Cultural diversity is a beautiful thing, and learning about traditions in other countries is always an enriching, eye-opening experience.
However, some acceptable customs in some areas of the world may be peculiar and nonsensical in others. A Quora thread tackled this, asking, “What is normal in your country but weird in the rest of the world?”
People from all over the globe chimed in, from Iceland to Uzbekistan, the UK, and Egypt, among many others. Discussions touched on mundane matters such as winter attire and more serious topics like arranged marriages and the blurred lines between patriotism and nationalism.
These are interesting reads, especially if you’re perpetually curious about the world around you. If you have unique traits from your culture, share them in the comments!
#21
Yes, I must admit that we do have some strange habits.
#1 Priorities.
Most Norwegians don’t mind spending 2 minutes sending an sms to bid for an apartment 300.000 NOK (about 35.000 USD) over the tagged price, but they will drive several hundred kilometers in a day to Sweden in order to buy a bottle of wine 50 NOK (about 6 USD) cheaper than what it would have costed in their own country.
#2 Janteloven (Law of Jante).
Whatever achievement you managed to make yourself proud of (dived at 12 meters deep, skied for more than 10 km, swam 3 km) there will always be a Norwegian around to let you know he/she did double or triple that “achievement”, and repeats it every week. Janteloven says they can’t say they are better than everyone else so they find other ways to do exactly that: tell you how much better they are than you.
#3 Honesty.
Unlike in the rest of the world, Norwegians will leave you the keys to a remote little wooden hut and expect you to be honest, write down your name to receive the bill for the nights you stayed there and clean behind you for the next people coming. This is, I believe, the most marvellous strange thing Norwegians do.
#4 Party hard for a month…just before your exams.
Foreign fans of the SKAM cult tv-series may have caught on to the fact that Norwegian high-school students are crazy about buses. In (rich areas of) the larger cities a graduation tradition has emerged where students group together to buy—buy—a bus, bling it up in the year leading up to graduation, and drive around and party in it during graduation celebrations. This period of celebrations—true of many Norwegian high-school students who partake—takes place throughout the month before exams begin.
Apparently, the decision to put the celebration a month before exams is quite rational: this allows students to get back to studying with enough time to do well. However, with the whole month now dedicated to drinking for many, it’s fair to say that that idea isn’t what was originally envisioned.
Also, students wear the same pair of red dungarees during the entire month and are not supposed to wash them. The whole thing climaxes on the National Day, where the red russe-students often walk in the parade looking suspiciously worn out.
#1 Priorities.
Most Norwegians don’t mind spending 2 minutes sending an sms to bid for an apartment 300.000 NOK (about 35.000 USD) over the tagged price, but they will drive several hundred kilometers in a day to Sweden in order to buy a bottle of wine 50 NOK (about 6 USD) cheaper than what it would have costed in their own country.
#2 Janteloven (Law of Jante).
Whatever achievement you managed to make yourself proud of (dived at 12 meters deep, skied for more than 10 km, swam 3 km) there will always be a Norwegian around to let you know he/she did double or triple that “achievement”, and repeats it every week. Janteloven says they can’t say they are better than everyone else so they find other ways to do exactly that: tell you how much better they are than you.
#3 Honesty.
Unlike in the rest of the world, Norwegians will leave you the keys to a remote little wooden hut and expect you to be honest, write down your name to receive the bill for the nights you stayed there and clean behind you for the next people coming. This is, I believe, the most marvellous strange thing Norwegians do.
#4 Party hard for a month…just before your exams.
Foreign fans of the SKAM cult tv-series may have caught on to the fact that Norwegian high-school students are crazy about buses. In (rich areas of) the larger cities a graduation tradition has emerged where students group together to buy—buy—a bus, bling it up in the year leading up to graduation, and drive around and party in it during graduation celebrations. This period of celebrations—true of many Norwegian high-school students who partake—takes place throughout the month before exams begin.
Apparently, the decision to put the celebration a month before exams is quite rational: this allows students to get back to studying with enough time to do well. However, with the whole month now dedicated to drinking for many, it’s fair to say that that idea isn’t what was originally envisioned.
Also, students wear the same pair of red dungarees during the entire month and are not supposed to wash them. The whole thing climaxes on the National Day, where the red russe-students often walk in the parade looking suspiciously worn out.
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27points
#22
In my country,
If I see a girl younger than me
I call her bahini(younger sister),
If i see a girl elder than me I call her didi (elder sister)
If I see a guy younger than me
I call him bhai(younger brother)
If I see a guy elder than me
I call him dai (elder brother) Unless I have crush on him,
If I see a woman of her age
I call her aunt.
If I see a man of his age
I call him uncle
If I see an old woman like her
I call her hajuraaama( Grandmom)
If I see an old man like him
I call him hajurbuwa (Grandfather)
I call all people either brother, sister, grandmother, grandfather, aunt or uncle irrespective of whether I have any kind of relationship with them or they are complete stranger to me instead of sir, madam,mr., mrs. etc.
You see, that’s what normal in my country but not so normal in other countries except India .
AND
Venerate and beatify the dogs as god maybe?
If I see a girl younger than me
I call her bahini(younger sister),
If i see a girl elder than me I call her didi (elder sister)
If I see a guy younger than me
I call him bhai(younger brother)
If I see a guy elder than me
I call him dai (elder brother) Unless I have crush on him,
If I see a woman of her age
I call her aunt.
If I see a man of his age
I call him uncle
If I see an old woman like her
I call her hajuraaama( Grandmom)
If I see an old man like him
I call him hajurbuwa (Grandfather)
I call all people either brother, sister, grandmother, grandfather, aunt or uncle irrespective of whether I have any kind of relationship with them or they are complete stranger to me instead of sir, madam,mr., mrs. etc.
You see, that’s what normal in my country but not so normal in other countries except India .
AND
Venerate and beatify the dogs as god maybe?
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26points
#23
In Switzerland, every young man has to go to do Military service. You often see guys like that in trains, with their guns on the seat next to them. It’s the most normal thing here. The guys usually travel back to their families and have to bring all their things. It actually is very dangerous, because some leave their guns unattended when they go to the bathroom, but I don’t think anything ever happened.
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26points
#24
In Indonesia
Using vehicles (cars/motors) just for a short distances that could be walkable (even less than 500 m).
For toilets, we don’t use tissue. We use water to clean it.
If you’re having a birthday and invite a group of friends, you choose a restaurant. No, they don’t pay for your birthday. YOU pay for all the restaurant expenses.
It’s normal whenever you go on holiday and your friends request oleh-oleh (souvenirs) as a sign that you are their friend.
People can use the road in front of their house for events such as birthdays and weddings (as if it’s their own road).
Some foods are appropriately eaten by hand. Of course, you have to wash your hand.
When we greet someone, we kiss them in the cheek with our cheek or we kiss them on the hand.
Being a busybody on your friends’ family, or neighbors’ affairs. Such things would be unthinkable in societies where privacy is valued.
Among the Minang people, there is a tradition of merantau (literally migrating) to different parts of the country so they can be “someone”. In other words, to be successful and return when you are already such.
Using a bolster to help us sleep. Literally every Indonesian has these in their house and can’t sleep without one.
Using vehicles (cars/motors) just for a short distances that could be walkable (even less than 500 m).
For toilets, we don’t use tissue. We use water to clean it.
If you’re having a birthday and invite a group of friends, you choose a restaurant. No, they don’t pay for your birthday. YOU pay for all the restaurant expenses.
It’s normal whenever you go on holiday and your friends request oleh-oleh (souvenirs) as a sign that you are their friend.
People can use the road in front of their house for events such as birthdays and weddings (as if it’s their own road).
Some foods are appropriately eaten by hand. Of course, you have to wash your hand.
When we greet someone, we kiss them in the cheek with our cheek or we kiss them on the hand.
Being a busybody on your friends’ family, or neighbors’ affairs. Such things would be unthinkable in societies where privacy is valued.
Among the Minang people, there is a tradition of merantau (literally migrating) to different parts of the country so they can be “someone”. In other words, to be successful and return when you are already such.
Using a bolster to help us sleep. Literally every Indonesian has these in their house and can’t sleep without one.
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24points
#25
Staying with your parents throughout your life!
In India, it is perfectly normal for a male to stay with parents throughout his life- it is, infact, appreciated and indicate that the son is ‘fulfilling responsibilities of being a good son’
As parents take care of children when they are young, children are expected to reciprocate these actions when parents are old. As such, the system of ‘joint families’, wherein parents stay with their sons, daughters in law and grand children in quite common in India, more so in the villages. The tacit understanding is- “I take care of you now, and you will take care of me later.”
In the Indian joint-family household, the grandparents are very involved in raising the grandchildren. Families take decisions as a whole- Grandads and Grandmoms stay with the grankids and raise (spoil:)) them like they raised their own. Men and women can go to work without worrying about day care because of 'elders' at home.
Indians live in a ‘Collective society’ as opposed to an ‘Individual society’ prevalent in the west. Hence, money is also generally taken to be in a collective bank account, rather an individual’s personal bank account. As such, parents pay for their children’s education (even college and post graduation) and their weddings. On the other hand, as parents get older, children spend for their medical expenses (On a sidenote, the penetration of medical insurance is dismal in India. Indians pay for medical expenses out of their pockets)
However, you will rarely see a daughter live at her parents’ home after marriage with her husband as in the Indian culture doing so is quite taboo - they even have a term for it “ghar jamai” or house guest son-in-law.
In India, it is perfectly normal for a male to stay with parents throughout his life- it is, infact, appreciated and indicate that the son is ‘fulfilling responsibilities of being a good son’
As parents take care of children when they are young, children are expected to reciprocate these actions when parents are old. As such, the system of ‘joint families’, wherein parents stay with their sons, daughters in law and grand children in quite common in India, more so in the villages. The tacit understanding is- “I take care of you now, and you will take care of me later.”
In the Indian joint-family household, the grandparents are very involved in raising the grandchildren. Families take decisions as a whole- Grandads and Grandmoms stay with the grankids and raise (spoil:)) them like they raised their own. Men and women can go to work without worrying about day care because of 'elders' at home.
Indians live in a ‘Collective society’ as opposed to an ‘Individual society’ prevalent in the west. Hence, money is also generally taken to be in a collective bank account, rather an individual’s personal bank account. As such, parents pay for their children’s education (even college and post graduation) and their weddings. On the other hand, as parents get older, children spend for their medical expenses (On a sidenote, the penetration of medical insurance is dismal in India. Indians pay for medical expenses out of their pockets)
However, you will rarely see a daughter live at her parents’ home after marriage with her husband as in the Indian culture doing so is quite taboo - they even have a term for it “ghar jamai” or house guest son-in-law.
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21points
#26
In Australia, the word c**t is “totally normal. ” It can be used as both a cuss and a term of endearment. If an Australian refers to you as a “ f*****g sick c**t,” that means you’re a really cool bloke. In how many other countries can you refer to a police-officer as a c**t and get away with it?
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19points
#27
I'm talking about Bangladesh here.
The University of Dhaka is the oldest and most prestigious university of the country. At the center of this place we have a building called TSC (teacher student center) which is basically a place for students to unwind.
Today, the 23rd of July was a rainy one, and a young couple shared a kiss in front of the place. A street photographer captured the scene.
It went viral
as a symbol of love and romance. For the most part.
However, other people came out of the bushes soon enough and began commenting things like:
* what's the difference between dogs then? Both have sex on the street
*western values are destroying the country
*this is a university not a brothel
*what are their parents doing? These girls should not be being educated
*what will my parents say if they come to DU( dhaka uni) & see this
And a lot more. I would like to say that this is Bangladesh & sadly this university, MY university is also known for: police attacks on students, student clashes, harassment by student political leaders on ordinary students, eve teasing of the worst kind, attacks on teachers and innocent people protesting the quota movement.
But almost none were as outrageous to the common dhaka university student who is probably spending his first year in the city after a childhood in the rural areas, than this photo.
The University of Dhaka is the oldest and most prestigious university of the country. At the center of this place we have a building called TSC (teacher student center) which is basically a place for students to unwind.
Today, the 23rd of July was a rainy one, and a young couple shared a kiss in front of the place. A street photographer captured the scene.
It went viral
as a symbol of love and romance. For the most part.
However, other people came out of the bushes soon enough and began commenting things like:
* what's the difference between dogs then? Both have sex on the street
*western values are destroying the country
*this is a university not a brothel
*what are their parents doing? These girls should not be being educated
*what will my parents say if they come to DU( dhaka uni) & see this
And a lot more. I would like to say that this is Bangladesh & sadly this university, MY university is also known for: police attacks on students, student clashes, harassment by student political leaders on ordinary students, eve teasing of the worst kind, attacks on teachers and innocent people protesting the quota movement.
But almost none were as outrageous to the common dhaka university student who is probably spending his first year in the city after a childhood in the rural areas, than this photo.
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19points
#28
Eating food with hands. Roaming in the house without using slippers. Starting the day with a cup of tea. We love spicy. High traffic density. High percentage of vegetarians in our country. Democracy. Touching the feet of elders.
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19points
#29
In Singapore, people love Durian.
Now, let me be clear, there are only two teams in this, either you love it, or you don’t. But most Singaporeans I know love this. Heck we even have a building designed to look like this.
But take this fruit outside of South East Asia? God have mercy on you, as the wrath of everyone staring daggers at you. Not just for the looks (I mean, what’s up with that guy carrying this weird green spiky ball everywhere), but also the smell. Oh god that smell, it’s like something large died inside that bag, a smell so bad that if your nose could, it would vacate its position on your face and run screaming in the opposite direction of this pungent fruit.
The smell is so infamous , even the countries which love it bans its presence on public transport. But anyway, I digress. Most foreigners who come here would give a strange look to you if you started eating this fruit in front of them. But hey, their loss right?
Now, let me be clear, there are only two teams in this, either you love it, or you don’t. But most Singaporeans I know love this. Heck we even have a building designed to look like this.
But take this fruit outside of South East Asia? God have mercy on you, as the wrath of everyone staring daggers at you. Not just for the looks (I mean, what’s up with that guy carrying this weird green spiky ball everywhere), but also the smell. Oh god that smell, it’s like something large died inside that bag, a smell so bad that if your nose could, it would vacate its position on your face and run screaming in the opposite direction of this pungent fruit.
The smell is so infamous , even the countries which love it bans its presence on public transport. But anyway, I digress. Most foreigners who come here would give a strange look to you if you started eating this fruit in front of them. But hey, their loss right?
18points
#30
Pickup trucks are very popular in the US. So is watching American football and grilling food. One thing people in the US do that the rest of the world finds weird is combining things like these together. Welcome to the wonderful world of college football tailgating. Why wait until you get into the stadium to eat your burger when you can have it right in the parking lot? Even better when your truck has an attached grill! Sure, other countries have tailgating, but they don’t do it like this. The country that once brought you peanut butter and jelly in the same jar now gives you the full tailgating experience in one convenient package. Because of course we needed this! Who doesn’t need a grill attached to the back of their truck? Dragging a grill from the back of the truck is so old fashioned! Americans, mor...
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17points
#31
Indonesia
I knew an Indonesian family who brought their long-serving maid to Australia to take care of the kids and the house. You can imagine the reactions from their Australian friends, who thought they were “lucky” but I gathered they meant “crazy”. Even by Indonesian standard that is pretty crazy.
The thing is, maid service is very popular in Indonesia.
Maids are after all working professionals, but in reality they are regarded as an extra member of the family.
It is common for Indonesians to have a spare room in their house called ‘kamar pembantu’ (the maids room).
It is a common sight to see families bring their maids to shopping malls or eat at the same tables in restaurants, even in high end outlets.
It is so common that you will probably be greeted by the maid at the gate when visiting an Indonesian house.
Maid service is not exclusive to wealthy families.
Here in Bali, many Indonesian families bring their maid on vacations. I have seen maids taking care of families in beach clubs or resorts.
Maids are a well respected member of the family, I have known several maids whose lives were transformed for the better because their bosses took notice on their hard work. In fact, one maid I know has a daughter who now works and has a family in Australia.
But maids have some of the most demanding jobs due to their 24/7 working days. Physical and sexual abuse are still prevalent problems among the maid community and to some extent, stories of murder and violence are reoccurring headlines in the local newspapers.
I can predict that demand for maids will surge in the future mainly because of young families where both parents have busy working schedules.
I knew an Indonesian family who brought their long-serving maid to Australia to take care of the kids and the house. You can imagine the reactions from their Australian friends, who thought they were “lucky” but I gathered they meant “crazy”. Even by Indonesian standard that is pretty crazy.
The thing is, maid service is very popular in Indonesia.
Maids are after all working professionals, but in reality they are regarded as an extra member of the family.
It is common for Indonesians to have a spare room in their house called ‘kamar pembantu’ (the maids room).
It is a common sight to see families bring their maids to shopping malls or eat at the same tables in restaurants, even in high end outlets.
It is so common that you will probably be greeted by the maid at the gate when visiting an Indonesian house.
Maid service is not exclusive to wealthy families.
Here in Bali, many Indonesian families bring their maid on vacations. I have seen maids taking care of families in beach clubs or resorts.
Maids are a well respected member of the family, I have known several maids whose lives were transformed for the better because their bosses took notice on their hard work. In fact, one maid I know has a daughter who now works and has a family in Australia.
But maids have some of the most demanding jobs due to their 24/7 working days. Physical and sexual abuse are still prevalent problems among the maid community and to some extent, stories of murder and violence are reoccurring headlines in the local newspapers.
I can predict that demand for maids will surge in the future mainly because of young families where both parents have busy working schedules.
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16points
#32
During a foreign trip, I had a colleague, a US national, who took me around his city.
We were at a food counter and I was paying for the food items, when a penny dropped from my wallet. Being a religious person, I immediately took it up, touched it on my forehead and put it back.
Then, the mocking begins -
Him, with wierd smile - I have seen this before, why do you guys do that?
Me - We consider that money is God, infact a Goddess, and letting it fell down was a disrespect to it. While touching it on my forehead, I asked for a forgiveness.
Him, condescendingly - If money is God, can I worship it to get more of it? Will I get Indian money or US dollars?
Me - Yes, by worshipping God of work, that is by working more, you will get more money. You see that we have Gods for everything.
Him, trying to act smarter - Then what is a purpose of money God?
Me - Not only for money, but we have Gods for all animals and objects around us. That makes us respect every being and thing around us, and in turn we become a better person.
I mockingly continued….
And after becoming a better person, we go on to become CXO's of all the major US mnc's.
He was lost on words, probably trying to come up with a more wittier answer, but gave up after few seconds.
Probably, our religious activities are weird for rest of the world.
We were at a food counter and I was paying for the food items, when a penny dropped from my wallet. Being a religious person, I immediately took it up, touched it on my forehead and put it back.
Then, the mocking begins -
Him, with wierd smile - I have seen this before, why do you guys do that?
Me - We consider that money is God, infact a Goddess, and letting it fell down was a disrespect to it. While touching it on my forehead, I asked for a forgiveness.
Him, condescendingly - If money is God, can I worship it to get more of it? Will I get Indian money or US dollars?
Me - Yes, by worshipping God of work, that is by working more, you will get more money. You see that we have Gods for everything.
Him, trying to act smarter - Then what is a purpose of money God?
Me - Not only for money, but we have Gods for all animals and objects around us. That makes us respect every being and thing around us, and in turn we become a better person.
I mockingly continued….
And after becoming a better person, we go on to become CXO's of all the major US mnc's.
He was lost on words, probably trying to come up with a more wittier answer, but gave up after few seconds.
Probably, our religious activities are weird for rest of the world.
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13points
#33
People carrying guns over their shoulders. TV shows about obese kids with weird names. Deep-fried butter. And… Having a reality TV star as president. I'll let you guess what country I'm from. Edit: This satirical answer is not a full representation of America. To be clear, 100% of America is NOT deep-fried butter. This answer is not America-bashing.
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12points
#34
There was a news related to Japan that Japan keeps a train running just for a girl. This headlines attracted the attention of media and social media of many countries. This thing was weird for the world, because it shows that how Japan as a nation, serious about its children and their future. People are praising Japan authorities for making education a top priority.
But if I talk about my country India, then it is a normal thing. Japan runs a train for a kid only, but in India, we are running a political party for a kid to make him a Prime Minister.
Though no media house of world talking about it because such things are normal in our country.
But if I talk about my country India, then it is a normal thing. Japan runs a train for a kid only, but in India, we are running a political party for a kid to make him a Prime Minister.
Though no media house of world talking about it because such things are normal in our country.
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5points
