Manners And Gifts Across Cultures

What gifts should I avoid giving to people of other cultures?

You don't want to give clocks to people from China. It's related to the word "death". You don't want to give hankerchiefs, sort of across the board, because it means that person will cry. Another Chinese belief, you don't want to give umbrellas. That means separation. Have you ever heard the belief, and that's all over, including here, if you give a knife, you have to give a penny? Have you ever been to a bridal shower where there's a penny? It's been convoluted, really. It's: if they give you the knife, you give them a penny in return, so that it's not a gift. The knife represents separation. So you don't want to give something that represents separation to a bride. In the same way, for a Japanese wedding gift, you always give an uneven number, because if it's even, it can be divided. Community property, right? But, mostly these things are not universal.

Are monetary gifts acceptable among all cultures?

Mostly it is but if your not sure then you ask. I remember talking to someone and I believe he was Coptic, which is the early Christian religion in Egypt, he said no money was not appropriate, or maybe it was somebody else. You can't keep track of everybody, there is just absolutely no way that you can know everything about everybody. I've been spending decades with this, so you ask what would be appropriate for me to give. And then you'll get an answer.

Is it OK to refuse a gift among cultures?

Refusing a gift is really bad manners. Even if you have fourteen of the same things.

Are birthday gifts appropriate among all cultures?

Our birthdays, we just assume that everybody observes birthdays because my family birthday parties are a really big deal, even today. But I remember once, and this is where I first learned about it, we had some neighbors who were twins and had great voices, and I said "I am giving a surprise party for my dad. Would you be willing to come and sing happy birthday>" They said sure. And so it was a surprise party in a local restaurant and the boys showed up and then sang zippity do da. And I said well aren't you going to sing Happy Birthday, and they said no, we are Jehova Witnesses and we don't observe Birthdays. It is against our religious rules to sing happy birthday, to say happy birthday, to give happy birthday gifts, and that is why we do not celebrate Christmas, because Christmas observes and comerates the birth of Christ, so surprise, I learned something new and they sang Zippity do-da.