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30 Fun Facts You Might Not Have Known About These Cultures And Religions, As Pointed Out By Folks In This Online Group
While attempts at going to outer space and exploring the cosmos, or diving deep into our vast oceans and trying to figure out where the heck is Nemo are all fine and dandy, but there’s more to learn about the world we live in than just physical exploration.
Take learning about cultures, religion, and just all things societies, for instance. Humans are complicated beings in general, but the social and societal structures we’ve built is the same vast vat of everything as is the ocean deep and space infinite.
People on AskReddit were curious about these exact things in a now-viral thread, where u/yahyahashash asked the lovely people of Reddit to share things they’ve discovered about a different culture or religion that completely blew their minds.
Over 9,400 comments later, we have a slew of fun facts and bizarre insights into how humans function on a cultural and religious level, blowing even more minds along the way. Scroll down to check the best of the best answers to the question, and be sure to upvote, comment, and share your thoughts and things you have learned in the comment section below!
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#1
In Sikhism, the turban is a symbol of total equality.
Before Sikhism was the religion it is today, the turban was worn only by the wealthy upper classes. The person who started the Sikh religion donned the turban to show people that everyone is truly wealthy in spirit, and that it is the duty of all people, rich or poor, to help one another.
So the Sikh turban became a symbol of equality in humanity, and as a sign that that person can be turned to for help.
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#2
How much which country you grew up in f***s with your sense of scale.
I was born and raised in Canada, lived here all my life. We're the second-largest country in the entire world by area, behind only Russia. When I went to visit some friends in Germany, we got talking about Canada and I mentioned how I went to university in a city that was "only" a four hour drive away from my childhood home. I commented that I liked it because it was far enough away to have some independence, but still close enough I could drop by and visit my family on holidays or breaks.
This caused them to laugh uproariously, much to my confusion. One of them eventually explained that a four hour drive would take you more than halfway across the entire country of Germany and it was not what any of them would consider "close". These same people, by the way, had a church just outside of their town that was over 800 years old and no one thought that was particularly remarkable.
That's when I learned the difference between European and North American cultures. A European thinks a 100 km trip is "far"; a North American thinks a 100 year old building is "old".
NsG 2 years ago
Driving from West to East from Blackpool to Hull, you'll run out of land before you hit the "four hour" mark (between the Pleasure Beach in Blackpool to the delightfully named Sandy Bottom Pumpkins in Hull is at most a 3.5 hour journey). Obviously, there are wider points on the mainland, but you can go coast to coast and *run out of land* before doing this person's University trip.
#3
Not only is Jesus in the Quran, he is the most mentioned person in the Quran (if you count direct and indirect mentions). Islam teaches Jesus was a prophet and was a precursor to Muhammad.
In other words, Jesus is a central figure in the Quran, and the Islamic faith not only believes in Jesus but generally reveres him.
Nubis Knight 2 years ago (edited)
Also his mother Mary is one of the most important women in the Quran.
#4
Buddha has snails protecting his head so that he can meditate in the scorching sun. And here I thought it was a hair style.
Purple light 2 years ago (edited)
It is a shame that this is the first post, it is an internet myth. https://sdhammika.blogspot.com/2009/07/buddhas-hail.html?m=1
#5
I taught English in a middle school in South Korea. When I was roaming around in the hallways, I found that not only were the girls holding hands, some boys were holding hands as well. They were just "friends". There weren't any homophobic cries or jokes being made. In North America, if that happened, you'd be automatically labeled gay.
Chef Latte 2 years ago
I have friends from different countries that come to America and realize it’s not that much accepted. Its sad, honestly
#6
In Turkish, there's a so-called "gossip tense." A specific kind of past tense that indicates that someone else told you this.
#7
Chinese languages: mandarin and Cantonese and other Chinese dialects are mutually unintelligible but the written language is exactly the same. Two Chinese people speaking different dialects would have no idea what each other is saying but they could communicate by writing
APL 2 years ago
When the British Empire sent a spy into China to steal the method for cultivating tea, the spy didn't even bother learning Chinese. Wherever he went, he just pretended to be from somewhere else in China. Nobody questioned it. On the other hand, *written* Chinese from two thousand years ago is totally intelligible to the modern Chinese reader - and if you don't think that's a big deal, remember Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales six hundred years ago and without annotation it's incomprehensible.
#8
When I first became Buddhist, the fact that the Buddhist response to the question of whether there was a creator of the universe or not is basically "It doesn't matter". It's one of a list of questions that the Buddha was asked and refused to answer one way or another, or even speculate on, because they're irrelevant to Buddhism. Coming from a Western background, it kind of blew away a lot of my ideas about the purpose and function of religion.
#9
There’s a Micronesian island where all the inhabitants are color blind. They know when fruit is ripe by the smell. It just gave me a new understanding of how people see the world and the different pathways cultures take to solve the same problems.
Chef Latte 2 years ago
Honestly, as someone who is colorblind, the most difficult problem is telling if something is good to eat, like chicken, beef or even baked goods. Usually I take a bite and pray I don’t die :)
#10
maletgs said:
Japanese stamps instead of signatures.
samosamancer replied:
I lived there for 2 years and I’ve still got mine with my name in katakana. It’s a whole process to procure one and then have it registered as your official signature.
muffin woman 2 years ago
This would be so much easier than having to write your signature all the time.
#11
So much stuff from Japan.
I think if I had to pick one it was how seriously they take customer service there. Like, it's just night and day from literally anywhere else in the world I've been. At one point I needed to go visit a bank to get some cash and I asked the cashier at the store I was at where the nearest bank was. In most places in the world, if you got anything more than a shrug, it would be some vague directions; a really nice place might give you a map or an address for your phone and point out where you were going.
In Japan, the cashier bowed, stepped out from behind the cash register, grabbed an umbrella (a typhoon was passing through, so it was pissing down rain at the time) and *physically escorted me* the TEN BLOCKS between the store and the bank, holding the umbrella above my head the whole time (and getting absolutely drenched himself). I felt really bad about it and tried several times to tell him that an address was fine, but he insisted he would walk me there. It was just a totally different mindset towards how to treat a customer or a guest. Honestly pretty humbling.
Also the "no tips" thing threw me for a loop. Not that I didn't know about it, but I didn't know how seriously it was enforced. There was a point where I was running late for an important event and had taken a cab to where I was going. I still remember the total cost - 3481 yen; since I was in a hurry, I grabbed 3500 yen, hastily gave it to the driver and dashed out the door. I make it about 10 metres away and I suddenly hear, "Sumimasen! Okyakusan! Sumimasen!!" (Excuse me, sir! Excuse me!!) from behind me. I turn around and the cabbie has gotten out of his cab and dashed after me, just to hand me the 19 yen (about 19 cents) change that I'd left behind.
Amy Taylor 2 years ago
I spent 2 months in Tokyo. I was overtired (2 babies under 2 with me) and I accidentally left my purse in the laundromat and didn't realize it until a few hours later. I panicked, and went to the hotel concierge to see if they could assist me in calling them. The lady walked me to the laundromat, they were closed so she called the owner, who came over to unlock it and take me in. My purse hadn't been touched and was still sitting on the shelf that I left it on. Japan was one of the most amazing places I've visited as far as customer service and cleanliness is concerned. They go way above and beyond. I also noticed that there's no such thing as a "McJob" there. Every person takes pride in their work.
#12
The Spanish eat dinner at like 10pm and party until like 4am and still have energy to go to work the next day. Idk where they get the reserve of energy to do that but it’s wild
#13
I remember when I was a kid I was shocked when I realized a good chunk of the world did not eat rice regularly in meals lol.
#14
Our internal visualization of time more or less follows the direction of writing.
I'm from Brazil, and i can only speak for Brazil, but this feels online with the rest of euro-centric culture.
I mean that when we talk about the Past or the Future, the trend to gesture from left to right, which just so happens to be the way we write. I spent some time in Taiwan, where they used to write from top to bottom and sure enough, "yesterday" is literally translated as "the day above" and tomorrow is translated as "the day below". And it's more than just that, think of timelines, horizontal versus vertical. The whole internal visualization seems to be related to that
I would love some input from someone who speaks a language written from right to left because right now this theory feels like grasping at straws but somehow kinda right. Please someone prove me wrong
Ash 2 years ago
Some languages consider the past to be uphill and the future to be downhill. Eurocentric worldview often puts the past behind us and the future before us, but some languages do it the opposite (you can "see" the past, so it's in front of you, but you can't "see" the future, so it's behind you)!
#15
That a lot of americans literally cannot get anywhere without a car and that getting your drivers license is as a result extremely vital for gaining any independence (which is why the car is so synonymous with the american meaning of 'freedom'). I've talked to americans for years and only recently thanks to Not Just Bikes did I find out just how car centric american culture is.
Hedgeh og 2 years ago (edited)
"A developed country is not one where the poor have cars. It's one where the rich use public transportation." quote-eco-...d17145.jpg 
#16
Adam Jones said:
India has more than 200 languages and dialects.
candygram4mongo replied:
India and China are both better understood not as analogous to European countries, but as what Europe as a whole would look like if they had a single government.
Chinmayee Kalghatgi 2 years ago
22 official languages besides Hindi and English. Each state has its own language and culture. At minimum you know 2 or 3 languages.
#17
Danish people leave their children outside of stores when they go shopping.
Being from the USA, you would be arrested for that 100%. Immigrants have been in the past, probably more than I would ever have thought.
Rosemary Probert 2 years ago
In the UK you would be considered a bad parent too because the baby might get kidnapped or attacked in some places. When I was a child it was common for babies to be left outside in their prams while mothers did the housework. Then again, neighbours would keep an eye on other people's children. Because everyone knew everyone else, neighbourhoods were much safer than today. Strangers stood out from the locals and there weren't the cars for a quick getaway if someone committed a crime. Nor did you have to lock your doors and windows even if you were only in your garden.
Kimi Tomminello 2 years ago
Rural US used to be like that too. My farming community is still kind of like that but the urban sprawl is starting to creep in here too. When my kids were little all the kids in the neighboring farms used to meet up on the farm trails and be out there eating crops and playing from sun up to sundown, now there's "sovereign citizens" trying to stake claim to our land and settling up camps cooking meth and stealing stuff. I'd be afraid of my kids going out back there without a vehicle nowadays. It's sad.
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Anita Jonsdottir 2 years ago
Its quite normal in Scandinavia including here in Iceland. The babys sleep best in strong weather, we offcourse dress them accordingly
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
It is becoming more common for childcare centres in Australia to have the babies sleep outside (within the fenced areas) now, largely because we view the Scandinavian ideas of education and care so highly.
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Lisa Valen 2 years ago
In the US, this would be child neglect. But worse, it would create untold opportunities for kidnapping.
Jesper Bang 2 years ago
Is kidnapping such a big problem in the states? I'm from Denmark myself.
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FABULOUS1 2 years ago
I wouldnt take my eyes off of a child for 30 seconds even to grab my purse here in the US.
Nikki Sevven 2 years ago
Stopping at an ATM when my daughter was a baby, I would take the time to take her out of the carseat and with me, even when the ATM was only 3-4 meters away from my car.
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Laura Gillette 2 years ago
I would also worry about like... what if the baby needs something? You just leave them there to cry?
Jenny Pugh 2 years ago
You don't just ignore the baby for a couple of hours! They are checked on regularly.
Load More Replies... Niffler_13 2 years ago
This was common practice in a lot of places up until child care laws came into place. Watch Call the Midwife
All's Gravy 2 years ago
I wouldn't leave my dog tied up outside a store in the UK, it is likely to be dognapped.
#18
Kodiak-Marmoset said:
Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian: essentially the same language.
scelt replied:
Same people too, but don't even try to tell them that. If you would suddenly remove religion, I have no idea what would they find to argue about, but they would find something.
Source: I'm one of them. Won't tell you which, but as you see, it doesn't matter.
#19
In Switzerland, perhaps A and D too, when you pick up the phone there is a routine that must play out before the conversation continues:
*ring ring*
Receiver: “Hello this is *business*, my name is *surname*, good day.”
Caller: “Hello Herr/Frau *surname*, my name is *surname*.”
R: “Good day, Herr/Frau *surname*”
C: “Good day, Herr/Frau *surname*. I am calling because ….”
Also you can’t just say goodbye and hang up, you will spend a good 2min saying goodbye and wishing the other a good day/evening/weekend and thanking them and saying you’re welcome until you both say “Also Tschüs” and **then** hang up.
#20
I'm from South America, when I went to Germany I went to a meeting in a bar and ordered water out of politeness so I wouldn't be there without paying for anything, bc I don't drink alcohol. To my surprise water is free and from the tap. Started ordering sparkling water instead from there on lol.
#21
In Germany there is a holiday in which, during the dead of night, a guy will get his friends together, take a thin, tall tree, strip it of its branches, decorate it, write the name of a romantic interest on it, then anonymously strap that tree to the house of said romantic interest.
When I was first told about this, I thought my German instructors were exaggerating, but nope. The next day the city was FILLED with decorated trees. And I didn't hear anything that night. I still don't know how they did it so quietly.
#22
Some cultures your friends treat you on your birthday and other cultures you treat your friends on your birthday. An example would be paying for a birthday dinner with friends.
#23
I had no idea that Catholics had more books to the Bible than Protestants had until I was a young adult.
#24
Literally every damn thing about Mormonism. I could give you an entire book about the things. What should I call it though…
Edit: Some people are asking for the goods so let me blow your minds.
1. Mormons has bizzare ceremonies in the temples which are definitely “sacred” not “secret.” Haha. I researched these 15 years ago, but there was no proof of what actually happens. Then youtube happened. Watch Mormons do baptisms, with a proxy, for dead people. Watch them act out crossing into various levels of heaven using code words. Check out the secret underwear.
2. For many years Mormons boasted that they found a golden book that was transcribed with the help of an Angel. It is now accepted, even by the general authorities that the “book” which mysteriously disappeared was transcribed by Smith using seer stones that were placed in a hat. Yea folks, he was a con man. There is a whole history of seer stones. What’s more is that the church admits this now.
3. Smith was married to and had sex with girls as young as 14. He sent their husbands away and then had to “bite the bullet” and marry them for the good of their community and the authority if god.
4. The Salamander letter
If you are truly interested, google Jeremy Runnels and the CES letter. In short, Runnels was a passionate Mormon. He had some questions and was encouraged to write out his issues and send them to an LDS authority to get some explanation. He wrote a 70 page document called the CES letter that led to his excommunication. The CES letter has been them cause for many Mormons to leave the church.
Have fun! Im sure I got some details wrong here and there, but nothing of any importance.
Rosemary Probert 2 years ago
There's a saying, "If you want to get rich, start a religion". A lot of cult weirdos do it for sex as well as money.
#25
Studying the Russian language, I came across this really interesting word, тоска (toska) and its verb form, тосковать (toskovat’). Its meaning is very difficult to translate into English because it has such a deep cultural context, but it essentially can mean, depending on context, a sort of heart-wrenching, painful longing, or a sense of nostalgic wistfulness, sometimes for something you don’t even know. From the Russian-language wikipedia article for this word:
>No English noun conveys all the shades of the word. On the deepest and most painful level, it is a feeling of intense mental anguish, often with no explainable cause. In less severe cases, it can be aching heartache, a desire for incomprehensible what, painful languor, vague anxiety, torment of the mind, an unclear craving. In specific cases, it means striving for someone or something, nostalgia, love and suffering. At the lowest level - despondency, boredom.
What’s interesting about this word is just how much this feeling absolutely permeates Russian literature and music. For instance, there’s this one piece I absolutely love where one part of it always gave me the sense of reaching towards something desperately, but never quite grasping it. I never knew how to describe it, but this word encompasses it perfectly.
Edit: Because a few people asked, the piece I had in mind was the Passacaglia from Shostakovich's Violin Concerto no. 1
Rosemary Probert 2 years ago
The Welsh language has a similar meaning word, hiraeth, to express a deep yearning.
#26
Some Hindu rituals involve slamming coconuts into the ground. I remember passing through a street in Chennai in a cab and all of a sudden like 50 people slamming coconuts into the ground at the same time
I can't wait to go back
Chinmayee Kalghatgi 2 years ago (edited)
In temples mostly but just about anywhere something religious happens. We do it to make a promise to god that we will leave behind our negative stuff and seek to become a better version of ourselves
#27
Public sex education in Marrakech, Morocco. A circle of people pops up on Djemaa El Fna. A guy in his 50/60’s gathers people of all ages. He used sign language and talks and jokes around. Like a stand up street performing sex educator. In a Muslim country. They were basically standing next to their mosque. Post bias adjusted.
GoddessOdd 2 years ago
We probably should be doing something similar in the US, now that the conservatives have us marching rapidly towards book burnings and no reproductive rights.
#28
Temple culture in Taiwan:
The people who run the temples, and put on holiday performances for their respective gods, are a community of lost boys and society's rejects. They have an unsavory reputation, associated with petty crime and drug use. Each temple is basically a carnie street gang with a folk religion theme. They take your real money in exchange for fake money, which you are supposed to burn so your ancestors have money in the after life (insert mandatory inflation joke). Sometimes the temples have rivalries, and brawls break out between devotees during religious festivals and competitions.
Folk religion is alive and well in Taiwan, but at the same time, people who take it seriously have a "trailer trash" image, so it's considered cringy to be too interested in it. Good upstanding citizens just burn incense, say a prayer to their ancestors, take pictures if it's a touristy temple, and leave.
muffin woman 2 years ago
I have visited Taiwan before and it is literally the coolest place ever! (also the night markets are incredibly cool)
#29
wetlettuce42 said:
That Americans have garbage disposals in their sinks.
president_of_burundi replied:
I'm American and they might as well be a myth to me. I've only ever seen them in horror films, so as far as I know they're just a thing that you accidentally drop something down, then reach into to provide Dramatic Tension and/or get all your fingers cut off.
Leslie Harris 2 years ago
it is only for food waste, and you need to run water while using it. It is better to compost your food waste - saves water and helps grow new food. Before moving to a condo building, we composted - had volunteer fruits and veggies in our flower garden - it was funny seeing cantaloupe growing between the flowers.
#30
Coming to Vancouver, Canada and learning not only that I _had_ to tip, but that the nicer the place (meaning the pricier the food), the higher the expected tip up to the “standard” 20%.
I remember being new around 8 years ago. I went to a kinda nice restaurant downtown and treated a few folks, left a 5% tip for service I thought was bare minimum. The server came up to me as we were leaving - she must have been having a bad day or something, because she was literally on the verge of tears asking what she did wrong. I caved of course, and gave her the missing 15% in cash. Still, that was bizarre.
What do you think ?
MarmotArchivist 2 years ago
Something that I’m fascinated by is that there are different types of squats. I grew up in Europe and learned the “Western” squat as a child. A few years ago I learned about the “Asian” squat, where the whole underside of the foot touches the ground. It’s much more stable and squat toilets are so much easier to use with this.
Hphizzle 2 years ago
Standing or walking with your hands in your pockets is seen as very bad manners/rebellious in Japan. It’s something only thugs or bad guys do. As an American, it took a while to break that habit.
Jonathan English 2 years ago
It's cold outside u forgot your gloves, course your gunna put your hands into your pockets to keep them warm
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Chich 2 years ago (edited)
Travelled in Africa. Was warned that you do not stop to help someone injured along the road. First explanation was that it was a well known trick, especially at night. You stop and the injured one jumps up and along with his friedns in the ditch mug you. Second reason was that in smaller villages if you stopped at an actual accident you would be picked out as different/unknown so you must be the one at fault and could be attacked by the mob. Being a first responder it was a weird thing to consider.
Carlos Moreno 2 years ago
Venezuelan native here: it is very common to greet one another with insults. Example: "Marico I miss you" I miss you f****t... "mamahuevo que paso" Ball licker what's up. It is really like the most caring thing you can do to a close friend.
Deborah Rubin 1 year ago
America is a very car-centric country, outside of the cities it's hard to get around without one. I've never seen a house in America that didn't have a garbage disposal. And they don't have knives in them. You'll still lose part of your hand if you put it into a running disposal. Water is free here. Europeans think it's funny that America is so big, that huge distances and time-consuming commutes are not uncommon, but let an American snicker at how tiny their country is, and their claws come out.
MarmotArchivist 2 years ago
Something that I’m fascinated by is that there are different types of squats. I grew up in Europe and learned the “Western” squat as a child. A few years ago I learned about the “Asian” squat, where the whole underside of the foot touches the ground. It’s much more stable and squat toilets are so much easier to use with this.
Hphizzle 2 years ago
Standing or walking with your hands in your pockets is seen as very bad manners/rebellious in Japan. It’s something only thugs or bad guys do. As an American, it took a while to break that habit.
Jonathan English 2 years ago
It's cold outside u forgot your gloves, course your gunna put your hands into your pockets to keep them warm
Load More Replies... Chich 2 years ago (edited)
Travelled in Africa. Was warned that you do not stop to help someone injured along the road. First explanation was that it was a well known trick, especially at night. You stop and the injured one jumps up and along with his friedns in the ditch mug you. Second reason was that in smaller villages if you stopped at an actual accident you would be picked out as different/unknown so you must be the one at fault and could be attacked by the mob. Being a first responder it was a weird thing to consider.
Carlos Moreno 2 years ago
Venezuelan native here: it is very common to greet one another with insults. Example: "Marico I miss you" I miss you f****t... "mamahuevo que paso" Ball licker what's up. It is really like the most caring thing you can do to a close friend.
Deborah Rubin 1 year ago
America is a very car-centric country, outside of the cities it's hard to get around without one. I've never seen a house in America that didn't have a garbage disposal. And they don't have knives in them. You'll still lose part of your hand if you put it into a running disposal. Water is free here. Europeans think it's funny that America is so big, that huge distances and time-consuming commutes are not uncommon, but let an American snicker at how tiny their country is, and their claws come out.
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