20 Things That Are Normal In Some Countries, Yet Make The Rest Of The World Confused

On Christmas Eve, at precisely three o'clock in the afternoon, it is a common custom in Sweden to watch cartoons starring Donald Duck, which are referred to as "Kalle Anka" in Swedish. This is not a casual event; rather, it is a matter of national significance!

Each year, millions of Swedes gather around their televisions to watch a particular Disney special from 1958 called "From All of Us to All of You" (or "Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul" in Swedish, which translates to "Donald Duck and his friends wish you a Merry Christmas"). This special was produced by Disney and was broadcast on television.

When someone ask you how you are doing, your response should be to actually tell them how you are doing. As a result of the fact that we do not use a great deal of nice phrases simply for the sake of being polite, when people ask us "how are you?" we take it as a genuine question rather than as polite small talk or a greeting. At one point, my grandmother inquired about the cashier's well-being, and the cashier responded, "Not great." It is type 2 diabetes that I have.

I'm Irish, and we tend to swear a lot in ordinary conversations. It means nothing most of the time, just a normal part of speech, but some of my non-Irish friends seemed a bit taken aback by it.

Arranged marriages continue to be the standard practice in India. While I was attending law school, I was enrolled alongside a guy who already held a degree in engineering. He said to me that the main reason he decided to enroll in law school was because his family anticipates that he will go back to India after completing his education and get married according to their wishes. He continues to enroll in new higher education programs in order to delay his engagement, which is the result of his actions.

Going to the sauna with the whole family naked. Completely normal where I live but for almost the whole planet it would be very confusing.

Edit: yes, Finland.

People dying because they don't have free universal healthcare. A lot of people will choose to not get medical attention because they don't have health insurance. So they end up dying. It's cheaper to die than have insane medical debt.

In Vietnam, you can buy anything you want (and as much of it as you want) from the local pharmacy without doctor's prescriptions

I've been living in China for two years and I still can't bring myself to shout in a restaurant to get a server's attention. I'm British, so I'm so used to awkwardly raising my hand and saying, 'Excuse me' when the server looks in my direction. But in China, oh boy, you just have to shout and hope you're louder than the next table.

When so many people are traveling both domestically and internationally, it becomes important to have empathy for one another. A great deal! In light of this, it is imperative that you, as a traveler, make every effort to show as much respect as possible for the cultural standards of other people. There are many conventions that are quite subtle and require some time to observe and completely "get," but what is important is the effort that you put in. It is highly doubtful that you will be prepared for everything before you embark on your trip.

Being able to speak a little bit of the local language and being aware of the customs and norms of the area can go a long way. Do some research on the internet. Talk to some friends who have journeyed to the same place as you are going. Take into consideration visiting to a cultural center in the area in order to obtain some helpful materials.

On the other hand, it serves as a reminder to the residents that they should make an effort to be polite to people who are not from the area. There is little doubt that there will be some tourists who are noisy, impolite, and disruptive. On the other hand, a significant number of them are good people who are immersing themselves in wholly new situations that are outside of their comfort zones. It is possible to make their journey truly memorable by providing them with a few words of assistance, a smile, some advice, and a kind guiding hand.

In New Zealand being barefoot out of the house is considered normal. Many children walk barefoot to school (they have shoes, just choose not to wear them). You'll also see barefoot people in supermarkets and fast food restaurants

Rootbeer floats. I tried to introduce this American delicacy to some German friends. They thought I was playing a trick on them. Thought it was so weird and gross they wouldn't even try it.

Even though people may appear to be very different from one another at first glance, there are always factors that bring us together. For example, food is something that is understood and appreciated by people of all different cultures all over the world. There is a possibility that the recipes, ingredients, cooking methods, and dining etiquette will vary from one nation to the next.

In general, however, you will still find people eating together in a shared location. This is something that you will see happening. It is difficult to conceive of any culture that does not have at least one form of traditional soup or dumpling to bring to the table. It is possible to connect with the people you care about and to show respect to someone who is not a member of the community via the act of eating.

In addition to being fundamental components of the human experience, singing, dancing, music, and art are also universally present. Although you may not be fluent in the local language (at least not yet), you can still discover alternative methods to communicate with the people in your immediate environment. In the beginning, traveling could appear to be frightening; yet, you would be amazed to learn how many people are friendly to people who are not native to the area.

In Asian culture. Relatives fight with each other. Because each one wants to pay the bill for the whole family, eating out.

'I will pay. I am the most elder person. I have responsibility to the family'

'No I will pay. Even though I am young. I earn well enough. To cover. Let me pay this time'

That sorta argument happens.

When I tell it to westerners. They don't believe it.

Here in Sydney, the police regularly deploy d**g detection dogs at train stations. They bring them into pubs as well. People visiting from overseas seem genuinely shocked by it, but most people here seem to ignore it.

Saying "yeah, naaahh" = no. Saying "nah, yeeaah"= yes.

Dear Pandas, what are some examples of local cultural practices that you believe people from other parts of the world would find a little bit — or even a lot — strange? On the other hand, what were the most significant cultural shocks that you experienced during your most recent trip? How were you able to deal with them, and how soon were you able to adjust? Leave a comment below and tell us everything you know about it.

Having a maple syrup reserve. The most lucrative heist in Canada's history was the Maple Reserve. Many millions of dollars in maple syrup were stolen. I just listened to the 'My Favorite Murder' podcast episode about it

In Malaysia, calling older people not related to you uncle or aunty

Living with parents is common in India. People aren't considered 'losers' for living with heir parents. I never understood why being 30 and living with your parents was considered as something 'bad'

Flashing headlights to warn incoming traffic of police presence or speed traps. Got a few awkward reactions doing it abroad.

As an American, when i “lived” in England for three months, i realized just how rude and unacceptable Brits view the act of “pointing fingers”.

not that i was ever doing shit like pointing at and/or making fun of people, but just any kind of pointing even remotely in the vicinity of anyone’s direction was just a straight up no-no, regardless of context. my ex-fiancée (who was British) was constantly like “stop doing that” lmao. kinda interesting.

In my family's home country, it is normal to "try" things out in food stands, like, just shove your hand in the pile and try one, you like it? You buy by weight from the pile of whatever it is you tried. And it is apparently totally acceptable to just snack on whatever while you shop and browse through the store, as long as you buy something at the end.

I had a massive cultural shock on my first visit 😂.

In my country, eating rice with every meal is a must.