5 cultural traditions and the history behind them

Cultural traditions take many forms. They can be deeply rooted in historical ways of life, religious beliefs and even family rituals – and they also give us a sense of purpose, understanding and appreciation of our heritage and environment. When we travel, we often come across unfamiliar traditions that we may not be aware of Here, we take a look at some of the common customs from around the world, and investigate how they came to be.

You may have experienced this already. You go to shake the hand of a new acquaintance while travelling and they offer a right hand, with the left carefully placed on the inside of the right arm. This type of greeting is especially common throughout the Middle Eastern, south and south-east Asia, and in some parts of Africa. Using the right hand for connecting with other people isn't just used for greetings either. In fact, it’s common that money is always passed via the right hand.

There's a simple reason for this and it's not just because everyone is right-handed. In some cultures, use the left hand is refrained for cleaning themselves after using the toilet – so, offering it when connecting with people is considered unsanitary. For this reason, you might see people placing their left hand gently behind their back during exchanges, or leaving it by their side.

While visitors are often exempted from this practice, it’s polite to assume this might be the case and use your right hand for greeting, exchanging money and when eating by hand.

In the Middle East, Indian subcontinent and south-east Asia, it’s common for people take their shoes off when entering a house of worship. Mosques and Hindu and Buddhist temples typically request shoes be left outside the door, while some synagogues and churches in these regions ask the same. The same ritual is practised within private homes, both as a sign as respect and as to not bring dust and grime from outside into the home.

In Thailand and other southeast Asian nation, feet are considered the most dirty point of the body because it is contact with the outside environment. For that reason, it is considered disrespectful to point your feet at a religious artefact or another person.

This custom is important to be aware of as travellers, particularly as we are not used to thinking about where our feet are pointing – especially when seated with legs stretched out or crossed. Putting your feet up on a seat or table is a big no-no, even in the home.

The earliest writings about chopsticks date back to China, with references to how the utensils were used with deep boiling pots of water and oil. At that time, it’s thought they were mostly used for cooking purposes. It was then within Japanese culture, that a pair of chopsticks became widely used as a tool for eating. It’s thought that in the early days, wealthier members of society would use chopsticks made of silver, ivory, brass, jade and even coral – while the wider public would stick to bamboo.

Today, chopsticks are typically used for consuming sushi. As the process of creating sushi is considered to be an art – following a few simple customs when eating can show a deep understanding and consideration for the chef’s hard work. For example, leaving chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice isn't recommended because it is considered to be a morbid symbol. Instead, use the stand provided to rest them when not in use. Sharing chopsticks is also frowned upon because – aside for hygiene regions –  it’s thought to rouse an old funeral ritual where cremated bones were picked up and passed between attendees.

Abandoning a knife and fork while eating, and using your hands, is common across the world – with this global ritual having various meanings in different regions. Across the subcontinent of India, Veda scriptures from Hindu holy teaching suggest that the fingers are associated with the natural elements of space, air, fire, water and earth, and that each of these are evoked by touching food. This, in turn, grounds and settles the body – and the digestive system – in preparation for the meal.

Meanwhile, in the Middle East and parts of Africa, food is traditionally served in a large communal dish – from which everyone can enjoy as much as they want. The practice emphasises the importance of the communal or family experience around food, putting focus on mindful eating and the coming together of the community, however big or small, to eat.

On a practical level, it's thought in many cultures that by mixing and compiling of a mouthful of food by hand, you become more connected to the scent, texture and flavour of our food. Plus, using hands slows down the eating process, allowing the body more time for digestion and allowing us to be more mindful of when we are full.

Pointing is considered to be rude in most cultures – and many of us are taught as children not to do it – but people in Indonesia and Malaysia are particularly sensitive to the gesture. Here, they have adopted an alternative method of drawing attention to a specific direction or object, by using a thumb as an indicator.

In Central America, particularly Nicaragua, a much less obtrusive way of signalling towards someone or something has been adopted. They use their lips. With a puckered look, the lips are pointed forwards in the direction of the topic of conversation and with a discreet lift of the head or nod, the pointed message is made clear.

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