In Russian superstition, an empty bucket is traditionally considered unlucky to carry or meet first when leaving home. The belief is especially associated with encountering someone carrying an empty pail or bucket, which is thought to foretell an unsuccessful day.
The custom has practical roots in older rural life, when buckets were essential for fetching water and other supplies. A full bucket suggested that useful work had been completed or that prosperity was arriving, while an empty one symbolized lack, failure, or wasted effort. Over time, that practical contrast became a folk omen.
This belief is sometimes confused with the separate Russian practice of sitting quietly before a journey, which is associated with reflection and safe travel. Neither custom is a scientific predictor. The empty-bucket superstition belongs to a broader European pattern in which the first person, object, or event encountered after setting out is treated as a sign of how the day will go.