I decided to write a post about this amazing country and about my Motherland, since many Russians don’t really know anything about Belarus, and they only speak with the words and thoughts that they are told from zombies (TVs).
1. If you enter Belarus from Russia, nothing fundamentally changes, but you will immediately notice some visual differences.
2. Belarusian domains do not end with .ru, but with .by.
3. Prices are indicated in rubles, but by the standards of Russians, they are simply stunning. The fact is that one Russian ruble costs about 270 Belarusian rubles, so the inscription “Laptop for only 3,999,000 rubles” will not surprise anyone.
4. The names of many companies begin with Bel: Beltelecom, Belarusbank, Belgosstrakh, etc.
5. The official symbolism is its own, here you will not see a double-headed eagle anywhere.
6. The population of Belarus is 9.5 million, two of them live in Minsk.
7. In Belarus, only Minsk is a millionaire city. The second largest city, Gomel, has about 500,000 inhabitants.
8. Service in the army is quite long - 1.5 years. It is impossible to pay off (at least I have not heard of such a thing). Conscripts are only looking for all sorts of sores in order to "hang" from serving the fatherland. And many, I must say, find it.
9. A ticket in a Minsk cinema costs an average of $3-4.
10. There is a station "Kastrychnitskaya" in the Minsk metro. The name often amuses guests from Russia and Ukraine. And it is translated as “October”, since “October” in Belarusian will be “kastrychnik”.
11. The largest ancient forest in Europe is located in Belarus - this is Belovezhskaya Pushcha, in which there are almost 2000 giant trees. Some of them are older than the discovery of America by Columbus. Part of Belovezhskaya Pushcha is located on the territory of Poland. By the way, an agreement was signed in Belovezhskaya Pushcha on the disintegration Soviet Union.
12. The famous Bobruisk is located in Belarus - the capital of Albany and the favorite city of Shura Balaganov.
13. The KGB and the traffic police in Belarus were not renamed.
14. Krambambula is made in Belarus - alcoholic drink infused with honey and herbs. It can be drunk both cold and hot. To be honest, not all Belarusians themselves know about krambambula, but educated people always know. A bottle of Krambambuli will become great gift friends at home. It can be bought at the Korona hypermarket.
15. Currency can be exchanged at any of the banks. At the same time, there are no settlement cash desks, as in Russia, in which they sometimes charge a significant commission.
16. Minsk is a very compact and convenient city for living; almost round, about 25 km in diameter. Until 1939, Minsk was called Mensk. It was almost renamed in the early 1990s.
17. By the way, there are no coins in circulation in Belarus. All paper money. The minimum banknote is 50 rubles (slightly more than 0.5 cents).
19. There is no religious enmity in Belarus. Often, people generally don’t know who professes what religion.
20. In the second half of the 1920s in Byelorussian SSR there were four state languages: Russian, Belarusian, Polish and Yiddish. Don't believe? Here is the coat of arms of the then BSSR.
21. The dog in the Belarusian language is he. “First pancake dogs” is the Belarusian equivalent of the saying “the first pancake is lumpy”.
22. In Belarus good roads, this is noted by all visitors. The roads are well marked.
23. "Milavitsa" is translated from Belarusian as "Venus". However, most people abroad associate Milavitsa with beautiful lingerie.
24. Independence Square in Minsk is one of the largest in Europe. Photo attached. By the way, the main avenue of the capital is also called Independence Avenue (in the 1990s and early 2000s it was called Francis Skaryna Avenue).
25. twice for Soviet history Mogilev almost became the capital of Belarus. The first time was in 1938, when the border of the USSR ran just a few kilometers from Minsk. Even the reconstruction of the city began, but then take it and the annexation of Western Belarus happened, and the idea of \u200b\u200btransferring the capital to Mogilev disappeared. The second time the question of relocation seriously arose after the liberation of Minsk from the invaders - the city was almost completely destroyed and there were two options: to build Minsk in a new place, or to transfer the capital to another. But it didn't work out.
26. There are three mobile operators in Belarus: MTS, Velcom and Life. Coverage 100%.
27. The average monthly salary in Belarus (on hand) is about $500, in Minsk - $600. Prices are comparable to Russian ones. The rent for most citizens is low. Behind two-room apartment you have to pay an average of $15 per month.
28. Collective farms have been preserved in Belarus, all fields are cultivated. This is especially noticeable when entering Belarus from Russia. The fields are really well-groomed and very beautiful. No weeds or weeds. This fact can also be verified by Google Maps. There are very few farmers in Belarus.
29. By the way, it is correct to speak and write - Belarus, not Belarus. Belarusians never say "Belarus".
30. IN Belarusian schools and universities marks are set on a 10-point scale. A four equals a three (on a five-point scale), a six equals a four, and a nine equals a five. The five-point scale has long been forgotten.
31. Everyone is learning English. Although the level of language proficiency still leaves much to be desired.
32. Guys usually meet girls at universities, at work or in the company of friends. On the street, meeting girls is not accepted, as well as talking to strangers.
33. Belarus has two official languages - Russian and Belarusian. Almost no one speaks the Belarusian language, even in the village, but everyone treats it warmly. Many Belarusians deep down regret that they have forgotten their culture.
34. The Belarusian language is equally similar to Polish and Russian. Therefore, a Belarusian will understand a Pole if he speaks slowly. Of all the languages, Belarusian seems to be the most similar to Ukrainian. Most of the words match.
35. Interesting words in Belarusian: “vyaselka” - “rainbow”, “murzilka” - “dirty”, “kali weasel” - “please”.
36. The Belarusian language is very beautiful. Russians and Ukrainians are struck by the fact that in Belarusian many words are written with an “a”, where in Russian or Ukrainian “o”. So do not be surprised at the inscriptions "Vakzal", "Malako", "Gorad", "Maskva".
37. Belarusians have a very warm attitude towards Russians and Ukrainians. Attitude towards foreigners is neutral. Respect for the Poles.
38. Yes, and Belarusians are well treated abroad (Poland, the Baltic States, the Czech Republic). Belarusians speak Russian, which is why they are often confused with Russians at first. After clarification, however, the attitude changes for the better. In the US, few people know that there is such a country - Belarus. And those who know immediately remember two things: Chernobyl and Lukashenka. What can you do?
39. Despite their cultural and historical closeness to Russia, Belarusians do not identify themselves with Russia.
40. Vodka in Belarusian will be “garelka”.
41. There are a lot of police on the streets. The militia was not renamed the police.
42. Giving a bribe to a traffic cop is extremely difficult. They practically don't. Driving with alcohol up to 0.3 ppm is allowed. If you are caught drunk, your rights will be taken away for sure.
43. In Belarus, they try to comply with traffic rules. It is extremely rare for a pedestrian to run a red light. Drivers always give way to pedestrians.
44. There are six regions in Belarus - Brest, Grodno, Vitebsk, Mogilev, Gomel and Minsk. The closest major city to Minsk is Vilnius.
45. By the way, Vilnius was the de facto capital of Belarus for more than six centuries; is the cradle of Belarusian culture. Previously, Vilnius was called Vilnia (or Vilna), and only in 1939 did it become Lithuanian.
46. Villages in western and eastern Belarus are strikingly different. In the west they are well-groomed, in the east they are much more neglected. That's noticeable.
47. Belarus has strained relations with the EU and the US. In this regard, in order to obtain a US visa, Belarusians travel to Lithuania or Russia.
48. In Belarus, you can not drink beer and alcohol on the street. Will be fined. Smoking is still allowed, but they want to introduce a ban.
49. There are many casinos in Belarus. Especially in Minsk. After Russia tightened gambling business, like mushrooms after the rain, casinos began to open in Belarus, which ensured an additional influx of foreign currency into the country.
50. You can't smoke marijuana, of course.
51. There are practically no non-Slavs, African Americans, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc. in Belarus.
52. A taxi in Minsk costs $0.5 per 1 km, travel in public transport and the metro - 25 cents (the fine for ticketless travel is less than $3). There are two metro lines in Minsk, located crosswise. In an hour by car you can get from anywhere in the city to any place without exception (in the evening and at night - in half an hour). Yes, and on public transport, in principle, too. There are few traffic jams.
53. In Minsk there is an amazing bike path about 40 km long. Bicycles have become very popular.
54.
The most famous Belarusian poets are Yanka Kupala and Yakub Kolas. This is a note.
Janka Kupala
55. Among the peoples of Europe, Belarusians were among the first to print their Bible. The first printing pioneer of the Eastern Slavs is Francis Skorina. He is Belarusian.
56. Half of Belarus wants to move to Minsk, but it is difficult for visitors. Housing costs from $1500 per square meter. Rent one-room apartment- about $300 per month, two-room - $450. Do not smile if you yourself are from Moscow :)
57. Belarus is very quiet and calm. You can walk at night without fear for your safety.
58. In Vitebsk, the famous “Slavianski Bazaar” takes place every year.
59. The coat of arms and the flag of Belarus are practically Soviet. From 1991 to 1995, the coat of arms of Belarus was "Pahonia" (the coat of arms of present-day Lithuania) and a white-red-white flag. They are now banned. Fans with this symbol are not allowed into stadiums. Young people sympathize with historical symbols. The “chase” is rooted in history for at least 700 years, since already in 1366 the local princes Jagiello and Vitovt used this plot on their seals with might and main.
60. Belarusian vodka is good, there is a lot in supermarkets foreign vodka, whiskey, etc.
61. To this day, in the capital of Belarus on Independence Square, you can see the set in Soviet times Lenin monument. In general, there are Lenins in every city.
62. When joining the customs union in Belarus, duties on foreign cars increased sharply. That is why, a year before, Belarusians imported a record number of good and practically new cars. Including Mercedes S-class, BMW 7, etc.
63. Many hotels are being built for the Ice Hockey World Championship. Hotels are few and expensive. But the situation is improving.
64. By the way, Belarus is crazy about hockey. Everywhere are being built ice palaces. More money is allocated for hockey than for football. People are much more interested in football (as elsewhere).
65. Everything in Belarus is heavily regulated. Street trading is practically absent, there are very few eateries and cafes. Shawarma and hot pancakes can only be bought in a few markets. IN major cities entirely the most modern hypermarkets and malls.
66. There are practically no beggars and homeless people.
67. Belarusian Victoria Azarenka for a long time retained the title of the first racket of the world.
68. There are two religions in Belarus: Orthodoxy and Catholicism. Catholics 20%. Many holidays are duplicated and are days off. For example, in Belarus the days off are December 25 and January 7. Likewise with Easter. In Belarus, Radunitsa - the day of remembrance of the ancestors - is a day off. But after the New Year on January 3, as a rule, you need to go to work.
69. In Belarus, money has not been called bunnies for a long time. Money with images of animals was in circulation from 1992 to 1996. Now in everyday life the Belarusian ruble is sometimes called "squirrel". Buildings are depicted on banknotes.
70. Also in Belarus, November 7 is a day off. In general, Belarus is very Soviet country- and it is true. Streets of Lenin, Sverdlov, Frunze en masse. However, in new districts, the streets are named after Belarusian figures: st. Napoleon Orda, st. Janki Luchiny, st. Iosif Zhinovich, etc. The newly opened metro stations were named "Grushevka", "Mikhalovo", "Petrovshchina".
71. At the same time, when visitors flaunt the fact that they are coming “back to the USSR”, this may alert the Belarusians a little. Belarusians live in the present, not in the Soviet Union.
72. A lot of Jews lived in Belarus. Now much less.
73. Jews are not “not loved” in Belarus. Anti-Semitism is not observed.
74. 20% of the territory of Belarus is contaminated with radiation after Chernobyl. You can enter the resettlement zones freely. In them you will see many signs with a warning about radiation. There are many living creatures in the resettlement zones: wolves, wild boars, elks.
75. Despite tolerance, Belarusians fought almost constantly throughout their history. You will not believe, but most of all - with Russia. Many times, as a result of wars, villages and cities were burned to the ground.
76. The death penalty has not yet been abolished in Belarus.
77. Belarus has won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest twice.
78. If we talk about national dishes, then for some reason everyone immediately remembers potato pancakes. However, if you say that you know such a dish as vereshchak, there will be no limit to the surprise of the Belarusian (not all Belarusians themselves are aware of it).
79. Probably, the majority of Russians and Ukrainians strongly associate Belarus with Lukashenka. Yes, Lukashenka has been ruling the country since 1994. However, Belarus is not only Lukashenka, believe me.
80. The proportion of the urban population is higher than in all neighboring countries without exception and is 75%.
81. There is absolutely no imperialism. As I already mentioned, the Belarusians do not consider themselves Russian in any way and do not make any claims to cultural, territorial and financial dominance.
82. In Belarus, women retire at 55 and men at 60.
83. There are many monuments of the Patriotic War in Belarus. Few people know that the war in Belarus began not on June 22, 1941, but on September 1, 1939. The men of the current Grodno and Brest regions were drafted into the ranks Polish army and fought against the Germans. During the war, every fourth Belarusian died.
84. In reality, Belarus suffered a lot during the Second World War. Minsk is practically rebuilt (and almost all cities). There are few old buildings. All buildings are Soviet.
85. Belarusian cities are clean and tidy.
86. Belarus has developed Agriculture. Belarus is among the top five world exporters of dairy products. The product quality is really high.
87. And in the top twenty - for the export of arms.
88. Belarus had nuclear weapon, but he was taken to Russia in the early 90s. So now Belarus is a nuclear-free territory.
89. Belarus has been in the same state with Lithuania for more than 600 years, with Poland for more than 300 years, and with Russia for almost 200 years.
90. There is no border with Russia, you can enter and not notice (even not everywhere there are signs). But upon entering Bryansk region the name of Russia is misspelled - "Russian Federation".
91. Many Russians come to Belarus for dental treatment, car painting, etc. High quality and cheaper than in Russia.
92. People come to Belarus to relax and “hang out”. The girls are very beautiful.
93. There are practically no rallies in Belarus. It is highly discouraged to go to them if you do not want to make problems for yourself. Not everyone is happy with the existing way of life, but they are silent about it.
94. In Belarus, you can't enter a university through blat. After 11 classes, applicants take centralized testing, everyone trusts it, since it is impossible to write off, knowing the answers in advance. It happens that the children of deans and rectors cannot enter the university where their parents work.
95. Belarus is very similar to Russia, but Belarus is not Russia.
96. There are many state-owned enterprises in Belarus, private business not very developed. Lots of rules and regulations. We constantly hear that something else is going to be nationalized.
97. Belarusians love Belarusian language, but are not as nationalists as the Ukrainians. Rather, they are indifferent.
98. Belarusians are coming and Russian channels. Also Euronews. Ukrainian and Polish - no.
99. Many Belarusians sincerely believe that complete lawlessness and total corruption still reign in Russia, as if nothing has changed since the 90s. And they are proud that everything is calm in this regard.
100. Standard of living in Belarus on average: slightly higher than in Ukraine; slightly lower than in Russia (meaning Russia, not Moscow); lower than in Poland; slightly lower than in Kazakhstan.
101. There are no giant deposits of oil or gas in Belarus. About $1 billion a year the country earns on salt. And the rest you have to spin - to produce and exchange any products. Work and grind.
102. Speaking of salt. Thanks to deposits of potash salt, the highest wages in Belarus were recorded not in Minsk, but in Soligorsk.
103. After the collapse of the USSR, Belarus retained large enterprises. Not all of them are profitable, however, some are quite successful. For example, Belaz.
104. Also, after the collapse of the USSR, there was no strong “grabber” in Belarus, and therefore the stratification in society is much lower than in neighboring states. True, the further, the stratification increases. In Belarus there are poor and there are rich, just like everywhere else.
105. In Belarus, it is not customary to boast of one's wealth. There is a rich stratum, but in all of Minsk there are only a few Bentleys and, in my opinion, only one Maybach. The rich don't always show others that they are rich. You will glow - there will be problems.
106. Villas and cottages near Minsk also look much simpler and more modest than villas near Moscow or Kiev.
107. In Belarus, the cult of the Great Patriotic War and the Soviet Union. Great Patriotic War are taught carefully at school and university. However, young people are not very interested in this topic.
108. At the same time, Belarus has a rich history. In the Middle Ages, Belarus was called the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The name Belarus appeared only in the 16th (or so) century. But this does not mean that Belarusians did not exist before that. Previously, they were called Litvins. In the 90s, the country officially wanted to be called the “Lithuanian Republic of Belarus”.
109. Belarus is by no means an artificial formation generated by the USSR!
110. There are many programmers per capita in Belarus, which is an order of magnitude higher than in Russia and Ukraine. The world's largest outsourcing companies (after Indian ones) are located in Belarus (Epam, Itransition). Programmers' salaries are about $1,500 per month and are constantly rising; being a programmer is very prestigious.
111. It is also prestigious to be a doctor. However, the salary of a qualified doctor rarely exceeds $400. There are few private medical clinics in Belarus.
112. Belarusians are really tolerant.
113. In Belarus, Google is as common as Yandex. Belarus is the only country in the world where the largest percentage of users use Opera as their browser. Social media- Odnoklassniki, Vkontakte.
115. It is not customary to discuss politics in Belarus. This topic- taboo. You can't joke about this either. There is a striking contrast with Ukraine and Russia. No protests and rallies of the dissatisfied. Rather, they are, but suppressed in the bud.
116. There is practically no unemployment in Belarus. Needed, needed, needed everywhere. Finding qualified personnel is very difficult. Many people are involved in the state apparatus.
117. Many want to go to the West, many are forced to look for a higher salary in Moscow.
118. In Belarus, as already mentioned, Belarusian rubles go. A loaf of bread costs an average of 5,000 rubles. At the same time, more or less significant goods are always converted into dollars. Buying currency is usually not a problem.
119. Belarusians, according to Russian Ambassador to Belarus Surkov, unlike Russians, are more accustomed to order and not so reckless.
120. There are many rivers, lakes, swamps and forests in Belarus (more than 30% of the territory). However, there is no access to the sea and no mountains. The landscapes are very picturesque.
121. In Belarus, unlike Russia, there are few banks (only about 30).
122. Fuel prices are the same at all gas stations. Just under $1 per litre.
123. Belarus is a very good and nice country. Surprisingly, almost nothing is said or written about it in Russia (I don’t know about Ukraine). It is worth coming here at least once - you definitely will not be bored. Welcome!
Quite a lot of Belarusians do not like it when abroad they confuse us with Russia and call us Russians. But even more we do not like it when the Russians themselves treat our independence, culture and language with a degree of disdain. The Internet magazine MEL, advocating for world peace, decided to collect evidence of the differences between Belarusians and Russians, ranging from genetics and ethnicity to the size of the penis and the heroes of fairy tales.
Belarusians are Western Balts with an admixture of Slavic blood. Genetic Level Differences
A couple of years ago, research was carried out in Russia under the name "Russian gene pool". The government even allocated a grant to scientists from the laboratory of the center Russian Academy medical sciences. For the first time in the history of Russia, scientists were able to fully concentrate on studying the gene pool of the Russian people for several years. It turned out that the Russians are nothing East Slavs, and the Finns. So, according to the Y-chromosome, the genetic distance between the Russians and the Finns of Finland is only 30 conventional units (close relationship). And the genetic distance between a Russian person and the so-called Finno-Ugric peoples (Mari, Veps, Mordovians, etc.) living on the territory of the Russian Federation is 2-3 units. Simply put, they are genetically identical.
The results of the DNA analysis showed that another closest relative of the Russians, except for the Finns, is the Tatars: the Russians from the Tatars are at the same genetic distance of 30 conventional units that separate them from the Finns.
An analysis of the Belarusian gene pool showed that they are genetically very far from Russians, in fact identical to the northeastern Poles - that is, the inhabitants of the Polish province of Mazov. That is, the study of the gene pool only confirmed the historical realities: Belarusians are Western Balts (with some admixture of Slavic blood), and Russians are Finns.
In 2005, the results of similar studies were published in Belarus. The publishing house “Technalogia” has published a book by Aleksey Mikulich “Belarusians in the genetic space. Anthropology of ethnos. The author's conclusions are very similar to the opinion of Russian colleagues. Each of the three East Slavic ethnic groups, according to anthropological data, has its own uniqueness. They were formed in different geographic space, on special substrate ancestral foundations. The graphical interpretation of the generalized characteristics of their gene pools included in the book makes it possible to visually see the degree of similarity and differences. “Ethnic clouds” [the ethnic group of each nation was represented by a cloud and, depending on the similarity, was in contact with “other clouds”] of Belarusians and Ukrainians are quite compact and partially overlap on the attached diagram. The Russian "cloud" is very blurry, and only a small part of it overlaps with the first two. While the Ukrainian “ethnic cloud” does not border on the Finno-Ugric ones at all, and the Belarusian one only touches them, the center of the “ethnic cloud” of Russian populations is in the same cluster with Finno-Ugric, not Slavic ethnic groups.
"With whom to be Lithuania - the eternal dispute of the Slavs." Differences between the ethnic group of Belarusians and Russians
According to the encyclopedia "Belarus", the Belarusian ethnos was formed in the 13-16 centuries, having passed the stages from unification tribal unions through the nation to the nation.
That is, it was formed even before the aggressions of the tsars Ivan the Terrible and Alexei Mikhailovich, and by the time of the Russian occupation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1795, it was a long-established ethnic group with its own centuries of history national statehood. For in the Commonwealth, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania possessed all state attributes: its power (the chancellors of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, not a single zhemoyt - almost all Belarusians, several Poles), its national Belarusian army, its own laws of the country (Statutes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania - in the language of Belarusians, have not yet been translated into the language of the Samoyts and Aukstaits), their national currency(this is a Belarusian thaler minted for several centuries until 1794, when the last Belarusian thaler was minted by the Grodno Mint), etc.
At the same time, speaking today about Belarusian ethnos, one must first understand what in question. Belarusians (as an ethnic group with that name) appeared only in 1840, when they were renamed by tsarism from Litvinians into "Belarusians" after the uprising of 1830-1831. After the uprising of 1863-1864, when the Litvins were already "Belarusians", Governor-General Muravyov banned the "Belarus" invented by the ideologists of tsarism and the Secret Chancellery, introducing instead of it the "Western Russian Territory". Therefore, the term "Belarus" and "Belarusians" is extremely conditional, this is a product of tsarism, and it is forbidden by it. And, for example, all the villagers of the Minsk region continued to call themselves Litvins or Tuteyshy (local) even in the early 1950s, according to polls of ethnographers.
By 1840, a whole series of tsarist repressions followed against the captured people, who dared to revolt a second time. The Uniate Church in Belarus was destroyed by the decree of the tsar, worship in the Belarusian language and book publishing were banned, the Statute of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was abolished (which, by the way, was in force only in Belarus, not in Zhemoitia - now the Republic of Lietuva), the very word "Lithuania" was banned. Although earlier Pushkin wrote about the Belarusians in his poems about the uprising of 1830-1831. "Slanderers of Russia": "With whom to be Lithuania - the eternal dispute of the Slavs."
That is, from the point of view of science, speaking of Belarusians and Russians, we are no longer talking about peoples and ethnic groups, but about NATIONS of neighbors. This is a completely different category, where thoughts about the “merger of peoples” are already inappropriate, allegedly under the pretext of their some kind of “ ethnic community". NATIONS can never merge with each other, because by definition they are not predisposed to this.
We have always belonged to European culture. Differences in mentality
“Belarusian is not an imperial person at all, the idea of a world revolution or the Third Rome will never enter his head,” says the philosopher, essayist and literary critic Valentin Akudovich. One can easily agree with the words of the well-known Belarusian representative of culture. Vladimir Orlov, by the way, also known Belarusian writer and a historian, in one of the interviews said “Belarusians are historically and mentally Europeans. This is very shocking to anyone who is trying to get to know the country better. People are surprised that Belarusian cities had the Magdeburg Law, that Belarus also had its own Renaissance. We have always belonged to European culture, where the border between Europe and Asia passed. We lived in an empire - the Grand Duchy of Lithuania - that stretched from the Baltic to the Black Sea, but it was not an empire. There were completely different principles for building a state, everyone was one people, there was tolerance and tolerance. On the squares of Belarusian cities, Orthodox, Catholic and Uniate churches, a synagogue and a mosque coexisted peacefully. Here we differ from Western Europe we never had religious clashes and events such as Bartholomew's Night.
“Despite all the efforts of Russian historiographers, the Moscow principality was under the yoke of the Golden Horde for centuries. In fact, then they never freed themselves from this oppression - mentally, of course. Even after the departure of the Horde, everything remained the same: the construction of the state, and the military doctrine, the idea of dominance, if not in the whole world, then in a significant part of it. From there, the Russians retained the idea that "if we do not capture these lands, then our enemies will capture them and from there they will threaten us." The events in Ukraine testify that such a mental situation exists even now,” Valentin Akudovich also believes.
Double hit: more per centimeter and one IQ unit
We decided to compare the two peoples in many respects, and found a table of the length of the male genital organs of residents of different countries. According to the latest data, the average Belarusian penis is 14.63 cm. This is a very good indicator (Belarusians are among the 10 largest penises in Europe). Things are much worse for the eastern neighbors - the average Russian can only boast of a length of 13.3 cm.
It is difficult to talk about external differences. Although it is also unlikely that anyone will be able to distinguish outwardly a Pole, a Ukrainian and a Belarusian.
At the same time, experts deduce the following pattern: the longer the penis, the lower the level of intelligence. In this regard, Belarusians also have something to brag about: the average IQ of representatives of our nationality is one of the highest in the world: 97. The inhabitants of our eastern neighbor have an IQ that is one point lower - 96.
"Practice pіlna - dy budze Vіlnya!". different fairy tale character
Most ordinary hero Russian fairy tales - Emelya, who sits on the stove and wants to pike command he got it all. Or Ivan the Fool, who has a father-tsar and does not understand what. The hero of the Belarusian fairy tales: “the fathers and husbands Yanka”, who works all day long and endures bullying of the “pano dy ulada”. The loafer in Belarusian fairy tales is ridiculed, children are taught that real hero one who works long and hard despite the blows of fate. In general, "Practice pіlna - dy budze Vіlnya!". In Russian fairy tales, everything is absolutely the opposite. There is an interesting study of Belarusian fairy tales, written by a culturologist Yulia Chernyavskaya. There is another trauma in our fairy tales: for example, the fact that we do not have a happy hero who has everything, and nothing bad will happen to him for this. All Belarusian fairy tales- about hard work, and if at the same time you find some kind of treasure, then you will be punished very severely. Our fairy tales are not about laziness, but about work.
Completely different. Belarusian and Russian
IN Lately the main difference between Belarusians and Russians is gaining popularity in our country. Belarusian-language sports events, open free courses for studying "native language". Of course, the Belarusian language is quite similar to Russian, but knowing the same Ukrainian or Polish, you can see that language is much more similar to them. To prove that the Belarusian - independent language and certainly not an appendage of Russian, you can analyze a few basic words. "Blago" in Russian means "good". In Belarusian, “good” means “bad”. When the root base words have absolutely different meanings, this also indicates that the languages are completely different.
The opening of borders within the framework of the Customs Union showed that national characters Russians and Belarusians have undergone multidirectional mutations. This difference, of course, is not as great as between East and West Germans, but the essence is about the same.- writes rosbalt.ru.
Previously, the Russians had much less reasons to ride to their neighbors - at least they did not go as massively as they do today. And now in Belarus there is a total sale: from refrigerators and stew to factories. The Russians began to drive to Belarus for the weekend. It's close. Prices are three to five times lower, no one "squeezes out". Therefore, hitherto outlandish cars with Russian numbers have become commonplace in Belarus. And not to say that the Belarusians really liked it. The shops are indignant at how the Russians are buying up everything. In Vitebsk locals sometimes they cannot buy sausage, canned food or even condensed milk: these products are sorted by Russians in boxes.
“We are here like some blacks in Africa, to whom colonists began to come,” says 47-year-old geography teacher Oleg Vasilyevich. “We have no money, we can’t buy anything at all, they look at us with sympathetic looks. But they continue to grab "You stand behind the sausage, and through the person in front of you, the Russian takes the last ten sticks. Obviously not only for himself, but also for his friends, or maybe even for sale." “In general, they have become insolent. It comes to the point that they begin to demand separate cash desks for Russians in stores, they don’t want to stand in lines. They behave like visiting tsars here,” picks up his friend, a 40-year-old worker in the construction department.
Belarusian drivers don't like Russians either. “They constantly drive, cut, generally behave as if they didn’t care about the rules. And I drive dozens of people,” says 27-year-old taxi driver Vitaly. He himself explains the reasons for the rudeness: “Our fines are penny for them. And if we convert them into foreign currency, they all cost nothing now too. ".
In general, it has become very fashionable to complain about the way Russian drivers drive in Belarus. GAI officers say that they are often drunk and do not observe the speed limit at all. A video is circulating on the Internet, which shows how a Russian woman, stunned by drunkenness, swears at police officers who are trying to get her from behind the wheel of a BMW. She yells heart-rendingly, does not want to get out of the car and through the word swears at the country, and the Belarusian police, and Lukashenka.
And Belarusians also hate it when Russians show up in bars. Oleg, a bartender from a trendy Minsk restaurant, says: “They always get drunk like pigs, they yell, they often get into fights. Belarusians are calmer, but in our country you can easily go to jail for a fight. They all count. They all count. But that's okay. They behave like cattle, they don't know how to rest." According to the 36-year-old bartender, as soon as Russians began to appear in his tavern, "employees of the diplomatic corps, Italian businessmen immediately disappeared." “The Italians, by the way, are also not quiet. Probably, that’s why they decided to minimize contacts with the Russians. Otherwise, you never know,” he explains.
Stories about how the Russians threatened one of the Belarusians in his hometown, and others crushed cars in the yard in their jeep, being unable to soberly leave the parking lot, are also notoriously popular in Belarus.
Of course, this is also banal envy. For the most part, Belarusians cannot afford expensive jeeps, $1,000 handbags, or $100 restaurant bills. And they are overwhelmed by the same emotions that, for example, a resident of Voronezh experiences in relation to a Muscovite. The only difference is that even a resident of poor Bryansk, as a rule, is much wealthier than the inhabitants of Vitebsk and Orsha.
And the Russians rarely have enough intelligence and tact not to stick out. On the contrary, it seems that they are going there in order to assert themselves at the expense of their neighbor's poverty. Many people openly laugh at the locals. “You, Belarusians, can be distinguished everywhere. Here we are all Slavs, we all have the same face, but it’s still easy to distinguish,” a 30-year-old manager from the Moscow region once slapped me on the shoulder with satisfaction. “You are afraid of everything, it shows. You ask permission forever. You apologize for everything in a row. Like children who were punished for everything in childhood by their parents. "
I don't even remember what I said back then. On the one hand, he is right: in Belarus, people are afraid to break the rules and the law, because for this they are often and sometimes, it seems, inadequately severely punished. On the other hand, is it really so normal that no one in Russia is responsible for anything? Dams are bursting - no one really answers, trains are falling down - too, they are caught stealing billions - and nothing, planes are falling - hello to Malchish. “Punishing is not our way,” is that what Putin seems to have said?
The evolution of the attitude of Russians towards Belarusians is also a direct consequence of Moscow's economic pressure on Minsk during the crisis. Formerly representatives both nations communicated with each other on an equal footing. Russians in the regions earned about the same amount, while Belarusians did not often travel from their cozy country to work in "nightmare" Russia. Residents of the Russian Federation admired how clean, honest, and safe Belarus is. Now Belarusians are being treated like Tajiks, Uzbeks and other "rabble". The demand to open a separate cash desk in a Belarusian store is another confirmation of this.
All this is far from harmless. The level of tension in the Belarusian society as a whole is growing. Polls show that ordinary Belarusians are increasingly skeptical about the prospect of Belarus joining Russia, and even in the current economic conditions they say: "We should not be turned into Pskov or Smolensk." Someone does not want dirt, someone does not want arbitrariness, someone does not want a caste society in which the one who has more rights is always right. And someone is sure that with the advent of the "colonial brothers" life will become worse.
Finally, the Belarusian business is afraid of Russians "with suitcases". The media report on the difficult negotiations on the merger of MAZ with KAMAZ, on the purchase of Belaruskali and Belneftekhim - but this is only the tip of the iceberg of economic expansion. The main events are now quietly taking place at the middle level. Moscow millionaires travel around Belarus and buy up small Belarusian factories, textile enterprises, construction companies. And this greatly irritates Belarusian businessmen.
Those who are waiting soft loan for an apartment, they are already saying that the Russians are inflating housing prices by buying up apartments "whole floors." Perhaps this is an exaggeration. But in general, Russia here today is more likely to be feared than respected. Belarusians do not want to become serfs again. And Lukashenka, of course, uses this.
Maxim Shveits
“In 2013, the whole of Belarus would have been cheering for yesterday's match for Russia. Definitely. Without the slightest doubt, writes Shvaratsky on Facebook.
But then came the years, "filled entirely with death and deceit."
“Belarusians would calmly accept the repression of the Crimea, by golly. They would have swelled a little, and they would have eaten. Well, they squeezed it out and squeezed it out, anything can happen in this life ... It is not ours, we are on the side, ”Shvaratsky believes. “We didn’t go there, and we won’t go there. We are in Barcelona. Well, Greece, that's still Nitsche and Sicily.
To a shift in public consciousness Belarusians, according to the psychotherapist, were brought precisely by “death and lies, hopeless and continuous, sewn with white threads. And, perhaps, even most importantly, the euphoria of the broad masses of the people behind the curb from these lies and deaths.
“And now what do we have in Belarus? - continues Shvaratsky. - And here, for example, Mr. Mikhail Kirilyuk, a lawyer from Minsk, writes to us: “I am not fond of football. A friend wrote on Facebook who follows: “Several thousand gathered at the last championship on October Square in Minsk, rooting for the Russian Federation. It didn't even add up to a few hundred."
My observation: 20 years ago, I was quite rooting for Russia and spoke about their national team: "For ours." Now, when I hear this, it hurts my ear. Not because it is unpleasant, but really unusual to hear this.
Well, like a cherry on the cake - on Saturday, my entire FB feed was full of: “Who is rooting for the Croats where?” I would not have imagined this 10 years ago.”
And he writes correctly. So it is now in Minsk.
One caveat is needed here. This is Minsk and this is a Facebook audience. Creative class, so to speak. In some Smorgon the situation is quite different, the electorate continues to be quite pro-Russian.
But here a second caveat is also necessary. Which lies in the fact that Belarus is specific. Firstly, secondly, and thirdly, it is small both in terms of population and size in comparison with Russia or the same Ukraine. 10 million population. The distance from Grodno to Gomel - well, consider this is the diameter of the country - is 650 kilometers. That is, at a distance from Dnepropetrovsk to Kyiv, almost all of Belarus fits.
Everyone knows each other there. Residents of Grodno and Gomel shake hands and drink tea with each other.
Plus, Minsk is, consider, a fifth of the entire population of the country. Plus, Minsk is a little more than completely filled with a creative class. Plus, in Belarus there is no such confrontation between the province and Minsk, which is often found in other countries. Minsk is not perceived as something negative. Minsk is perceived as something good.
These points are important to understand. Because Minsk very powerfully sets trends in the country. What Minsk is talking about - little by little, netaropka, sniffling, they are starting to think in Smorgon.
And the electorate is also starting to turn away from Russia. He turns away from her not politically. He thinks: “Ay, why are slaves there ... There is no parade there !! Bandits hell."
And all this comes from Minsk ... It goes smoothly, has been going on for years, like everything in Belarus ... But it goes.
And there is one more thing here.
Behind recent years about 10-15 Belarusians are very cultivated. Very Europeanised. Often - they themselves are not very aware of that report.
The fact that Belarus has been confidently holding the first place in the world in terms of the number of Schengen visas per capita for many years has had its effect. The fact that it is possible to walk from Brest to the European Union has had an effect on itself. The fact that there is some sort of stability in the country has quite affected itself. The fact that in Minsk there is a huge percentage of students and diverse schoolchildren per capita has had a great effect. The fact that Vilnius Airport is nearby, and Vilnius is 180 kilometers from Minsk and 100,500 stupidly even minibuses go there every day, and because of this, a number of Belarusians are constantly hanging around in Barcelona, which is quite enough to populate some small regional center, and then the same thing in Warsaw, and the same thing in Prague - quite affected itself.
And now the Belarusian is carefully standing at the red traffic light, even if it is night and there is not a single car around on the road. And the cigarette butt is in the trash. If you haven't quit smoking yet. And the Belarusian riot policeman addresses the passer-by with “You”. If he is not freaked out before that, of course.
And then a guest from the east comes to the Belarusian. And he parks his stupid Jeep right on the sidewalk, like he used to. And yells. And proudly buzzing.
And in 2018, the Belarusian looks at him with that very inexpressible expression on the face of a native London British. To which a citizen from Afghanistan came. On a jeep. Bought with heroin money.
This was all supposed to happen. And it happened.
And I'll tell you more. To her, to her, in 2013, all of Ukraine would have been rooting for Russia without exception yesterday. And it would be “for ours!!”. Well, now you understand.
But again there is another point. Ukrainians are hot-tempered. But kind. You see, they will forgive Russia. Some day.
But Belarusians are not kind. Belarusians are quite vindictive citizens, in fact. Belarusians, even if everything changes there in the next few years, they will remember for a long time. The Belarusians are doing very well, they just have a great deal with the point of no return. Not without reason, during the Second World War, fierce partisanism was precisely in Belarus. Such a people. It will be good-natured, and even kindly. But he will think badly, he will be sideways, and in another 10 years he will remember. And he will do something. Patsihenku so.
How's that old joke? “Belarusian partisans lubricated the rails with grease, and the German trains slowed down as far as Vladivostok.”
Wherein. In conclusion.
Everyone understands perfectly well that in Russia there are a lot of good people. Many of which even immediately and in the midst managed not to succumb to this cruel propaganda. Which are cultured, which are decent, and that's it. And among these people I have many friends. I sometimes like to call Peter, or there in Moscow, these very decent people, and tryndet about how it is there today.
But that's the way it is. What happened, happened, what is, is, and thanks for all this, of course, to Mr. Putin and his henchmen.
Therefore, on Saturday, everyone was rooting against. Despite the fact that the Russian football players in this championship, in fact, were well done. They played well, they gnawed at the ground, and they deserved it.
But no. 2018 around. And it's different from 2013."
Read: 4234A large generation of us, coastal southern Ukrainians, was brought up in such an opinion that Belarusians and Russians are friendly guys, Furthermore even fraternal ones. On our part, of course, it is impossible to understand everything, but if they are not indifferent to our national destiny, then why should we not give a damn about them?
“The worst thing you can imagine in Ukraine is to wake up in Belarus”, an interesting title for an article published in one of the Belarusian online publications. kyky.org. That's what didn't bother publish somewhat unexpected statements in support of the opinion that the Russians are somewhat fed up with the inhabitants of their country.
Belarusians known to Minsk help to figure out why Russian tourists come to them, what offends them in their behavior, and how to deal with it.
Vladimir Matskevich, philosopher and political scientist:
Personally, I'm indifferent to the Russians. I have no love for them, and no dislike. But sometimes you have to speak sharply against the Russians. I'll try to explain what caused it. You see, love is the most great miracle in this world, and as the best thing in the world, it is rare. This is a gift to be rejoiced at, to be grateful for. But love cannot be demanded! The most stupid and ugly thing is to extort gifts, to demand gifts. Russians often repeat that no one loves them, and in the absence of a gift, they seek love, mistaking its absence for dislike, although this is a common attitude. Well, there are Russians in this world. There are Papuans, Pygmies, Luxembourgers, Vepsians and Russians. And enough of them. But no! An ordinary Russian will come to some country. And they answer him there not in Russian! “Oh, they don’t like Russians here?” Yes, it just doesn’t care about the Russians, everyone is equal. And in Belarus they don't like Russians. We just want to see a person in everyone, and if it is important for a person that he is an Armenian, Pole, Jew, Turk, Gascon or Catalan, we will understand. That's enough. For some reason, some Russians behave unworthy of love, and, having not received it, they think of themselves not as a person, they mean by themselves a whole nation - Russians. Be human and maybe someone will love you.
Andrey Kabanov, entrepreneur:
As a rule, I pay attention to the poorly concealed show-offs of Russian tourists. Doesn't offend me, I'm laughing at this. Belarus is a kind of tourist meme for Russians: to come to the holidays without visas, good roads and cheap car service. They often improve the health of their horses, there were cases among my Moscow friends with seasonal diseases of foreign cars. But I don’t have native Muscovites among my relatives, all my friends, as a rule, live in rented apartments, and they come here to quickly waste some part of the dough in a limited time, because walking in glamorous prices on such a scale in Moscow is painful.
Evgeny Kurlenko, programmer:
Belarusians behave paradoxically towards Russians - almost no one will declaratively say that Russians are better in some way, but at the same time, Belarusians do not strive to look so “good” in front of anyone else.Almost every tourist, of course, compares Minsk with Moscow: this is “clean”, “no advertising”, “no people on the streets” and other completely accurate remarks, but every visitor reports this as the discovery of America, which we, local, somewhat fed up.In general, the Russians have somewhere to go, and Belarus is far from being in the first place in priorities. But there is a category of Russians, and not so small, which organically simply cannot go where they would not be corny understood at the language level. As a result, their geography does not extend further than xUSSR and Turkey and Egypt. What distinguishes a Muscovite tourist (precisely a tourist, and not a person who travels from Minsk to Moscow regularly) is the subjective perception of the cheapness of Minsk in everything. Moscow tourists believe that everything here costs a penny and begin to squander money even where it is neither modest nor profitable for them. Everything else depends, of course, on cultural level guest. If it is low, we notice arrogance, low empathy, over-egocentrism. And there is another type of tourists who go to see the country of the victorious Lukashenka. I don’t think that this is at least a statistically significant percentage, but it’s precisely in the media field that they make the weather, so they cannot be ignored. This type of tourist is the most unpleasant for us - a person specially goes to step on a corn that hurts us and, moreover, write about it later.
Olga Rodionova, blogger:
We treat Russians like Romanian border guards treat Ostap Bender. Remember, in the film "The Golden Calf", when the hero of Jurassic illegally walked across the ice across the border, hung with gold, and tried to bribe customs officers? And they chorus: “Bran-zu-let-ka!” And they begin to "pluck" it. In the final frame, we see Yursky, shielding the camera with his hand: “The millionaire didn’t work out of me, I’ll have to retrain as a house manager!” I, perhaps, do not like Russians very much, despite the fact that these are the main readers of my blog, and I even managed to somehow get into matrimonial relations with a citizen of the Russian Federation. I constantly see in Minsk those who came from Moscow for the weekend to have a go, like a “gentleman from Paryzh”, relying on myths and legends “about Belarus”. They still believe that a banknote of 5,000 rubles will immediately make a scene from the Eurotrip movie for them, and then they swear loudly, looking at the bill. And immediately they understand everything up to 50 Belarusian rubles, despite the usual “I can’t figure out these candy wrappers of yours.” But mWe know that not a single Russian city has such an ordinary landmark for us as the town hall: “when we already had the Magdeburg Law, the Muscovite washed his face with a brick!”So, personally, I consider myself quite right to troll the guests of the capital of the 2014 World Hockey Championship, for example, by offering to take something from a drawer, because “a desk drawer” is a long time to pronounce!
Nikolai Khodasevich, TV presenter:
They are often betrayed by the accent, gait and slightly haughty look of a Russian - all this is a continuation of the usual imperial idea of \u200b\u200bour eastern neighbors about themselves. The Russians still consider their country great, successfully continuing to experience all the wealth given by nature. The belief of certain types that you can buy everything and everyone - it causes the greatest bewilderment. Just two years ago there was a boom. My friends from Russia called with a request to book accommodation, make a cultural program for them, and so on. Some nix went there that in Belarus there are very low prices for literally everything. Well, one visit was enough to dispel the myth. In general, it’s probably great to come to us for many reasons: it’s not far away, there is no language barrier - such a small island of silence in the center of Europe. True, the Russians themselves have a huge choice of this silence - any city outside of St. Petersburg and Moscow. But I don't like that guests (not only Russians) are served in restaurants and cafes in Minsk at an order of magnitude higher level than their own. Such is our mentality.
Philip Chmyr, musician:
Snobbery always offends when it comes from someone you consider a friend. Then he starts to annoy, and then you start to punish him. It seems to me that we are already at the stage of irritation. I would not generalize all Russian tourists, but people of low culture have common features. The problem is that recently there have been many tourists from Russia with these traits. They do not follow traffic rules, ignore parking rules, talk loudly in in public places and allow themselves loud appraisal statements. To which there is always something to answer. Any answer begins like this: "Great nation ..." And then the options: 1) Build a road from Moscow to St. Petersburg. 2) Make your own mobile phone, car, and so on… Belarusian hospitality is a myth. Belarusians are not tolerant, they are even more unacceptable to the appearance of other species, they are vindictive: an example is the partisan movement. And therefore, the answer to rudeness can be special services in our cafes (slowly), damage to their cars in the parking lots, subsequent repairs at three prices in our service stations and careless proceedings by the cops themselves. I think the cops themselves will soon begin to fine them for such skating. As they say, "the earth burned under the feet of the invaders."
Vasily Andreev, designer:
I wanted to write something bad. I knew it for sure. I remember that the first point of advice to a Russian tourist began with the following: “You shouldn’t take out 20 thousand rubles in front of the exchange office and ask with a smirk: “And ... how much money is that?” Because (bitches) one dollar is your 30 rubles!” But the trip to Barcelona changed me. In the morning, under the balcony, I see a mocking inscription: “Now look at this beautiful balcony, a resident of Barcelona is standing on it.” And the events in Kyiv changed me. And the way we drove from Sweden to Denmark changed me. “Welcome to Arabian Scandinavia,” Stefan said, meaning that the Danes, according to the Swedes, do not follow the laws, traffic rules, and generally drink a lot and everywhere. We have not yet got what Scandinavia lives with: a bunch of immigrants who ask in line at the exchange office: “Why do they have coins with holes?” But this is Scandinavia, cold, white and windy. Now remember the number of tourists in southern Europe. I have strong doubts about the tolerance we impose on ourselves. We simply do not know if we are tolerant, because so far they have not let anyone in. And we already have a lot of questions. Because we get irritated in line when we hear the question: “Ha ha, what can we do with these five thousand?” And the Russians, who come to Minsk with a ridiculous number of tourists, are our test of tolerance. I'm afraid we haven't passed it yet."
