l French Gift-Giving Customs

In choosing and giving gifts, the French people's characteristics of elegance, civilization, and originality are fully embodied. Giving bulky and ostentatious gifts is regarded as a sign of unsociability.

Holidays

The main gift-giving holidays in France are Christmas and New Year's Eve. on December 24th children put their shoes under the Christmas tree or near the chimney and wait for the adults to stuff them with fruits and knick-knacks. Santa Claus is less familiar in most parts of France. Family members usually give each other gifts. Orchids, blooming azaleas and other flowers are commonly given.

On New Year's Eve, more gifts are exchanged among family and friends. Invited guests bring flowers, food and other gifts to the party, while the hostess routinely prepares a small gift or souvenir for each guest.

Naturally, the romantic French don't forget St. Valentine's Day (Valentine's Day), which is often celebrated with flowers as gifts. Children often give flowers to their mothers on this day.

Mother's Day is also an important holiday. The French rarely opt for greeting cards on this day, and usually give flowers and perfumes, scarves and other feminine items. Father's Day, however, is not very popular in France, despite the fact that industries such as the leather industry promote the holiday commercially with half-hearted efforts.

On May 1, it is traditional to give friends and acquaintances lily of the valley - a friendly symbol of spring.

Special gift-giving occasions

(1) As soon as a child is born, its mother will receive flowers from her own husband and father - especially if the child is the first born. Family and friends will give the child gifts such as clothes and toys. Guests invited to the child's christening are not usually required to bring gifts, only the child's godparents bring souvenirs such as a small silver cup or spoon.

In the past, a child's name day was always considered more important than his or her birthday. Nowadays, the French celebrate birthdays as well, with the eighteenth, twenty-first, fortieth, and fiftieth birthdays being celebrated with particular pomp and circumstance.

(2) During the engagement ceremony, both families give each other bouquets of flowers. Wedding gifts are always given to the bride's parents with a card congratulating them on their daughter's marriage. It's also appropriate to send flowers to the bride's family on the wedding day - especially if you can't attend the wedding.

(3) Family and friends also celebrate major wedding anniversaries. Husbands often plant a rose tree for their wives to symbolize their everlasting love.

(4) Only very close friends send flowers at funerals. A short letter or postcard expressing condolences is more appropriate.

Business event gifts

The current economic difficulties have made people conservative in exchanging business gifts. Company leaders are reluctant to accept overly lavish gifts lest they be mistaken for bribes. It is important to make sure that the other party has the ability to return the gift you have given, so that it is not difficult for the other party to return the gift and lose face. Europeans, especially the French, want to make their gifts more personal, even if it is a business gift, it is best to include a few words of greeting in your own handwriting.

Precautions

When you are invited to someone's home, bring a small gift or send flowers before you go, especially if it is your first visit.

The French have a special appreciation for flowers and know how to take care of them and make them last. Guests often send flowers the morning of a party. It's even better if you can get the host's favorite flower or one that matches his or her interior. The French generally send a bouquet of flowers made up of an odd number of sprigs - an even number of sprigs is difficult to arrange and combine from the point of view of the art of flower arranging (the number thirteen is to be avoided, of course. You will find that if thirteen guests happen to arrive, the hostess will arrange two tables rather than having thirteen people at the same table). The French love tropical or exotic flowers, especially those that stay fresh for a long time. A more luxurious gift of flowers can include a crystal vase. Don't send red roses. Red roses do symbolize love and are given to lovers, but they are also the symbol of the hated Socialist Party. In addition, some French believe that bouquets of six and twelve roses are specifically for lovers to give to each other.

Food is also a good gift, but it must be remembered that the French are very particular about the quality of their food, and it is important not to send beautifully packaged food of poor quality, lest you insult your host by degrading his dietary standards.

It is customary not to give wine or spirits to the French, as they take their diet very seriously, and they are also very conscientious about what kind of alcohol they drink. Of course if you know that your host is particularly fond of a certain kind of wine, you can give him a bottle and suggest that he take his time in deciding what to drink later.

Other popular gifts include scented candles, fleur de sel, books and some crystal items. Perfumes, including men's perfumes, are seen as gifts with a human touch.

Of course, young Frenchmen nowadays also like American fashions, and T-shirts with college logos and anything with an American movie star on it are popular gifts.

l Gift-giving customs in Britain

Respectable qualities such as restraint, politeness, respect for tradition and love of the English language are reflected in British gift-giving customs. British tradition holds that if you can afford it, you should try to get the best of whatever it is and then cherish it for the rest of your life.

Gift-giving festivals

Many people associate British gift-giving with Christmas. Indeed, Christmas is traditionally their biggest holiday. The so-called Christmas season is characterized by the exchanging of lots of Christmas cards, caroling, family and friends placing presents under the tree, and Santa Claus putting presents in children's stockings. On Christmas morning, gifts are exchanged from royalty down to commoners. In Britain, people also celebrate Boxing Day. Boxing Day is the first day after Christmas except Sunday. This legal holiday comes from the British tradition of giving Christmas gifts in boxes to waiters, postmen and so on on this day.

Business colleagues also give each other Christmas gifts, although they are not as expensive as those given by Americans. Gifts with company logos such as calendars and calendars and alcohol (especially brandy and whiskey) and chocolates are common gifts.

People celebrate Easter by giving Easter eggs (usually made of chocolate or other candies) and flowers. Penance Day, the Tuesday before Lent, is traditionally celebrated with a women-only pancake-making contest. People also entertain friends with pancakes on that day.

St. Valentine's Day (Valentine's Day), Mother's Day and Father's Day are celebrated much like in the United States, but with a less commercial flavor. British children do not go door-to-door asking for gifts on Halloween as American children do, or play pranks if they are refused.

Special gift-giving occasions

Birthdays are another important holiday in Britain. Families give gifts on the morning of the birthday and young people have parties to celebrate. Although Britons now have the right to vote at eighteen, they still celebrate their twenty-first year as an entry into adulthood. Citizens celebrating their eightieth, ninetieth or one hundredth birthdays receive a message from Her Majesty the Queen. In addition, more and more people now celebrate the Queen's legal birthday on a day in June each year, even though it is not her actual birthday.

Gifts are given at the birth and christening of a child. Those invited to a christening usually bring a gift, and godfathers and godmothers traditionally give silver cups, saucers or spoons. Young people receive gifts of eternal value from family, friends and godparents at the christening ceremony.

Marriage gift-giving customs are basically the same as in the United States. It is best to give the gifts as early as possible, as some families like to display them for their friends to enjoy. Wedding gifts should be given to the bride.

l German Gift Giving Customs

Gift Giving Holidays

The fourth Sunday before Christmas is known as Advent, and people begin preparing for Christmas celebrations from that time on. Every Sunday families gather to light one of the four candles, and by Christmas Day just about all of them are lit. German children have long eagerly awaited the arrival of Saint Nicholas' Day on December 6th. While the children slept, St. Nicholas came on a donkey-drawn sleigh to give the children gifts of fruit and candy. Some adults also give gifts to each other on this day.

Christmas gifts are bought before Christmas. On Christmas Eve, not St. John's Day, people gather around the Christmas tree to give each other gifts. The custom of Santa Claus giving gifts is also prevalent in southern Germany.

Good Friday and Easter are official holidays in Germany. Easter customs include rolling fire wheels and colored eggs from the mountains and holding wild bonfires. Chocolate eggs and bunnies in baskets are often given as gifts to children.

Mothers are given flowers and other gifts on Mother's Day.

On May Day many towns and villages erect pillars of flowers and people sing and dance. Young men put birch branches on their girlfriends' doors.

Special gift-giving occasions

Each year, Germans celebrate many folk festivals, from the world-famous München Oktoberfest to the Rose Festival in Cologne, as well as a number of local wine festivals, which are traditionally centered on eating and drinking, with little emphasis on gift-giving. Foreigners going to a German folk festival for the first time should be aware that you will rarely be offered a treat, and each participant must order and pay for his or her own food. If a German offers you a treat, you can accept it with thanks, but you should immediately look for an opportunity to return the favor.

Birthdays are very important to Germans and can be celebrated at home or in the office. Some Germans even get a half day off on their birthday. Children always wake up on their birthdays to find a table full of flowers for them. Flowers and wine are common birthday gifts among friends.

There is no customary bridal shower in Germany. But the custom of going to the bride's house the night before the wedding to party is common. Friends of the newlyweds go to the bride's house the day before the wedding and smash plates and china against the door and under the windows (breaking glasses, however, is considered ominous), and it is said that the noise will send evil away. If the bride cleans the smashed pots and pans herself, her future will be happy and auspicious. Wedding gifts should not be sharp, such as knives, scissors or umbrellas, as sharp objects are said to bring bad luck. It is also considered unlucky to give gifts after the wedding. Giving money is not appropriate in Germany.

Germans send bouquets of flowers and good wishes as soon as they learn of marriages, engagements and the birth of a child. Flowers and fruits are appropriate gifts for visiting a sick friend.

Whenever a building is erected, the Germans traditionally hold a house-beam ceremony. A pine tree tied with ribbons is placed on the roof, and the foreman of the craftsmen climbs up to the house to give a humorous or poetic speech and pray that God will bring joy to the new building. Snacks and beverages are available to all participants.

It is a special symbol of friendship to be invited to the home of a German friend. Guests should bring a small gift. If flowers are sent, the bouquet should not be an even number, and especially not twelve flowers, as the Germans are familiar with the American saying, "When it comes to selling by the dozen, it's always cheaper".

Red roses are for young men to give to their sweethearts, so don't bring them to the hostess. In addition, some white and black flowers (especially some chrysanthemums) specifically for funerals. Germans also like to have a variety of bonsai and flowers in front of their windows, so gifts of this kind are welcome. For children, you can send T-shirts and music cassettes.

Business gifts

Sometimes a German friend will treat you to a meal in a restaurant due to a business relationship, so remember not to eat before the host does. Usually he tastes the wine first and then pours it for his guests before pouring it for himself. It is customary for him to raise his glass to the lady sitting on his right and wish everyone good health (you should do the same when you return the favor). Germans only clink glasses on special occasions such as birthdays or when wishing each other good luck, and the glasses must be filled with wine, champagne or beer before clinking. Brandy or alcohol drunk after a formal meal is generally not clinked.

Gifts can be exchanged after a business deal is made, or at Christmas. Music tapes, cigarettes, books and handicrafts are all appropriate gifts. Germans are very knowledgeable about wine and often drink beer and wine with their meals, so don't give wine unless you are sure.

If your German friends don't write a thank-you note at the end of the party to say they liked your gift, you don't have to feel insulted because they think a verbal thank-you is enough.

l Italian Gift-Giving Customs

Italians learn how to give and receive gifts from an early age. They often deliberately choose an appropriate gift to give.

Gift-Giving Holidays

On New Year's Day, people start giving each other gifts after going to church. Children are expected to congratulate their elders on the New Year, and in return, children receive annual gifts - money. Many families also give each other New Year's cards.

Epiphany (Jan. 6) is also a major gift-giving holiday. Good children who hang up their stockings receive candy and other small gifts from the Befana (witch). Bad children would find their stockings filled with coal.

St. Valentine's Day (Valentine's Day), Mother's Day and Father's Day are relatively new to Italians, yet the commercialization of the holidays has made them increasingly common. People celebrate these holidays by exchanging cards, flowers and small gifts.

Pre-Lenten Carnival comes when children dress up in brightly colored costumes and people give each other candy and other gifts. Greeting cards are also commonly given at Easter, and gifts are made in the shape of eggs or enclosed in colored eggs.

Italians believe their Christmas gifts come from the Holy Child. Gifts exchanged between family members are hidden until after 12 p.m. on Dec. 24, when the baby is born. On Christmas morning, greetings are exchanged and gift boxes are opened.

Special gift-giving occasions

Name Day celebrations are even more festive than birthdays. Traditionally, friends and family send cards and a ball is held to celebrate. The dance and gift-giving must take place the night before the name day.

Italians don't usually bring gifts when they visit a home, they often deliver them the next day or even a little later. This shows respect for the host's hobbies and gives him or her a chance to choose. Bouquets of flowers, bonsai, sweets and wine are popular gifts.

Wedding and anniversary gift-giving customs are similar to those in other Western countries. Gifts to congratulate the newlyweds are usually sent to the bride's home. Knives and scissors are not considered ominous, but money is a gift of poor taste. Chrysanthemums are usually sent to funerals, followed by a card expressing condolences. Food and other gifts are totally inappropriate.

l Dutch Gift-Giving Customs

Despite hundreds of windmills, a plethora of wooden shoes, miles of brightly colored tulips, and many accordions, there is only one Saint Nicholas. The day of his birth is the most important holiday in the whole of the Netherlands. It is celebrated every December with parades, feasts and imaginative gift exchanges. St. Nicholas (known as Sinterklaas in both person and feast name) was a sympathetic bishop of Myra who came to Holland each year by steamboat from Spain to distribute gifts.

For most of the year, Sinterklaas, or St. Nick, recorded the behavior of Dutch children in his Big Red Book, while his servant Peter packed the gifts to equip him for the December trip. Upon his arrival in Holland, he was officially welcomed by the Queen and members of her family (who were naturally the first to receive his gifts). He then led a grand parade while his servants sprinkled gingerbread cookies and candies on the crowd.

In Dutch tradition, all gifts must be wrapped in an imaginative way and accompanied by a rhyme or poem addressed to the recipient. The wrapping itself doesn't have to be pretty, but it must be hidden and not easy to find or difficult to open. On the eve of Sinterklaas, December 5, the Dutch sit around a table with sweets and bread treats, and each person's bit is marked with initials in chocolate. Then people begin to open their Sinterklaas presents. Before this, people often had to search for their gifts, digging around the house like they were looking for treasure or in gloves filled with wet sand. The rhymes that accompanied the gifts were to be humorous and good-natured enough to embarrass the recipient (those who could not write poetry would find that many stores had it ready-made or had someone to write it for you). All verses are signed by Sinterklaas. The recipient of the gift shouts "Thank you, Sinterklaas". It is customary for family and friends to give each other gifts in this manner.

Late that night, Sinterklaas rode back on his white horse, stuffed the shoes of the good children with small gifts (especially for those who had prepared hay or carrots for his horse), and told Peter to stay behind and chase away or even tie up the children who had misbehaved during the year with strips of birch trees and put them in his big bag.

With most of the festivities and gift-giving over, Christmas in the Netherlands is a time of peace and good wishes. The Christmas tree has to be removed by January 6, when the "Three Saints" of the East, who made a pilgrimage to the newborn Christ, are due to arrive. Although gifts are often exchanged again at Christmas between family members, friends and business acquaintances, the joy belongs to Sinterklaas.

It is a time-honored tradition that one must receive something new for the New Year. Therefore, on New Year's Day, small gifts such as handkerchiefs are exchanged to ensure good luck in the new year.