С Днем рожденья! There are a few things you should know if it’s your birthday in Russia.
If you work in an office or a school, it’s expected that you will bring a cake to share on your birthday. In the US, either someone will bring a cake for you, or you’ll just go without. But Russians will expect you to bring it, and Russians LOVE cake, so get a big one. There are so many amazing Russian cakes to try, like Медовик, so take the excuse for extra cake at any opportunity!
Most likely your coworkers will also pool together to get you a gift, and you’ll need to contribute for everyone else’s birthday gifts too. That was unusual for me too, but it’s a pretty nice tradition.
The weirdest part of birthdays for me though, is the presentation of the gift and the wishes along with it. Everyone goes around one at a time and tells you what they like about you and what they hope for you in the coming year, like a little minute long speech. “You are such a nice and thoughtful person, I love working with you and you are such a talented teacher. For your birthday, I wish for you to be happy and brave. I wish for all of your dreams to come true and for you to achieve all of your goals this year.” It’s soooo awkward when you have to accept all these nice things, but it’s even worse to have to come up with what to say for other people’s birthdays. I feel like they always go way overboard with the sincere and deep feelings and it’s very off-putting for me.
The birthday wishes thing isn’t limited to just coworkers either. If you celebrate your birthday with Russian friends they will do it at dinner or over drinks too! There is no escape.
Expect lots of gifts and cake, and even more attention for your birthday in Russia!
Finding Eden 