culture around the world

1. INTERESTING CULTURE AROUND
THE WORLD
The world is filled with unique and vibrant cultures. These traditions
and customshave spread throughoutlocalcommunitiesand abroad.
Some are delightful, but some may be shocking and unorthodox.
1. TAROOF:
Taarof is the Iranianpractice ofperforming a gestureof respect and
deference, although it is generally understood that such a gestureshould
be refused. For example, in some establishments, it isconsidered polite
for the shopkeeper to refuse
payment from a customer of a
higher socialrank. The customer
understands, however, that the
proper response is to insist upon
paying. The shopkeeper may
refuse payment several times
before allowing the customer to
convincehim to accept. This
practicecanbevery confusing to
hapless foreignshoppers.
Taarof may also extend to social invitations. It is understood in Iranian
culturethat an invitationtoone’s home, no matter how enthusiastic, isa
mere formality. Should the inviteeaccept, theymay inadvertentlyput
their host (who may not have wanted them in their house at all) in a very
awkward position.
2. MANO PO
Pagmamano isa gesturethat symbolizesrespect for one’s elders. It is
akinto bowing, with the additionof taking anelder’s hand and pressing
it to one’s forehead. The practiceispredominantlyfound in the
Philippinesand some partsof Malaysia and Indonesia. It is said to have
been borrowed from the Chinese centuriesago, when Filipinosbeganto
acclimatetothe cultureof travelers and merchants. It is quitecommon
at family gatheringstoinstruct childrentoaskfor a blessing in this
manner from their elder relatives.

2. A similar custom of addressing one’s elders with respect is the use of the
words po and opo. For instance, “Ano
Yun?” (“What is that?”) isa common
statement. However, adding po (“Ano
po Yun?”) signifiesrespect tothe
person you areaddressing. Whenan
elder or anyone of a higher statusasks
you a question, you should say opo to
indicatetheaffirmativerather than
oo, the commonFilipinoword for
“yes.” In some cases, po and opo are
also used as terms of endearment for
others of equal stature.
3. BAYANIHAN
Another unique aspect of Filipino cultureis bayanihan, thepracticeof
literally moving an entirehome to a new location. The villagers gather to
lift up the structures, carrying them over quite
a distance. In some cases, it’sdone to avoid
damagetothe home from impending floodsor
landslides, but it’s sometimesdone simplyto
obligea good neighbor.
Bayanihan occursmostlyin rural provinces,
since theabodes found in these areasaremade
of lighter materialslike bambooand nipa palm wood. While it does take
placein urbanareas, it is limited tomoving itemssuch as hardware,
playground contraptionslikeswingsand seesaws, and basketballcourts.
4. HENNA WEDDINGS AND THE BLACKENING
Islamic weddingsaresteeped in centuries-old traditionsand rituals. For
one thing, it is generally believed that the
best dayfor theceremony to takeplace is on
Thursday, sinceFridayis theholy day among
Muslims. Another traditionis mehndi, or
“henna,” night. Two nightsbefore the
wedding, the brideis surrounded by women
from her side of the family, who paint
designs on her hands, arms, and feet. This

3. was to symbolize the bride’sentrancetowomanhood. Some symbols are
also meant to provide luck and fertility for the woman.
5. MUDRAS:
Mudras are seals, marks, or gestures unique to Hinduism and Buddhist
cultures, most notablyIndia. No fewer than 500 different meaningscan
be expressed by the way a person moves their hands and fingers. These
movementsare believed to allow the individualto control the
flow of prana, or life energy, and focus their attentiontoward a certain
goal. They canbe seen in statues, paintings, dances, plays, yoga, and
meditativetechniques.
The gyana mudra, whereinthe thumb and
index fingers touch while theother fingers
extend awayfrom the palm, is said to
promotementalclarityand calmness,
making it the most popular mudra to use
for meditativepurposes. The abhaya
mudra (simplyraising one’s right hand
with an open palm and fingers extended
straight up) sharesan almost universal
meaning with other symbolic gesturesof
variousreligionsand cultures. It’s related
to the heart chakra and communicatesopennessand honest intent.
The agni mudra (the thumb touching themiddlefinger while the rest
extend awayfrom the palm) symbolizes fire and is said to aid the
digestiveprocess.
6. ARRIVING LATE AT WORK
In manypartsof the world, arriving latetoa social gathering is
considered quiterude, but that’snot the case in South America. InChile,
if the host says that dinner will be served at
8:00 PM, guestsare expected toarrive
around 8:15 or even as lateas 8:30. Arriving
on timeor earlier could meancatching the
host unprepared, and the offender will be
regarded as“too eager” for a meal. In
Ecuador, arriving 15–20 minuteslate is also

4. considered being “on time,” and Brazilians consider meeting times
“elastic,” showing up whenever they please.
Even partsof the United Stateshaveadopted these traditions, because
they have attracted largepopulationsofimmigrantsfrom thesecountries
who brought their customswith them. For instance, in Miami, it’s more
common for dinner to be served late and guests to be less punctual than
in other partsof the country.
7. ALCOHOL AND THE DEVIL
Although stereotypescan be harmful, it is true that Russia is one of the
highest-ranked countriesintheworld in alcohol consumption. The
country’slove of vodka is also its leading causeof death, from liver
diseaseand alcohol poisoning to fatal
accidentsand crimes.
Sinceit’s such an integralpart of their
culture, there aremany rules of
etiquette surroundingdrinking inRussia.
For instance, you can’t placea glass of
alcohol backon thetable after a toast—it
should be bottom’sup and empty. Arriving
late for dinner means that you have to drink a full glassof vodka, no
questionsasked, as you’ll have to catch up with the rest. Between the
first and second shots, theremust be no interruptionswhatsoever.
Lastly, you should never makethe mistakeof offering a toast with an
emptyglass. If you do, you’ll have to drink the entirebottle.
8. PEARLY WHITES AND THE TOOTH FAIRY
There are several variations of the tale
of the tooth fairy. In Denmark, the
tooth fairy is called Tann Feen. In
many cultures, the mythical figure is
actually a mouse, known in France as
La Petite Souris, in Spain as Ratoncito
Perez, and in Colombia as El Raton
Miguelito.

5. In Greece and Mauritania, a child does not simply leave his
tooth underneath his pillow. Instead, children throw it as hard
and as high as they can toward the roof of their home. In
Greece, this provides good luck and strong teeth. In Mauritania,
if there’s a rooster crowing by daybreak, he could keep the
tooth.
9. BUSHIDO AND SEPPUKU
Bushido, the warrior codeof Japan, emphasizesstrength, loyalty, and
integrity. Someanalystsand academicshave recommended its
implementation inthe world of business, given the manyirregularities
that have faced corporationsinthepast and present. Conducting
businessinspired by bushido meansworking effectively and honestly,
with the best interestsof your superiorsand thepublic in mind.
Seppuku, or ritualsuicideasan alternativetodefeat introduced by
samurai, hasa less vaunted reputation. It wasparticularlyvilified in the
wake of World War II, when thousandsof Japanesesoldierscarried on
the practicebychoosing to take their lives rather thansurrender, but
it continuesto this day in manypartsof Asia. Notableinstancesinclude
the suicidesof YukioMishima whileprotesting Japan’smilitarypolicies
in 1970 and Masaharu Nonakaafter hewas laid off by his companyin
1999.
10. THE HAKA
The haka is a traditionofthe Maori people of New Zealand. The
spectacleinvolves menacing facialexpressions, grunting, guttural
howling, loud chanting, stomping,
clapping, chest-thumping, and
tongue-wagging intended tostrike
awe and fear into thetribe’s
opponents.
Today, it is most often seen when it is
performed by New Zealand’s national
sportsteams. Their rugbyteam, theAll Blacks, perform the haka on the
field prior to a match, asseen in the video above. During the 2014 FIBA
tournament, thebasketballteam nicknamed the“TallBlacks” performed
the haka much to the bewilderment and surpriseof their US opponents.

6. CONCLUSION
If we happento travelaround the globe, we explore numerouscultures
and traditionshaving some very unique traits. Culturesrepresent the
geography, identification, lifestylesand much more. However, if we
study about the culturesin the variousparts of the world, we may
encounter countlessweird thingstoo. As I have already quoted the
traditionalAmericansaying ‘DifferentStrokesfor Different Folks’. No
doubt, diversity prevailsand yes, weirdest thingsdohappenin this
planet. With all that said, I still say that the most interesting thing
about culturesmay not be the observable thingsthey do—eating
preferences, the rituals, codesof conduct and the like. I still believe that
there canbe several hiddenmysteriesbehind those weirdcultures. We
still have a lot to explore, I think.