Never Give with Your Left Hand

In India, the left hand has a reputation for being unclean. We won’t… get into why that is, but in any case, gifts should never be given with this hand. Always use your right hand unless you want to cause offense.

This restriction isn’t just for gift giving – a friend from Bangladesh said it extends to table manners too. Read her quote below:

Even at the dinner table - if you are eating with your right hand and someone asks you to pass the salt, you can pass it with your left, but you should support it with your right. It’s like you’re saying sorry for using the wrong hand.

This aversion to the left hand is clearly very deeply rooted, so make sure you use your right.

Only Give Cash In Uneven Numbers

Odd numbers are lucky in India, especially numbers ending in 1. There’s a couple of reasons for this. The first is that ‘1’ signifies a new beginning, whereas a round number appears to signify an end. The second is that giving money in an amount ending in 1 brings prosperity, because the extra number is a sign of growth.

Either way, if you’re giving a gift of cash, R501 will be infinitely better received than R500. This tradition is still shrewdly observed in India, so add those coins for an auspicious gift.

Make Sure Your Money Fits This Standard

You may have heard of the tradition of Chinese people giving one another gifts of red envelopes filled with money. But you might not suspect how many individual rules come along with this tradition. They are as follows:

- Only new, shiny bills should be given – no wrinkled notes or coins.

- If the amount of cash given begins with the number 4, it will immediately be considered unlucky, as this number rhymes with the word meaning ‘Death’ in the Chinese language.

- However – if you want to ensure you go in the opposite direction, 8 is a lucky number, so money given in this denomination will be considered extra lucky.

Accept with Both Hands

Make sure, when giving a gift, to use both hands. The same goes for receiving a gift. Using just one hand is thought to be impolite.

But Whatever You Do, Don’t Give a Man a Green Hat

Think twice before giving a Chinese man a green hat, as this particular accessory is a way of communicating that a man’s wife is cheating on him. While to the Western eye, adultery might seem unrelated to green hats, the history behind this association is multi-layered and fascinating.

The first belief is that during the Yuan dynasty, the relatives of prostitutes were forced to wear green hats to distinguish them. Another is that the word for ‘Green hat’ in Chinese sounds similar to the word for ‘Cuckold’.

You can pick any of these histories to believe, but whatever you decide, hold back from giving green hats to men, as its meaning still remains recognised among the Chinese.

Make Sure to Bring Two Mandarins for The New Year

The Chinese word for Mandarin is ‘Kam’, and translates to ‘Gold’. Therefore, they are thought to bring good luck and wealth to the household over the New Year. If you are a guest in a Chinese person’s house during Chinese new year, you should give your hosts two mandarins upon arrival. When you leave, you will be gifted with two different mandarins.

Don’t Give a Chinese Person a Clock

A nice watch may seem like an innocuous gift, but before you give one to a Chinese person, you should uncover the hidden meanings lurking under its ticking hands.

There are two: the first is that the word for ‘Clock’ in Chinese is a homonym for the word ‘Death’. The second is that some people will interpret it to mean they are running out of time on Earth. The connotations that can be extracted from a timepiece are ominous in East Asian culture, and so its respectful to steer clear of buying this gift.

The British Minister for Culture found this out the hard way when she gifted the mayor of Taipei with a watch, thinking it was nothing but an innocent and thoughtful gift. It turned out she hadn’t done her research, and had unwittingly offended the mayor, who responded by saying he would ‘Sell it to a scrap dealer.’

Pears = …Divorce?

You probably weren’t planning on gifting your Chinese friends with a piece of fruit as a birthday or Christmas gift, but just in case you were, heed this advice: keep the pears to yourself, as giving a pear in Chinese culture signifies you want to end the relationship. This is because the word for ‘Pear’ in Chinese is identical to the word for ‘Separation’.

Don’t Use Red Ink to Write a South Korean’s Name!

You might be tempted to use this eye-catching, festive color when addressing Christmas cards to your South Korean friends, until you find out its sombre connotations. In South Korea, writing someone’s name in red ink implies that the person is dead… not exactly the most festive message, so maybe steer clear of red pens for birthday gifts or anniversary wishes.

Wrap Your Present Well

In Japan, you’ll be expected to put more effort into the wrapping than the gift itself, so make sure to wrap your presents well, and expect lavish wrapping with beautiful personal details in return. Different types of wrapping can even connote different themes. For example, an odd number of pleats stands for joy.

Be Careful When Choosing Flowers

Flowers are a classic gift, and a thoughtful way to brighten up someone’s space. But, pretty as they are, they come with their own language, and it’s wise to make sure you’re fluent in it.

In Japan, flowers with ominous hidden meanings are lotus blossoms, lilies and carnations, all of which are associated with funerals. Obviously, these flowers are to be avoided on special occasions like birthdays or Valentines’ Day.

Celebrate Valentines’ Day Twice

…and speaking of Valentines’ Day, Americans might be surprised to learn how the Japanese celebrate this particular holiday.

In Japan, February 14th is a day for women to gift the men in their life (be they colleagues, relatives, or romantic partners) with chocolate gifts. The chocolate takes two forms: Giri-choco (‘Obligation / Duty Chocolate’) and Honmei-choco (‘Chocolate of Love’.)

Exactly a month later on March 14th, or ‘White Day’, it’s the men’s turn to reciprocate with gifts of a higher value. Usually the value will be three times that of the women’s gifts (because of the Japanese expression “Sanbai Gasehi” or “triple in return” referring to the men’s obligation to triple the value of gifts given to them by women.) These gifts most commonly take the form of white chocolate, white lingerie, cookies, or jewellery.

So, why are the festivities spread out among two separate days a month apart from one another, and not celebrated simultaneously as in the U.S.?

The origin story of this tradition is an interesting one, as ‘White Day’ was only invented in the 1970’s. Prior to this, it had only been the women who would give out presents on February 14th, until a disgruntled woman wrote into a magazine to suggest that women should get their own day, a day when their gifts would be returned – with anything, ‘even a marshmallow.’

Confectionary company Ishimura Manseido jumped on this idea as a way to market marshmallows to men, coining March 14th ‘Marshmallow Day’ – a day when men would return the gifts given to them by women a month prior. As the tradition spread to include a variety of different white confectionary, the day became known simply as ‘White Day.’

You could call this capitalism at its finest, or a cynical marketing strategy that went really well – but we’re choosing to call it ‘Two different excuses to eat chocolate’.

Steer Clear of Cactuses

In the U.S., a plant would be considered a nice gift usually associated with house warmings – but this is not the case in Japan, where potted plants are thought to signify illness, so keep the cactuses to yourself!

Return with an Omiyage

In Japan, it is a social obligation to bring back a souvenir (or Omiyage) if you have been on vacation, as a way to apologise for your absence. Failure to bring back an Omiyage for your friends and colleagues is considered rude.

Nine Is the Magic Number

In Thailand, gifts given in sets of 9 will be considered lucky because of the number’s auspicious reputation among the Thai people. This reputation stems from the fact that when spoken aloud in Thai, ‘nine’ (‘Gao’) sounds similar to the Thai words for ‘Moving forward’, ‘Let’s go eat’, and most importantly… ‘Rice’!

Don’t Get Too Excited

It is not polite upon receiving a gift to open it in front of the giver. Instead, it’s customary to thank them outwardly for their generosity before opening the gift in private.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

If you thought gold and silk were luxurious, special gifts… well, you’re right actually. But in Saudi Arabia, it’s wise to avoid giving these gifts to men, as they are forbidden by the Prophet Mohammed, who said, ‘Gold and silk are permitted to the women of my nation, forbidden to its men.’ Silver is acceptable, though, so… second best wins?

Never Give a Singaporean a Handkerchief

Just in case you had a drawer full of handkerchiefs to give out to your friends from Singapore on Christmases and birthdays, just be warned that this particular item is thought to bring bad luck, because of its association with tears, and therefore sadness.

There’s No Santa In Italy

In Italy, children don’t receive their gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day as in the U.S., but at the beginning of the year, on the Feast of Ephiphany. According to Italian Folklore, on Epiphany Eve (January 5th) a festive witch known as the Befana visits Italian children to distribute gifts. If the children have been good, she will reward them with candy and toys. If they have been bad, she will place a lump of coal in their stocking. Various depictions of the witch show her as having a long hooked nose, white or grey hair, crooked teeth and clothes sewn together from a patchwork of different materials. She carries a sack of presents on her back, ready to distribute to well behaved children.

Let The Germans Pay On Their Birthday

In the U.S., having a birthday is like being bestowed with a kind of temporary royalty. Parties are organised to celebrate your very existence, cakes are decorated with your name, and free drinks are foisted upon you at every opportunity.

Don’t expect such treatment in Germany, however, where it’s the responsibility of the birthday person to organise their own birthday meal, and to buy everyone drinks on the night.

If you’re attending a German birthday, don’t be surprised when the host offers you a drink…. And if it’s your birthday, you better make sure you bring cash!

Don’t praise the day before the evening…

If you’re not going to see someone on their birthday, you probably think nothing of giving them their card and present ahead of time, or just wishing them a ‘Happy Birthday’ before it’s too late.

But just know that if you were to do any of these things in Germany, you’ll be bringing the birthday person some very bad luck.

In fact, celebrating anything ahead of time is thought to be a sure-fire jinx.

There’s a phrase for this in German: ‘Man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben’ - which translates to ‘Don’t praise the day before the evening’.

When you wish your friends a ‘happy birthday’ before it actually comes, you’re implying they won’t die before the day. When you apply the logic of Man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben to this idea, your innocent early well wishes are increasing the likelihood of their untimely demise. Do you want that responsibility on your shoulders, when all you were trying to do was bring them cupcakes?

Thought not. Wait until the day itself, or give them a retroactive ‘Happy Birthday’ after they’ve celebrated.

Sweet shoes!

Shoes might not be the very first place you think of to store candy. But in Germany, St. Nick usually drops by for a visit on December 6th – much earlier than in the U.S. – for an event called The Feast of St. Nicholas. He’ll mark his visit by leaving small pieces of candy and other gifts in the children’s shoes under their beds.

Speak The Russian Language of Flowers

In Russia, yellow tulips are thought to stand for betrayal and the severance of a relationship, and any flowers given must be given in uneven numbers, as even numbers are reserved for funerals.

Give The Correct Coin at A Turkish Wedding

A long-standing wedding gifting tradition in Turkey is that guests will gift the bride and groom with gold coins, in small, medium and large sizes according to their relationship with the couple. For example, if you are a distant friend-of-a-friend, you will give a small coin. However, if you are a very close friend, you will give a large one.

This giving of coins takes place during a ceremony where the bride comes to your table in order to welcome you. This is where you will give the coin – sometimes placing it upon her dress or in a special bag.

If someone gives you a medium coin at your wedding, and later you return it with a small coin at their own wedding, they might take this as a sign that the relationship has grown distant.

It is believed that the gold coin is given in Turkey because unlike regular Turkish currency, its value doesn’t change.

Get Excited!

Unlike in Thailand, gifts in Turkey are to be opened immediately in front of the giver, with thanks and appreciation displayed straight away.

Expect A Scratch Card Culture

More lottery tickets are purchased and given as gifts in the U.K. than anywhere else in the world, with the average Brit spending over £400 each year on scratch cards and lottery tickets.

To the average American, this might seem like a nothing, throw-away gift: something bought last minute when they suddenly remembered the occasion. And after all, how likely is the recipient to win?

But you’d be surprised. Recently in Pittsburgh, a ticket bought as a last minute gift on father’s day for a truck driver turned him into an overnight millionaire, earning him 1 million dollars. Better than a tie?

Meanwhile, in Britain, lottery tickets remain a commonly given gift, frequently slipped into birthday and Christmas cards and holding with them the possibility of winnings for the receiver.

Expect to Be Refused a Few Times

As in Asia, the Irish consider it polite to refuse a gift a few times before accepting. This stems from the days of the potato famine, when recipients wanted to make sure the giver could afford the gift they were offering, without asking them outright and causing embarrassment.

If you offer your Irish hosts a gift, don’t be surprised if they tell you that you shouldn’t have gone to all that trouble. Similarly, if they give you a gift, it shows humility if you refuse it once or twice.

Hogmanay and Its Rituals

If you’ve ever been to Scotland around the Festive season, you might be aware that their New Year celebrations, or ‘Hogmanay’, take precedent over Christmas.

Christmas itself doesn’t come with a lot of traditions in Scotland, however, Hogmanay comes with its own unique set of rituals, one of which is known as ‘First Footing’. This takes place on New Years’ Day, and decrees that the first person over the threshold has to come baring a (very specific) set of gifts. A lump of coal, shortbread, a black bun and a dram of whisky are on the menu for this luck-bringing ritual… and the gifts are as specific as the person who is to be bringing them. Tradition dictates the person coming over the threshold should be a tall, dark man.

Why a tall dark man? It’s thought this superstition dates back to the Viking Invasion. History warns the Scots that a big blonde man on their threshold is sure to bring bad luck.

If you happen to be in a Scottish household over New Year, don’t be shocked by this lucky gift giving ritual, as it’s still carried out in homes across Scotland.

Thinking of giving an Austrian a Red Carnation?

If you had this flower in mind as a gift for someone Austrian, just take into consideration their political leanings, as red carnations are the official flower of the Social Democratic Party.

Wrap Your Gifts Twice

It is traditional for gifts to be wrapped twice in Egypt, in two different colors. You should adhere to this tradition when wrapping gifts, and expect to unwrap two layers when receiving a gift.

Flowers Aren’t for Every Occasion

Unlike in the U.S., flowers are not given as Valentines’ Day gifts, birthday presents, or just to show someone you were thinking about them. In Egypt, flowers are strictly reserved for weddings, or for someone who is sick.

Spit for A Blessing

In the U.S., your reaction to someone spitting on your gift before giving it to you might be something along the lines of ‘…was it something I said?’

But in Kenya, the Maasai people actually spit on gifts before giving them as a sign of blessing. And it’s not just gifts that get blessed. They’ll also spit on the head of a new-born child, on their hands before they shake, and as a sign of greeting or farewell.

Keep It Simple in South Africa

Gift giving in South Africa is a simple affair, usually limited to just birthdays and Christmas. At Christmas, most of the focus is expected to be turned to the Religious celebrations, and not much emphasis is put on presents. If you’re staying with a South African host, its best to buy gifts of with a practical purpose, like books, soap or a smart dress or suit to wear to church.

Take Care When Choosing Wine

South Africa is very proud of its wine, which is its largest export. Take care when choosing a wine for your South African hosts, and do your research. Ensure you sample a few varieties to find the right one, as the last thing you want to do is buy bad wine for residents of a country famous for producing great wine.

Never Gift a Bolivian with Knives or Scissors

People from Bolivia and most other South American countries are likely to interpret the gifting of sharp objects as a sign that you want the relationship to be severed.

Unlucky Number 13

It might not surprise you to learn that in Argentina, the number 13 is considered unlucky, as in the U.S. Avoid giving gifts in this denomination, as this superstition is taken seriously.

Don’t Wrap Your Gifts in Purple

In Brazil, purple represents mourning, so steer clear of this color when wrapping gifts.

Get Ready for Christmas in July

Australia doesn’t have the most festive weather during the holiday season, because December takes place during Australian summertime, and Christmas dinner will often take the form of a barbeque on the beach. In the 1970’s Aussies who were feeling cheated out of a ‘White Christmas’, simply because of their position in the Southern Hemisphere, decided to invent a tradition: ‘Christmas in July’, which means they exchange Christmas gifts on their own terms.

Now, Australians supplement their unseasonal, sweaty and barbeque-spiced December 25th Christmas for a more festive feeling Yuletide on July 25th, which is in the middle of their winter time. During the month of July, Australia’s weather is closer to what we would typically associate with Christmas – meaning that all those songs about ‘frightful’ weather and a ‘white’ Christmas will give Aussies a little less cognitive dissonance as they get wrapped up warm in woolly jumpers, exchange gifts, and clink glasses of mulled wine to get themselves into the Christmas spirit.

It might seem excessive to Americans who plump for but one Christmas a year - but then again, it doesn’t really seem fair that Australians have to swap turkey for barbequed beef burger, so why not let them have their Christmas and eat it too?

Maori and The Practice of Utu

If you’ve ever been to New Zealand, you may have encountered the Ma͂ori people. But you may not have come across their restorative ritual known as Utu.

Utu is broadly defined as ‘Revenge’ – but in a more nuanced sense, this concept refers to the practice of restoring balance and harmony. Practically speaking, that means that if something is taken away, something must be put back.

Equally, if someone has done something good for you, you’re expected to reciprocate to restore the balance.

This reciprocation could come in the form of giving gifts, or could result in the other party demanding items from you if they feel you have wronged them or owe them something.

Today, Utu is used simply to define the concept of balance, and of everything being in its place.

Give a Man a Tooth and He’ll Let You Marry His Daughter

A sperm whale’s tooth (or a ‘Tabua’ in Fijian) is given to a man’s future in-laws when he asks for their permission to marry their daughter. The tooth is thought to symbolise good luck, and possess supernatural powers. ‘Tabua’ roughly translates to ‘Sacred’, so it’s not surprising that this unsuspecting item has been bestowed with so much meaning.

It’s not just its inner meaning that makes a whale’s tooth an essential part of this gift-giving ritual – it’s also a status symbol. With sperm whales threatening extinction, Tabuas are increasing in price. Most Fijians don’t buy a Tabua, but rather have it passed down through their family for generations.