Social customs and habits

L French gift-giving custom

In choosing and giving gifts, it fully embodies the elegance, civilization and uniqueness of the French. Giving big and expensive gifts is considered as a sign of being unsociable.

Festivals and holidays

The main gift-giving festivals in France are Christmas and New Year's Eve. Children put their shoes under the Christmas tree or near the chimney, waiting for adults to fill them with fruits and gadgets. In most parts of France, people are not familiar with Santa Claus. Family members usually give gifts to each other. Orchids, blooming azaleas and other flowers are often given away.

On New Year's Eve, family and friends will give gifts to each other. The invited guests brought flowers, food and other gifts to the party, and the hostess prepared small gifts or souvenirs for each guest as usual.

Romantic French people will naturally not forget Saint Valentine's Day (Valentine's Day), and usually take flowers as gifts. Children often send flowers to their mother on this day.

Mother's Day is also an important festival. French people rarely choose greeting cards on this day, and usually send flowers, perfumes, scarves and other female products. However, Father's Day is not very popular in France. Although leather and other industrial departments vigorously promote this festival from a commercial perspective, it still gets twice the result with half the effort.

On may 1 day, people traditionally give lily of the valley to friends and acquaintances, which is a symbol of friendship in spring.

Special gift-giving occasion

(1) When a child is born, its mother will receive flowers from her husband and father-especially when the child is the first child. Relatives and friends will give their children clothes, toys and other gifts. Generally speaking, guests who are invited to attend the children's baptism don't have to bring gifts. Only the godparents of children will bring souvenirs such as small silver cups or spoons.

In the past, a child's name day was always considered more important than his birthday. Nowadays, the French also celebrate their birthdays, especially when they are eighteen, twenty-one, forty and fifty.

(2) At the engagement ceremony, the families of both sides gave each other bouquets. When getting married, gifts are always given to the bride's parents, and a card is attached to congratulate their daughter on her marriage. It is also appropriate to send flowers to the bride's house on the wedding day-especially when you can't attend the wedding.

Family and friends also celebrate important wedding anniversaries. Husbands often plant a rose tree for their wives to symbolize their eternal love.

Only close friends send flowers at funerals. A message or postcard expressing sympathy is more appropriate.

Business activity gift

At present, economic difficulties make people tend to be conservative when giving business gifts to each other. Company leaders are reluctant to accept extravagant gifts for fear of being mistaken for accepting bribes. When giving gifts in business, it is very important to let the other party have the ability to return the gifts you sent, and not to make the other party embarrassed to return the gifts and lose face. Europeans, especially the French, want the gift to be more personalized. Even if it is a business gift, it is best to attach a few greetings in person.

Matters needing attention

When you are invited to someone's home, you should bring some small gifts or send some flowers before you go, especially for the first time.

The French have a special preference for flowers. They know how to preserve them and make them bright and lasting. Guests often send flowers on the morning of parties. It would be better if you can get the flowers that the owner likes or those that match his indoor environment. The French usually send a bunch of odd flowers-from the perspective of flower arrangement art, even flowers are difficult to arrange and combine (of course, the number of thirteen should be avoided. You will find that if thirteen guests arrive, the hostess will arrange two tables instead of thirteen people sitting at the same table. French people like tropical or exotic flowers, especially those that can keep bright for a long time. A more luxurious flower gift can include a crystal vase. Don't send red roses. Red roses do symbolize love, and lovers give gifts to each other, but they are also symbols of the annoying socialist party. In addition, some French people think that bouquets consisting of six or twelve bouquets are specially given to each other by lovers.

Food is also a good gift, but it must be remembered that the French attach great importance to the quality of food, and it is forbidden to send food with exquisite packaging and poor quality, so as not to belittle the host's dietary standards and insult him.

According to the custom, don't send wine or spirits to the French, because the French attach great importance to their diet and they are also very serious about what kind of wine to drink. Of course, if you know that the host likes a certain kind of wine, you can give him a bottle and suggest him to think about it later.

Other popular gifts include incense sticks, potpourri, books and some crystal products. Perfume (including men's perfume) is regarded as a human gift.

Of course, young French people nowadays also like popular things in the United States, such as T-shirts with university logos and anything with American movie stars, which are welcome gifts.

British gift-giving custom

Respectable qualities such as restraint, politeness, respect for tradition and love of English are embodied in the gift-giving custom in Britain. British tradition holds that as long as you can afford it, whatever it is, you should try to get the best and cherish it for life.

Gift Festival

Many people associate gifts from England with Christmas. Indeed, Christmas is the most solemn festival in their tradition. During the so-called Christmas period, people give each other a lot of Christmas cards and sing Christmas songs. Family and friends put Christmas presents under the Christmas tree, and Santa Claus puts presents in children's socks. On the morning of Christmas, everyone from the royal family to the common people gave gifts to each other. In Britain, people also celebrate Boxing Day. Boxing Day is the first day after Christmas except Sunday. This legal holiday comes from the tradition of giving boxed Christmas presents to waiters and postmen in Britain on this day.

Business colleagues also give each other Christmas presents, although they are not as expensive as those from Americans. Gifts with company logo, such as desk calendar, monthly calendar, alcohol (especially brandy and whisky) and chocolate are common gifts.

People celebrate Easter by giving Easter eggs (usually made of chocolate or other sugar) and flowers. On the day of confession, that is, the Tuesday before Lent, according to tradition, there will be a pancake making competition in which only women participate. On that day, people also treat their friends with pancakes

The celebrations of Saint Valentine's Day (Valentine's Day), Mother's Day and Father's Day are similar to those in the United States, but less commercial. Unlike American children, British children don't go door-to-door to ask for gifts on Halloween. If they are rejected, they will play tricks.

Special gift-giving occasion

Birthday is another important festival in Britain. Families give presents on the morning of their birthdays, and young people hold parties to celebrate. Although the British now have the right to vote at the age of 18, they still celebrate 2 1 as an adult. Citizens celebrating their eightieth, ninetieth or hundredth birthdays will receive a congratulatory message from Her Majesty the Queen. In addition, now more and more people celebrate the queen's legal birthday on a certain day in June every year, although this day is not the queen's real birthday.

Children should give gifts at birth and baptism. People invited to the christening ceremony usually bring a gift, and the godfather and godmother usually send silver cups, plates or spoons. Young people receive gifts of eternal value from relatives, friends and godparents at the christening ceremony.

Wedding gift-giving customs are basically the same as those in America. It's best to give gifts out as soon as possible, because some families like to show gifts to their friends for appreciation. Wedding gifts should be given to the bride.

L German gift-giving custom

Gift Festival

The fourth Sunday before Christmas is Advent, and people have been preparing for Christmas celebrations since then. Every Sunday, family members get together and light one of the four candles. All the candles are lit before Christmas. German children have been eagerly looking forward to the arrival of St. Nicholas's Day on February 6, 65438. When the children were sleeping, Saint Nicholas brought them gifts such as fruit and candy in a sleigh pulled by donkeys. Some adults also give gifts to each other on this day.

Christmas presents were bought before Christmas. On Christmas Eve, people exchange gifts around the Christmas tree instead of Valentine's Day. The custom of Santa Claus giving gifts is also very popular in southern Germany.

Good Friday and Easter are legal holidays in Germany. Easter customs include rolling steam wheels and eggs from the mountains, holding wild bonfire parties and so on. Chocolate eggs and rabbits in baskets are often given to children as gifts.

On Mother's Day, people will send flowers and other gifts to their mothers.

On May Day, many towns and villages put up colored lights and people sang and danced. Young people put birch branches on their girlfriend's door.

Special gift-giving occasion

Germans celebrate many folk festivals every year, from the world-famous Oktoberfest in Munich to the Rose Festival in Cologne, as well as wine festivals in some places. These traditional festivals focus on eating and drinking, and do not emphasize giving gifts. Foreigners who go to the German Folk Festival for the first time should understand that few people will entertain you, and each participant must order his own food and pay for it. If the Germans take the initiative to entertain you, you can accept it after expressing your gratitude, but you should find an opportunity to invite him back immediately.

Germans attach great importance to birthdays, and celebrations can be held at home or in the office. Some Germans can still enjoy a half-day holiday on their birthdays. When children wake up on their birthdays, they always find the table full of flowers for them. Flowers and wine are common birthday gifts for friends.

There is no custom of holding a shower for the bride in Germany. But the custom of going to the bride's house on the eve of the wedding is very common. Friends of the newlyweds go to the bride's house the day before the wedding and throw dishes and China under the door and window (however, breaking the glass is considered an ominous sign). It is said that noisy voices will drive away evil. If the bride cleans up the broken pots and pans by herself, her future will be happy and auspicious. Wedding gifts should not be sharp, such as knives, scissors or umbrellas, because sharp things are said to bring bad luck. Giving gifts after a wedding is also considered unlucky. Sending money is not appropriate in Germany.

As soon as Germans know the news of marriage, engagement and the birth of children, they will send a bunch of flowers and blessings. Flowers and fruits are suitable as gifts to visit sick friends.

Whenever a building is built, Germans traditionally hold a ceremony to beam the building. A pine tree with ribbons was placed on the roof, and the foreman climbed into the room to make a humorous or poetic speech, praying that God would bring happiness to the new building. All participants can enjoy snacks and drinks.

Being invited to a friend's house in Germany is a special symbol of friendship. Guests should bring small gifts. If you send flowers, don't send even-numbered bouquets, especially 12, because Germans are very familiar with the American proverb "It is always cheap to sell by the dozen".

Red roses are given by young men to their sweethearts. Don't bring red roses to the hostess. In addition, some white and black flowers (especially some chrysanthemums) are specially used for funerals. Germans also like to put all kinds of bonsai and flowers and trees in front of their windows, so it is welcome to give such gifts. For children, you can send T-shirts and music tapes.

business gifts

Sometimes, because of business, German friends will treat guests in restaurants. At this time, remember not to eat until the host has cooked it. Usually he will taste the temperature of the wine first, then pour the wine for the guests, and finally pour it for himself. It is customary for him to raise a glass to the lady sitting on his right, and then wish everyone health (you should do the same in return). Germans only clink glasses on special occasions, such as birthdays or wishing each other good luck. The glass should be filled with wine, champagne or beer. Brandy or wine you drink after a meal usually doesn't clink.

After the business is over, or at Christmas, gifts can be given to each other. Music tapes, cigarettes, books and handicrafts are all suitable gifts. Germans are very good at wine. They often drink beer and wine when they eat, so don't send wine unless you are sure.

If German friends don't write a thank-you letter after the party to show that they like your gift, you don't have to feel ashamed, because they think it is enough to express their gratitude orally.

L Italian gift-giving custom

Italians have learned how to give and receive gifts since childhood. They often choose a suitable gift for others.

Gift Festival

On New Year's Day, people began to give gifts to each other after going to church. Children should congratulate their elders on the New Year, and in return, they can receive lucky money every year. Many families also give each other New Year cards.

Epiphany (65438+10.6) is also the main gift-giving festival. Good children who hang up their stockings will receive small gifts such as candy from Befana. Bad boys will find their socks full of coal.

Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Father's Day are relatively new festivals for Italians, but the commercialization of festivals makes them more and more common. People celebrate these festivals by giving cards, flowers and small gifts to each other.

When the carnival before lent comes, children wear all kinds of bright clothes, and people give each other gifts such as candy. On Easter, people usually give cards to each other. Gifts are made into eggs or put into eggs.

Italians think their Christmas presents come from El Nino. Gifts given by family members should be hidden until after midnight on February 24, 65438, when the baby is born. On Christmas morning, people exchange holiday greetings and open the gift boxes one by one.

Special gift-giving occasion

Naming day celebrations are more lively than birthdays. Traditionally, relatives and friends send cards to hold dances to celebrate. Balls and gifts must be held the night before the naming day.

Italians usually visit without gifts, and often send them the next day or even later. This reflects the respect for the owner's hobbies and gives the owner the opportunity to choose. Bouquets, bonsai, candy and wine are popular gifts.

The customs of weddings and anniversary gifts are similar to those in other western countries. Gifts to congratulate the wedding are usually delivered to the bride's home. Knives and scissors are not considered ominous, but money is a gift of low taste. Chrysanthemums usually send funerals, and then send cards to express condolences. Food and other gifts are totally inappropriate.

L Dutch gift-giving custom

Although there are hundreds of windmills, a large number of wooden shoes, bright tulips stretching for miles and many lyres, there is only one Saint Nicholas. His birthday is the most important festival in Holland. Every year from June 5438 to February, people celebrate with parades, feasts and imaginative gift exchanges. Saint Nick (his name and festival name are Sinterklas) is a bishop who sympathizes with Milla. He comes to Holland by steamboat every year to distribute gifts.

For most of the year, Sinterkras (Saint Nick) recorded the behavior of Dutch children in his big red book, while his servant Peter packed gifts for the trip in June+February, 5438. When he arrived in Holland, he was officially welcomed by the Queen and her family (they were naturally the first to receive his gift). Then, he led the people in a grand parade, while his servants sprinkled gingerbread and candy on the crowd.

According to Dutch tradition, all gifts must be packaged in an imaginative way, and a rhyming poem or poem is attached to the recipient. The package itself does not need to be beautiful, but it must be hidden and not easy to be found or opened. On the eve of Sinter Crass Festival on February 5, 65438, Dutch people sat around the table, with sweets and bread snacks on the table, and everyone's seat was marked with their initials in chocolate. Then people began to open Christmas presents. Before that, people often had to look for their own gifts, looking for treasures indoors and outdoors or in gloves filled with wet sand. The rhyme sent with the gift should be humorous and can be kind to the recipient (those who can't write poetry will find that many stores have ready-made or specialized people to write it for you). All the poems are signed by Sint Crass. The recipient of the gift should shout "Thank you, Sinclair". Family and friends are used to giving gifts to each other in this way.

Late that night, Sinclair came back on a white horse, stuffed the shoes of good children with small gifts (especially those who had prepared hay or carrots for his horse), and asked Peter to stay, drove away those children who had misbehaved for a year with birch sticks, and even tied them up and put them in his big bag.

With the end of most festivals and gifts, Christmas in Holland is a time of peace and good wishes. The Christmas tree must be removed before 65438+10.6, because the "three saints" of the East who worship the newborn Christ are coming that day. Although family, friends and business acquaintances often give gifts to each other again at Christmas, happiness belongs to Sinclair Day.

It is an enduring tradition that people think that they must receive new things in the new year. Therefore, on New Year's Day, people exchange handkerchiefs and other small gifts to ensure good luck in the New Year.