25 Traditions That Are Totally Normal in Other Countries

so what would you do if you walk into a bathroom and instead of toilet paper you found a bowl of water and no instructions either or what if warding off bad luck meant talking to birds at the park sure these things may seem wacky to you but they're pretty normal customs in other countries and some actually sound pretty fun counting down from number 25 if you ever find yourself in the Spanish town of Bunol at the end of August I sure hope you brought some protective gear that is if you happen to catch La Tomatina a massive one-day light-hearted food fight with none other than the beloved tomato or tomato yep thousands of people thousands of tomatoes you do the math and don't forget to dock number 24 happy birthday now shove your face in this cake is something you might hear in Mexico here as you get handed your birthday cake and are about to take that first delicious bite someone will likely push your face right into it you see that at u.s. weddings a lot these days just a waste of good cake to me number 23 in Germany if you're 25 and single your friends will often lead you to your birthday party with a string of old socks as you celebrate with drinks well I sure hope they wash those socks beforehand number 22 in the States pull my finger is a risky and smelly game but in Scandinavia Austria and Bavaria Germany finger pulling or finger hacklin is a competitive sport that really competitors will often even pull each other across the table with their middle fingers because they're pulling so hard now are we sure it's not that the guy is being jet propelled across the table number 21 if you're going on vacation and want to leave with as many good vibes as possible sit down with your household first before you head out the door in Russia they believe that doing this ensures you have a good trip and Ward's off bad luck speaking of which [Music] number 20 if you're taking a walk in the park in the UK you might spot a gentleman tip his hat to a magpie that's because in British folklore these little birds are bad omens but if you tip your hat to it and say good morning mr. magpie and how is your lady wife today you'll reverse your bad luck the bad British accent is optional number 19 in Denmark if it's your 25th birthday or higher and you're still single your friends and family throw handfuls of cinnamon at you the odd tradition is based on history that way back in the 16th century Danish spice merchants used to stay unmarried because they were too busy traveling around the world you know trying to spice things up number 18 roses are red violets are blue but give someone yellow roses in Mexico and it's goodbye to you that's because in this country yellow roses signify death oh if you're gifting someone a bouquet for their birthday or anniversary you better stick with a good old dozen red roses [Music] number 17 if you were to spit at your boss or a family member when you greeted them it'd be considered pretty darn rude but in the Masai tribe in Kenya and northern Tanzania spitting into their hands before a handshake is considered appropriate and respectful this is often the way people in the tribe wish each other good luck and safe travels it's even done at weddings so imagine spitting on the bride as a good gesture it's also how they secure a deal put a rat there yeah that'll take some getting used to number 16 you might gift newlyweds with some sparkling new China but in Germany family and friends actually break dishes the night before a wedding doing this tradition known as poulter abend is believed to bring good luck to the couple who are expected to clean the mess up and learn how to work too and if not there will be more dish breaking later on down the road number 15 in Venezuela the early bird doesn't necessarily get the worm they're running late isn't a problem the way it is in the US and other countries when it comes to parties or even work meetings arriving a few minutes late isn't considered rude all right I'll be booking my ticket now number 14 all right you didn't think I wasn't going to include something strange from the US did you how about donning top hats and looking at a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil to tell us if spring is here or not the groundhog tradition goes back to February 2nd 1887 you know before we had advanced meteorology to really goof up the forecast well in any case if this furry ground dweller sees his shadow that supposedly means six more months of winter number thirteen if you'll want to stand out as a single person you'll love the French celebration of st. Catherine's day or the patron saint of unmarried women on this day in November bachelorettes age 25 or older rock green or yellow hats to celebrate the single life hey what's up at 25 it's always 25 is that the deadline or something well probably long long ago when life expectancy was like 28 they didn't want you to keep dilly dallying or something I guess number 12 who needs noisemakers and champagne when you can just throw your furniture out the window to ring in the new year in South Africa the tradition of chucking chairs tables and whatever furniture out the window onto the street for the new year has been going strong since the end of apartheid this symbolizes the act of ridding your home of past sorrows so that you can make room for happier more hopeful times you know if they started doing that in Times Square in New York I think I'd watch from a distance number eleven and if you thought throwing your furniture out the window is strange you'll definitely be scratching your head at the South American tradition of carrying around an empty suitcase for the new year by walking a block with the empty luggage you're supposed to bring hope and new adventure into the upcoming year and hopefully a nice vacation so that you can actually put stuff in that suitcase number ten business meetings in the office can be so stuffy and boring so why not head to the sauna with your boss and co-workers well that's how they do it in Finland where the sauna serves as a perfectly good spot to hold meetings and other important gatherings in the professional space but you'll probably want to remember your robe in there number nine even if you're naturally a lefty using this hand is considered pretty rude in a lot of Middle Eastern countries this is because the left hand is the designated cleaning hand in the bathroom and therefore it's the dirty one the right hand is supposed to be used during meals and for shaking people's hands and since we're on the topic of bathroom duties number eight if your biggest fear is doing your business in a restroom that's run out of toilet paper well you might have some problems when visiting India that's because in most parts of this country instead of toilet paper people use water to cleanse their private areas it may sound odd to Westerners but at least they don't have to worry about clogging up the plumbing as much right okay there's still a question for me as to what you ultimately do to clean up but I guess we'll leave that to the imagination or let me know down in the comments if you know the answer number seven in Thailand there are tons of stray monkeys hanging around and once a year in lop buri Bangkok people dump over 6,000 600 pounds of fruits and veggies out for the little guys to munch on in what's referred to as the monkey buffet festival I'll bet they go ape over it you could see that one coming couldn't you number six when you think of a wedding you probably imagine fun laughter and celebration and lots of cake in the face but in China a traditional wedding is preceded by the bride crying a month before her big day after a few days she's joined by her mother grandmother and other family members was up with that but here's the thing this month-long cry sesh is to show joy for her future marriage okay number five in America and in lots of other countries it's typical to clink glasses before drinking but in Hungary no one claims glasses at bars or around the dinner table ever since the Austrians defeated the Hungarians during the Revolution and celebrated by clinking their glasses the Hungarians swore off this tradition so I'm thinking if they do it anyways do they then get thrown in the clink hey it was worth a shot number four well we consider it bad luck to see the bride before the big day people in Thai dong Indonesia believe using the toilet three days after the wedding is bad luck family members typically watch over the newlyweds to make sure they don't use the bathroom at all gee I wonder how many of them explode so then I guess it's really like a race to see who passes first the newlyweds or the three days where do they come up with this number three Americans are used to having copious amounts of ice in their drinks but in many places in Europe having little or no ice at all is the norm if you're dining in these places you need to ask for extra ice otherwise you'll have to enjoy your coke at room temperature oh the horror number two if you ever visit Fiji you'll likely be greeted by a cocktail containing juice from squeezed roots served in a wooden bowl known as and apparently it has shall we say psychoactive effects so you might want to go easy on the kava or just grab a lemonade instead and finally number one speaking of cheesy in Gloucester England on the last Monday of May a giant wheel of Double Gloucester cheese is pushed down Cooper's Hill while spectators are encouraged to chase it whoever catches it it doesn't fall flat on their face gets to take the cheese wheel home and I'm thinking what if the out-of-control cheese wheel takes out a sidewalk full of spectators then it's just a cheesy way to go I guess well what can I add to that do you know any other customs that might seem odd to outsiders let me know down in the comments if you learned something new here today then give this video a like share it with a friend and here are some more cool videos to check out from the bright side of life [Music]

Channel: BRIGHT SIDE

Views: 3,556,090

Rating: 4.7660913 out of 5

Keywords: traditions, superstitions, beliefs, rules in different countries, weird traditions, etiquette rules, avoid doing this, traditions in different countries, strange traditions, foreign countries, strange customs, strange rules, law rules, strange laws, travelling, traveling, customs in Thailand, customs in india, customs in mexico, customs in America

Id: 0peld2sYu2I

Length: 12min 0sec (720 seconds)

Published: Mon May 20 2019