet of flowers can be appropriate. There are various superstitions which are not believed though followed by Ukrainian women. For example, they never greet each other or pass anything across a doorstep, never whistle in a house. And there should be an odd number of flowers in a bouquet.

Anna from Dnepropetrovsk		Elena from Cherkasy		Oksana from Kiev

The role of a woman in the society

The role of a woman in a family and the society are different from those in the countries of Europe and the USA in being more traditional. Ukrainian brides can be conventionally divided into 2 categories in 70:30 correlation.
The first are girls who possess more femininity, attractiveness and sexuality . Such women don’t want to concur with men, make business and devote themselves fully to work, because, to their opinion, it turns them into men. They are directed at family creation, they want children, love, home. In Ukraine today there are many women who have got a definite material freedom, they even don’t think of work fully devoting themselves to family and children. It means that the material freedom gives a woman her essence back.
The second category is those who absorb tendencies of men actively: career, increasing of personal ambitions, achieving of a high social status. Such tendencies are nowadays fashionable among young people. They are an object of social advertisement. To this category also belong female followers of emancipation and feminists. They strive for concurrence with men, equality. From the point of view of a traditional historical culture, this category of women deviates from a traditional woman’s essence, while people loose their soul, their likes and a woman seizes to be a woman in concurrence and pursuit of success. Surely, a national cultural archetype of a woman-mother affects psychological patterns in the society. According to this archetype, Ukrainian women are strong, expansive, and are good homemakers