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Giving Gifts Around the World

In today’s modern world gifts are an important and often part of
cultivating strong relationships. In many countries business is made by
gifts. However, gift giving can be a problem when you do not
understand the culture and of the recipient’s homeland. In some cases,
giving the wrong gift can even make worse.

It is important to know when people expect gifts, so become with the
holidays that a country . Muslim people, for example, exchange cards
during the three-day festival at the end of Ramadan. In a country where
Christianity prevails, most people exchange gifts during the Christmas holidays.
However, there are many differences. While Scandinavians give gifts on
Christmas Eve, Italians give to their loved ones on Epiphany, January
6th.

When you travel a lot you might want to give someone a gift. In western
countries we usually give a gift upon , in eastern cultures gifts are given
before the guest leaves. When you’re invited to someone’s house, it’s almost
always to give a housewarming gift.

of when you decide to give a gift, it is important to think about the
kind of gift to give. It would be wrong to bring chocolate to a Belgian friend or a
bottle of wine to a French . Even bringing flowers can be troublesome. For
example, certain flowers, such as chrysanthemums in Europe, are reserved for
funerals. Roses, in many regions, are often too . And in some countries it
is to give an even number of flowers, while in others, odd numbers
should be chosen.

Also consider religious customs. In India, for example, people value animals,
especially cows. It would thus be to give someone a leather
briefcase. You shouldn’t give a Hindu a handkerchief either, because it often
symbolizes sorrow and death.

Lastly, the ritual of presenting gifts from culture to culture. In Asia it is
polite to refuse a gift the first time. It shows modesty and people
may appear if they accept the first time. Unlike some western countries, it
is unfitting to open the gift in the of the giver. Asians often take the gift
and set it aside to open later because they don’t want to the giver if
they don’t like it.

While giving gifts varies dramatically from country to country, following general
guidelines and doing a bit of helps you avoid making major mistakes.