People Are Revealing The Bizarre Things They Do That Seem Normal In Their Country, But Not In The Rest Of The World (17 Pics)
The more you learn about people, the more you learn about the world. After all, there are so many cultures around the globe—each with something important to teach about life and nature.
So, to broaden his cultural awareness, Nasr, who is known on social media as Nas Alive, asked TikTok users "What is something that's normal in your country but weird to the rest of the world?"
"Growing up in an immigrant family from Syria, while living in Canada and going to a French school, I was naturally exposed to many languages and cultures," Nasr told Bored Panda. "So I tend to find myself asking a lot of questions. For example, what's the origin of phrases like 'break the ice' and 'break a leg'? And why do we knock on wood?" This TikTok was a result of such thoughts.
And it went viral. As of this article, the video has over 2.4 million views and 18.7K comments, many of which are replies to Nasr's interesting question. From installing saunas in Finnish apartments to congratulating someone on getting their degree in Argentina, continue scrolling and check out some of the most popular ones.
More info: TikTok | Instagram | YouTube
This post may include affiliate links.
Pre-Pandemic Mask Wearing In Asian Countries
Wearing a mask. In Hogh Kong, if you're even slightly sick, you wear a mask. If you feel ugly, you wear a mask, if you're just lazy, and don't want to do anything - you wear a mask. Most Asian countries actually wear masks, and it's not because we want to, it's because we grew up knowing that as a society, we need to protect each other
In Vietnam, we have a thing for wearing masks LONG before the pandemic simply because our main transportation are motorbikes and let's just say that we have a lot of dust and smoke coming from bikes and other sources (construction, cars, etc.)
Nasr believes that languages are a reflection of cultures, so his passion for the two is equally immense. "You'll find that languages have opinions too!" he said. "For example, topics like sex and God are taboo in Arabic. But say 'omfg' in English and no one bats an eye."
"Here's another example: time travels vertically in Mandarin from up to down. That's why in Mandarin last week is 'shangge xingqi' (up week) and next week is 'xiage xingqi' (down week). In English, however, time travels from back to front. That's why we say phrases like 'leave the past behind you' and 'I look forward to it'."
In Norway, Parents Leave Their Babies Outside To Nap, Even If It's Cold
I thought this was a normal thing everywhere until my American friends were like "what the [hell], why do you do that? That is so weird".
So we leave our babies outside when they're supposed to sleep. For example, If you're going to a restaurant, there will often be strollers outside with babies sleeping in them. It's normal in most of the Nordic countries. I just thought it was a thing everywhere. And also when they're in kindergarden and it's nap time, you'll just see a bunch of strollers outside. And no they are not cold, they are always packed in the stroller with a bunch of clothes
Tbh, most countries find it weird and, albeit, dangerous simply because of the sad truth about child kidnapping in these countries. This really goes to show how much trust the Nordic people put on each other without fear. It's remarkable.
"I believe learning about other languages and cultures makes us more empathetic as people. Every culture has something cool that we can learn from, and that's what I hope to share in my videos."
Right before he came up with the idea for his now-viral TikTok, Nasr was at home for lockdown, just like all the locals in Ontario, Canada. "I was trying to brainstorm new video ideas. TikTok has a feature that allows people to 'stitch' your video so they can respond to it. So I thought it would be fun to ask basically the world 'what's something normal in your country but weird to the rest of us?' and see what kind of quote on quote weird things people in other countries do."
Sauna In The Apartment In Finland
In Slovakia, We Keep Live Fish In Our Bathtub Before Christmas
You go to a store, you purchase a live fish, that you bring home in a plastic bag, and you let it live in your bathtub. Because this kind of fish, it's a karp I believe, and it live in muddy waters. And it's kinda gross, so it needs to cleanse itself in clean water before you can eat it. My family used to do this every year up until a few years ago, and every year, I named the fish Michael. So before people took a shower, we needed to put Michael in a bucket.
I went to a birthday party in Croatia once. Went to visit the bathroom and got the shock of my life when a massive carp eyeballed me from the bath. We barbecued it that evening.
In Austria, some people do the same with their Christmas Carp. Coming from their natural habitat these fish usually taste ugly and it takes up to a week to remove that ugly taste.
I am amazed about how thin the acceptable margin about animal cruelty is on this site: you can be upvoted for saying how smart a goldfish is and how it doesn't deserve to be in a fishbowl -which is true- and then being downvoted for saying that something obviously cruel like this is cruel
Load More Replies...
not for Christmas, but we do this with crawfish in the southern parts of the US. Same reason, clean out the bottom feeders.
Same in the Czech Republic. I've found it disgusting and cruel at the same time since I was child.
Poor fish. It'd be like keeping a human in a coffin for a week until you finally kill them.
It was the same in Hungary. Now shops are not allowed to sell them live, they have fish tanks and all live inside, but they kill it for you before handing it over. Its for causing less suffering for the fish.
Ezt nem tudtam. El vagyok csodálkozva. Igaz, évek óta csak szeleteket veszek, azt is csak karácsonykor, családi nyomásra. Amúgy helyeslem.
Load More Replies... I am from Slovakia too and I can confirm "we" torture animals like this, yes, and it is to celebrate the Christmas, times filled with love...I will never cope with that
I am Slovak and I am very happy to say that we never did this. Mostly because it is gross and the carp is disgusting.
But have you tried carp after it has swam in fresh water. Carp only tastes terrible coz of the muddy waters they swim in.
Load More Replies...
How can anyone eat Carp ... I thought they are ALL bones , they are also very beautiful to watch in Japanese Gardens .
Sorry but there’s nothing normal about this and it seems quite abusive to the poor fish.
More people should do this where I live instead of just leaving the carp to die on the riverbank and left there. It is illegal to throw back carp and it is a yucky tasting fish due to the muddy waters they like to swim in, so you end up seeing huge amounts of dead ones scattered everywhere around the river. So if more people took the carp home they caught, let it swim in the clean water to be eaten then the life of the fish wouldn’t be wasted.
Do you feed the fish while waiting for it to taste better? Or no fish food? Genuinely curious!
Load More Replies...
My dear old Polish mum often made 'gefilte' fish using carp. My dad absolutely LOVED it, but no matter how much I loved my mum's wonderful cooking, including many Polish dishes, I could not STAND this particular fish. I now know why, although we never kept one in the bath, I would have killed my mum if she had tried that.
Load More Replies...
So in Slovakia, you all have body odor because you do not bath before Christmas.
When I was a child my grandparents' generation (and some of my parents') kept carp alive in the bathtub before they made it into gefilte fish!
I remember in Sweden, a fish being soaked in lye in the bike shed for months before Christmas came. Then, I tasted it, and it was like a soft boiled egg in taste and feeling to it!
Oh wow... if we could afford places with a bathtub... this is a good idea! super fresh... PLUS we'd all be forced to learn something useful (like gutting/cleaning a fish properly). Increases appreciation for the meal too.
Disgusting!! Does nobody in Slovakia care about the welfare of fish or other helpless creatures??? Do you even feed the poor fish or leave it to starve????
#1 eew. #2 I'd get attached to a stupid fish after I put it in my bathtub and gave it a name!
you dont know how to kill a fish, you need to take a holiday and go fishing.
Load More Replies...
I could never eat something that had become a pet, I find it disgusting, sorry!
Way to celebrate Christmas, let's torture a fish before we kill it. And we also name our victim.
My Eastern Europe relatives weren't "Bourgeoisie-y" enough to have a tub.
Oh, sorry, try another one. We (Slovakia) are not from Eastern Europe.
Load More Replies...The culture and language fan said the collective response to his video has been thrilling. "People 'stitched' the video from all around the world. It got attention from big Internet celebrities and even a news anchor from the US," Nasr cheered.
In Ireland, If Your Friend's Mom Offers You Food, You Have To Say 'No' A Bunch Of Times While She Insists And You Finally Give In
In Ireland, we Speak English, so the way you say you say 'no' is 'no', and the way you say 'yes' is 'yes'. However, if you're in your friend's house nad your friend's mom offers you food, 'yes' is then pronounced 'ah, no sure, I'm grand'. To which she'll respond 'ah, you will'. To which you'll respond ah, no honestly'. To which she'll respond 'ah, go on you will'. To which you'll finally respond 'ah, sure, wouldn't say no'. Despite the fact, you've just said 'no' twice, and you've been secretly starving the whole time. It's a linguistic tradition, not the most time efficient, but it is what it is.
See Mrs Doyle in Father Ted: "Oh do go on, Father. Go on. Go on. Go on. Come father go on." [ad infinitum]
In Denmark If You're Not Married By The Time You Turn 25 Years Old, Then On Your Birthday You Get Tied To A Pole And Get Cinnamon Thrown At You
However, if you are still not married by the time you turn 30, it's pepper.
I could survive the cinnamon but.... pepper? And why would everyone have to get married anyway? Anyways I hope the poles can be inside as my birthday is in winter.... o.O
The man has learned a lot from the 'stitches' attached to his original TikTok. "In Nordic countries, it is normal for parents to leave their babies in prams outside in temperatures below zero," Nasr highlighted what has really stood out for him. "They apparently sleep longer and have overall better quality sleep."
Everything In Switzerland Has To Be In Al Least 3 Languages
Everything has to be translated into at least 3 languages. I live in Switzerland, a small country in the center of Europe with 8.5 million population. There are 4 national languages: German, French, Italian & Rhaeto-Romance. Rhaeto-Romance is spoken by a small part of the population so it's not widely used in businesses. If you have a nation-wide business, your website needs to be translated into at least 3 languages, same with brochures, instructions, product boxes. Sometimes if large companies do a presentation, they will actually do it in 2 languages, or people will receive headphones with a live translation. In some small villages, cinemas will have 3 sets of subtitles, taking up half the screen.
In Sweden, People Cool Drinks Outside In The Snow
That’s How We Greet Each Other In UAE
In France and some other countries, people kiss each others' cheeks when greeting each other so I think this is OK.
"I learned about the practice of throat singing by @Kayuulanov who is an Inuk from Canada. I also learned that unfortunately in many parts of the world, kids smoke and drink at ages as young as 13 years old," he said, adding that it's the good and the bad but it's also the reality."
Nasr dreams that one day he will be able to travel the world, and show off different cultures first-hand, and judging by how excited he is about these things, I'd say he would do a great job as well.
The Ridiculously Large Size Of American Soft Drinks
The sheer amount of carbonated beverages that we drink. I've never been to a country where this is a normal standard amount of sugar. Even when I was in Europe, none of the soft drinks were ever this big, this is a purely American thing. And probably for the best, because nobody needs 44oz of coke.
In Russia, We Have 2 Passports
One is for internal use, which is basically an ID card for most countries. But here in Russia, we have many pages of information about our citizens, like who your children are, where are you living, and other things like that. The second passport is an international, Russian Federation passport. And not every Russian has it, you need to pay about $60 to $70 to get one. And all my visas are stored here.
In Sweden, You Can Google A Lot About A Person, Like Their Address, What Car They Drive, How Much They Earn
In Sweden, you can just type in the name of the person on Google. The results will come up, his full name, date of birth, where he lives, what car he drives, how much he earns, everything. It's free for everyone to just check, I think that's very unnatural
As much as this may seem convenient if you want to find somebody, I can see that this can be misused by stalkers and creepy folks if this is implemented elsewhere.
Culture is a huge part of people's lives. It influences their views, their values, their humor, their hopes, their loyalties, it pretty much is a blueprint for their personalities. It's TikToks like this that foster building bridges between these differences rather than fighting over them.
I'm From Papua New Guinea, And It's Chewing Betel Nut
If you ever visited, you might be surprised to see so many people with red-stained mouths. Well, it's from chewing betel nut. It's a social practice that every Papua New Guinean does. From the elders to the young ones. And there are 2 ways to chew betel nut. You can just crack open the green nut and chew the flesh regularly, or you can dip the dake, which is the green stem, into the kambang, which is a white powder, to produce a red paste in your mouth. And basically, this is a drug, it's a stimulant, it's like coffee, it gives you a burst of energy, people usually chew this in the mornings.
It's also carcinogenic and has a bunch of terrible health effects
In Argentina, When You Graduate University Your Friends And Family Attack You With Food And Paint
In Argentina, when you graduate university your friends and family attack you with eggs, flour, contiments, oil, food in general, paint, foam, anything. And they just drench you in head to toe as a celebration. The way it works is you let everyone know when your final exam is, and if you pass, you change into comfy clothes and everyone gathers around you and throws stuff at you. In the past few years it has changed from food to paint, foam, confetti, as to not waste food, but a lot of people still do the food thing. So you go with a carton of eggs and just whack them at the person who graduated.
In Brasil, We Are Very Obsesive About Oral Hygene
It's very common to see a Brazilian brushing their teeth or flossing in a public bathroom or workplace bathroom. We also take multiple showers a day, usually 2 or 3 showers. And we eat pizza with a fork and a knife, I don't really know of any other country that does this, I'm sure there are, but we eat pizzas with a fork and a knife.
Toilet Bidet Sprayer In Iran
Swedish Cheese Slicer
*Korea* adopts unique age counting system. When a Korean baby is born, they are already one year-old. When the New Year comes, on January 1st, every Korean turns one year older. A Korean baby born on December 31st will turn two year-old by January 1st. *Indonesia,* most practiced in Bali, babies are considered holy before they reach three month-old of age. Therefore their feet shall not touch the ground for the first 105 days after birth. The practice derives from local form of Hinduism which believes that newborns are still close to the sacred realm from which they came and therefore deserve to be treated with veneration.
Egypt. When a boy gets a haircut his friends slap the back of his neck. People call their loved ones "my liver". People must offer their guests food and drink, if the guests don't want they insist until they agree, if the guests still don't want they will be served food and drink anyhow. Even after someone turns 18 they still live with their parents until they're married. Not something we do, but our weather: spring is the worst. We get those awful sandstorms during spring, the temperature isn't even warm, it's burning hot, there are no pretty flowers everywhere, nothing but sand that gets in your eyes. The only upside of spring are the mangoes.
I can't post in the actuall article, so I'm gonna say it here. Tea with milk. I'm british, and my whole family drinks tea with milk. I live in Bulgaria, and they're big on herbal tea. o when I tell one of my friends I drink tee with milt they'll be like "Really, that honestly sounds discusting" And I'm like, "It's British"
I spent three years in England and when I came back to Bulgaria and poured milk into my tea in public for the first time I got a round of disgusted looks. :D That was back in the 90s, it's funny to see this hasn't changed.
Load More Replies...
It's also a bit of an insult in the UK. You would use the expression 'oh, bless his heart' if someone did something stupid.
Load More Replies...
In Czechia, there is an Eastern tradition called "pomlázka". Boys braid fresh willow stick together, decorate it with colorful ribbons and on Monday after Eastern Sunday, they go around and whip girls' bottoms with it. Old wives' tale says it is a magic that whips a force of spring and new life into women, so they are supposed to thank boys by giving them painted Easter eggs (these days, it can also be chocolate eggs and other sweets - or shot of hard liquor if those "boys" are old enough).
Not sure I like this "tradition". The girls "thank" the boys for "whipping" them?
Load More Replies...
Years in Japan are counted from 1 to how long an emperor or another is the head of the state, along with the official name of the reign of that emperor (or era). Now it's Reiwa 3, my son was born in Heisei 9, I was born in Showa 45, my grandfather in Meiji 40. We need to know these, as they are used in official documents. However, the "normal", western counting is used, too, but one needs to know both.
In Italy, we divide the two main meals, lunch and dinner, in three coarses, each can be only certain types of food, with only certain others added as a side, but mixing among those would sound absurd. Other rules sitting at a table at lunch or dinner times if you’re a guest, you won’t touch food before the man of the family who invited you. This dates a while back.
I'm from the U.S., but I'm a Minnesotan. One of our things is eating all food on a stick or fried, and saying "Ope, sorry" when you bump into inatimate objects. Basically, we say ope a lot.
I said Ope, sorry to my laundry basket this morning as I bumped into it. ;)
Load More Replies...
We have it in NZ too, my parents used to get it. Haven't seen it in a while though
Load More Replies...
In India, there is no such thing as toilet paper its bucket and water to wash ur behind with the reason for this is because it is eco friendly and the irritation of the toilet paper is unbearable
I've lived in a remote village in India and I used toilet paper wherever I stayed.
Load More Replies...
Some people need to broaden their mind. In the comments and in the posts, a lot of these are no that unique. The world is more similar than we like to admit.
The northern parts of Australia are prone to cyclones (typhoons/hurricanes) so many households have an emergency preparedness kit in their house just in case. For many, the most important items in that kit are beer and wine. Meanwhile in flood prone regions of Australia they have light plane services that restock pubs and bottle shops.
In México we have milk in bags too, bit of you go to México city you will find out that not always a quesadilla has cheese on it.
Umm... How can you have a quesadilla without cheese? For those who don't speak Spanish, quesadilla means "little cheesy thing."
Load More Replies... Germany. Waiting at a totally free road to cross it because the "Ampelmännchen" (that little figure at pedestrian traffic lights) is red. I personally don't do this because it's stupid but the vast majority does and officially it's a misdemeanor that you can get charged for. I was told it's the most German thing there is and I don't know of any country where people waste their time like that, too.
In Belgium (french speaking part) "fatty" (gros, grosse) is mostly a term of endearment you use on friends and family members. Unrelated to the person's weight.
In India, you dont shake hands with the locals. Thats because the left hand is for bathroom purposes.
Which is why everyone else shakes with their right hand.
Load More Replies...
Not true. Mince pies no longer have meat in them (but they used to). Meat pies absolutely have meat in them.
Load More Replies... *Korea* adopts unique age counting system. When a Korean baby is born, they are already one year-old. When the New Year comes, on January 1st, every Korean turns one year older. A Korean baby born on December 31st will turn two year-old by January 1st. *Indonesia,* most practiced in Bali, babies are considered holy before they reach three month-old of age. Therefore their feet shall not touch the ground for the first 105 days after birth. The practice derives from local form of Hinduism which believes that newborns are still close to the sacred realm from which they came and therefore deserve to be treated with veneration.
Egypt. When a boy gets a haircut his friends slap the back of his neck. People call their loved ones "my liver". People must offer their guests food and drink, if the guests don't want they insist until they agree, if the guests still don't want they will be served food and drink anyhow. Even after someone turns 18 they still live with their parents until they're married. Not something we do, but our weather: spring is the worst. We get those awful sandstorms during spring, the temperature isn't even warm, it's burning hot, there are no pretty flowers everywhere, nothing but sand that gets in your eyes. The only upside of spring are the mangoes.
I can't post in the actuall article, so I'm gonna say it here. Tea with milk. I'm british, and my whole family drinks tea with milk. I live in Bulgaria, and they're big on herbal tea. o when I tell one of my friends I drink tee with milt they'll be like "Really, that honestly sounds discusting" And I'm like, "It's British"
I spent three years in England and when I came back to Bulgaria and poured milk into my tea in public for the first time I got a round of disgusted looks. :D That was back in the 90s, it's funny to see this hasn't changed.
Load More Replies... It's also a bit of an insult in the UK. You would use the expression 'oh, bless his heart' if someone did something stupid.
Load More Replies... In Czechia, there is an Eastern tradition called "pomlázka". Boys braid fresh willow stick together, decorate it with colorful ribbons and on Monday after Eastern Sunday, they go around and whip girls' bottoms with it. Old wives' tale says it is a magic that whips a force of spring and new life into women, so they are supposed to thank boys by giving them painted Easter eggs (these days, it can also be chocolate eggs and other sweets - or shot of hard liquor if those "boys" are old enough).
Not sure I like this "tradition". The girls "thank" the boys for "whipping" them?
Load More Replies... Years in Japan are counted from 1 to how long an emperor or another is the head of the state, along with the official name of the reign of that emperor (or era). Now it's Reiwa 3, my son was born in Heisei 9, I was born in Showa 45, my grandfather in Meiji 40. We need to know these, as they are used in official documents. However, the "normal", western counting is used, too, but one needs to know both.
In Italy, we divide the two main meals, lunch and dinner, in three coarses, each can be only certain types of food, with only certain others added as a side, but mixing among those would sound absurd. Other rules sitting at a table at lunch or dinner times if you’re a guest, you won’t touch food before the man of the family who invited you. This dates a while back.
I'm from the U.S., but I'm a Minnesotan. One of our things is eating all food on a stick or fried, and saying "Ope, sorry" when you bump into inatimate objects. Basically, we say ope a lot.
I said Ope, sorry to my laundry basket this morning as I bumped into it. ;)
Load More Replies... We have it in NZ too, my parents used to get it. Haven't seen it in a while though
Load More Replies... In India, there is no such thing as toilet paper its bucket and water to wash ur behind with the reason for this is because it is eco friendly and the irritation of the toilet paper is unbearable
I've lived in a remote village in India and I used toilet paper wherever I stayed.
Load More Replies... Some people need to broaden their mind. In the comments and in the posts, a lot of these are no that unique. The world is more similar than we like to admit.
The northern parts of Australia are prone to cyclones (typhoons/hurricanes) so many households have an emergency preparedness kit in their house just in case. For many, the most important items in that kit are beer and wine. Meanwhile in flood prone regions of Australia they have light plane services that restock pubs and bottle shops.
In México we have milk in bags too, bit of you go to México city you will find out that not always a quesadilla has cheese on it.
Umm... How can you have a quesadilla without cheese? For those who don't speak Spanish, quesadilla means "little cheesy thing."
Load More Replies... Germany. Waiting at a totally free road to cross it because the "Ampelmännchen" (that little figure at pedestrian traffic lights) is red. I personally don't do this because it's stupid but the vast majority does and officially it's a misdemeanor that you can get charged for. I was told it's the most German thing there is and I don't know of any country where people waste their time like that, too.
In Belgium (french speaking part) "fatty" (gros, grosse) is mostly a term of endearment you use on friends and family members. Unrelated to the person's weight.
In India, you dont shake hands with the locals. Thats because the left hand is for bathroom purposes.
Which is why everyone else shakes with their right hand.
Load More Replies... Not true. Mince pies no longer have meat in them (but they used to). Meat pies absolutely have meat in them.
Load More Replies...