European court etiquette
First, general etiquette
1. JuGongLi
Gongju ceremony is a etiquette between subordinates and superiors or peers. Take off your hat when saluting, and take it off with your right hand (if you take things with your right hand, you can use your left hand) holding the center of the front brim of your hat. After the right hand hangs down, the body is aligned. Stand at attention, keep your eyes on the subject, tilt your upper body forward about 15 degrees, and then return to its original state. Take off your hat with your hand in the opposite direction to salute, that is, salute the person on the left and take off your hat with your right hand; Salute the person on the right and take off your hat with your left hand.
nod (one's head)
Nodding is the courtesy of peers or peers, and you must also take off your hat. If you meet each other while walking on the road, you can give gifts while walking; If you meet an officer or elder on the road, you must stand at attention and bow, but an officer can nod or stretch out his right hand or touch the brim when walking.
Raise your hand and concentrate.
It is a military etiquette to raise your hand and pay attention to ceremony. When saluting, raise your right hand, keep your fingers straight and flush, touch the right side of the brim with your fingertips slightly outward, keep your upper arm shoulder height, and keep your eyes on each other. You can't let go of your hand until the other party replies, and you should salute the officer or elder as usual every time you meet.
shake?hands;?handshake?(n.)
Handshaking ceremony is the most common etiquette in Europe and America, which is found in many countries in the world. When saluting, stand about one step away from each other, lean forward slightly, extend your right hand, align your four fingers, and extend your thumbs to the recipient respectively. In hotel room service, it should be noted that guests can only hold their hands by reaching out first, and it is forbidden to shake hands with others with one foot inside and one foot outside, especially when four people cross hands. Women who meet for the first time generally don't shake hands, but bow and bow. The tighter you shake hands with men, the deeper your friendship, and the lighter you shake hands with women.
Kiss your hand
Kissing hands is a popular etiquette in the upper class in Europe and America. When you meet a noble woman or lady in the upper class, if the woman reaches out and droops first, she will gently lift her fingertips and kiss. But if the woman doesn't reach out, she won't kiss. When kissing hands, if the woman is in a higher position, she should bend one knee and do a half-kneeling posture before shaking hands and kissing. This kind of etiquette is the most important thing in British and French society.
Kissing ceremony
Kissing ceremony is a kind of etiquette to show intimacy and caress between superiors and subordinates, elders and juniors, friends and lovers. It is usually a gentle kiss on the recipient's face or forehead. When you are happy, happy or sad, you usually kiss to express your love and sympathy.
7. Hugging ceremony
Hugging ceremony is a kind of etiquette to express intimate feelings between acquaintances and friends in Europe and America. When they meet or say goodbye, they hug each other to show intimacy. Hugging ceremony is usually carried out at the same time as kissing ceremony.
2. Dining etiquette
French people pay great attention to etiquette when eating. Generally speaking, they use a long dining table, and the male and female hosts sit at both ends of the table respectively. Other family members or guests are arranged on both sides of the table in descending order of importance from the hostess side to the host side. Tableware uses knives, forks and spoons of different shapes. There can only be one dish on the table. Only when the last dish is removed can the second dish be served. However, according to the dining situation, all tableware is placed on both sides of the diner's plate and used from outside to inside. Generally speaking, the first course is appetizing soup, followed by cold dishes (Hors-d`? Uvre), followed by the main course (plat de réresistance), and finally the dessert (dessert). Bread can be taken at any time, which is more than the British and Americans consume. Drink liqueur before meals, and serve aquatic products and poultry dishes with dry white wine at meals. Meat dishes with dry red wine. The French consume a lot of wine, which is almost essential for every meal. Unlike British and American laws, minors can also drink alcohol. When visiting a French family, you can't use a bottle of wine and flowers as a gift, just like visiting an American family, which is equivalent to satirizing that the host family doesn't have enough wine and can only use a box of chocolates as a gift. French dining etiquette has become a classic model of western banquets.
French restaurants are famous for their luxurious etiquette and flavor. Almost all the most luxurious and expensive restaurants in major cities in the world are French restaurants. An Englishman once complained that it was cheaper to fly from London to Paris for a meal and then back by plane, and all the travel expenses were added up than to eat a meal in a French restaurant in London.
France is a world-famous food culture country, and different regions of France have different specialties. Because the French attach great importance to food, they need a lot of tableware when eating French food.
1, how to eat meat dishes.
(1) Cut from the left.
There are many kinds of meat used in French cuisine, such as cattle, pigs, sheep, chickens and ducks. According to the modulation method, it is divided into baking, baking, steaming and boiling. As soon as the menu is opened, the names of meat dishes such as roast lamb chops, roast duck and braised beef are arranged in a dazzling array, and the ways to eat them are varied and mouth-watering.
The first thing to remember is how to arrange meals. Meal arrangement can be said to be the representative of meat dishes since ancient times, and the eating method of meal arrangement has naturally become the basic form of other meat dishes, so it is best to make some efforts to study it. When ordering steak, the waiter will ask the degree of barbecue first, and then serve it according to your favorite cooking method.
When eating, fork the meat from the left, and then cut the meat along the right side of the fork with a knife. If the cut meat can't
When you eat it in one bite, you can directly cut it into smaller pieces with a knife, cut the meat into just the size of a bite, and then send it directly to the population with a fork.
(2) The emphasis is on the strength of pressing meat with a knife.
In order to cut the meat conveniently, you should loosen your shoulders first and fork the meat with a fork. Then move it back and forth gently and slowly with a knife. Push hard when you extend the knife, don't pull it back.
(3) Put the sauce on the plate.
A cup of sauce will be included when ordering. On formal occasions, the sauce should be served by yourself, not by the waiter.
First of all, bring the sauce bowl to the edge of the plate, and be careful not to drip on the tablecloth when holding the sauce with a spoon. The sauce can't be poured directly on the steak. Put a proper amount on the inside of the plate, and then cut the meat into a mouthful of dipping sauce. The best amount of sauce is about two tablespoons. After taking the sauce, put the spoon on the edge of the sauce bowl and pass it on to the next person.
(4) Don't cut all the meat into pieces at the beginning, or all the delicious gravy will flow out. If you fork the left side of the meat, but start cutting from the right side of the meat; It will be difficult to cut meat. He left with a fork in his left hand.
Starting from the side is basic.
Never start cutting from the right. If you cut too hard, you will make a loud noise when you cut. It is difficult to use a knife when leaning forward.
(5) All side dishes should be eaten. The vegetables placed next to the steak are not only for decoration, but also for balanced nutrition. Most people in China leave watercress behind. If they don't really like it, they'd better not leave.
Take the sauce out of the soup and put it on a plate. The vegetables and meat on the side are eaten alternately.
Three. Court etiquette
In the Middle Ages, aristocratic etiquette was basically advocated by France and French courts, and was generally imitated by other courts.
Nobles, whether enemies or friends, should greet each other when they meet. Ask men (if they are not wearing full-body armor) to hold their right chest with their left hand, take off their hats with their right hand, bow slightly and nod at the same time. The woman's rule is that her legs are slightly bent, her hands are slightly raised on both sides of the skirt and she nods. If the two sides are on horseback and the man's manners remain the same, the woman only needs to nod.
If a person is wearing full-body armor, as long as he is not on the horse, he must take off his hat, press his left hand on his right chest and nod at the same time (you don't have to bend down, because the heavy body armor in the Middle Ages is integrated with the chest and waist, so you can't bend down). If you are riding a horse, you don't have to take off your hat or press your chest, just nod your head. In addition, when a male aristocrat riding a horse meets a standing aristocrat, if the other person is higher than his title or a woman, the male aristocrat must dismount and salute as long as he is not wearing armor. If the rider is wearing armor, just nod.
In all cases, when saluting, the tip of the weapon must point to the ground (the drawn sword may not be put into the sheath, but the tip must point to the ground), and the archer must put the arrow into the arrow box, hold the bow in his right hand, and then salute.
At that time, manners did not allow kissing a lady's hand. It is only in etiquette that nobles kiss hands when they meet the king and queen: nobles kneel on one knee and bow their heads to kiss the hands of the king and queen to show their respect. When kings and nobles meet cardinals who are in charge of their country's educational affairs, they all kiss their hands: they bend down and kiss gem ring the Great and put it on the middle finger of the bishop's left hand to show their bishopric status (every bishop has this kind of ring, which is given by the Holy See). When eating in the Middle Ages, the host had to sit down before the guests could sit down. The host has the obligation to propose the first glass of wine. After the first glass of wine, the host and guests can toast each other. In the Middle Ages, guests and hosts were not allowed to sit in full armor. Iron gloves, upper arm armor, forearm armor, front and rear breastplates and helmets are not allowed to enter the restaurant, because such wearing clearly shows that you are on guard against assassinations around you, which is a blatant affront to the reputation of others. But weapons can be carried. The better the appetite, the more the host thinks the party is a success. It is allowed to talk while eating and drinking (/kloc-it was gradually considered impolite after the 7th century). Both sides should drink until the end of a toast, and there is no saying that we should take a sip now. During the meal, both the host and the guests can sing, but they are not allowed to make any noise. If there is a quarrel or trouble, no matter who is responsible, the guests should leave at once. After the meal, guests must express their gratitude to the host in words, and pay tribute to the whole set of etiquette mentioned in the previous paragraph when leaving the table.
When attending mass in the church, people enter the church in the order of court status and rank. If the status and rank are the same, men have priority over women, and the elderly have priority over young people. After mass, men are obliged to hold holy water for any lady, and the order of going out is still arranged according to title and age, but in the case of the same status and title, women have priority.
Any dispute with others can be found with your good friend and asked for a satisfactory explanation. If the other party refuses to provide an explanation or the explanation makes you dissatisfied, you can ask for a duel. If the opponent realizes the mistake at this time, he can take the initiative to openly admit the mistake and cancel the duel; If the opponent is not going to admit his mistake, he must take part in a duel. It is not allowed and disgraceful to ambush and assassinate each other on the side of the road. Only nobles and priests have the right to propose a duel. Nobles and priests can't duel with the lower classes than knights (alternate knights, businessmen, farmers, craftsmen, citizens and small landlords without titles are all such classes), and nobles can't take the initiative to duel with priests. Only the priest puts forward a duel to the nobility (in this case, the priest will send knights from the Cross Army to participate in the duel on behalf of the priest).
Both sides of the duel must use the same weapon, so as the opponents of the duel, the other side has the right to decide which weapon to use. In a duel, as long as one side is unable to fight or voluntarily gives up resistance, the other side can declare victory. Because dueling is generally related to the reputation of one's family, the loser often knows that he will persist to the death.
Knight etiquette
That is, the rituals and etiquette of the knight class. As a special social class, knights must be distinguished from other classes by their special etiquette. Especially the ritual part of etiquette plays a very important role in the knight system. Etiquette is a reflection of social concepts, and Christianity is the dominant thought in medieval western Europe, so it left a deep Christian mark on knight etiquette and knight concept.
(1) the baptism ceremony of the son of a knight. According to the feudal legal tradition, chivalry can be inherited. Therefore, the son of a knight, especially the eldest son, is eligible to be a knight candidate at birth, thus forming the baptism ceremony when the son of a knight is born. Rituals are generally divided into three processes. Secular bathing. As soon as the knight's son was born, he immediately bathed the baby under the command of his father, in order to remind the knight's father of his oath as a knight candidate a long time ago. After bathing, the baby is tied and wrapped, with his hands on his sides, his legs together and put on a gorgeous robe. Religious baptism. This kind of baptism not only makes the baby become a Christian, but more importantly, "when he is picked up from the sacred baptism tray, he not only becomes a Christian, but also becomes a Christian knight in his heart." (Noe: Bradford B. bruton: Knight and Knight System in the Middle Ages, p. 297. After the religious baptism, celebrations such as singing, dancing, banquets, entertainment, etc. are held, and competitions are often held for the newborn of knights. Participants often give gifts to babies.
(II) Ceremony of Knight Attendant Becoming Knight Attendant A teenager who is determined to become a knight will hold a ceremony at the age of 14 to obtain the status of knight attendant. A knight's retinue is the retinue of a powerful knight. Whether in wartime or in peacetime, knight attendants always accompany the main knight. In fact, attendants are divided into different grades according to their intimacy with their masters and their responsibilities. Its level is divided into: personal waiter, ceremony waiter, table waiter, reception waiter, catering waiter and so on. The ceremony of a knight's servant becoming a knight's attendant is generally like this: the teenager is brought to the priest by his father, and each person holds a sacred little candle in his hand. The priest prayed and blessed that the sword and belt would be owned by the boy. Later, he wore a sword symbolizing the status of a knight's attendant.
(3) Knight Awarding Ceremony The Knight Awarding Ceremony is a ceremony to confirm the knight's identity. Throughout the Middle Ages, it has always been an authoritative ceremony in the knight system, becoming the most important moment in every knight's life. The knighthood ceremony has been discussed in detail, so I won't go into details here. It should be pointed out that the ceremony was held in two situations: first, before the battle or after the fierce battle, it was common in 14 and15th century. For example, in 1337, the war between Britain and France was about to break out. On March 1 1, the British held a ceremony to honor 20 knights. Second, the king or the big feudal Lord is on the road. The first record of this happened on September 3 1, 1354, and Charles IV awarded Francis a knight's medal. At that time, the Kaiser rode on a horse, patted Francis' neck with his hand and said, "Be a good knight and be loyal to the empire." Then, two nobles who followed Charles installed spurs for him (Note: Richard Barber: Knight and Knight System, page 4 1, page 42. )。
If the knight's ceremony is a part of the standardization of the knight system, then the knight's etiquette is a part of the daily life of the knight system, involving the knight's food, clothing, housing and transportation. For example, knights should dress neatly and keep their manners in front of lords and ladies; Don't scratch your body or lean against the post when standing; Don't sit down until you let him sit down. The knight's attendants are not allowed to sit with the knight, even if the knight is his father. When eating, "you can't dip meat directly in the salt dish, wipe your nose on the tablecloth, and pick your teeth with a knife"; When traveling, "walk with dignity, don't throw branches or stones at animals, don't ask dogs to bite people, and be polite to people"; Usually, "you should attend religious activities in the church, flatter women and obey the master's orders" (Note: Jospe R. Streyer's Dictionary of the Middle Ages, new york,1982,660 and 66 1 page). ), etc. Although the historical materials involved in this aspect are vague and broken, we can still get a glimpse from the western etiquette since modern times. It can be seen that although the ceremony and etiquette of knights have secular elements, people experience more Christian atmosphere. Religion permeates the life of knights and greatly influences the ideology of the knight class. "If a person is not a Christian, he cannot become a knight without being baptized"; "Without faith, you can't perform the duties of a knight well" (Note: Leon Gautier. Chivalry, new york, 1968, p. 10). )。
Therefore, religious fanaticism prevailed in the knight period, and knights were called Christian knights. A number of knights' flowers, such as Teutonic Knights, Hospital Knights and Templar Knights, which once belonged to the Pope, have become role models for the knights. In short, by combing the tangible system level, the author thinks that the knight system in medieval Western Europe refers to the unique organizational system, legal norms, moral standards, living habits and many other aspects of the knight class based on military fiefs, characterized by knight service, guided by Christianity and led by small and medium feudal lords. In the Middle Ages, aristocratic etiquette was basically advocated by France and French courts, and was generally imitated by other courts.
12 and 13 centuries later, with the integration of nobles and knights, an obvious hierarchy began to form between nobles. To be a nobleman, you must be a knight, with obvious hierarchy and collectivity. Knights must be descendants of knights. This gap and the expansion of other class groups make the nobility obviously closed, and different registrations are recognized within the nobility, showing different powers:
Duke, given the title of tribal leader, is the ruler of a place and still has politics, economy, law and rights. The actions of these people often determine the fate of many people, and they only join in name.
Marquis, mostly border chiefs, are appointed by the state as chiefs in border areas and are responsible for the rule of several counties. Most of these people come from large local families, are semi-independent forces, and can appoint local officials.
Earl is a local chief executive, such as a county magistrate, who is appointed by the king and becomes semi-independent after a long time. The duke's trustee, also known as the count, has great power. Especially when representing the duke, the defenders of social order often become rulers, such as the Earl of Anjou, who established the Anjou Dynasty in Britain, and the Earl of Champagne in France.
The above three kinds of aristocrats are all senior aristocrats, and they all have a large number of territories, and they can exercise independent or semi-independent rule.
Viscount, originally an attendant or assistant of a high-ranking aristocrat, took him to handle affairs and judicial cases. When senior nobles are not present, they can exercise their rights independently. Later, they began to build castles, forming a small ruling center.
Barons are mostly knight leaders, who are connected with the army and obtain land from the king on the condition of military service to support the land. A baron has at least 40 ~ 50 knight collars (a knight collar refers to the land area needed to support a knight).
The characteristics of nobility are also reflected in other aspects of social life.
Food, clothing, housing and transportation: the color and style of clothes are stipulated by law. Non-nobles are not allowed to wear gold, silver, velvet or fur clothes. Farmers can only wear black and gray, and nobles can pursue beauty, which is the promoter of clothing reform at that time; But there were still many defects in the clothes at that time, such as no shirts and pajamas, and there was little difference between men's and women's clothes styles. In diet, there are two differences: restriction and economic strength. Such as game: peacocks, venison and swans are restrictive aspects; Because of the strong game and backward storage technology at that time, long-distance transportation of spices from the East could be equated with gold, which became the patent of aristocrats at that time. In terms of residence, the medieval aristocrats were land aristocrats, who were born in clothes and land. There were aristocratic houses in the center of the manor, but the owners would not live for long. The other is a castle representing the land of power. At first, it was a royal privilege. It is usually built on a mountain. This is a place that is easy to defend but difficult to attack. One is defensive, representing power and not pursuing comfort. The room is wet and dark. Castle has many functions, which are not only the residence and social place of aristocratic families, but also the refuge place of surrounding residents during the war.
Marriage and family status: the marriage of the nobles in the Middle Ages was a political marriage, and the purpose of aristocratic marriage was to continue the descendants and strengthen the ties between aristocratic families. A marriage can form an alliance and resolve conflicts. Therefore, the eldest son of the nobility considered political factors more, and the second son who had no inheritance rights considered economic interests, so it became a custom to pursue widows at that time. Because there was no free love in the Middle Ages, marriages were arranged by parents and families, so although women's status was low at that time, ladies were the exception. They all have dual roles. On the one hand, a good wife and mother have the responsibility to take care of each other and children. On the other hand, it is a romantic model, becoming the object pursued by knights and worshiping ideals; They bring the ideals of purity, nobility and love. At that time, the aristocratic family was an expanded family, including servants, servants and dependents, that is, poor relatives, adoptive parents and knights. If a person can live in a noble family for one year and one day, he can become a full member of this family, so there are many things in the noble castle. At that time, the family was centered on patriarchy, but the foster care system at that time made the feelings between children and their biological parents very weak.
Nobles belonged to the upper class in medieval society, so they had their own characteristics in all aspects. For example, aristocrats only contact aristocrats, and their living customs and contacts are fixed. In a closed group, everyone has a common sense of nobility, which is established by external laws, which fix the class and form obvious boundaries with other classes.
By the middle of the Middle Ages, the consciousness of aristocratic groups was obvious, mainly in the following aspects:
First of all, nobles consciously draw a line with free people. Becoming an aristocrat is not only a property requirement, but also a conferring ceremony, which is becoming more and more strict, making the aristocrat only born in aristocratic children, and only the king can confer titles, and the conditions for becoming an aristocrat are becoming more and more harsh.
Secondly, the nobility began to pay more attention to genealogy, and there should be no ambiguity. Nobles also began to adopt family emblems, the origin of which was related to war. At that time, the warring parties used a special symbol to distinguish between the enemy and ourselves, and later it gradually evolved into a noble emblem.
Then, as nobles, they are also strictly different from others in their occupations, and most of their work is related to war. At that time, the society generally divided the types of work into soldiers, prayers (churches) and laborers (farmers). Fighting is the privilege of knights and nobles and a symbol of status.
Finally, the lifestyle and ideas of the nobility are different from those of other classes. They advocate loyalty, romance and elegance. Its honor is innocent.
As a relatively independent class, aristocrats themselves have mobility, especially in the later period. With the development of commodity economy and the increase of social mobility, some descendants began to join this ranks in the late Middle Ages. Some are married through marriage, because the proportion of men and women in the aristocratic group is out of balance, and there is a marriage between the lower class and the nobility; Some people are awarded titles of nobility for their outstanding service in the royal family and nobility; There are also those who are economically rich and promoted to the nobility by virtue of their economic strength. At the same time, a ruined aristocrat appeared, and the national emblem became a symbol of poverty.