According to the UN there is, on our planet, in the year 2021, a total population of just over 7 billion. These people grew up in countries with different cultures, passed down for centuries from generation to generation. So when we meet a foreigner or travel to another country, we can feel the difference in customs and traditions.
we, from awesome.club, we love to bring trivia to surprise our readers. That’s why we’ve selected 18 traditions, from different parts of the world, that can leave even the most traveled people awestruck.
1. Canada — Visitors in costume go from house to house at Christmas
Mummering (or Mummery) — is a Christmas tradition where groups of people dress up and go from house to house to party. They eat, drink and dance until the owners find out who the ‘undercover’ are. ©smkels/Reddit
2. Netherlands — Birthday greetings are for everyone
Here in Holland, when someone celebrates a birthday, we congratulate everyone at the party. Let’s say it’s John’s birthday. People arriving for the celebration will congratulate everyone in the house by saying, “Congratulations on John’s birthday”, or just “Congratulations”. (gefeliciterd!). ©PafPiet/Reddit
3. Denmark — Cinnamon Powder “Bath” in Singles
We throw cinnamon powder on single people when they turn 25. ©Jaerynn/RedditIn Denmark, if you’re still single on your 25th birthday, your friends will come and dip you in water or oil and throw lots of cinnamon powder on you. ©hakkeboef68/Reddit
4. Greece — Rituals to ward off the “evil eye”
We have a tradition of believing that someone might look at you with bad intentions or with envy, and this happens more often if you are handsome, young, and successful. There are rituals that can be performed to “remove the evil eye”. To avoid attracting attention, you can carry an “evil eye” gem, which is a blue and white circle in the shape of an eye, called a Greek eye. Another option is for an elderly person to “spit” on you. They believe that the evil eye sees “saliva” and does not see you as beautiful. Of course people don’t actually spit, they just pretend🇧🇷 ©Dionyziz/Reddit
5. Hungary — “Water” the girls so they don’t “wither”
An ancient ritual calls for “watering” women on Easter Monday so that they “do not wither”. This custom was practiced with a bucket of water. Already today, in some places, it is customary to sprinkle a little cologne and then declaim a poem to the girl. If I’m not mistaken, its origin comes from some ancient fertility rite. ©AkechiJubeiMitsuhide/Reddit
6. Finland — Bathing in cold water is traditional
Here, when you go to the sauna, you can pick up a bundle of birch twigs and lightly tap your body or your partner. It is a purifying act and helps with blood circulation, but foreigners often find it quite strange. Another thing that causes a lot of curiosity is when we open a hole in the ice in the middle of winter and swim in the freezing water. Outsiders are sometimes surprised to learn that this is not bad for their health. ©AlienAle/Reddit
7. Spain — Eat grapes to have a good year
On New Year’s Eve, it’s a tradition in Spain to eat 12 grapes: one berry for each of the 12 chimes. It is supposed to bring good luck for the new year. ©proflight27/Reddit
8. Canada — In Quebec there is a “certain day” for moving
In Quebec, there is a tradition: almost everyone who rents an apartment moves on the same day, July 1st. In the rest of the country, Canada Day is celebrated, but in Quebec it is the moving day (Le jour du déménagement). ©mtl_guy22/Reddit
9. Norway — In May, the end of high school is celebrated
Here in Norway we have a tradition called “Russ”, which is basically when students celebrate the end of high school. This celebration usually takes place between the 1st and 17th of May (the period in which our constitution was written). ©LumoTheLegend/Reddit
10. USA — An unusual sandwich for the rest of the world
Traditional US food: peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I read several things recently (NO COMMA) stating that people in other countries were shocked, or confused, by this classic combo. ©1043CA150/Reddit
11. Germany — Congratulating before the day may seem rude
I don’t know if anyone has already commented on this, but in my country it’s considered inelegant if you congratulate someone before their birthday. So, if the birthday is tomorrow, people really see it as a rude gesture for you to congratulate the birthday person today, as they understand the gesture as a wish for bad luck or something like that😄. ©f1fcb/Reddit
12. South Korea — Age counts differently
The particularities of age in Korea: the nine months a child is in the womb are already added to their age. Therefore, when you are born, you automatically have your first year accounted for. Also, a person is one year older on New Year’s Day, not the day of their birth. So, if you were born on December 31st, you will be two years old the next day, January 1st. It’s pretty weird! ©dshllecheeere3r3/Reddit
13. Catalonia — A substitute for Santa Claus
It’s not exactly in my country, but my sister is in Barcelona / Catalonia. Every year, around Christmas, the children ‘feed’ a log of wood. After a few days, as it is ‘full’, they beat it with sticks until it ‘releases’ the gifts. I think it’s more plausible than Santa Claus. That’s what it looks like to me! ©ponderous_pete/Reddit
14. United Kingdom — Has the “cheese rush”
In the UK there is a kind of competition – the Cheese Race – in which a large round cheese is rolled down a steep slope for competitors to chase down a hill. The winner is the one who manages to get the cheese. ©Guru6676/Reddit
15. Philippines — A visitor is arriving
Here in the Philippines, when cutlery falls on the floor, if it’s a spoon, we say there’s a guest arriving. If it’s a fork, then it’s a guest. We like to use this tradition to play with people. ©sabaybayin/Reddit
16. France — Cookies dipped in tea
Until recently, I was sure that dipping cookies in tea was commonplace everywhere in the world. I’ve always made it in my coffee, tea or chocolate milk since I was a kid. My grandmother dips pieces of baguette with Camembert cheese into her black coffee in the morning. ©CH-OS-EN/Reddit
17. India — Touching the feet of elders is a sign of respect
In northern India, it is a tradition to touch the feet of elders to receive a blessing and show respect. For some it may seem even stranger when the age difference between the two people is quite small. For example, the younger brother must touch the feet of the older brother’s wife, even if the age difference between the brothers-in-law is less than five years. Which, in fact, can be very weird for some foreigners. ©Foreigner Love/Reddit
18. Germany — Only odd-numbered flowers should be given as a gift
When gifting a person or yourself with a bouquet of flowers, it must contain an odd number: three roses or seven lilies. Even-numbered bouquets are intended for funerals. I always thought that this tradition existed in other countries as well, but last week I was reminded of this when talking to a German friend, and only then did I realize that it was a restricted tradition. ©Unknown/Reddit
19. Portugal — Espresso is more common
Brazilians love their coffee in the most traditional way possible — strained, in the American style. In some European countries, however, our way of drinking coffee is not so common. For example, the Portuguese generally prefer to drink espresso coffee, so most of the population has an espresso machine at home, which in Brazil we almost don’t see.
20. Thailand — The cone is a banana leaf
While in Brazil it is common to have ice cream in the cone — and in other ways too, such as in plastic cups, with cake and even in refined dishes such as petit gâteau — in Thailand “the banana leaf is a common way of serving ice cream, especially if this is coconut ice cream.” Goaty 33 / Reddit
Did you like to know more about the tradition of some countries or cities in the world? Did you already know any of the ones we present? Is there one that only happens where you live? Tell us in the comments.
Note: This article was updated in November 2021 to correct source material and/or factual inaccuracies.
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