What are the Colombian customs and rituals?

In a rural part of Colombia, an old and strange custom is still maintained. On the night of the wedding, the bride's mother is expected to visit the cave and give instructions. If the groom does something wrong or bad, the mother-in-law is obliged to give guidance and advice.

Colombia retains a large number of Spanish customs, which are particularly manifested in the orthodoxy of dress, men wearing tops and ties on public ****ing occasions; women do not go out in shorts, or even in civilian pants.

Summer dress is standard among the citizens of Cali and Medellín. When the weather is hot, hosts will ask their guests to remove their tops loosely, but travelers should never go to a business meeting or social event without a top, and for evening dinners, a white shirt and a dark set of clothes are appropriate.

Colombian business etiquette requires a conservative suit for all occasions. In smaller cities, however, a shirt, pants and tie are sufficient.

Colombia, like other South American countries, prefers to take its time. It can take up to an hour for a local to cook a meal, and mail is said to take up to 10 days to arrive in the capital, Bogotá. A simple road project can take 1-2 years to complete.

Colombians are fond of red and yellow and avoid light colors.

The national celebration is the Festival of Meat Thanks, a three-day-long celebration in which almost everyone stops working to take part in the festivities. After the festivities begin, people wear masks and costumes and go out into the streets and squares to dance and revel until the night before Gray Wednesday, when a giant cloth-stitched "Sacrifice of the Meat" is buried, bringing the grand celebration to an end.

Tipping is free for taxis and 20 pesos for luggage. Tipping in restaurants and hotels is 10 to 15 percent of the total cost. Others can give 10 to 20 pesos per visit.

Etiquette

Colombians are accustomed to shaking hands with guests in social situations. Men shake hands with everyone when entering a house or a group of people, and also when saying goodbye. Women do not usually shake hands with each other; they hold each other's forearms.

General Etiquette

Before any business is transacted, Colombian businessmen always like to think slowly, preferring to discuss matters softly as they sip their clear Colombian coffee.

When travelers visit their local patrons, they are immediately offered a cup of coffee, which is considered rude if the guest does not accept it.

Titles and Greetings

Colombians are addressed by their last name plus their title. It is common to address acquaintances by their first names, but in the beginning you should address a man as Mr., a married woman as Mrs., and an unmarried woman as Miss, and only change to their first name when they request it themselves.

Appointments and Punctuality

Appointments must be made before calling on public and private organizations, but they are also bound to keep you waiting for some time. Therefore, be generous with your time. Strict adherence to time is not mandatory throughout Colombia, but in larger cities it is more important to be on time.

Hospitality and Gifts

Colombians are not very fond of inviting guests into their homes, but once invited, it is customary to give flowers to the hostess on the first visit. When invited to a Colombian's home, it is customary to send a gift of fruit, flowers or chocolates before arriving, if time permits; if this is not possible, it is acceptable to send it afterwards, accompanied by a letter of thanks. Gifts should not generally be of a personal nature, unless you know the person very well. If that's the case, you can give a tie to a man and perfume to a woman.

Yawning in public is rude.?

The vast majority of Colombians are Catholic, and a few are Protestant.

The Noyanama people of Colombia believe that the spirits of those who kill their prey will take revenge on the hunter and his family. To protect against demonic attacks, children wear protective elephants from an early age. Elephants are carved into small wooden sticks or human figures or images of animals such as toads and spiders to ward off evil spirits.

The Colombian Protestant sect, the "Sack People," believed that the right side of the human body was the source of evil. Therefore, they put the right half of the body from head to toe with a sack piece of cover up (so called "sack people"), the left half of the body exposed. No matter what they do, they only use their left hand, not their right. They are the most taboo "13", "Friday", and regarded as a disaster, the number of bad luck and date; the most disgusted by the Christian legend of the traitor Judas; therefore, they are in the Saturday before Easter every year, always used to burn Judas ugly statue, in order to show the relief of the hate.

There is a widespread fear of pubescent girls among the Indians who work as porters in Colombia. They consider girls of this period to be a source of bad luck. As a result, they are isolated for three or four years and left to live alone in huts in the wilderness. During this period, none of these porters wanted to see her. This is because, in their traditional mindset, they believe that they pose a threat to anyone who even looks at her at this time. Therefore, to cover her face, chest and feet with a large turban made of animal skins, and tied with a short-tailed bird's arms and thighs, in order to prevent her from going out to "contaminate" the trail or the river, and to drive away the evil spirit in her body. They are jealous of people talking about the bad bullfighting. They believe that folk traditions should not be criticized, and that only ill-mannered people would disparage the sport of bullfighting, of which they are so proud. They especially avoid the colors black and purple. Because these two colors in their eyes belong to the chagrin of the color.