The annual festival centers around feeding monkeys fruits and vegetables. Thousands of the animals jump from table to table and feast on whatever they like.
When a person turns 25 and is not yet married, it’s custom to shower them with cinnamon. If they are still single by 30, they are showered with pepper.
While visiting a sauna, also known as a banya in Russia, someone may offer to beat you with a broom. It’s not meant to hurt you, but has health benefits including improved blood circulation and heart function.
While most passengers opt to sit in the back seat of a taxi in America, it’s the opposite in Australia. People tend to sit in the front seat, so if you sit in the back it may insult the taxi driver.
Residents in Japan usually have two pairs of slippers: One pair to wear around the house and one pair specifically for the bathroom. The Japanese are known for their cleanliness, so it’s no surprise they consider the bathroom floor especially dirty.
Every Saturday is a special day for eating candy. Children and adults alike buy sweets, mix them together, and enjoy them on this particular day of the week.
Chopsticks that stick up vertically in rice are used at funerals, and therefore associated with death. Sticking your chopsticks in rice during a meal is a sign of bad luck.
Asking for salt is considered an insult to the host’s cooking and will offend them.
The English tradition has become a championship for the ugliest facial expressions. Older people tend to win because a lack of teeth leads to increased gurn capabilities.
Red ink was traditionally used to write down the names of dead people. It is now considered a bad omen to write a person’s name in red.
In Russia, it’s customary to spit three times over your left shoulder in order to drive away evil spirits. People then knock on something wooden three times, just to drive the intent home.
This is a greeting of the Māori people in which two people press their noses and foreheads together. It’s a tradition that is meant to share the breath of life.
Touching a person’s hair, or head at all, is considered offensive. The head is sacred to the people of Thailand and any touching is undesirable. If you brush against someone on accident, it’s actually a good idea to apologize.
It’s perfectly acceptable to sleep in public places and at work in Japan. This type of slumber is considered a sign of hard and dedicated workers. If you’re not tired enough to sleep, you’re not working very hard.
Spectators in Turkey are typically delighted to watch two male camels fight each other. People are encouraged to stay back though, as agitated camels tend to spit.
In Spain, people celebrate birthdays and name days. Spaniards receive their names in honor of the saints, so name days are also considered a holiday in which people celebrate and give gifts.
Tujia people in China are to cry every night for an hour the entire month leading up to the wedding. The bride’s female relatives will join her over time and use a special ‘crying marriage song’. Also, the bride must cry at her wedding or be named a laughing stock by neighbors.
The ‘OK’ symbol is considered offensive and vulgar. It often takes on the same meaning as showing the middle finger.
The annual festival centers around a wheel of Double Gloucester cheese on Cooper’s Hill. Participants start at the top of the hill and wait for the wheel of cheese to be released. Once it starts to roll down, people chase after it and try to grab it. Whoever reaches the finish line with the cheese gets to keep it as a prize.
Clinking beer glasses together is a nice ‘cheers’ for most of the world, but not Hungary. Legend has it that when Austrians brought down the Hungarian uprising and executed leaders in the 19th century, they celebrated with a beer ‘cheers’.
Shortly before getting married, it is custom for a couple to meet with their family and friends for this gathering. Everyone brings something porcelain and breaks it. Afterwards, the couple has to clean up the shards together. It’s believed that Polterabend teaches the bride and groom how to be united.
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#18 Same in Germany, it's the sign for "a@#$$%e". Mostly used while driving with the car and showing some idiot his bad driving. Only used to show somebody bad behaviour, not if you are angry. Differs to the middle finger a little.