Odessa Local Customs

June 2 – RMA #10
June 2 – Little Star International festival of young talents;
June 6 – Mini-Miss Odessa, Mini-Mister Odessa, Ukraine South beauty contests;
June 16 – White Acacia arts festival;
June 18 – Odessa Open Cup international rating tournament in sport dances;
June 23-27 – Semyon Trestin international tournament;
July 5-10 – Cup of Ports All-Ukrainian regatta;
July 11 – Forsage Autoshow at the airfield “At Two Poles”;
July 20 – Golden Mercury competition in the sphere of achievements in trade;
July 22 – Miss Tourism International, Ukraine, Black Sea international beauty contest;
July 25 - Forsage Autoshow at the airfield “At Two Poles”;
August 5 – RMA #5
August 8 - Forcage Autoshow at the airfield “At Two Poles”;
August 17 - Semyon Trestin international tournament;
August 20 – Nobility Meeting in Odessa “Nobles of the Commonwealth, unite!”;
August 22 - Forcage Autoshow at the airfield “At Two Poles”
;August 28 – Gankevich rock festival.

September 2 – City Day (concerts and shows, fireworks display)
September 3 – What?Where?When? game, international festival
September 6 – United Ukraine” international festival of regional TV and radio stations
September 7 – David Oistrach First International violinists competition
September 19-21 – Jazz Festival (world’s best jazzmen carnival)
October 2 – International Music Day (concerts and musicals at the Philharmonic Society and Opera and Ballet Theater)
October 3 – Julia Ryabchinckaya memorial festival
October 7 – RMA # 6
October 20 – Odessa Guitar Autumn (classic, jazz and flamenco guitar festival)
October 31 – Halloween at Odessa clubs
November 10 – International Youth Day (performances of students’ variety theaters called “Clubs of the Jolly and the Resourceful”, song festival, etc.)
November 18 – Black Sea Cup international karate tournament.

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Odessa Humor Carnival has been held there since 1973.
Unlike all other cities of Ukraine, April Fool's Day is a day off in Odessa.
Traditionally the Mayor of Odessa proclaims April 1 a day off.
And, if it is a week day, it is transferred to the nearest Saturday.
The holiday program starts at noon in Cathedral Square.
Then April 1 Procession starts.
It proceeds to:
De Ribas Street - >
Richelieu Street - >
St.Panteleimon Street ->
Kulikovo Field.
The last stop of the Procession is the place where the evening gala concert takes place.
At 6 p.m. there is usually an April 1 fireworks display.

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Misha is boasting to his friends.
“Once at a party I bet I would eat fifteen sandwiches and I won the argument!”
“And without any consequences?”
“Alas. With consequences! Since that time nobody has ever invited me to any company!”
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A secretary enters her boss’s reception room and pours a jar of ink on his head. Then she climbs the table and starts dancing on it.
At this moment the door opens and her friend says,
“Stop it, Valya! It was just a joke about your inheritance of $100,000!”
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Father says to his son,
“I have already got used to your wearing my trousers, my suites, shirts and taking my car, but please leave that actress alone!”

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Coffee drinking is becoming more and more popular in Odessa.
There are a lot of coffehouses here, among them Cuba Café in Tiraspol Street (formerly Year 1905 Street) near Staroportofrankovskaya Street that was dedicated in 2007.
The café has a unique atmosphere,
excellent Illy coffee,
the best capuccino in the city…
free Wi-Fi zone (3 MB)

Here are some anecdotes that I found in Passage magazine of Odessa. I have translated them for you!

“Ivan,- a neighbor asks a neighbor,- you have such a big moustache, doesn’t it interfere with eating and drinking?”
“Treat me and you will see”.
....................................................
Sima shares her secrets with her neighbor Sonya.
“Tell me, Sima, - Sonya asks,- has you husband ever found unfamiliar men in your wardrobe?”
“Never. Everybody whom he found was his pal”.
...................................................
A man and his wife are bathing at Langeron beach.
“Look, Osya, you’re always by me. Are you afraid I may drown, dear? – the man’s wife asks.
“No, darling, but you have so much gold on you, I am afraid of loosing it”.
...................................................
Two friends meet. One of them has a blue eye.
“What’s happened?”
“Do you remember that lady we saw the day before yesterday? You said she was a widow.”
“Yes, I remember her well”.
“So you should know you were wrong”.
..................................................
Two ballet dancers are chatting behind the curtain after the performance.
“Look, what’s wrong with Rita?” – one of them asks – She looks outraged”
“She is upset she was given only fourteen bunches of roses”.
“Fourteen bunches! Is that too little for her?!”
“You see, she paid for fifteen”.

There are several art galleries in Odessa where you can see different exhibitions of painting, ceramics, applied arts, sculpture, china or even puppets:

Amis
4 Langeron Street
Tel. +38 048 234 80 10

Sea Gallery
6 Maritime (Primorskaya) Street
Tel. +38 048 729 33 09

Yekaterininskaya (Catherine Gallery)
16 Catherine (Yekaterininskaya) Street
Tel. +38 048 222 48 97

White Moon
9 Rope (Kanatnaya) Street
Tel. +38 048 715 51 26

Liberty
24a Langeron Street
Tel.:+38 048 222 48 67

Dialog Art Club
23 Pushkin Street
Tel.: +38 048 225 02 35

Bamboo
42 Bunin Street
Tel.: +38 048 237 93 80
Bridge (Most) Gallery
3 Sabaneyev Bridge
Tel.: +38 048 223 63 04.

There are several movie theaters in Odessa:
Utochkino
22 De Ribas Street
Tel.: +38 048 237 70 71

Golden Duke Movie Center
11 Academician Hlushko Street
Tel.: +38 048 777 92 18

Odessa
1/3 Spiridon Street
Tel.: +38 048 226 28 27

Rodina
104 Mechnikov Street

Zvyozdny (Star Movie Theater)
60a Heroes of Stalingrad Street
Tel.: +38 048 252 81 94

Moscow
41 Varna Street
Tel.: +38 048 777 02 01

December 2 – RMA # 7
December 15 – All- Ukrainian barmen competition
December 15 – The Odessan of the Year contest
December 18 – Miss Odessa beauty contest (unforgettable show with the most beautiful young ladies of Odessa)
December 18 – Mrs.Odessa Open women’s beauty contest.
January 1 – Celebration of the New Year, Odessa style
January 5 – Richterfest Richter memorial festival
January 14 – Celebration of the Old New Year
January 25 – Tatiana Day (merry students’ holiday).February 3 – Rating of Model Agencies presentation # 8
February 4 – “Seasons” international fashion fastival
February 14 – St.Valentine’s Day festivities
February 23 – Day of the Defender of the Motherland

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There is a lot to see and to do in Odessa in every season.
This is what I found out about the festivals in spring and other seasons. These festivals are planned for 2005, but they have all become traditional already.

March 6 – Maidan Odessa beauty contest
March 8 – International Women’s Day (love serenades)
March 17 – St.Patrick's Day (a sea of Irish beer)
April 1 – Day of Laughter (this is how we call April Fool’s Day) – funny carnival procession, concerts and shows and ,of course, rock with laughter;
April 2 – Master Gambs humor festival
April 7 – Rating of Model Agencies presentation #7
April 8 – International Day of Tai-zsi and Tsigun
April 8 – Master Gambs TV humor festival
April 10 – International Greco-Roman wrestling tournament
April 15 – Futuris Cup tennis tournament
April 20 – Two Days and Two Nights international festival of new music
May 1,2 – Body Art carnival (the world’s longest living picture at 11, Devolan Descent from noon till modnight);
May 9-11 – Nahata international tournament in karate and kobudo
May 21 – RMA festival (1,000 the most beautiful young ladies from Ukraine at De Ribas Street in Odessa!).