Culture/Country A-B C-D E-G H-K L-M N-R S-T U-Z

CULTURE:

We learn about culture when we are young. It is taught directly and indirectly through school, books, movies, travel, movie, religion, family and many other sources. Our culture is an expression of who we are. It shapes our world view as well as our perception of time and space. Our values and how we interpret events and actions can all be attributed to our cultural backgrounds. It is extremely powerful and we can even have compound cultures depending on where we live, and what our backgrounds are. We judge and communicate based on our cultural underpinnings.

As you are aware there are many different cultures throughout the world. Each culture is always present and always changing based on current events and other influences. World Neighbor's goal is to help build bridges between cultures through information. Everyone can benefit by understanding various cultural framework. Enjoy these interesting cultural tidbits. We will refresh these regularly (and keep the previous tidbits for your reference as well!) As with all cultural generalizations not every trait will be true for all people. These are all brief "tidbits" so the history portion is in no means exhaustive but only meant to convey a high level overview.                  

 

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Cultural Tidbits on Sweden:

 

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    Swedish sailors colonized the coasts of the Baltic Sea during the Viking age of the 9th through the 11th century.  An archbishop for Sweden was put in place in 1164 in a separation from Hamburg. In 1250 Stockholm became the capital of Sweden.  King Magnus declared supremacy over Gotland in 1285.  The Scanian archbishop appointed Magnus Eriksson to be the king of Norway and Sweden. Sweden was conquered by the Danish King Valdemar Atterag in 1361. 

     

    A slaughter in Stockholm caused a rebellion led by Gustav Vasa in 1520 and three years later he was elected King of Sweden. There were many unions with countries in the region through the 1600’s including Poland, Estonia, Livonia, Gotland, and Saaremaa.  During the 1700’s Sweden lost most of the German and Baltic territories.  In 1810 Sweden joined with the British alliance against Napoleon. The last war that Sweden fought was together with Norway against Denmark in 1814.  From 1871 until the 1940’s Sweden became more Germany focused after Prussia had military victories against Denmark, France and Austria.  Norway declared it’s independence from Sweden in 1905. The king is now a ceremonial head of state and a prime minister in the head of state. Sweden joined the European union on January 1, 1995.

     

Swedes are friendly people and will often greet you with a firm handshake and direct eye contact.  Close friends may kiss on the cheek.  You may feel free to introduce yourself in social situations. Swedes do not generally gesture with their hands or speak in loud voices. Chewing gum in public or asking personal questions can also be viewed as inappropriate. Swedes tend to be unpretentious and are not boastful.  Swedes are generally not aggressive and are prone to working towards compromise and harmony. Moderation is also a tenet of Swedish life.  Many believe that the Swedish welfare state came about based on this cultural need for safety and security.  Swedish national security policy is based on staying free of alliances in order to remain neutral during any war

 

Sweden is an egalitarian society.  People expect to be treated equally and teamwork is valued.  Sweden is also an informal society.  Swedes will call you by your first name and will not be very conscious of status symbols.  Swedes value their families and friends and often identify themselves as part of a group or organization. In business situations most Swedes like to get right down to the matter at hand.  They often avoid small talk and jump right into what needs to be accomplished. They are direct and say exactly what they mean.

 

Cultural Tidbits on Thailand:

 

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The culture of Thailand is heavily influenced by Buddhism and is nearly 95% Buddhist. Neighbors of Thailand include Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.  These neighbors along with China influenced each other through trade and conflict over the years.  Thai Buddhism has evolved over time and the Buddha images show these changes over various periods.   The traditional Thai greeting/farewell is given with the hands in a prayer like position and a bow of the head. 

Thais migrated from southern China around the 10th century AD. The Thais established their own kingdoms. These states fought with each other and with the other area states of Vietnam, Burma and Khmer. Much of Southeast Asia was later forced under European colonial rule but Thailand survived as the only country to avoid colonial rule.  Thailand moved from a monarchy to military rule in 1932.  More recently Thailand has established a democratic system of government with recent bloodless military coups that have shaken up the elected officials based on corruption charges.  


Thai boxing (Muay Thai) is the most popular spectator sport.  Another popular sport is takraw which is similar to volleyball but played with the feet.  The foot is considered the dirtiest part of the body while the head is the highest and most respected part of the body.  Therefore, the foot should always be kept lower than someone else’s head.  This also influences how Thais sit on the ground with feet pointing away from others or tucked underneath.  Furthermore you should not step on anything a Thai holds dear, like a coin.  The coin has a picture of the king’s head on it so stepping on it is not polite. You should also always ensure that you point your feet away from images of Buddha.  Thai people will ensure that home shrines are placed at the head of the bed to ensure that the foot does not point toward Buddha.  When entering a temple or home it is customay to remove your shoes and not step on the threshold.         


Thai monks are not allowed to touch women. When Thai monks walk by, women will often clear a path for them so that no contact occurs. Monks often sit on a raised platform during ceremonies to anoint women and faithful.  Monks receive the highest respect in the hierarchy of Thailand.  The poor look up to the rich and the ordinary citizen looks up to politicians.  Age confers respect, and Thai people are not afraid to ask a persons age to ensure they understand the hierarchy.  In Thailand, people are calm and displays of anger are not considered appropriate. Crying is also discouraged during funerals so as not to disturb or worry the spirit of the dead.      


The Thai new year occurs between April 13th and 15th.  These days new year is celebrated by throwing water and talcum powder.  This tradition started from a cleansing ritual that involves washing Buddha images and sprinkling water and talcom on the hands of elderly people.   

 

Thai food has gained international acclaim.  Most Thai meals are served with rice. Thais eat when they are hungry and often don’t sit down to eat.  Thais are very generous and will often ask if you are hungry.  Visitors to Thailand will never go hungry!   While Thai food is known as being hot and spicy the spiciness various by region. Most Thai food uses varying quantities and combinations of basic ingredients like garlic, limejuice, coconut and fresh coriander.  Chili sauce and shrimp paste is also used to spice up food to taste.  In some regions insects are also a delicacy.   Thailand is a beautiful country with a warm and welcoming people.      

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