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WORLD CULTURES and FOLK CUSTOMS

SIMO JELACA, Ph.D.

FOREWORD

This book summarizes information about culture and customs of different nations. Noticeable differences in customs are among Christian, Islamic and Buddhist’s nations, although in all prevails intention for nice and greatest.

It will be too much to include every country, as there are similarities among many nations of the same or close nationalities. Characteristic are Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Belarus, Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia, or as well as Germany and Austria. The similar conclusion values for Latin nations, among themselves too.

Readers will find basic information about each country, such as its location and size, population and Ethnic Make-up, Religion, Climate, Language, Etiquettes and others.

This book can equally be used for travelers, either as tourists or business people, therefore everyone will find necessary information about Etiquette of people at their homes as well as at the business.

My intention was to find as much good information as possible. How much I have succeeded readers will judge it.

Author

GERMANY

CULTURE AND FOLK CUSTOMS

Facts and Statistics

Location: Central Europe, bordering Austria 784 km, Belgium 167 km, Czech Republic 646 km, Denmark 68 km, France 451 km, Luxembourg 138 km, Netherlands 577 km, Poland 456 km, Switzerland 334 km.

Area: 357,022 square kilometers

Capital: Berlin, 3.5 million.

Climate: temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm mountain wind.

Population: about 82.5 million.

Ethnic Make-up: German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbs, Croats, Spanish.

Religions: Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or other 28.3% .

Government: federal republic.

Languages in Germany

The official language of Germany is German, with over 95% of the population speaking German as their first language. Minority languages include Sorbian, spoken by 0.09% in the east of Germany, Danish is spoken by 0.06%, mainly in the area along the Danish border. Romani, an indigenous language, is spoken by around 0.08%.

Immigrant languages include Turkish, which is spoken by around 1.8%, and Kurdish, by 0.3%.

German Society & Culture

In many respects, Germans can be considered the masters of planning.

• This is a culture that prizes forward thinking and knowing what they will be doing at a specific time on a specific day.

• Careful planning, in one's business and personal life, provides a sense of security.

• Rules and regulations allow people to know what is expected and plan their life accordingly.

• Once the proper way to perform a task is discovered, there is no need to think of doing it any other way.

• Germans believe that maintaining clear lines of demarcation between people, places, and things is the surest way to lead a structured and ordered life.

• Work and personal lives are rigidly divided.

• There is a proper time for every activity. When the business day ends, you are expected to leave the office. If you must remain after normal closing, it indicates that you did not plan your day properly.

The German Home

Germans take great pride in their homes.

• They are kept neat and tidy at all times, with everything in its appointed place.

• In a culture where most communication is rather formal, the home is the place where one can relax and allow your individualism to shine.

• Only close friends and relatives are invited into the sanctity of the house, so it is the one place where more informal communication may occur.

• There are many unwritten rules surrounding the outward maintenance of one's home.

• It is imperative that common areas such as sidewalks, pavements, corridors (in apartments), and steps be kept clean at all times.

German Etiquette & Customs

Meeting Etiquette

• Greetings are formal.

• A quick, firm handshake is the traditional greeting.

• Titles are very important and denote respect. Use a person's title and their surname until invited to use their first name. You should say Herr or Frau and the person's title and their surname.

• In general, wait for your host or hostess to introduce you to a group.

• When entering a room, shake hands with everyone individually, including children.

Gift Giving Etiquette

• If you are invited to a German's house, bring a gift such as chocolates or flowers.

• Yellow roses or tea roses are always well received.

• Do not give red roses as they symbolize romantic intentions.

• Do not give carnations as they symbolize mourning.

• Do not give lilies or chrysanthemums as they are used at funerals.

• If you bring wine, it should be imported, French or Italian. Giving German wines is viewed as meaning you do not think the host will serve a good quality wine.

• Gifts are usually opened when received.

Dining Etiquette

If you are invited to a German's house:

• Arrive on time as punctuality indicates proper planning. Never arrive early.

• Never arrive more than 15 minutes later than invited without telephoning to explain you have been detained.

• Send a handwritten thank you note the following day to thank your hostess for her hospitality.

Table manners

• Remain standing until invited to sit down. You may be shown to a particular seat.

• Table manners are Continental -- the fork is held in the left hand and the knife in the right while eating.

• Do not begin eating until the hostess starts or someone says 'guten appetit' (good appetite).

• At a large dinner party, wait for the hostess to place her napkin in her lap before doing so yourself.

• Do not rest your elbows on the table.

• Do not cut lettuce in a salad. Fold it using your knife and fork.

• Cut as much of your food with your fork as possible, since this compliments the cook by indicating the food is tender.

• Finish everything on your plate.

• Rolls should be broken apart by hand.

• Indicate you have finished eating by laying your knife and fork parallel across the right side of your plate, with the fork over the knife.

• The host gives the first toast.

• Germans do not need a personal relationship in order to do business. An honored guest should return the toast later in the meal.

• The most common toast with wine is 'Zum Wohl!' ('good health').

• The most common toast with beer is 'Prost!' ('good health').

Business Etiquette and Protocol in Germany

Relationships & Communications

• They will be interested in your academic credentials and the amount of time your company has been in business.

• Germans display great deference to people in authority, so it is imperative that they understand your level relative to their own.

• Germans do not have an open-door policy. People often work with their office door closed. Knock and wait to be invited in before entering.

• German communication is formal.

• Following the established protocol is critical to building and maintaining business relationships.

• As a group, Germans are suspicious of hyperbole, promises that sound too good to be true, or displays of emotion.

• Germans will be direct to the point of bluntness.

• Expect a great deal of written communication, both to back up decisions and to maintain a record of decisions and discussions.

Business Meeting Etiquette

• Appointments are mandatory and should be made 1 to 2 weeks in advance.

• Letters should be addressed to the top person in the functional area, including the person's name as well as their proper business title.

• If you write to schedule an appointment, the letter should be written in German.

• Punctuality is taken extremely seriously. If you expect to be delayed, telephone immediately and offer an explanation. It is extremely rude to cancel a meeting at the last minute and it could jeopardize your business relationship.

• Meetings are generally formal.

• Initial meetings are used to get to know each other. They allow your German colleagues to determine if you are trustworthy.

• Meetings adhere to strict agendas, including starting and ending times.

• Maintain direct eye contact while speaking.

• Although English may be spoken, it is a good idea to hire an interpreter so as to avoid any misunderstandings.

• At the end of a meeting, some Germans signal their approval by rapping their knuckles on the tabletop.

• There is a strict protocol to follow when entering a room:

• The eldest or highest ranking person enters the room first.

• Men enter before women, if their age and status are roughly equivalent.

Business Negotiation

• Do not sit until invited and told where to sit. There is a rigid protocol to be followed.

• Meetings adhere to strict agendas, including starting and ending times.

• Treat the process with the formality that it deserves.

• Germany is heavily regulated and extremely bureaucratic.

• Germans prefer to get down to business and only engage in the briefest of small talk. They will be interested in your credentials.

• Make sure your printed material is available in both English and German.

• Contracts are strictly followed.

• You must be patient and not appear ruffled by the strict adherence to protocol. Germans are detail- oriented and want to understand every innuendo before coming to an agreement.

• Business is hierarchical. Decision-making is held at the top of the company.

• Final decisions are translated into rigorous, comprehensive action steps that you can expect will be carried out to the letter.

• Avoid confrontational behavior or high- pressure tactics. It can be counterproductive.

• Once a decision is made, it will not be changed.

Dress Etiquette

• Business dress is understated, formal and conservative.

• Men should wear dark coloured, conservative business suits.

• Women should wear either business suits or conservative dresses.

• Do not wear ostentatious jewelry or accessories.

Economy

. Industry: Iron, Steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics.

.Agriculture: Potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, cattle.

. Exports: Machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures, foodstuffs.

Food and drink

Germans love rich, hearty cuisine, though each area of Germany has its own definition of what a traditional meal looks like.

Pork is the most consumed meat, according to the German Food Guide.

Bratwurst, a form of sausage, is closely associated with German food. Cabbage, beets, and turnips are commonly incorporated into meals, as they are native to the region, and potatoes and sauerkraut are also stars of German cuisine.

Beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage, and the country is known as the birthplace of a number of beer varieties, including Pilsner, Weizenbier (wheat beer) and Alt.

The Arts

Germans have made tremendous contributions to classical music, and the traditions of famous German or Austrian composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Richard Wagner and Gustav Mahler.

There is also a strong representation of all phases of architecture — including Romanesque, Gothic, Classicist, Baroque, Rococo and Renaissance — represented in cathedrals, castles and public buildings.

There is a high regard for engineers in Germany, as evidenced by the country’s success in the automotive industry. Because of this high level of respect for hands-on expertise, companies tend to be headed by technical experts rather than lawyers or those with a financial background.

Workers at all levels are judged heavily on their competence and diligence, rather than interpersonal skills. Communication with co-workers as well as outsiders tends to be direct and not always diplomatic.

Holidays and celebrations

Germany celebrates many of the traditional Christian holidays, including Christmas and Easter. German Unification Day on October 3 marks the reuniting of East and West Germany and is the only federal holiday.

While the country’s big beer bash is called "Oktoberfest," its starts each year on a Saturday in September and ends 16 to 18 days later, on the first Sunday in October. The tradition started in 1810, with the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen.

Public behavior

• If you do not speak German, be careful of automatically addressing a person in English. While Germans generally speak very good English, some may well feel offended at the presumption. • Chewing gum while talking to someone is considered rude.

• Eye contact during the introduction is serious, direct, and should be maintained as long as the person is addressing you. Even in public between strangers, eye contact or out and out staring can be direct and not necessarily smiling.

• You can expect the distance of comfort between strangers in public to be smaller than is considered normal. While people in conversation typically maintain a comfortable distance of at least 0,5 m between them, the person directly behind you in the supermarket line can be literally breathing down your neck.

• Simply placing your hand on someone's shoulder may be irritating and make you appear too authoritative. If the person is not a long time friend of yours, then a handshake is the only situation in which you would make physical contact with someone.

• If you should accidentally bump into someone or kick her/him under the table, then you should immediately excuse yourself.

• Be prepared to move yourself and your goods fast through the checkout line at the supermarket.

• The preferred times for meeting appointments are between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. or between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Avoid scheduling appointments on Friday afternoons, as some offices close by 2:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m. on Fridays.

• Be sensitive to vacation and festival periods here. Germans generally have six weeks of paid vacation, which means someone is almost always “in Urlaub” (“on holiday”). Therefore, be prepared to take this into consideration when making appointments or planning visits.

• Punctuality is taken very seriously. If you expect to be delayed, telephone immediately and offer an explanation.

• There is a strict protocol to follow when entering a room or passing a threshold: The eldest or highest ranking person enters first.

• Do not sit until invited and told where to sit.

• Meetings adhere to strict agendas, including starting and ending times.

• Always maintain direct eye contact while speaking.

• At the end of a meeting or a speech, some Germans signal their approval by rapping their knuckles on the tabletop.

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