Do’s and Don’ts In Certain Countries (Taboos)

By Eleeza Ismail

Do’s and Don’t In Certain Countries (Taboos)

Taboos according to the Oxford dictionary can be defined as a social or religious custom prohibiting or restricting a particular practice or forbidding association with a particular person, place, or thing. The word has been somewhat expanded in the social sciences to strong bans relating to any area of human activity or custom that is sacred or forbidden based on moral judgment and religious beliefs. "Breaking a taboo" is usually considered offensive by society in general, not merely a subset of a culture. As we consist of different culture backgrounds, religions and races around the world, an act may be taboo in one culture and not in another.

It’s a great big world out there with billions of people who everyday live their life with new and different experiences. Traveling is one of those activities that safe to say, is everyone’s favorite. There is nothing quite like traveling, that feeling of witnessing the sight of new place for the first time, observing other people cultures, and also opportunity to relax and abstract themselves from the hectic everyday life. Travel can be defined as going from one place to another, as by car, train, plane, or ship; take a trip; journey. Everyone loves to travel, people of different ages, different countries, go to different places to have an adventure and to experience new experiences coming from the countries or places they visited but amidst of all of the excitement and content feelings one seems to forget to take into account, on the littlest thing like what you should not do and vice versa this is what we called cultural taboos.

Of course, in every nation there are a lot of cultural taboos and social norms and it differs with one another or may be the same in which the people who are being called the citizen of that certain country needs to abide and follow. These do not exclude foreigners who are visiting the country. Invading these rules usually happens when one does not educate themselves with the taboos that the society have, thus explaining such actions.

One of the factors why people seem to be one eye on such matter is because of the fact that such action is okay to be done in their country but not in the countries they are travelling to. This is why, I will make a short list of the dos and donts in certain countries which might seem oddly enough to some of you who are reading this, but a total OK for the ones who are used to it.  

Japan

Japan is a land of incredible contrasts - from neon skylines and ancient castles to serene shrines and speeding bullet trains, a tour of the Land of the Rising Sun never fails to fascinate Japan is a country that is warm and welcoming to travellers, but its unique culture can be as inscrutable as it is intriguing for the first-time visitor. To help create a faux-pas-free journey, arm yourself with a few of these convenient etiquette tips before your trip: from when to bow and take your shoes off, to when it’s OK to be a noisy eater and what not to do with your chopsticks.

CHOPSTICKS

Even if you consider yourself a chopsticks expert, you might not be aware of some important chopsticks etiquette. While much of this is common sense, some might surprise you:

·         Never point your chopsticks at another person, wave them in the air, or spear food with them!

·         Don’t stick your chopsticks into a bowl of rice, as this is reminiscent of a funeral rite.

·         Don’t pass food from chopsticks to chopsticks, as this too is reminiscent of a funeral rite.

·         When serving yourself from a communal dish, use the opposite end of your chopsticks (not the end you put in your mouth!) to serve yourself.

Bowing

Bow politely when you meet someone, thank them, or say goodbye. The depth, duration and number of bows is something non-Japanese aren’t expected to understand and visitors are unlikely to offend if they don’t do this perfectly. If a Japanese person bows to you, an incline of the head in return will usually suffice. Japanese do sometimes also shake hands, but it’s best to wait for the opposite party to offer their hand before thrusting yours forth.

Slippers to Bathroom

During your travels in Japan, at places such as ryokan (Japanese inn) and izakaya (Japanese gastropubs), you may notice that there are slippers provided especially for use in the bathroom.When you enter the bathroom, leave your non-bathroom slippers outside of the bathroom, and switch to the bathroom slippers. Do your best to avoid this slip-up, otherwise you may be greeted by (friendly) laughter upon returning to the table still wearing bathroom slippers!

Walk on the wrong side

Even though greater Tokyo is one of the most-densely populated urban centers in the world, here, crowds are orderly. Pedestrians on wide sidewalks follow the unspoken rule of staying to the left almost as strictly as cars do. On Tokyo escalators, the rule becomes still more complicated: you need to stand on the left and walk on the right this time. Don’t you dare stand in the walking lane and walk in the standing lane, or you risk being trampled by a crowd or remorseless pedestrians.

Eat in the street / subway

Despite the fact that it may be convenient to walk while eating, in Japan, it could be seen as if you are taking food too casually and not paying the proper respect to the people who grew/made it. Broadly speaking, you are supposed to cherish your food. Even if you are just ordering from street vendors, you must eat it right there on the spot, or take it home. Under no circumstances should you walk away while eating it. For a Japanese vendor (except for ice cream and maybe some donuts shops), it’s very hard to understand that someone may want to enjoy a piece of cake right after purchasing it; a cake can only be eaten at home..

Germany

Germany is a great country, famous for the cars, beer and remarkable history, best known as the land of thinkers and poets, although there are many clichés about the Germans’ punctuality, thoroughness, reserve and lack of humor. Travelling to a foreign country is always an experience. The Germans are usually known for their culture and etiquette, there are customs and behaviors that differ from those common at home. Do be prepared for culture shock, but by bearing in mind for the following Germany travel tips, do’s and don’t, you will be better prepared for your trip to Germany. To avoid stepping into taboo hole, then check in advance. Avoid stumbling over German cultural taboos while traveling in Deutschland for business or pleasure. The German people are not very amiable when a visitor shakes their cultural norms. These are some the list of Do’s and Dont’s or Taboos in Germany.

• ·        Making an OK Sign, the common hand gesture people normally do is actually mean a**hole in Germany, so this is an obvious no-no
• ·         Blowing nose – A German will leave the room, find a restroom or private area, and blow their nose. Honking into a handkerchief or tissue at a dinner or conference area is disturbing to Germans.
• ·         Opening windows – It may be warm. Not everyone showered that morning. Do not open a window to get a breeze. Germans fear a draft may lead to a fatal disease. You will hear ‘Es Ziet’ as soon as you touch the window.
• ·         First drink – Yes, you are thirsty after a long business or tourist day. As a guest, wait for the host to offer a toast before the first sip. Clink glasses or acknowledge everyone in the room. Reply by saying, ‘Prosit.’
• ·         Germany people also forbidden the use of hands, and use utensil to eat even for foods like pizza and fries so keep your hands off the table!

UAE

There is a country on the southeastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, nestled along the Arabian Gulf, vast in beauty, rich in heritage, and waiting for you. It’s an altogether different world than the one you already know. Yet, this modest country is making a name for itself and piquing the curiosity of expatriates the world over. Lay down your biased notions and forget what you think you know. Because the United Arab Emirates will surprise and delight you. Like many other countries I have mentioned before, UAE also have its do’s and don’t’s for you to take notes. Heres some of it:

• ·         As in nearly any Asian culture, be aware of how you sit and do not point the bottom of your feet at anyone. It is considered very rude.
• ·         Anger, even “road rage”, is not only a sign of weak character, but can be a punishable offense depending upon the degree to which you take it. Keep Calm and Emirates On.
• ·         A good rule for dress is modesty. Keep most of the body covered. Yeah, it’s probably hot, but look around and find ways to “do as the Emirati do”.
• ·         You are not allowed to enter a mosque or touch a Qur’an if you’re not a Muslim. A few mosques are open to visitors and proper appearance should be observed. We’ll get to that in a bit.
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On a side note, we can see a lot of similar values in terms of norms of the dos and donts in Malaysia and UAE because we shared the same beliefs which is main religion for both country is Islam so it is no wonders that they instill it in their ways of life and we should respect it. 

China

Travelling around China is revolving, ever changing experience where you will learn a new set of rules, customs, and social expectations that you have never experienced before for some of you. The following tips will help you to learn a lil bit abou this country. Your knowledge on what us not acceptable and what is acceptable can make your trip to this land much smoother, prevent confusion and embarrassing situation also in avoiding getting into troubles or seriously offending someone.

• ·         It is bad luck to let your date borrow your umbrella to go home because umbrella in chinesse sounds like the word “to break apart”
• ·         If you clean your plate, the host will be offended because it is a sign that you didn’t get enough food.
• ·         Sensitive gift giving is one of the practices associated with establishing guanxi. In China, items given in even numbers are considered bad luck. Clocks, for example, are also inappropriate gifts as the Chinese word for clock is similar to the word for death.
• ·     Do not touch someone unless you guys are close enough to, as opposite to the Western Society.

Don’t lose face

Mianzi (face) is a fragile commodity in China. Dignity is part of China’s national psyche and the Chinese are acutely sensitive about gaining it and keeping it. The easiest way to cause someone to lose face is to criticise him in front of others. Foreigners can unintentionally offend Chinese people by making fun of them in a good-natured way; even one flippant remark could be disastrous. Just as face can be lost, it can also be won. Praising someone publicly for her work also earns the praise-giver respect, providing that it’s done sincerely and sparingly

            Travelling reminds those paying attention that they are not the only ship in the sea, that this is a huge world and that they are only a small, insignificant pea in it. This is quite a humbling experience – to go to another country and see large numbers of peoples living differently, and coming to understand how large the crazy world actually is. How different it would be to live in a different shoes that the one you’re already born in.  Taboo doesn’t necessarily mean bad things but rather changing their perspectives towards something when they visit that certain country. When people who learn return home, they keep with them this perspective for the rest of their life and they only take the benefit from these whole experience which is knowledge and perspective.

To conclude, traveling is good for a person of any age. It not only helps people to form a better understanding of themselves, their beliefs and their lives, it also provides people with a better understanding of the world in which they live, even if it's beyond their immediate environment. And it may even help a person to feel connected to the many people living in the world, even if their lives never meet, even if their lives are so completely different but in all that is all, we are actually one and the same.