Congratulations!

[philena.livejournal.com]

What is the appropriate thing to put on the card for our Russian teacher who successfully defended his Ph.D. dissertation last Friday? Is Поздравления appropriate? Also, we're giving him flowers. Is the tradition that the total number be odd, or that the number of each color be odd? Or both?

Thanks!

Comments

[oryx_and_crake]

Поздравления does not sound Russian.
Поздравляем! will be OK.
As for the flowers, I guess that it is the total number that should be odd, unless you get him one of those bouquets (a bunch of decorative stuff) where it is difficult to count flowers anyway.

[b0bb.livejournal.com]

I hope you're giving him white, blue and red flowers, the Russian flag colours? :)

The total number of flowers should be odd.
The even number is for the funerals only.

Also, you should know that Russian men usually do not appreciate flowers much - "flowers are for ladies". Maybe, it's better to give him some "more masculine" gifts, like some not expensive hi-tech gadgets?

Finally, the Russian joke:

"На столе у врача табличка: Цветы и конфеты - не пью"

[philena.livejournal.com]

Very cute. But I don't think the administration would be happy if we did give him something he could drink. It's an undergraduate class--not everyone is 21. And maybe he's unhappy that, since he's a man, he's never given flowers. Maybe he likes flowers! Anyway, I'm just in charge of the card--someone else is getting the flowers.

[philena.livejournal.com]

This should, of course, be posted below, under b0bb's comment. Oops.

[b0bb.livejournal.com]

Mea culpa.
I'm too much of a perfectionist, and also "задним умом крепок".

[padruka1988.livejournal.com]

You said Russian teacher... I gather that he teaches Russian, but is he Russian? Don't give him flowers either way!! Surely you can come up with something a lot better suited for a man because most men regard them as femenine gifts. Get him a gift certificate to a bookstore, or something... It's so much better for this occasion! Again, don't give flowers to a man! (Unless he specifically says that he enjoys receiving flowers)