National customs and habits
Communicative habits
Pay attention to the gorgeous clothes and the update of styles. Women regard makeup and beauty as necessities of life. Strong sense of time, strong work planning, and the principle of "ladies first". It is customary to shake hands, and people with certain social status kiss hands. Girls often curtsy. Between men and women, between women and between men, there is also the habit of kissing on the cheek. I don't want others to ask about private affairs in social life. I hate giving perfume to women, and I hate giving gifts the first time we meet.
Belief taboo
Most people believe in Catholicism. Avoid "13" and "Friday". Avoid yellow and dark green. Avoid peacocks and cranes. Regard chrysanthemums, azaleas and walnuts as ominous things. Love art and entertainment.
Dietary characteristics
The French can eat and pay attention to eating. French food is very popular all over the world. French people like to eat snails and frog legs, and the most expensive dish is foie gras. Like to drink. French cuisine is characterized by freshness and tenderness. The French also like Chinese food very much.
Dress
French fashion enjoys a high reputation in the world, rich and excellent materials, bold design and exquisite production technology make French fashion always lead the world fashion trend. There are 2000 fashion shops in Paris, and their boss's slogan is: "Fashion doesn't sell the second one". In the street, it is almost impossible to see two women wearing the same clothes. At present, the most famous haute couture are Gillette, Balenciaga, Givensie, Chanel, Dior, Cardin and Saint Laurent. In recent years, it is particularly striking that there are many styles of skirts for Paris girls. This new style is hard to see in other countries. French people spend the smallest proportion of their income on clothes in Europe. Generally speaking, the French attach great importance to their own taste in clothes, and they also accept cheaper and less refined imitations.
beastie
Nowadays, French families are more kind to small animals and spend huge sums of money to buy and feed them. More than half of the families keep all kinds of small animals, totaling more than 30 million. 1/3 The family keeps dogs, and the number of dogs reaches nearly 40,000. Various dog hospitals and dog clothing stores are also common. Animals not only bring fun to the French, but also cause certain disasters. There are more than 500,000 dog injuries in France every year.
well-behaved
France is a civilized and polite country. Being polite to women is a tradition that the French are proud of. The most common greeting in France is to shake hands. But when shaking hands, first, don't hold hands for too long, and second, there is no need to shake others' hands hard. Generally speaking, women reach out to men first, and old people reach out to young people first. The superior reaches out to the subordinate first.
kiss
France was the first country to recognize kissing as an expression of love. French kissing has strict boundaries: when meeting relatives, friends and colleagues who meet after a long separation, they stick their faces or cheeks, and the elders kiss their foreheads to the younger generation. Only lovers kiss or kiss each other.
marriage customs
Getting engaged before marriage is a simple ceremony. Usually, the woman's parents invite the man's parents, brothers and sisters, or invite other relatives or even one or two friends to attend. The wedding has been gradually simplified, but it is still the most solemn family festival, with solemn and sacred colors. The wedding was presided over by the mayor or one of his deputies. Traditionally, weddings are held on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 9 am to 5 pm. Guests after the wedding banquet. In some parts of rural France, property engagement contracts should be signed and notarized before marriage. The engagement shall specify all the property of the unmarried couple, the dowry of the fiancee and the inheritance of the fiance. Wedding anniversary has become a holiday custom. Women can remarry after being widowed for 300 days or separated from their husbands for 300 days, while men have no time limit.
Pentecost (the seventh Sunday after Easter)
Every year 1 65438+1October1Holy Spirit Day is equivalent to Tomb-Sweeping Day in China. The French are used to paying homage to the cemetery on this day and remembering the martyrs who died for their country. Saint Catherine's Day is a festival for "old women" in Paris. Every year, on165438+1October 25th, unmarried girls over the age of 25 present a bunch of flowers in front of the statue of Katrina, then go to a big fashion shop to dance and revel, and finally choose the most beautiful girl as the queen of the festival.
eating habits
The French regard cooking as an art, and French cuisine is really popular all over the world. In France, three meals a day are usually arranged like this. Breakfast: bread, coffee, hot chocolate; Lunch: In France, lunch is the most important meal, usually around one o'clock in the afternoon, followed by dinner after nine o'clock. Social dinners in France usually last more than two hours, starting with appetizers, followed by fish or spaghetti, and then the main course. The main course is also served with a lot of lettuce, salad, cheese, fruit and sometimes dessert, and coffee is also essential after dinner.
Spanish customs
Basic situation of Spain
Spain is a country that combines romance and passion. Its history, art and temperament constantly attract curious people. Bullfighting, dancing, guitar.
(1) Geographical environment:
Spain is located in the throat of the Iberian Peninsula Atlantic (Mar Cantabrico) and Mediterranean (Mar Mediterraneo) in southwest Europe, with many mountains (Cantab, Linus, Goredo and guadarrama), many rivers (Ebro R.Ebro, Douro R.Duero, Tahoe R.Taje, Guadal Keevil R.Gualguivir) and high altitude. The high source area of Mezeta Tower in central China accounts for about 60% of the national area, which belongs to continental climate. The northern and northwestern coastal areas have a maritime temperate climate. The south and southeast have a Mediterranean subtropical climate. The precipitation in most areas is between 500 ~ 1500mm. There is almost no frost in the south all year round. Spain has a total area of more than 500,000 square kilometers. The population is more than 387 10000. Most of them are Castilians from Castilla and Catalans from Catalan minority? 1. Valencia and Galicia in the Basque country. The official language is Spanish. 94% of the residents believe in Catholicism.
② Political and economic environment:
Spain has a parliamentary monarchy, and the throne is inherited by Juan Carlos and his direct descendants. The king is the head of state and the supreme commander of the armed forces. The government is a one-party government of the workers' socialist party, and the parliament supervises the work of the government. Madrid is the capital of Spain. Spain is a relatively developed capitalist industrial country. Due to the lack of electricity and industrial raw materials, the economy is highly dependent on foreign countries.
The required oil, iron ore and coking coal are all imported. Exports include automobiles, steel, cement, ships, textiles, mercury, fertilizers, alcohol, olive oil and so on. The European Community and the United States are Spain's main trading partners.
Spanish cities and places of interest
1 Madrid
Madrid, the capital of Spain, is a famous ancient city in Europe. Madrid is located in the center of Iberian Peninsula, and Guadala Mountain stands in its north. It is located at the height of 670 meters above sea level, which is the highest capital in Europe. The Mansa Nalis River surrounds the city. The transportation is developed, there are many lakes in the suburbs, the trees are shaded and the climate is pleasant. The center of Madrid is a triangle composed of "Sun Gate Square, Central Square and Spain Square". "Sun Gate Square"-the central square of Madrid, from which avenues radiate in all directions, forming a dense urban structure like a spider web. In the flower bed in the center of the square, stands a stout and powerful brown bear sculpture, clutching a raspberry tree, which is the city of Madrid. This stout brown bear shows the indomitable and indomitable character of the people of Madrid. Many ancient and medieval palaces, churches and sculptures can be seen on the streets leading from the Sun Gate to all directions. These architectural and artistic works include Gothic, Arabic and many other forms. In particular, murals inlaid with various stones and glass are bright and beautiful.
"Columbus Square"-the statue of the navigator Columbus is located in the center of the square, pointing to South America. It seems to be1the spirit when he discovered the Bahamas in June, 492. The circular fountain surrounds the statue, spraying a water column several meters high, and reflecting red, green and purple lights at night, which is particularly charming. There is a Columbus Museum underground for people to visit.
"Spain Square"-There is a statue of Cervantes, a famous Spanish writer in the17th century, and a bronze statue of Don Quixote, a Raman knight, and his loyal servant.
"Central Square"-The downtown square is a Renaissance building in 16 and 17 centuries, which was completed in 16 19. The Christian church near meras Square is also a Renaissance building (built at 1535). The present municipal museum, library, Ministry of Foreign Affairs building near Provincia Square and segovia Bridge across Manzaneros River are all baroque buildings in the late17th century. The general post office building, built in 1907~ 19 17, is the first luxurious building since the 20th century.
"Prado Museum"-There are more than 30 museums in Madrid, among which the world-famous painting exhibition hall-Prado Museum has the reputation of "the treasure house of European classical art". There are 30 exhibition halls in the museum, and more than 3,000 works of Spanish art and famous Italian painters from15th century to19th century are collected. In addition, there are many prehistoric materials and remains of Romans, Moors and the Middle Ages.
Oriental Palace is an ancient Spanish palace, located on a hill on the left bank of Manzaneros River in the west of Madrid. It is one of the most complete and exquisite palaces in the world. Its grandeur is above Buckingham Palace, the capital of England, and comparable to Versailles Palace in France. It was built according to the most popular architectural style in18th century. Its appearance has a typical French style, magnificent; The interior decoration is an authentic Italian sentiment, which is absolutely luxurious. It is a pearl of Spanish tourism, and the spacious and gorgeous hall in the palace is beautifully furnished, which makes tourists marvel. The tapestry exhibition hall collects the rarest and most valuable large tapestries in the world. In addition, the Oriental Palace also has a collection of 45 clocks and watches from various countries, which are still very accurate.
② Barcelona
Barcelona, located on the Mediterranean coast in the northeast of Spain, is the second largest city in Spain and is known as the "Pearl of Bright Roses in Iberian Peninsula". The capital of Catalonia, the richest region in Spain before 1833. The beach is flat and wide, and the climate is suitable for people. In the old district, there are relics of Roman walls and palaces in the 6th century. Gothic Catholic Church stands in the center of the old city, and there is a catacombs guarding the sacred Eulalia of Barcelona, which contains white marble sarcophagus. There are also Wang Jia Square (14 ~16th century) and Heping Square (near the harbor). There is a replica of the sailing boat when Columbus discovered the New World in the harbor, and the Columbus Monument in the square overlooks the harbor.
The "Flower Market Street" connected by Peace Square and Ramblas Street in Catalonia Square in the city center has become the largest flower market. Catalonia Square has the Statue of Liberty and fountains. In the west of the city, the "bright spring" in Spain Square and the waterfall in Montesquieu Park are reflected at night. /kloc-Spain's largest "Holy Family Church" left over from the 4th century, with folk dance performances every Sunday at noon.
Barcelona is the cultural center of Spain. There are more than 20 universities in Barcelona (founded in 1430), Liseo Grand Theatre and various museums (picasso museum, Catalan Art Museum, Modern Art Museum, Wine Museum and Spanish Village). The four exhibitions, Rose, Bullfighting and the biggest international trade exhibition every year, are very attractive.
The Brava coast in the suburbs is a famous holiday resort along the Mediterranean coast.
③ Seville;
Located in the southwest of Spain, it is a famous cultural city with a history of more than 2,000 years. Beautiful gypsy music, flamenco dance and bullfighting are famous all over Europe. The Golden Pagoda (12, with a 30-meter-high curved roof) is located on the Rio Grande. The Rio Grande is the only inland river that can cross Spain, from which Columbus sailed into the sea. The Gothic Seville Cathedral (built in15th century) is the most beautiful church in Spain, and it is said to be the third Christian church in the world (slender minarets, five naves, ten side churches and ancient city walls) after St. Peter in Rome and St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
④ Balearic Islands (la. Balearic);
Lamb is cooked in the geothermal water of sallot Island (the northernmost part of LA). Baleares), it takes 50 minutes to fly from the port of Las.parmas to Lan Sarot Island. There is little rain on the whole island, but there are banana green areas everywhere, teaching and traveling, and offshore fishing fleets.
Spanish customs
① Spanish folk festivals
On "New Year's Eve", the whole family get together to treat 12, and eat 12 grapes when the church bell rings, which symbolizes that everything goes well every month in the new year.
"Merida" in Spain, early June of 5438+10, is Gypsy Women's Day (intermarriage, free search, but parents promise that the wedding will be presided over by the patriarch, and the bride and groom's back will be cut off).
Faye Festival is one of the biggest festivals in Spain. Every year from March 12 to March 19, a vivid paper sculpture (called Faye by local people) will be held in Valencia, an ancient city near the Mediterranean in eastern Spain, to expose social evils. During this period, there were many tourists from all over Spain and all over the world, and the activity reached its climax on 19. From morning till night, the streets are full of people, singing and dancing. In the afternoon, an award ceremony was held in the city square, and people danced and reveled. 12 midnight, the city's paper patterns began to burn, and the huge paper patterns gradually turned to ashes under the raging fire.
Spain is called "the Kingdom of Olives". Olive groves are everywhere and continuous. Olive fruit and olive oil are the most in the world. In addition to eating, ancient health care and beauty techniques applied to the whole body have been used to this day (also used by bodybuilders).
"Spanish bullfighting" originated from the religious activities in ancient Spain (killing cattle as a sacrifice to the gods). /kloc-In the 3rd century, King Alfonso X of Spain began this ritual activity, which evolved into a bullfight performance (the real bullfight performance was in the middle of18th century). At present, there are more than 300 bullrings in Spain (the largest is Ventas bullring in Madrid, which can accommodate 25,000 people). Every year from March to 165438+ 10 is the Spanish Bull Running Festival, and usually Sunday and Thursday are the bullfighting days (using African purebred bulls weighing 4000 kilograms).
"Spanish cockfighting" is even stranger. In a round cage of 3 square meters, there are two cocks fighting with each other. The rooster weight shall not differ by 1, and each battle lasts for 30 minutes. Outside the cage, more than 200 gamblers each bet on a chicken to train a chicken. It takes a year, and you can play eight games a year. The price of trained cockfighting can reach 500 dollars, and it is also exported in large quantities.
(2) Spanish life and etiquette
Spain is an ancient civilization, civilized and polite. A warm, hospitable and kind nation.
Life, housing (farmhouse, swimming pool), matriarchal society (women keep the house, have more children, pay attention to hygiene, girls become housewives-the wallet that men stick to, the story of going home at 10 in the evening), birthday, adult's day invitation story, earning one yuan costs two yuan, and there is no pink eye. Bar, body odor, olive oil smell in food. The concept of time is very late, and no one says sorry to the old friend.
Behind the bustling streets of the ancient capital are some quiet and lonely streets. Naoki was walking on the path when he suddenly remembered Paris. Kyoto is not necessarily the only park with tree-lined paths in this area. But it is also completely different from those lonely paths in the west at night. A high town made of stone is different from a low town made of wood, and the humidity of the atmosphere is different. The loneliness on the west trail, coupled with the atmosphere at night, is very hard. It was breathless loneliness, not a faint sadness like homesickness.
One night in Paris, he was walking on a dark road and saw three old women, each with a dog. These white puppies are very similar. Naoki thought they might be brothers born in a litter and gave them to three old women. But it's a little late to take the dog out for a walk. Moreover, the old woman didn't walk around, just stood and talked. Naoki seems to be chatting aimlessly. I'm afraid I came out to walk my dog at night. Therefore, old women meet in this place where people don't often come and go every night, forming a habit of endless chat. The old woman didn't even notice Naoki passing by, and one of the three dogs followed Naoki's feet. An old woman screamed at the dog. Needless to say, the dog ran back in a panic.
Naoki took a few steps forward and returned to the old woman's side. In the dark, the way they talk with relish is more reminiscent of the old woman or witch in the underground or unmanned world than the "meeting by the well" of Japanese women. Back to the nearby hotel, Naoki's chest is still chilly. Old women are all chubby and casually dressed. It seems that life is like this. Maybe they live in the same building.
In Japan, even Naoko, the grandmother of the slum, has never seen a woman whose loneliness has penetrated into her heart. Your dog walks behind others. In Japan, no one screams like that.
Those memories of Paris are just floating in my mind, and I'm not going to say them at all; Talking about France with people who don't know the situation in France is like casting pearls before swine.
However, Qiu Zi has long heard of the "Weiyuan, Weiyuan" in Kyoto. Maybe this is the dream of approaching a girl. It is said that female students studying to travel meet maiko on the road and will approach them to ask for their autographs or something.
Qiu Zi knew that Tokyo Department Store was going to set up a booth for Kyoto specialties, and one of the venues was where my sister Xing Zi and Miyamoto met for the first time. Maiko likes the symbols and decorations of Kyoto, and specially came from Kyoto on business, dressed in loose dancing, icing on the cake, and they also entertained guests with a cup of green tea.
Shops in Kyoto come to Tokyo to set up their stalls in this way. At the centennial commemoration of the resumption of diplomatic relations between Japan and the United States and at the Chicago Expo, several Kyoto maiko were on business trips. Naoki asked the hostess of Shigeru Miyamoto to go to the teahouse on the night of Kwai Festival. On the way home, he let them go to the clean little hotel at the corner of Huajian Road, which is a shop without a waitress. Who knows the wife of shop-owner suddenly came running to say hello:
"Long time no see." This is straight, as if I had seen her somewhere. "Where have I seen you?"
"In Chicago ..."
"Ah, that's fair." Naoki finally remembered. Even if there is still some past appearance, Naoki can hardly imagine that a maiko can become a hotel proprietress in just five or six years. When this man dressed up as a maiko at the Chicago Expo, Naoki himself happened to be a company employee and went to the Expo on business. He appeared backstage to treat maiko. Now, he didn't mention that he had resigned. But Naoki's mind still remembers the past events in Chicago: from the gate of the World Expo covered with pink fake flowers to the decorations on the walls, it was windy that day. Thinking about thinking, a burst of sadness can't help but come to mind.
"You made your debut." I only said one sentence, but I muttered in my heart, "Women are really elusive."
There are three or four people sitting in the bar. This shop is not small, its furniture is not tacky, and its location is good. Naoki didn't get to the bottom of the matter and asked if the hotel was opened by himself, whether it was hired as a proprietress or something, but simply said, "You made your debut." He was not surprised: overnight, this woman changed.
Maybe that's what marriage is like. Because Tomoto's shop is in Kyoto, ceremonies and banquets are held in Kyoto Hotel. Naoki's family will get together, and even his little daughter Jia Yaozi stubbornly came to Kyoto Hotel three days ago. It happened to be rainy on the wedding day, but it was still bigger than the spring rain. Fortunately, I went to a famous place of cherry blossoms in Kyoto a few days ago. As written in Junichiro Tanizaki's Fine Snow, it is plump and smooth. The red-branched cherry blossoms in the Peace Shrine and the royal cherry blossoms in Ningna Temple are both famous flowers, but it is still too early to see them. Continuing to the "Sanbao Courtyard", the three sisters went to the deep mountains. There are many cherry blossoms there, and there is no pollution in the city.