European countries have many of the same taboos as Westerners about numbers, colors, flowers and animals. Westerners generally taboo "13" and "Friday", and the reasons are all derived from Christian legends; many Western countries use black as a symbol of funerals; on international occasions, chrysanthemums, azaleas, dianthus, and yellow flowers are taboo. It has become a common practice to give it to guests; in addition, animal patterns such as elephants, peacocks, and cranes, which are considered to represent auspiciousness, happiness, and longevity in our country, are also tabooed in some Western countries and are regarded as stupid (Britain) ), a prostitute (English, French) and a fool (France).
Due to differences in national culture, each European country has many unique characteristics. Friendly gestures such as waving mean "go to hell" in Greece; Greeks wave to each other with the back of their hands to say goodbye. Therefore, it will be very beneficial to remember the following tips about the characteristics of national cultural customs in European countries for the development of transnational cultural and economic and trade activities:
Belgians love to combine business and entertainment. Entertain others and like to be entertained by others. Pay attention to appearance and the title of business partners;
Hungarians are more superstitious and are not allowed to place dishes made of poultry on the New Year’s table, believing that if so, luck will fly away with the poultry;
Danes like saunas and drinking wine, and wine is relatively expensive. In business activities, if you host a sauna or bring a few bottles of Scotch whiskey, you can increase conversation and serve as the best gift;
Norwegians pay attention to punctuality and keep a certain distance when talking to others. Or when attending a family dinner, prepare flowers or candies and other gifts for the hostess. When going out for an outing, do not scare the river birds (Norway’s national bird). Red is generally regarded as a popular color;
Germans have a famous talisman In fact, it has a reputation for efficiency. German negotiators are always serious and get used to wearing a suit for all occasions (don't put your hands in your pockets, this is considered rude). Gifts should be personal even if they are in the name of the company;
Greeks love to nap, which is caused by the subtropical climate. Saying "good afternoon" can include saying "good night" at the end of the night. Greeks have a more traditional way of doing business, and bargaining can be seen everywhere;
Austrians do not like to eat shrimp during the New Year. Because shrimps walk backwards, it symbolizes unlucky. If you eat shrimps, it will be difficult to make progress in business in the new year.
Spaniards, who emphasize personal credibility, would rather suffer some losses than admit mistakes publicly. If you help them unintentionally and save them from loss, you will permanently win friendship and trust;
The French give people the impression of being the most patriotic. No matter how good you speak English, you will still ask for negotiations in French and never give in. They are very particular about what they wear and should wear the best clothes possible during meetings;
Irish people avoid using the red, white, and blue combination (the colors of the British flag). This is due to political and historical reasons. To. In addition, Irish law prohibits Irish people from divorce;
Italians are less rigid than Germans and more enthusiastic than French people. But he is usually emotionless when dealing with business. The reason for being slow in making decisions is not to discuss with colleagues, but rather to avoid making hasty statements;
Luxembourger, descendant of Germanic people. Because the country is small, most people drive home to eat at noon and do not work at noon;
The Dutch were once the most orthodox people in Europe. They love cleanliness and order. When doing business, I hope you will do it before arriving in the Netherlands. Agreed in advance. Frank and honest personality;
The Portuguese, much like the Greeks, are easy-going and like to socialize. Even if the weather is hot, you should wear a suit. When negotiating with them, you should wear a neat shirt and a tie in work and social situations;
The British must follow the rules in everything. The direction of their cars is similar to that of other European countries. Quite the opposite.
Based on the pretension of having English as their mother tongue, the British speak no other language than English.
Section 1 New Year (New Year) Section 2 Christmas (Christmas) Section 3 Easter (Easter) Section 4 Thanksgiving (Thanksgiving) Section 5 April Fool's Day (April Fool's Day) Section 1 Section 6: Mother's Day, Section 7: Father's Day, Section 8: Saint Valentine's Day, Section 9: Halloween, Section 10: Tomatina - Tomato Fight
Christmas is the biggest holiday of the year in Western countries. Giving each other Christmas gifts is an important part of Christmas.
Christmas is also known as "Christmas Day" and "Christmas Day". In AD 354, the calendar of the Latin Church in the western part of the Roman Empire stated for the first time that December 25 was the birth day of Jesus Christ.
Christmas was originally a Christian holiday. Because people pay special attention to it, it has become a national holiday. It is the most grand festival of the year in Western countries. It can be compared with the New Year and is similar to the Spring Festival in our country. . This festival not only contains profound and long-standing religious elements, but is also a secular day celebrated by the whole country. Christmas falls on December 25th every year, which is the day Jesus Christ was born.
It was originally the anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ, but now it has become a national festival in Western countries, much like the Chinese Spring Festival. Christmas is held on December 25th every year, and the Christmas Season usually lasts for two weeks. During this period, greeting cards like snow flew to all over the world, and telephone lines and communication networks frequently conveyed people's blessings and greetings; streets and alleys were decorated, and advertisements for sales and auctions in front of store windows were particularly eye-catching; they could be seen everywhere. People rushed by carrying large and small bags of holiday supplies, and cheerful singing and laughter could be heard everywhere. Stations and airports are now crowded with people looking forward to going home, because Christmas is also a time for family reunions. No matter how far they go, people will try their best to get home to reunite with their loved ones.
Since the Bible records that Jesus was born at night, the night of December 24 is traditionally called "Christmas Eve" or "Silent Night."
★The Origin of Christmas
Christmas on December 25th is the day to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity. It is the largest and most loved holiday in Western countries.
According to the Bible, the holy book of Christians, God decided to let his only son Jesus Christ be reincarnated into the human world, find a mother, and then live in the human world so that people can better understand God and learn to love Him. God and better love each other. "Christmas" means "celebration of Christ" and celebrates the moment when a young Jewish woman, Mary, gave birth to Jesus.
The Bible records that Mary was engaged to the carpenter Joseph. However, before they moved in together, Joseph discovered that Maria was pregnant. Because Joseph was a decent man and didn't want to embarrass her by telling her about it, he wanted to break up with her quietly. While he was thinking about this, an angel of God appeared to him in a dream and said, "Stop muttering and take Maria home. The child she is carrying is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a boy. You will give him a child." The child was named Jesus because he would save people from their sins."
Although the exact date of Jesus' birth is not known, it was approximately 2,000 years ago, but the calendar divides the time into BC according to the assumed date. (before the birth of Jesus Christ) and A.D. During the first three hundred years AD, Jesus' birthday was celebrated on different days. Finally, in AD 354, church leaders designated December 25 as the birthday of Jesus Christ.
Christmas is the biggest holiday in the Christian world.
At the beginning of the 4th century, January 6 was a double festival commemorating the birth and baptism of Jesus in various churches in the eastern Roman Empire. It was called "Epiphany" (also known as "Epiphany"), that is, God revealed himself to the world through Jesus. At that time, the only exception was the church in Jerusalem, which only commemorated the birth of Jesus but not the baptism of Jesus. Later, historians found a record on the page of December 25, 354 AD in the calendar commonly used by Roman Christians: "Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judah."
After research, it is generally believed that December 25 Christmas Day may have started in the Roman Church in 336 AD. It spread to Antioch in Asia Minor in about 375 AD and to Alexandria in Egypt in 430 AD. The church in Jerusalem was the last to accept it, while the Armenian The church still insists that Epiphany, January 6, is the birthday of Jesus.
December 25 turns out to be the birthday of the Persian sun god Mithras (the god of light). It is a pagan festival. At the same time, the sun god is also one of the gods of the Roman state religion. This day is also the winter solstice in the Roman calendar. Pagans who worship the sun god regard this day as the hope of spring and the beginning of the recovery of all things. Probably for this reason, the Roman Church chose this day as Christmas. This was one of the early efforts of the church to Christianize pagan customs and habits. Later, although most churches accepted December 25 as Christmas, due to the different almanacs used by churches, the specific dates could not be unified, so December 24 to January 6 of the following year was designated as Christmas. During the festival period, churches in various places can celebrate Christmas during this period according to local specific conditions. Since December 25th has been recognized as Christmas by most churches, Epiphany on January 6th originally only commemorated the baptism of Jesus. However, the Catholic Church designated January 6th as the "Feast of the Three Kings" to commemorate The story of the three kings of the East (i.e. the three wise men) who came to worship Jesus when he was alive.
With the widespread spread of Christianity, Christmas has become an important holiday for Christians of all denominations and even for the majority of non-Christians. In many countries in Europe and the United States, people attach great importance to this festival and connect it with the New Year. The excitement and grandness of the celebrations greatly exceed that of the New Year, and it has become a national festival. The main commemorative activities on December 25 are related to the legend of the birth of Jesus. From December 24th to January 6th of the following year is the Christmas holiday. During the festival, Christians from all over the world hold grand commemorative ceremonies. Christmas was originally a Christian holiday. Because people paid special attention to it, it became a national holiday. It is the grandest holiday of the year in Western countries. It can be compared with the New Year and is similar to the Spring Festival in our country. Westerners use red, green and white as Christmas colors. When Christmas comes, every household must be decorated with Christmas colors. The red ones have Christmas flowers and Christmas candles. The green one is the Christmas tree. It is the main decoration of Christmas. It is decorated with tower-shaped evergreen trees such as felled fir and cypress. It is hung with colorful lights, gifts and paper flowers, and Christmas candles are lit. The red and white contrast is Santa Claus, who is the most popular figure in Christmas activities. Before going to bed on Christmas Eve, Western children put a sock in front of the fireplace or next to the pillow, and wait for Santa Claus to put gifts in the sock after they fall asleep. In the West, playing Santa Claus is also a custom.