by Paula Johnson
How to make learning interesting? What piques a person interest? Sometimes learning is like a banana cream pie – you do not always know the source or the direction.
One of the things I enjoy about being retired is that banana cream pies come often, unannounced, and unrelated.
Entry doors to homes no longer need a key or even a knob. The swipe on the back of your driver’s license has everything about you that used to be done orally, verified by electors, or researched by law officers. A thumbprint can gain access or deny it. The same with your eye’s lens.
Did you know that the common passport of today may become a thing of the past for international travel? Our children may no longer have to worry about shaving or growing a beard, changing hair color or design, or any facial changes.
The Future Travel Report believes that by 2070 you will enter a security check and your heartbeat will identify you. Can you even imagine a plane’s seat that will adapt to your shape? What about hearing aids that will translate for you?
While on the thought of travel, let’s look at some gift-giving traditions in other countries.
India has some intriguing customs. In this country, the left hand is considered unclean. So, one must not eat with one’s left hand, or shake hands or give gifts with it. Righthanded giving is the most respectful. Although giving money is acceptable, the amount must not be an even amount – such as, $50. Odd numbers in India are viewed as good luck, so $51 or $49 is the better amount.
Egypt has a similar belief about giving with the left hand. A gift is given with both hands or the right hand. Also, a man must tell a woman that the present is from his mother, sister, or wife. It is unacceptable for a man to give a gift outright to a woman.
Remember those enormous holiday sales catalogues? They came from Sears, Montgomery Wards, JCPenney, and more. Then they vanished – as did those big box stores. Iceland, however, still has a large Christmas gift-givers catalog. It is published every year for Christmas and distributed by the national government.
Ah, but you will not find a pair of mittens, a PlayStation, or a stuffed animal. It is a catalog of “every recently published book in Iceland”. Iceland is one of most literate countries in the world, and it aims to keep it that way. This annual tradition is known as “Yule Book Flood”.
Our mother’s ancestry is mostly Irish and English, and our father’s is primarily German with touches of Hungarian, Bavarian, and such. But certainly, we must have a little Scot blood in there someplace.
New Year’s Eve in Scotland is known as Hogmanay, dating back to the Vikings. For good luck and fortune, it is believed that the first to enter your home should be a male with dark hair. Blond hair was reminiscent of the Vikings, and thus the raids. The visitor should also bring gifts of whiskey, coal, salt, shortbread, and black buns. The most important is whiskey, of course!
Ladies, you may be glad to be an American and not Fijian. In our country the traditional engagement is set with a diamond ring or such. In Fiji, the family of the groom presents the bride’s family with a sperm whale’s tooth, called a tabua. The tabua is highly prized and believed to bring good luck to marriage.
The tabua is rare and thus, naturally expensive. It is more precious to the Fijians. than gemstones.
Another country with very strict rules about gift-giving is Saudi Arabia. Men are not allowed to give women individual gifts – and especially, flowers. These are seen as highly inappropriate. Men are also not allowed to accept things of gold or silk. These are considered extravagant and grossly interferes with Islamic tradition. Interestingly enough, silver is acceptable. Depending upon the silver piece, I think it can be quite extravagant.
The nomads of Kenya have what I think is a most unusual tradition. Every country has its idiosyncrasies, but this of the nomads I found highly unusual. They believe that spitting on the gift being given shows respect to the receiver and sends them good luck. Not just on presents, but even to spit on newborns and brides, as well as just before shaking hands. COVID!
When travelling, it is best to always be aware of traditions in countries new to you. A country’s traditions are its heartbeat, and we would want to be just as respectful of these new customs as we want others to be of ours.
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