|
12.
Taboos and superstitions
Chinese folk beliefs abound with special do's and don'ts. Most of
these involve special ceremonies and events, and many taboos have
to do with puns in the Chinese language. For instance, both the
word for "happiness" and the word for "fish" are pronounced yu.
On Chinese New Year day, a fish is cooked and set on the table,
but not eaten - so that the family will enjoy a full year of fortune.
If you have the chance to take part in a holiday or festival, be
sure to ask in advance what is expected of you.
In everyday Taiwanese life, it's really hard to do anything terribly
offensive, but here are the most important rules to remember:
(1) If you want someone to come to you, don't wave them over with
an upturned finger. This is impolite. Wave them over with your fingers
turned down, as if they were sweeping something toward you. The
same motion is used when hailing a cab.
(2) When using a toothpick in public, cover your mouth with your
hand.
(3) If someone gives you a present, it's best not to open it in
front of them.
(4) When someone gives a business card to you, do not stick it in
your hip pocket. Also, don't stick it in your wallet and then put
your wallet in your hip pocket. You would be symbolically stating
that you want to sit on them! Putting a business card in your wallet
and then placing the wallet in a front pocket is no problem.
(5) After eating a meal, never leave your chopsticks sticking up
in the left-over rice at the bottom of your bowl. This is what people
do at shrines when offering a meal to their ancestors' ghosts. Doing
it in a restaurant would be a terrible curse on the proprietor.
(6) When writing anything friendly, don't use red ink. This color
is reserved for protests, denunciations, and corrected exams.
(7) Sometimes funerals, weddings, or religious ceremonies will suddenly
occupy a whole street without warning. Even though they're blocking
your way, it's not good to walk through such a gathering.
(8) When you're just getting to know someone, and it begins to rain
but they don't have an umbrella, it's bad luck to give them an umbrella
to go home with - a sure omen that you'll never see each other again.
(The Chinese word for umbrella - san - sounds like the word for
"to break apart.") This is particularly important for dating couples
the first few times they go out together. If you like your new friend,
take the time to escort him or her with the umbrella out to the
bus stop or taxi.
(9) Don't present someone a clock as a gift. The phrase "to give
a clock" (sung chung) sounds just like "to attend a funeral" - it's
very inauspicious. Giving a watch is okay.
(10) Likewise, it's best not to give a handkerchief as a present.
Being something that is used to wipe away tears, it will actually
bring them some kind of bad fortune that is cause for crying. But
don't worry. If you accidentally give an unlucky gift, the curse
can be set straight if the receiver gives you a coin as a token
payment - then it technically becomes a purchase instead of a present.
Next Page
| Top | Back to Index
|
