Fiction books showcase unreal characters from the imaginary lands that have magical super power and bedazzle the readers with their incredible nobility. These write-ups are larger than life characterisation of marvel, luxury and splendour which can be experienced by reading the awesome stories of these books. These write-ups may be inspired by real life but they are the result of the imagination and the thought process of the author.

Fiction is one of the most popular genre of books in which there is a lot of exhilaration and thrill served through interesting depiction of stories with strange plots and characters. Fiction books are based on imaginary circumstances and lives of envisioned characters. These interesting scripts are really entertaining and invigorating. Several writers have written exceptionally wonderful stories that are works of their creative thinking and vision.

These write-ups are available for readers of various age groups. There are many characters, who have captivated the memories and hearts of the readers. The characters like Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew, Peter Pan, and so on have ruled the hearts of the teenagers and other enthusiastic readers. These books have been based upon science or suspense and sometimes they are even based upon the themes like horror, thrill and so forth.

Besides the suspense, horror and thrill, these books can also be full of melodrama and tragedy. As the creativity depends solely on the creativeness of the writer, a person can find a wide variety of emotions and expressions in these interesting and exciting books. In these books, as the story proceeds, the readers get to experience the magic of mysterious situations and wonderful transcendence of the characters. These fictional stories showcase myriad expressions and deep emotions that arise through various conditions of life. These suspense thrillers serve great adventure with their spine chilling enigmas. In addition, the suspicious characters have different shades and intentions running in their dirty minds.

There are some highly exciting science fiction novels that have ruled the charts just like the evergreen plants. Some of the best-selling fiction books include Harry Potter Series, The Da Vinci Code, Time Machine, The Lord of the Rings, Invisible Man and many others. The romantic fiction titles are also very famous among the readers. These write-ups have stories that depict love and compassion with really deep intentions. These romantic stories have beautiful moments of great lustre. These fiction titles are extremely interesting and keep the readers totally engrossed till the end. These thrilling books are one of the greatest time pass for the people all over the world.



By: Alden Jerry

About the Author:

Fiction books include a wide range of books belonging to various sub – genres that may include novels about romance, mystery, science and adventure. Fiction books are written with the objective of inculcating certain values and principles and hence they may contain a writer’s social message. Very often, these books deal with real life situations that are described in an awe-inspiring manner. These books may contain some fantasy elements and have life – like plots with an interesting array of characters.

Some of the famous fiction books include “God’s Spy”, “Gone with the Wind”, “The Jules Verne Collection”and “Glasses & Garters.” Notable fiction books include works by versatile writers like Juan Gomez Jurado, Margaret Mitchell and Sir Arthur Canon Doyle. “God’s Spy” is one of the most renowned books is an exciting fast-paced thriller debut work by Spanish writer, Juan Gomez Jurado. The novel is set in the Vatican city during the conclave to elect a new Pope following the demise of Pope John Paul II in the year 2005. The novel opens with the cold-blooded murder of two cardinals who had been planning to join the conclave. Other notable themes in the novel include the sex abuse scandal of the revered Catholic church and the transfer of priests to other parishes. This novel is quite racy as it comes packed with fast-paced actions. The book has found appeal with a lot of readers on account of its characters that they can easily relate with.

Fiction books include some of the “hot” bestsellers of all times. For instance, American writer, Margaret Mitchell’s timeless classic, “Gone with the Wind” which continues to capture the imagination of readers around the world with it’s unique plot and character cast. The book is set in the Old South against the backdrop of American Civil War and Reconstruction. This critically acclaimed book has an adaptation film with the same name to its credit. The film, “Gone with the Wind” like the novel retells the story of the American Civil War and its aftermath from the vantage point of a white Southerner.

In this context, one cannot forget one of the most amazing flesh and blood characters like Sherlock Holmes, who is hailed as the famous and unforgettable “fictional detective“ of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries a fictional creation of Sir Arthur Canon Doyle. These fiction books and many more come with the promise of true entertainment and delight for every modern reader.

Pirates of Church Street

Every time we buy pirated copy we contribute to the criminal’s coffer

Walk down Church Street in Bangalore and you’ll see a man squatting on the pavement under an umbrella with his wares neatly spread beside him. He’s a bookseller. Of course he can’t read but he’s as passionate about books as a librarian. Pick up any book for Rs. 70 he encourages you. He’s not being particularly generous to you, neither is it a distress sale. Simply put, he runs a very low cost operation: His books are all pirated.

The illegal trade in books across the country is huge and has, over the years, cost publishers and writers crores of rupees in lost sales and royalties. Says Mr U.Premlal(first name not used because he used only initials), the branch manager of publisher Macmillan in Ahmedabad, “Every year we lose 25% to 30% of profits owing to this menace. Suppose we sell 100 books, the pirated book sellers will be selling the same number of pirated copies outside; if we give discounts of say 10%, then these same people give even higher discounts.” He complains that there is no public awareness of the problem. “It is spreading like fire.”

Explaining the different techniques used by the trade he says, “When we outsource our typesetting work, and if the typesetting or the data processing in-charge is not reliable then the matter given for typesetting can be leaked and another publisher might come out with the same book before us.”

The manager Mr Paresh Shah of Sapna Book House at Gandhinagar, Bangalore, agrees. “Yes people do need to be educated about this menace and their cooperation is needed, only then can we bring down the sale of these pirated books in the market.” He has sought the intervention of the Upparpet police against the trade.

“We have filed many complaints with the police here, but have been disappointed each time we did so. We also went to the extent of approaching the court, but because of the many loopholes in the Indian legal system, we have been unsuccessful every time we tried,” he complains. “Unless and until the author of a book, the publisher and the distributor of the book get together and file a complaint, nothing can be done.”

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Shivkumar, says that on one occasion, when the pirated booksellers were questioned as to where the books were being printed, they denied any knowledge of the source. But even a cursory investigation reveals that pirated copies are being printed right here in Bangalore. “The printing takes place at Cottonpet Road,” he said, but only if the publisher or the author of the book concerned filed a complaint against the booksellers there, could they take any action, against them. He also said they were being printed in several small units in the city but on a large scale in Hubli, Bagalkot and Tiptur.

Says Mr Mayi Gowda, the owner of Blossoms on Church Street, “This year we suffered losses of around 20 to 25%,” on account of piracy. “It’s difficult to estimate the losses, but the sale of books here has definitely gone down, says Mr. Shanbhag, owner of neighbouring Premier gold mining equipment. Another bookstore owner, Mr Aatmaram of Gangarams, says “Our business has been affected badly, and is going from bad to worse. The losses incurred are more than Rs 50 lakh a year.”

Rajal, a regular customer at Blossoms, is clear that book piracy is wrong: “It’s definitely not correct. It’s not fair to the writer, who puts in all this effort.” But she’s the exception. India’s cost conscious consumers think little of copyright protection or brand ownership when they shop. Price is everything to them. So while authors, publishers, distributors and retailers are being ripped off everyday, our readers, even as they relish Sherlock Holmes’ investigative skills or Horace Rumpole’s courtroom theatrics, are unwittingly financing the very people they fight.

Hampshire is an area of England currently buzzing with life and potential. It has a population of more than 1 million people; around 200,000 of these are in Portsmouth and Southampton. This county is no stranger to fame either, Southampton is the home of the Spitfire Aircraft where it was built and tested. The very first Sherlock Holmes novel was written in Southsea and a new line of clothing was created by Thomas Burberry in Basingstoke. In fact the list of celebrities who came from Hampshire is quite long and a testimony to the area.

Hampshire is a mix between urban and rural with some beautiful unspoilt countryside and some fascinating exciting cities such as Portsmouth and Southampton. The best area to visit for an amble is the New Forest designated by William the Conqueror as a hunting ground. It was in fact here, near Stoney Cross that one of his sons died under suspicious circumstances in a hunting accident. You can even visit the Rufus Stone which marks the spot where he died if you dont mind the morbidity of it. On a lighter note, this area also boasts various plentiful walks and cycle tracks to peruse at your leisure. You can also visit some historical and architectural wonders such as the Beaulieu Abbey and Winchester Cathedral.

If you prefer, you can visit one of Hampshires cities such as Southampton where the Mayflower set sail in 1620 for the New World. Southampton has remained a strong port throughout the ages since it was founded 2000 years ago as an established seaport by the Romans and currently boasts cruise ships as an important location for the cruise ship industry. Holidays from Southampton are not just limited to the seas either; you can drop by from Southampton International Airport.

If its the night life you are after Southampton is no stranger to bars, pubs, clubs and cinemas. If you would rather digest some culture you can visit the Eastleigh museum which is open all year round four days a week or the Southampton Maritime Museum. You could even visit the Museum of Archaeology where you can discover the story of Southampton from birth to present day.

Hampshire is home to a novel feature in the form of a man who has been dubbed Britains kindest boss Colin Potter. Although he hopes his latest adventure will land a profit of around 25 million over the next three years he has already pledged every penny of his profit to be distributed to various charities. Hampshire business is booming and churning out success stories. Many businesses are now reaping the benefits of Hampshire culture and taking their clients out to a lunch with style.

I’m sure we’ve all seen the famous calabash pipe, favoured by Sherlock Holmes. You know, the curly calabash with it’s distinctive shape? It’s just as much a part of Sherlock Holmes as his deerstalker hat and magnifying glass.

The original calabash pipes are made from the calabash gourd. The African variety is regarded as the best to use, as the European (usually Greek) calabash gourds rarely have the right shape favoured by the pipe makers.

The main part of the calabash pipe is the top, bent stem of the African calabash gourd. The actual bowl, in which the tobacco is smoked, is an insert, often of meerschaum or porcelain. Which is inserted into the hollowed out gourd stem, with the aid of a cork gasket.

A ferrule, of wood, or plastic, or other suitable material, is inserted into the narrow part of the gourd stem. This is to take the bent vulcanite pipe stem which is the part which goes into the mouth of the smoker. If that stem were to be inserted directly into the gourd there would be a good chance of cracking or breaking it.

Some calabash pipes are decorated with silver bands, even a silver cover around the top of the bowl. So we can see that these pipes are pretty labour-intensive. Making them expensive these days.

Calabash pipes smoke cooler and drier than many other types of pipe, because it’s construction means that the smoke passes from the bottom of the actual smoking bowl into the empty space of the gourd beneath, which takes away a lot of the heat and strength of the smoke.

Now, where Sherlock Holmes comes in. The construction of the calabash pipe gives it a low centre of gravity. This allows the smoker to easily hold the pipe in the mouth alone. Actors would take advantage of this property, as it allowed them to depict their character smoking a pipe while leaving the hands free for other “business”. Think of Basil Rathbone and William Gillette, who both played Sherlock Holmes.

In fact Sir Arthur Conan Doyle never actually wrote of Sherlock Holmes smoking a calabash pipe, and Sidney Paget in his illustrations usually had Holmes smoking a long-stemmed (churchwarden) pipe.

We know that Sherlock Holmes himself preferred very strong, harsh tobacco, and would probably never have given the calabash the time of day, due to it’s mellowing effect upon the smoking mixture.



By: Chris Haycock

About the Author:

The image of a man smoking a pipe always gives the impression that he is thinking, pondering or churning something in his mind. And the bigger the bowl, the deeper these men seem to go into their thoughts. The man that most comes to mind is Sherlock Holmes. One of the deepest thinkers of the 19th century. And even though he was a figment of Conan Doyle’s imagination, we always have a hard time believing that the detective is imaginary. He is so real.

Many of Sherlock’s habits are reputed to have been emulated from Mr. Doyle’s own habits. Most illustrations of the period show the famous detective and Mr. Doyle puffing away on a long stemmed clay pipe, with his tobacco at his side, kept in an old Persian slipper. In those days, Holmes’ habits of smoking cigars, cigarettes, and pipes were not considered a vice. Holmes always described his habits as bohemian.

Why then, has the Calabash pipe always been related to the famous detective? Because at the time, it was used by actors who portrayed characters that smoked pipes. The Calabash pipe not only can be seen from very far, it is also a great hand prop for delivering poignant lines.

The calabash, or “a calabash” is a vegetable, a form of squash. When ripe, it is used in Asia, African mail order brides and Central America as a culinary delicacy. When mature, or dried, it’s gourd is used as a musical instrument, to transport water or to smoke tobacco.

An old style Calabash pipe is made of a part of the calabash gourd resembling a horn. Inside the wide end of the gourd is inserted a detachable bowl, in the shape of an upside-down bowler hat. A cork gasket keeps the bowl firmly in place. The bowl is usually made of Meerschaum stone, but sometimes we can find the bowl made of porcelain or briar wood.Some of the older Calabash pipes would have a silver cover, but not today. On the narrow end of the gourd, a briar cylinder is inserted, many times covered with a silver band. This is the actual shank, where the tenon of the stem is inserted. This is necessary because the gourd’s material is too fragile to sustain so many insertions and removals of the stem when the pipe needs cleaning. The stem is usually bent, made of vulcanite or lucite.

Every man who decides to marry a Chinese mail order bride has his own reasons. One good one is because the divorce rate among men who marry foreign women is dramatically lower than what you’ll find among conventional marriages.

Another reason some men choose a mail order bride is because they want a more traditional type family life, the kind that prevailed many years ago with the woman staying home and taking care of the house, her husband and raising the kids. They’ve learned they can find that more easily with foreign women.

Meeting a woman online from a foreign country and deciding to marry her is much more accepted today than it was several years ago. Online dating in general continues to increase in popularity and today it’s just as easy to meet someone from the other side of the world as it is to meet someone from the other side of town.

There are a few differences between mail order bride dating sites and general dating sites online. The mail order bride sites are generally filled with women who are actively seeking marriage-minded men. Sometimes referred to as marriage agencies, this type site is being seen more frequently every year.

A mail order bride is not the right choice for every man, of course, as some men don’t like the scrutiny that often accompanies the choice to marry a foreign woman. Her family may want to ‘put him under the microscope’ before they give their approval.

It’s very important that you be open minded if you’re considering marriage with a foreign woman. Her culture must be respected and honored; even in the areas it’s different from your own. She may accept your customs and beliefs in time, but don’t expect her to completely abandon her own.

In many of the countries popular for mail order brides, the decision to marry involves the bride’s whole family. In many case, you’ll be expected to visit her country and meet her family. If she lives in a very small town or village, you may even be introduced to the village leaders, since the people of the town highly regard the opinions of the leaders.

Be prepared that there are still narrow-minded people that will doubt the sincerity of your new bride’s intentions. They may think she only wants to escape her own country, or just seeks citizenship. It will be your responsibility to set their thinking straight and defend your wife if the situation warrants it.

Some of those same closed-minded folks may think you decided on a mail order bride because you wanted a sex-slave or someone to keep your house clean and cook your meals without complaining. Your love and respect for your bride should be enough to put such nonsense to rest.

Obviously, these views are not main stream, and are only held by those people who still believe the outdated stereotype of mail order brides. But if you should encounter such prejudice, you need to be prepared to deal with it.

In fact, men who marry foreign women tend to have longer, happier marriages, according to studies that have been done. But it’s a good idea to be aware of some of the issues you may face in addition to the differences in culture, before you decide if a mail order bride is the right choice for you.

When you’ve decided you can handle whatever issues come your way, spend time getting to know a woman before you ask her to leave her family and her country behind. While it’s an awesome responsibility to take on a mail order bride, those who have done so have said it’s the best decision they’ve ever made.

The concept of mail order brides has been around far longer than has the Internet, but the Net has become the preferred venue for finding a foreign mate. Although most Russian bride websites downplay the ‘mail order’ aspect of their service, the only difference between these websites and the mail order bride catalog of the 1970′s is that former was distributed in hard copy and the latter arrives via cyberspace.

There is no denying that love has been known to spark in strange circumstances, but one has to wonder if its’ love, or some other motive that causes men and women to enter into a ‘mail order bride’ relationship. Go to any Russian brides website (and there are hundreds of them, some legitimate, some not), and you will notice several commonalities. Each site states that, “Russian women are extremely open-minded, and tolerant of most anything”, and every woman pictured on each website could easily be a beauty contest winner. These certainly are attractive selling points.

Oops, we aren’t supposed to talk about selling! It is stressed that Russian woman are not selling themselves through these services, but are merely looking to find the man of their dreams so they can please him in every way possible. These Russian beauties don’t mind living on a tight budget, will work if hubby wants, or will happily stay home and care for home and family, free of selfish career goals.

These women all appear to be highly educated, yet they are not opposed to marrying a man much older and less attractive than they themselves. Russian women are represented as being accustomed to male domination and sexism, so they will not be bothered by those attitudes from their foreign husbands. They are touted to be extremely tolerant with an emotional temperature well below that of their western counterparts. Long-suffering and patient, Russian woman never lose their cool, even if their spouse has many mistresses!

So why do these miraculous, low maintenance creatures need a foreign husband? Unfortunately the women out-number the men in Russia (100 women for every 88 men), and single women are treated with only minimal respect in the Russian culture. If you are not married by age 25, it is unlikely that you will ever marry. Rather than to be doomed to a life of disrespect and despair it is preferable to fly off with a stranger in hopes of finding marital bliss abroad.

Do we really have to ask why Western men might like to marry a woman who has limited English skills and comes advertised as a Barbie Doll who cooks and cleans? Ah, if only it were real!

The fact is, often times it isn’t real. The ‘free’ listing on a Russian bride website may come with a myriad of hidden costs that present themselves later down the road. Some Russian brides are rumored to be fronts for the Russian Mafia. Other Russian bride websites have no brides at all. Men think they are corresponding with the lovely Anna in St. Petersburg, when indeed they are sending handsome pictures of themselves to Ralph in Cleveland and being scammed out of airfare.

Russian women are advertised as ‘trim’ when a more accurate descriptor might be ‘starved’. Health problems linked with poor nutrition and generational alcoholism is never mentioned. Abuse, abandonment, and poverty apparently have no detrimental impact on these women, and they always arrive in the USA unimpaired mentally and physically despite any deprivation or torment they may have suffered as children and young adults. Pretty unbelievable, huh?

Yes, the entire concept upon which ‘Russian brides’ is built is unbelievable. Talk with any Russian male and ask why Russian women want to come to the US and marry American men. Most will agree that it is because Russian women want to live like American women, not because they are just dying to hook up with an overweight middle-aged American man. This means that once settled in America, beautiful Swetlana may decide she wants to pursue a career, delay child rearing, and take long vacations in the sun.

Darn, there is just no truth in advertising anymore.

If you are thinking of meeting a Russian woman over the Internet – you HAVE to be aware of these most popular scams online:

Here are the most popular cities considered to be the scam capitals of their countries:

Lugansk ? the scam capital of Ukraine ? 90% of the ladies are scamming foreign men for money, presents, etc; read on to see the most popular scams. Yoshkar-Ola ? the scam capital of Russia Kazan ? the scam capital of Russia Minsk – the scam capital of Belarus

In this article will be explained the most popular scams that Russian women go through and the saddest real stories that I witnesses when American men lost their head and a lot of money when chasing their dream.

I came to Lugansk with a purpose to open another matchmaking office there. I think manies have heard about the tremendous beauty of hot and sensual Ukrainian girls but only a smaller number of them do really know that exactly in this small Ukrainian town with a poetic name Lugansk every girl is a real supermodel. Frankly speaking, I didn’t have any version about why is it so, until the time when I introduced with one interesting and of course beautiful woman, who told me that in the time of the Russian Impress Katherine the second’s ruling, she dispatched all the beautiful girls to that remote area. She eliminated all that women of tremendous beauty in unknown city of Lugansk, in order their charm could not darken the beauty of the powerful Empress. In such a way, this small city was full of girls of unbelievable beauty and they were passing this real value from generation to generation. Probably it’s just a beautiful legend, but you start unwillingly believing it when you walk in the streets of Lugansk and stare at dazzling smiles of Russian Brides of Lugansk beauties .

In one of the hot days, I set down on a bench in the shadow in a cozy and pretty park and lazily was looking at people who were resting there. Through some time my attention was attracted by a group of four chaps – two guys and two girls. One of the women among them was tremendously beautiful! A guy that was sticking with her was pretty much athletic but he was staring at another man in a very unfriendly way. At the mean time, the guy that was gazed by another man admirably looked at that extremely beautiful girl. The second chick as I understood was a translator, because guy that was charmed most all spoke in English. The interpreter seemed nervous and unconfident. The beauty was only answering “yes” or “no” and the conversation of two seemed more like a monolog of a foreigner. In some 15-20 minutes the stranger took out of his wallet and passed few green banknotes to the translator. Then, girls and the athletic guy left a foreigner alone and gone in a car that was waiting for them.

As I later found out, the foreigner was an American. His name was Steve. He seemed really confused. That’s why I decided to approach him and ask if he needs any help. So, we introduced and from that moment I started getting to know a different side of Lugansk. It was another truth – a shocking truth about this city.

He came from USA to meet his virtual woman of dream and gain his long-awaited happiness. His whole family was expecting him home with his beautiful, loving and caring Ukrainian bride. However his fiancee disappeared from his life unexpectedly, just like she entered it. The same thing happened to his friend who came with him to Lugansk for seeing his bride.

So, what was so horrible and what happened to both of them?

I told this guy’s story to the manager of my newly registered Lugansk branch of “oksanalove” Russian bride dating agency. And I was even more surprised and confused when she told me not a legend and not a history, but a real thing. I won’t tell about all the details. I just going tell you about some facts that I found out there. So, Lugansk and other scam cities have several illegal fake agencies that work behind the closed doors. They don’t give any of their contact details; they do not provide clients with any trustworthy information, they don’t have advertisements. The pictures of their beautiful clients they put in different free internet sites like Absolute agency, etc. Many of their clients are married young women. They are not unfaithful to their husbands and do not look for a partner for creating a family. So, why do they address to the dating agency? The answer is simple and horrifying – is the money. This is it! The work of these beauties is also simple and does not really bother them. They just bring their photos to the agency and that’s all. The rest is the task for their agency. They decide on what web-site to put the newly came girl’s picture, they write letters to her trapped man and so on. Of course man has to pay for all those letters, where “his” woman get’s percentage for his spending. As a rule they receive lots of letters from the foreign clients and the fiance (if I can say so) on the wings of love fly to these cities to see their beloved ones. Finally, the couples have a meeting and… Confused fiance get a cold look of their Lugansk beauty instead of a sweet kiss.

They loyally pay money for personal translator service, driver, apartment found by their baby-girls and stay alone with their dreams. At the meantime, their brides honestly get their “share” for every deal from their translator who works for the agency. Usually, the fake bride gets some percent from the whole sum given by her fiance. And actually, her salary depends on how much generous her fiance is. Some men spent 10K, others 15K, most generous one (I heard) spent 35 ? 45 Thousands!

Well, this is a sad story about Beautiful Russian Brides from Lugansk and their fake dating agencies. I take all the responsibility for the reliability of this information and it’s checked by myself. In two similar agencies that I attended as a fake client I got the whole information about how the agencies of such kind operate and how their brides should work in their team. I told them that I’m married hiding the facts that could make them suspicious and disclose my intensions. As I told before, I will not describe all the details. However, it made me even the more striving for realizing my purpose.

Here are proximate % that ladies receive from their man’s spending: Letters ? 40% Gifts ? 20 ? 30% Phone calls, translation services ? 30% Persona driver and interpreter when man arrives ? 50% Apartment / hotel rent ? 20%

When searching for a foreign woman on the Internet, watch closely how she plans a meeting with you: does she want to have her own interpreter? ? Red flag Does she wan her person driver? ? Red flag. Does she want to travel with her own interpreter if meeting takes place in a third country? ? Red flag.

Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of girls in Lugansk (or other Russian, Ukrainian cities) who want to find her second half, one she could give all her love, passion, tenderness, faithfulness and beauty.

See those specially selected ladies who truly want to find love and happiness with a foreign man Russian bride dating agency.

http://www.oksanalove.com

By: The Love Scout

About the Author:

In Eastern Europe you’ll find the small country of Belarus, with roughly 10 million people, among them a bevy of beautiful Belarusian brides hoping to find a marriage minded man from the West. Even though the majority of the population lives in the large cities (a full fifth of the population lives in Minsk, the capital city), Belarus is mostly an agricultural country and is often known best for the radioactive fallout the Chernobyl disaster sent raining down on the small country.

Most of the people of Belarus speak Russian, although you will also hear Belarusian, which sounds very similar to Polish. Belarus has been greatly influenced by the countries it shares a border with, including Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine and Russia. It was, in former days, a part of the USSR.

Many of the festivities and folk songs that Belarusians celebrate with have their history in the pagan Belarusians of centuries ago. Even today, the God of Sun, Yaryla is still celebrated in Belarus, although the main religions now are Orthodox and Catholic.

How does this affect you if all you want to do is marry a Belarusian bride? It affects you because it’s important to know as much as possible about a foreign bride’s country, her culture and beliefs, and anything else that may influence your relationship with her.

Each part of the world has a different belief system, with its own customs, traditions, and morals. You don’t have to agree with them, but you do need to respect the other person’s right to hold onto them, even if she moves to your country to become your wife.

In Belarus, for instance, there are distinct roles for men and women, such as preparing the table with food, which is considered the woman’s responsibility. A Belarusian man would not be expected to ever take part in that chore.

Like many countries, much of the Belarusian traditions revolve around food, and much of their food is served with vodka. They have an interesting tradition with food as it relates to matchmaking.

A matchmaker visits a hopeful Belarusian bride and brings gifts of food and drink. She suggests a potential husband for the woman, and if her recommendation is accepted, she returns to the house later with the potential groom, who brings a gift of vodka to the family. The young woman’s parents supply food for all.

When this ritual has been completed several times, the couple is considered to be engaged. If it doesn’t work out and one side decides to break the engagement, they’re expected to repay the other party for the food and drink expenses.

In contrast to old traditions, men and women in Belarus often hold the same jobs and receive comparable pay, but even in these modern times, gender specific roles are still recognized. The raising of children is the woman’s domain and with those younger than 14, the father seldom interferes with the mother’s decisions.

Years ago, when a young couple got married, they moved to their own little hut on family property owned by the groom’s parents. Celebrations of the marriage took place in the homes on both sides and everyone shared all the expenses.

Another cultural difference you may be unaware of is that young Belarusian brides who could work on the farm and keep house well were considered a better choice than one who was beautiful or wealthy and didn’t possess those skills.

Morals were strong in Belarus and a young woman was usually expected to still have her virginity when she married. In fact, sometimes it was also expected that the groom be a virgin as well.

When you decide you’d like to marry a Belarusian bride, take the time to learn about her culture. It will endear you to her, and will allow you to have a little more insight as to her beliefs and what she considers important.