Why you can’t pour on weight: the history and explanation of signs

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

There are many superstitions in the Russian mentality. All of them come from history and in one way or another originate in our cultural traditions. In particular, table superstitions are very strong. Probably, there is not a single Russian who would not observe them. And yet, few people wonder what caused the birth of these beliefs.

Table superstitions

Among the main signs are the following:

• You can't clink glasses twice. If, nevertheless, it turned out two, then you definitely need to clink glasses a third time, so that it would not be bad.
• When you go crazy, you should immediately drink. You can’t put a glass on the table without even taking a sip after the toast.
• You can't pour alcohol on the weight (why - let's try to figure it out further).
• Don't put empty bottles on the table.
• If a girl wants to get married, she can't sit at the table on the corner.
• If a spoon falls from the table, then a woman will come to visit, if a fork is a man. And if the knife is a nuisance.

Believe today

Scientists say that omens are a relic of paganism. When people searched and found the supernatural in the ordinary, in order to explain the world around them in this way. Make it more logical and therefore more controllable. To feel safe in it. They regard superstition as an atavism in modern society. However, this does not prevent a huge number of people from continuing to believe in them.

In other countries, for example, in the USA or Australia, they do not know why it is impossible to pour by weight, and have not even heard of such a sign. Cultures that are not prone to superstition in principle are cool about the dining traditions of other countries, sometimes even considering them backward for this.

Let's figure out why it's still impossible to pour on weight and where this sign came from (or how) this sign was born.

Origin

There are several logical explanations for the origin of this superstition among the people.

According to one of them, three hundred years ago, when the main population of today's Russia were peasants, on major holidays landlords and boyars treated their workers to alcohol. He was brought in barrels to the square or to the porch of the owner's house, and everyone who wanted to put their glass under the stream to collect treats. The boyars always filled their glasses standing on the table. Or they filled the glasses of the servant, and also on the table, so that God forbid not to spill anything on the owner. Since the majority of the people were poor, and remained so, the difference in the way the glass was filled became associated with the level of poverty / we alth of the person.

Another version explains why you can't pourvodka on weight - there will be no he alth, and they are waiting for misfortune. It's like cutting bread by weight. Both products are considered staples in Russian cuisine and therefore should not be neglected or treated without due respect. And if you do, you can't avoid trouble on your head.

Another version of the explanation why it is impossible to pour by weight came to us from France. Five hundred years ago, in the era of the struggle for the throne between several families and even blood relatives, poisoning was in vogue. Not always through food, but most often with it.

The most popular way to get rid of a rival for power was poisoning during a feast. Then if you pour a glass on weight, you will definitely be distracted from it even for a moment to put the bottle down. That's when they can pour poison on you. Therefore, they did not pour on weight. And it is from here that the tradition of clinking glasses before drinking alcohol at the table began. Upon collision, the wine spilled over the rim and was mixed in different glasses. Thus, if someone poured poison, then he himself would be poisoned.

Well, the last and simplest explanation why you can not pour on weight. The sign is that in a tipsy state there is a considerable risk of pouring or throwing alcohol over the edges. Whereas a vessel fixed on the table is easier to replenish and exactly the amount that is needed. Indeed, often at feasts people drink to the bottom, and in this way, each time pouring a full glass, neither the bottle nor the person will last for a long time.

Neutralize superstition

What to do if on purpose or bymistake, you poured a glass on weight? There are two ways to get rid of the negative influence of belief on you:

1. Oddly enough, it's just not to believe in superstitions.
2. If you can't believe it and you have a feeling that something bad is bound to happen, then don't worry, you can deal with it too. It is enough just to pour out part of the drink from the glass, mentally seeing off the bad omen along with the pouring liquid. And you can safely continue to drink without fear for your well-being.

Undoubtedly, all superstitions are based on something. However, it has been proven many times that only what you yourself believe in, and as long as you believe in it, comes true.