Every year of March 12 in China is the National Tree Planting Day. It is on this very day that millions simply try to make their streets and town greener, an idea that should be embraced by all countries. Want to have a string of good luck during the year to come? Then while in Chile, at midnight in the last night of the year you'd better have a large spoonful of lentils. Local tradition is that thus you will have a year filled with money and good luck.
Another custom for the New Year's Day in Turkey is throwing pomegranates out of the windows. If it breaks in several little pieces next year will be a rich and good one.
You might be surprised in Spain to find out that in the afternoon most businesses are closed and people are resting. That is because the Siesta, the afternoon nap - roughly between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. - is more than a custom, it has become a tradition.
For many it might seem like a Hispanic version of Halloween, but the Dia de los Muertos is much more than that, as it is a celebration of the loved ones that have passed on. And the parades, the masks, the food, all in all it is a little scarry, but surely fascinating and exotic to foreigners.
Maybe you have heard of Boxing Day, a traditional English holiday, but did you know that on that occasion, on December 26th, it is customary to give presents to friends, servents (if you have them) and tradesmen?
It is customary in Japan not to tip in a restaurant. More than that, it is considered rude and unacceptable to even try to do it, even if you are not Japanese. According to tradition by not paying extra both you and the seller remain on the same level. Otherwise, because you have given him more money, he would be in debt to you. If you like cherries you should go the USA, for in many states are organized traditional competitions of Cherry Pit Spitting. Whoever manages to spit the cherry farther than the others is the champion, and there is a stiff competition.
And if you are in for a real unforgetable pudding then a traditional English Christmas one is the only choice. The traditional recipe calls for dried fruits of all kinds, different spices, black treacle, nuts, sherry and so on. When it comes to tradition this is a delicious custom.
The Spanish city of Ibi in Spain is the host of another strange but fun tradition, a fight between men - both married and still not married - using not tomatoes, as it is another better known custom, but raw eggs and flour. The result, as you might imagine, is not very pretty.
Photo: publicdomainpictures.net, goodfreephotos.com
