THE mimosa has arrived early in Moscow this year. In the past, this first flower of spring was brought up to the still snowy capital from warmer southern regions so that Soviet husbands could congratulate wives on March 8th, International Women's Day.
But Russians who have already adopted so much from the West, have now imported another foreign tradition - celebrating St Valentine's Day on February 14th. Old grannies have been doing a roaring street trade, selling the sweet smelling yellow blossom to those in love.
For Natasha (not her real name), the sight of the mimosa has been unbearable, for her husband of 22 years has just left her for a younger woman. "Every Women's Day, Tolya would bring me mimosa," she said. "It was his way of saying thank you for all the cleaning, cooking and washing up that I did throughout the rest of the year. Now I expect he is giving mimosa to his new girlfriend."
Marriages break down in any country but the institution of marriage is under particular pressure in Russia today as the transition "from communism to capitalism has brought a huge upheaval in society. Some people have adapted and some have not.
In Soviet times, Tolya used to work in a factory and Natasha, at 42 already a grandmother, kept the home. "We had absolutely no choice in our lives," she said. "The future was mapped out in advance. We were not rich but the State guaranteed us a basic standard of living. All our neighbours were in the same position. And we were more or less happy," she said.
But capitalism has freed the enterprising to make money. Russians are no longer kept in a state of artificial equality but can do better or worse than their neighbours. Some have been bitten by the bug of enterprise while others look on in confusion or envy. Lucky couples have flourished together. But many husbands and wives have found themselves going in different directions.
Tolya, for example, went into business making tools and selling them on a street market while his wife stayed at home. "He became a workaholic. I just never saw him. He was busy from early morning to late night," said Natasha. Then his fledgling DIY business began to make money. "He has bought himself a computer and is getting a car. And now he has given me one million roubles (£150) as a divorce present and told me he is moving in with the new woman.
Divorce is easier in modern Russia than it used to be in Soviet time's, when the Communist Party acted almost like the Catholic Church in trying to hold couples together. The party interfered in the private lives of workers, ticking them off at public meetings for adultery or drunkenness. And many Russians were cowed into conformity, for divorce was then a stigma which could damage their careers. This is not so anymore.
Like Natasha, Tanya, a social worker in her late 30s with school age children, is probably heading for the divorce court. Her husband Andrei went on an extended, business trip to America, and when he came back, he had lost interest in her and found a new partner. "He has become very materialistic," said Tanya. "I doubt we can mend our marriage this time. You see people had affairs in Soviet times and then got back together again. It didn't matter much. We Russians are not puritanical about sex. But now partners are discovering that they have totally different values. This is the terrible thing, to wake up and realise you are living with a stranger."
The woman is not always the one to be deserted. Valery, a poorly paid teacher, has been left looking after his children because his wife, Irina, has gone off with a big spending lover she calls "a real man". While Valery is calmly, seeking a divorce, some Russian men goaded by unsatisfied wives are reacting violently. The Moscow centre for battered women reports an increase in cases of wife beating because of economic stress rather than vodka abuse, the traditional cause of sorrow in Russian families.
While marriages are breaking down, feminism is taking root here and some Russian women are starting to see a future for themselves without men. Galya, for example, refuses to return to her husband even though he now wants her back. "My daughter is grown up, she said, "I have got used to being independent. I am going on holiday with a woman friend next week. Why should I go back and wash his socks again?"
It will take more than a bunch of mimosa to revive that Russian marriage.