10 Brazilian Customs That Might Look Weird Abroad (And Maybe You Didn’t Know)

According to some information taken directly from the websites of language schools, some customs of certain countries may seem a little strange to us, such as, for example, some do not have the same mania that we have to shower more than once a day. But our culture and customs can also be strange to some foreigners. There’s nothing better than getting to know what they think about us and, at the same time, getting to know a little more about other cultures, isn’t it?

Therefore, today, the awesome.club separated some information that you may not be aware of about how gringos see us, and how we have some extremely different habits compared to other countries. Check with us.

As we live in a tropical country, it is our custom to shower once a day, or even more. In other colder countries, their inhabitants do not have the same habit. Of course there are exceptions, right?

In Brazil, we have the habit of brushing our teeth after every meal, but for North Americans and Europeans, there is no need to do so, since brushing our teeth when getting up and before going to sleep is enough. to keep them clean.

According to some students in the United States, using a knife and fork to eat pizza is totally foreign to Americans. If you do it near some gringo, it will possibly raise some curious glances and they will immediately realize that you are a tourist. The same goes for those who like to eat sandwiches and snacks with napkins. For them, the best way is to get their hands dirty.

We Latin Americans love to greet and say goodbye with hugs, and one, two, or even three kisses on the cheek (this varies from state to state). The North Americans and Europeans, on the other hand, see the attitude as a slightly strange behavior, as they are more reserved and from a culture that is a little different from ours.

Although we are very clean for the gringos, there is a custom of ours that they don’t like at all, which is the habit of throwing used (dirty) toilet paper in a trash can for the bathroom. Outside, it is possible to throw the paper in the vase, because the paper material is made to dissolve in water, in addition to having its own sewage system for this. It’s kind of unfeasible for us Brazilians, isn’t it?

Some students from other countries reported that, a very common custom here in Brazil, is to call people by their first name. In other countries, it’s normal to call others by their last name, especially older people, bosses, teachers, and even someone you’re not so close to.

In North America and Europe, avocado is not seen as a sweet food. as we know the Guacamole, a Mexican food and very popular around the world, gringos usually eat avocado with salt and plenty of pepper. Here in Brazil, we love to eat this fruit with sugar and make vitamins. Quite different, no?

According to reports from some students in the United States and Canada, clapping, singing, whistling, jumping, warmly celebrating someone’s birthday is part of our Latino culture. In North American countries, they usually just sing the good old Happy Birthday to You (Happy Birthday, in Portuguese), and blow out the candles.

In Brazil, most of the fees are already included in the final price of the service, but in places in North America and Europe, they are charged separately, and called “tips”. We Brazilians don’t have the habit of tipping, but here’s a tip if you travel abroad.

In Brazil, it is normal to have an hour or more for lunch, but in other countries it is quite different. In many parts of the world, workers have to have lunch in front of the computer, but don’t think that it is a complete meal, because it is just a simple snack. Even if they are not working, their lunch is just a light meal, as they consider dinner to be the most important.

Do you know any custom we missed mentioning? What is the strangest in your opinion? comment. 🇧🇷