German customs and feelings

Germans attach great importance to rules and discipline and take everything seriously. Where there are express provisions, Germans will consciously abide by them; Germans will never touch anything that is explicitly forbidden. In the eyes of some people, in many cases, Germans are almost inflexible, inflexible and even a little unreasonable. But when you think about it carefully, this kind of "inflexibility" is very beneficial. Without discipline, how can there be order? No rules, no seriousness?

Germans pay great attention to cleanliness and neatness. They not only pay attention to keeping the small environment where they live clean and tidy, but also attach great importance to the cleanliness and neatness of the big environment. In Germany, no matter parks, streets, theaters or other public occasions, everything is clean and tidy. Germans also attach great importance to clothing. Wear work clothes at work. Although you can dress casually when you get home from work, you will definitely dress neatly as long as there are guests visiting or going out for activities. When watching a play or an opera, women should wear long skirts, and men should wear formal dresses, at least dark clothes. This is especially true when attending social activities or formal banquets.

second, punctuality likes quietness

Germans are very punctual, agree on a good time, and never change it easily without special circumstances. When Germans are invited to other people's homes or go out to visit friends, they will arrive on time, and will not let the host waste time waiting or have to entertain guests in advance. Otherwise, it is impolite. If you can't keep the appointment on time for special reasons, you will apologize to your friends and ask for forgiveness.

Germans prefer quiet life, but they don't like noise except on special occasions. For example, although many people work in the city, they settle in the countryside or a small town near the city, in order to be quiet. Even those who live in the city pay great attention to the noise around their houses. For example, you can't play musical instruments or make loud noises from 8 pm to 8 am the next day. If you want to have a party in the evening, you should explain the situation to your neighbors in advance, ask them for understanding, and arrange it on weekends as far as possible without making any noise as much as possible. Otherwise, the disturbed neighbors will be very angry and may protest in person, and some people may even ask the police to intervene.

Third, treat people sincerely and pay attention to etiquette

Generally speaking, there is not much trouble in dealing with Germans. In most cases, they are simply. Whatever they can do, they will tell you at once that it can be done. Whatever they can't do, they will clearly tell you "no", rarely put on airs, or give people ambiguous answers. Of course, interpersonal relationships and the degree of hard work are by no means without influence.

Like many western countries, Germans pay more attention to etiquette. When they meet, whether they know each other or not, whether they are on the road, or in offices, hotels, elevators and other places, they all greet each other and say "hello". When eating in a restaurant, you should also nod to the customers who have already sat down. It is really "polite to polite, polite to many people". Friends greet each other with a handshake, and so do they when they say goodbye. Very good friends who haven't seen each other for a long time can hug each other when they meet or are separated for a long time. On formal occasions, there are still men kissing women's hands, but it is not necessary to kiss them on the back of their hands. In the process of communication, most people often use "you" and surnames preceded by "Mr" or "Ms" (also known as "Mrs") as honorifics. Only friends, relatives and young people call each other "you" and names. For women, regardless of their marriage or age, they can be called "a certain lady", but for married women, they should be called by their husband's surname.

Gifts are also highly valued in Germany. When invited to other people's homes, they usually bring gifts. Most people bring flowers, some male guests bring a bottle of wine, and some people bring a meaningful book (or a book written by themselves) or a picture album. Send more flowers when welcoming guests (such as stations, airports and other places) and visiting patients. When congratulating others on their birthdays, festivals or weddings, you can send greeting cards. If you send a gift, you should take practicality and significance as the principle, not the price. Gifts should be wrapped in gift paper in advance. Many people often open the gift immediately after receiving it and express their gratitude to the giver.

In Germany and other western countries, women are given priority in many occasions, such as entering the door, getting into the elevator and getting on the bus. Men should help women open the car door, hang clothes and give up their seats. The lady only says "thank you" for this, without feeling embarrassed or thinking that the other party is up to no good. When talking with people, Germans pay great attention to respecting each other. Don't ask people's private affairs (such as women's age, income, etc.), and don't make fun of people present. When having a conversation, don't talk to people sitting far away across the dining table, for fear of affecting others' emotions.

Fourth, the German way of choosing a spouse

Today, young men and women in Germany have all kinds of opportunities to get in touch. They are introduced by relatives, friends, classmates and colleagues, or get to know each other at parties, trips and other cultural activities, and then they finally decide to get married after a period of love. They enjoy full freedom of love, which is no different from modern western countries. However, in terms of mate selection, Germany has some interesting customs.

1. Old Oak Moon

There is a well-known old oak tree in brid Grom, Dudao Forest. People call it "Old Oak Moon". There is a beautiful legend about this old oak tree. According to legend, more than 6 years ago, a prince was in distress in an encounter with the enemy and was rescued by a beautiful girl. The prince and the girl fell in love at first sight and formed a good marriage. To repay the girl for saving her life, the prince planted this oak tree in the forest. Later generations envy the prince's adventure and come here to watch it one after another, hoping to know the right person skillfully. There are indeed some men and women who pass love waves through oak trees and hold weddings under trees. Over time, the old oak tree played the role of "the elder". Every day, a love letter with the address of "D-242 Oak in brid Grom, Dudao Forest" is dropped into the hole of the old oak by the postman. These letters are public, and everyone can open them. Young men and women waiting beside "Yue Lao" look for their Mr Right by reading them. If you find a soul mate, you can communicate and make an appointment to meet. It is said that more than 5, young men and women have been married through the oak tree. Now the story of the old oak tree is spreading farther and farther, so that young people in other countries send love letters to the old oak tree in order to find a spouse. There are as many as 8 such love letters every year.

2. Chess is a lifelong skill

There is a small town called Hitchobeck in the southwest of Berlin. People here have been very keen on chess for hundreds of years, and even the cap badge of the police on duty has been designed as a chessboard pattern, and a chessboard has been installed on the spire of the church to indicate the wind direction. When people get up in the morning, they can see local officials who go to work with official documents on their chessboards. People here learn to play chess from an early age, and the school has a "chess class" to help children learn to play chess from an early age. It is precisely because of this chess custom that when girls choose their spouses, the level of the young man's chess skills becomes a major condition. A young man must first compete with the girl's father before proposing to the girl. If the young man wins, he will be warmly treated by the girl's family, and the marriage will be assured; If the young man loses, then I'm sorry, but the marriage will have to wait until the chess skills improve.

3. Birch tree sends deep affection

In Bonn, Germany, the young man expressed his affection for his beloved girl by giving a white duster tree as a poetic form. Every spring season, the young man will cut down a small birch tree with tender leaves and branches and place it on the balcony or courtyard of his girl's house in the middle of the night on April 3 or May 1 to express his deep love through the small green trees. In this season, small white willows can be seen in the streets, courtyards and balconies of Bonn. Some beautiful girls will have several birch trees in the courtyard at the same time. In this case, the girl will be overjoyed, while the boys who sent the birch trees can only wait patiently for the girl's reply and can't rush it. Once the girl's approval is answered, the young man can give the girl another gem ring, and the girl will thank her by kissing and accept the courtship ring. After a while, when the two sides were convinced that they were in love with each other, they gave each other silver rings to show their engagement. Give each other gold rings when they get married, indicating that their love is as pure as gold.

4. Choosing a spouse in movies

In Germany, the marriage management department helps young people solve their marriage problems in various ways, one of which is to help some girls who are "waiting to be married" solve their marriage problems in the form of making movie advertisements. Girls can fully show their talents in all aspects in the film, especially their domestic specialties such as cooking, sewing and cleaning rooms. A very ordinary girl is often a very lovely and perfect girl through the superb handling of photographers and directors. These films were taken to the Lonely Hearts Association, which was composed of lonely men and few women, to be shown, and single men could choose their beloved spouses from the films. Beautiful movies often leave a good first impression on people, but many people feel that they are not as ideal as the characters in the movies after meeting the real people.

V. Birth

The annual birth rate of the German population is always the lowest in the world, and the post-war population growth mainly depends on immigrants. In such a country with a low birth rate, it is really a great event for a family to import more children. In fact, as early as when a woman is pregnant, she will be protected from all sides. There are many customs and habits to protect the health of pregnant women and the healthy growth of the fetus. In the rural areas of Wü rttemberg, Germany, pregnant women are highly respected guests. She can go into other people's orchards to pick fruits and taste them, and she can eat at the table next door. People there think that the arrival of pregnant women symbolizes new life and bumper harvest. In addition, there are some customs: pregnant women should not go out at night, for fear that witches and ghosts in the dark will hurt the fetus; Pregnant women can't look at ugly things, for fear that the baby will grow ugly in the future; Pregnant women can't walk through the cross door or walk under the clothesline, otherwise it will cause dystocia and hurt the fetus. Although these customs are full of feudal superstition, we can also see people's concern for pregnant women. In Germany, which is dominated by Christianity, parents have found a godfather and godmother for the newborn before he was born. As soon as the child is born, the family will make an appointment with the church to be baptized by the priest or priest.

(1) Godfather and Godmother

In Germany, parents of newborns will look for godfathers and godmothers among their relatives and friends long before their children are born. Because the godfather and godmother are closely related to the child's life, the parents of the baby are very cautious in their choice. Parents of children don't have to choose a couple when choosing a godfather and godmother for their children, but they should be honest, reliable, respectable and reputable. Of course, we must first obtain their own consent. Generally, people who are invited to be the godfather and godmother of their children will think that this is a trust in themselves and an honor, and they are willing to take on this responsibility. The original intention of recognizing the godfather godmother is to help children in their religious beliefs. Nowadays, the responsibilities of godfathers and godmothers are not limited to religion. They can make a child have many elders who care about his growth after birth and take care of him when he is in trouble. In case both parents die young when the child is underage, the godfathers and godmothers have to shoulder the obligation of raising him as an adult.

(2) Newborn Baptism

Baptism is an important ceremony held when Christianity is accepted. Christianity believes that people who are born guilty must be baptized to remove dirt and become pure before they can be accepted as Christians, and then they will be eligible to enter heaven. People who are baptized are not necessarily babies. Jesus himself was baptized by "John the Baptist" as an adult. However, in Christian countries, the vast majority of people are baptized by their parents when they are babies. The baby's formal naming and baptism are carried out at the same time, so baptism is also called "naming ceremony". After the baby's parents set a date in the church, they will send invitations to invite relatives and friends to participate. Generally, only close friends are invited, and the number will not be too large. When the baby is baptized, the godmother holds it and stands beside the "holy water basin" in front of the altar in the church. The children's parents and others gather around, and the priest or priest reads the relevant chapters in the Bible, recites the prescribed etiquette, takes the child, dips the holy water drops on the child's head with his hand and says, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." Then, say a few more words about wishing the children to love humanity and serve God when they grow up, and the baptism will be over. After the baptism, it is natural to celebrate. The parents of the baby will hold a luncheon or tea party, and invite the priest or priest, the godfather and godmother of the child, and relatives and friends to attend. The invitee should bring some gifts to the children, such as toys, clothes, children's picture books and so on. Godfather's godmother's gift is more expensive as usual. In Bavaria, on the day of baptism, the godfather not only wears rosemary on his chest, but also puts rosemary in the baby's cradle. According to this, this fragrant herb can get rid of diseases and evil spirits, and the godfather uses it to express his love. At the same time, he will put some money under his godson's diaper or pillow as the principal of his child's future marriage. Some godfathers send books and pens to their children, hoping that they will be smart and diligent. Nowadays, the fashionable gift is to give a boy a small silver beer cup and a girl a necklace or a silver coffee cup with the child's name and baptism date engraved on it. In rural Bavaria, there is a habit of children's baptism dinner, that is, there should be leftover bread on the table after dinner, and some food should be packed for the guests to take away after dinner. Bring sausages and spirits to the male guests, cakes and sweets to the female guests, and give gifts to the godfather to show that life is rich and more than enough. In Germany, candles for baptism should be carefully collected, which is of special significance to children's life. It is said that lighting the baptism candle can turn evil into good luck and eliminate all diseases. In some rural areas of Germany, this ancient custom is still followed devoutly. In Germany, a woman can get a year's leave after giving birth to a child, but she can take a leave by herself, or both husband and wife can take a leave of six months, so they can take the responsibility of raising the child together.

VI. German social etiquette

(I) Meeting for the first time

When Germans meet for the first time, if you need an introduction from a third party, you should pay attention as an introducer: you can't just introduce one person to another regardless of age and status. The general habit is to start with the old man and the woman. Introduce young people to the elderly, men to women, and people with high status to people with low status. When the two sides shake hands, they should look at each other in a friendly way to show respect for each other. It is impolite to look away and look around at this time. When reporting their names, the two parties who first met should pay attention to listening clearly and remembering each other's names, so as to avoid the embarrassing situation of forgetting and calling the wrong name. When many people introduce each other, they should be as concise as possible and avoid dragging their feet. Due to the characteristics of the German language itself, there will be a problem of using honorific terms or UFIDA terms when communicating with Germans. Generally associate with strangers, elders and people with ordinary relationships, and usually use your respectful name "you"; For those who have a deep personal relationship and close relationship, such as window friends and colleagues who have had a good relationship for many years, they often call each other "you". The initiative to exchange titles is usually in the hands of women and elders. The change of appellation marks the closeness of the relationship between the two. This must be mastered and mastered