In Israel, "inviting" someone means paying for them. Security procedures are more strenuous, involving bag searches and keeping ID. Most businesses close on Shabbat, though some remain open in Tel Aviv. In Cambodia, it is customary to remove shoes in religious sites and homes, and to greet with a bowed head. During festivals like Pchum Ben and the Water Festival, offerings are made to spirits and the river is celebrated.

1. 5 Countries

2. Israel

3. Customs
Footing the Bill
The word invite takes on a whole new meaning in Israel. To invite someone means
you are volunteering to pay for them. When you say “I am inviting” to an Israeli, they
hear “I am paying.” Even if you are prepared to treat your friends often, be careful
that you don’t use this phrase too much.

4. Security
 Security procedures are much more strenuous in Israel than in other countries.
When you enter bus stations, train stations, malls, or other crowded places, your
bag will be searched and you may sometimes be asked to empty your pockets.
This is simply a matter of course for Israelis- when they encounter a gate with a
security guard, they surrender their bag or purse. It’s also a good idea to keep
identification with you at all times, even if it’s only your driver’s license.

6. Shabbat and Jewish Holidays
 As Saturday is the Jewish day of rest, most business shut down on this day. Trains
and buses do not run and most stores will be closed, with some exceptions.
Buses still run in Haifa due to an edict by the first mayor of the city.
 Tel Aviv is a big city with lots of secular residents, so some services will be
available here. The monit sherut (service taxis) run, many business will be open,
and a greater number of people will be out and about on the streets.

8. Cambodia

9.  It is customary to remove your shoes when entering a place of worship such as a
pagoda or temple. Additionally, visitors should dress appropriately when inside a
religious site (upper arms and legs should be covered, hats removed).
 It is respectful to remove your shoes when entering someone’s home.
 Though not always expected, a respectful way of greeting another individual is to
bow the head slightly with hands pressed together at the chest (known as
“Sampeah”).

11.  Monks are not supposed to touch or be touched by women. If a woman wants to
hand something to a monk, the object should be placed within reach of the monk
or on the monk's 'receiving cloth'.
 Never pat or touch an adult on the head – in Asia, the head is considered the most
sacred part of the body.

13.  Royal Ploughing Ceremony
 The Royal Ploughing Ceremony, or 'Bon Chroat Preah Nongkoal' in the Khmer
is solemnly celebrated at the beginning of the sowing and planting season. Every year
May, this cultural ceremony takes place at the park in front of the National Museum
(next to the Royal Palace). Cambodia has deep connection with earth and farming.
There is a deep astrological belief that royal oxen known in Khmer as Usapheak Reach,
have an instrumental role in determining the fate of the agricultural harvest each year.
 Traditionally, the King Meak, representing the king of Cambodia, ploughs the field
whilst the Queen, the Preah Mehuo, sows seeds from behind. The field is
ploughed three times around. The royal servants then drive the royal oxen to seven
golden trays containing rice, corn, sesame seeds, beans, grass, water, and wine to
The royal soothsayers interpret what the oxen have eaten and predict a series of
including epidemics, floods, good harvests, and excessive rainfall. At this festival, both
men and women wear brightly colored Khmer traditional costume.

15. Pchum Ben Day or All Soul Day
 Running for 15 days, usually from the end of September into October, this festival
is dedicated to blessing the spirits of the dead and is one of the most culturally
significant in Cambodia. The exact date defers year to year as determined by the
lunar calendar. Each household visits their temple of choice and offers food to
the monks.
 Offering of food is a meritorious act and is one of the oldest and most common
rituals of Buddhism. During the Pchum Ben festival, people bring food to the
temple for the monks and to feed hungry ghosts who could be their late
ancestors, relatives or friends.

16. Pagodas are usually crowded with people taking their turn to make offerings and to
beg the monks to pray for their late ancestors and loved ones. Many remain behind at
the temple to listen to Buddhist sermons.
 Cambodians leave food offerings on altars and around temple grounds for hungry
ghosts. Pchum Ben is a festival that features food and entertainment for such
hungry ghosts.

18. Water Festival
 The Water Festival, a spectacle to behold, is probably the most exorbitant festival
held each year in November. It is usually celebrated for three days, i.e. the 14th
and 15th of the waxing moon and the 1st of the waning moon of the month of
Kadek. The 15th of the waxing moon is the last full moon day.
 The festival ushers in the fishing season, marks a change in the flow of the Tonlé
Sap and the ebbing-water season, and is seen as thanksgiving to the Mekong
River for providing the country with fertile land and abundant fish.