During noisy festive feasts, and not only, the majority of Russian people have a tradition - to remove an empty bottle from the table. For some it is just a habit, for others it is superstition.
Folk omens
According to popular belief, empty bottles and other containers on the table will bring big losses, poverty, hunger to the owners of the house. It is also believed that evil spirits can settle in narrow vessels. That is why superstitious people turn all empty dishes upside down at night. And just in case, two torches are placed on top with a cross.
According to another sign, an empty bottle can adversely affect nulliparous girls in the house. If they sit at the table where there is an empty bottle, they will never be able to learn all the delights of motherhood.
In addition, there is a belief that an empty vessel has the power to draw energy and health from a person. Therefore, it must be removed. Moreover, even under the table, the bottle should be closed with a cork or napkin.
In the days of the hussars, the military had their own belief. The soldiers believed that if the empty bottle was not removed from the table, the next time they would not come together with the same company. One of the hussars will die in the next battle.
Historical facts
According to another version, such a tradition appeared during the Patriotic War of 1812-1814. Russian Cossacks, finding themselves in France, went to dinner at a tavern. They put empty wine bottles under the table so as not to get in the way. When it was time to pay, the waiter counted them only the bottles that were on the table. As it turned out, in France at that time in drinking establishments it was so customary - to issue an invoice judging by the empty dishes on the clients' table. The Cossacks immediately took this into service, and in this way they began to save money - ordering drinks, and hiding the bottles imperceptibly under the table.
And during the times of the Soviet Union, it was strictly forbidden to bring alcoholic drinks with you to restaurants or cafes. However, the enterprising working class still found a way to carry a bottle in its bosom. After all, buying wine or vodka in a store was much cheaper than ordering in a public catering. The bottle was placed under the table, discreetly poured into glasses and drank quickly so that the waiters would not notice. Since then, the habit of Soviet people has taken root to keep a bottle under the table.
If you look at the tradition of removing empty bottles from the table from a practical point of view, unnecessary containers only get in the way. And it is removed to make room for new dishes, or so that no one inadvertently touches the battery with an elbow and injures himself. And it is simply not aesthetically pleasing when the festive table is filled with empty dishes.
