In the minds of the Russian people, there are many different beliefs and superstitions, the roots of which often relate to the culture of other countries. Currently, there is a belief in Russia that a person should not be given a watch. The Orthodox Church has its own view of this practice.
Many people believe that it is impossible to give a person a watch. This applies not only to the wrist accessory, but also to the wall gift. It is popularly considered a bad omen to give a watch, because soon a person who has accepted such a souvenir as a gift may suffer or even die.
Such superstition took place in ancient China. It was there that a gift in the form of a watch was considered an invitation to a funeral. The Russian person "thought out" this practice to the point that after the presentation of the clock the birthday person begins the "countdown" of the time to death. However, at present, the popular consciousness has come up with the following solution: when giving a watch, you must pay for the present with money in the amount of any amount (for example, one ruble or even less).
The Orthodox Church has a negative attitude towards this kind of superstition. For a believer, a watch is not any magical object capable of influencing a person's being and his death. For Russia, which is the successor of the Byzantine Empire in its Orthodox cultural heritage, this practice is irrelevant. A believer should not be afraid to accept a watch as a gift and (or) strive to make a symbolic payment for it, because the Orthodox doctrine says that the very existence of a person is in the will of God, and does not depend on the "magic" of the movement of the hour, minute or second hands …
Therefore, from the point of view of Orthodoxy, there is nothing wrong with accepting a watch as a gift or presenting such a gift. On the contrary, such a present is considered very worthy. Especially nowadays, when a good wrist watch can characterize a person's status and are not just a luxury, but a very relevant accessory.
