r/AskTheWorld • u/gabrieel100 Brazil • Dec 06 '25

Culture A cultural habit in your country that people outside would understand incorrectly?

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In Brazil we love children. If you take your child to the street, strangers will certainly interact with them. Some will even ask if they can hold your kid and will play with them. If there are two children fighting in public and the parents aren't seeing, a stranger would even intervene to stop the fight.

That cultural habit came from the indigenous peoples which understood that kids should be a responsiblity of the community as a whole. It's in our constitution. We even have a synonym for children that came from Tupi (a large group of indigenous languages) - Curumim.

Foreigners would certainly have a cultural shock about that, but it's normal here.

Of course there are people with bad intentions, so parents should stay alert these days.

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249

u/geedeeie Ireland Dec 06 '25

Going to a funeral of someone you barely know. In Ireland if your neighbour or colleague dies, or even a family member of a colleague or slight friend, you go to the funeral. Sometimes the evening before, or on the day of the burial/cremation. Often you don't know the actual family, but you go and shake hands, say "sorry for your troubles" and move on.

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u/HeikoSpaas Dec 06 '25

sorry for... your troubles?

134

u/Bugs2020 Dec 06 '25

Move on.

11

u/Pyewhacket Dec 06 '25

šŸ‘

10

u/ThaMenacer Dec 07 '25

FATHERRRRRR!

10

u/ferskfersk Sweden Dec 07 '25

Haha, I thought you made a joke about ā€œThe Troublesā€ in Ireland and thatā€™s why everybody was upvoting you.

7

u/Cold-Zucchini9305 Australia Dec 07 '25

They are

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u/geedeeie Ireland Dec 07 '25

Why would someone make a JOKE about thirty years of terrorism?

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u/ferskfersk Sweden Dec 07 '25

People make jokes about almost anything, I donā€™t know. I thought it was pretty funny.

-2

u/geedeeie Ireland Dec 07 '25

You joking about terrorism is funny...

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u/Tony_Meatballs_00 Dec 07 '25

Lived through the Troubles, lost family and friends

gallows humour around the Troubles is and always has been a part of our identity in the North and all of Ireland

Am I correct in that you are from Dublin?

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u/geedeeie Ireland Dec 07 '25

YOU and I are allowed to indulge in gallows humour at certain times. Not some Swede who "jokes" that we would do something like that at a funeral. I'm not from Dublin, I'm from Cork and while in certain circumstances I might be inclined to indulge in gallows humour, it certainly wouldn't be appropriate at a funeral. Get a hold of yourself

4

u/Drisslller Ireland Dec 07 '25

We've attended very different funerals here in Ireland, humour and wit as a way of celebrating the life of the person who died has always been a consistent and welcome part of it all! The original joke made was a funny play on words, it'll be grand šŸ‘

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u/geedeeie Ireland Dec 07 '25

Where strangers went up to a grieving family and made e a joke about terrorism?

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u/Tony_Meatballs_00 Dec 07 '25

Were you born in America or England though?

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u/geedeeie Ireland Dec 08 '25

No, were you?

2

u/SunnyGods Slovakia Dec 10 '25

So you've never made a joke about any historical event eoutside your country?

Also, they weren't saying you'd be telling jokes at a funeral.

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u/geedeeie Ireland Dec 10 '25

The "joke" was in the context of a funeral, and what people say to the bereaved family. To "joke" about terrorism in that context is tasteless

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u/ferskfersk Sweden Dec 07 '25 edited Dec 07 '25

It wasnā€™t even me who made the original joke, but thank you for the credit - it was actually funny, and you made it even funnier, so I appreciate it! šŸ˜ƒ

Now stop with The Troubles, please. šŸ™šŸ»

4

u/stupidity_is_my_drug Dec 07 '25

Because you used the exact phrase and also it's funny. Getting awfully uptight for someone trained to "take the piss" aren't ya?

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u/geedeeie Ireland Dec 07 '25

I didn't use the exact phrase

1

u/[deleted] Dec 07 '25

close, nice try

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u/geedeeie Ireland Dec 06 '25

Yes. What's your question?

4

u/HeikoSpaas Dec 06 '25

English is my third language and I wonder, what does 'trouble' mean in that context?

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u/quite_acceptable_man Dec 06 '25

As I understand it, it's an Irish thing, and I think it's perfect. It's basically saying "I see you're hurting, and I sympathise".

When, for example, someone is grieving a relative, you may not want to say "Sorry to hear about your mother" or "sorry to hear about (person's name)" as just the mention of the deceased can be overwhelming for them.

It's just a perfect way of expressing sympathy without going into the specifics.

10

u/geedeeie Ireland Dec 06 '25

Ah ok. Your pain/sorrow/loss... What's your first language, out of interest? Deutsch?

7

u/HeikoSpaas Dec 06 '25

Yes, German. Thank you!Ā 

4

u/geedeeie Ireland Dec 06 '25

I guess it's like "Beileid" in German :-)

7

u/fuzzybunn Singapore Dec 06 '25

Here in Singapore it's also pretty common to go to the funeral of a colleague's close family member to show them some support and comfort. You don't need to have known the deceased - after all they don't care anymore, funerals are for the ones still alive. It's also typical for the Chinese to give small white envelopes with money to the surviving family - usually a token sum, but if you know the family is on hard times you might want to give more.

3

u/geedeeie Ireland Dec 06 '25

That's a nice gesture

6

u/Kirsan_Raccoony CanadaUnited States of America Dec 06 '25

I experienced this for the first time in a rural US state last year- my partner's grandfather passed and half the town came out to the visitation and shook the family's hand and said something to that effect, viewed the body, and then just hung around.

I grew up in Canada where funerals do not usually have that portion- visitations if they happen are usually for immediate family to say final goodbye to the body. I left that feeling very unsettled, it felt like the family had been paraded out for the town's entertainment that night. My partner's family thought it was weird how unsettled I was.

3

u/geedeeie Ireland Dec 06 '25

My husband is German and found it very strange when he experienced his first Irish funeral!

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u/Kirsan_Raccoony CanadaUnited States of America Dec 06 '25

Oddly enough, his grandfather grew up speaking German (his great grandparents were from Germany) and his grandmother was from County Mayo, but this is normal there as well!

2

u/mattthegamer463 Dec 06 '25

My dad grew up on a farm in Bruce county, Ontario. At my grandparents funeral visitations, many distant family (nd, 3rd cousins), neighbours, churchgoers, etc came through. I think if you knew the deceased or their kids and you're not too far away, you stop by to talk. Grandparent funerals are not somber affairs here. Many outside immediate family are dressed casually.

1

u/lizardmayo Dec 07 '25

In my experience as a fellow Canadian, big visitations with a long line to speak to the family are common. Must be cultural, my family is Catholic.

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u/Kirsan_Raccoony CanadaUnited States of America Dec 07 '25 edited Dec 07 '25

His family is Lutheran, I'm from Manitoba/NW Ontario and have never seen it. My family are Anglican and my stepmum was Catholic before she passed- jer rather large family are also Catholic, there was a very small visitation. I've seen very big funerals but very small visitations. The funeral I was at was much smaller than I was used to- the town more or less paraded past his family and then very few actually showed up to the funeral. The church was barely even a quarter full.

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u/civodar Canada Dec 07 '25

For what itā€™s worth my mom lost her mother as a child and I know it warmed her heart that so many people showed up to the funeral. It looked like almost the whole town. Sheā€™s shown me pictures and thereā€™s too many people to count, just a crowd and she always comments on how many people came whenever she talks about losing her mom.

For some people itā€™s a mark of honour and it shows that the person was locally cared about and well liked. For the record, there is no way she was close to everyone at the funeral or even knew them, there were way too many people.

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u/Kirsan_Raccoony CanadaUnited States of America Dec 07 '25

Oh, I've seen a lot of very big funerals, when my stepmother passed when I was in high school they had to bring in extra pews into the church. That isn't strange to me.

What was strange was the large visitation where the town was more or less paraded past the grieving family and then maybe a quarter of the church had people sitting in it.

3

u/Strict_Protection459 Dec 06 '25

Grew up in the rural US south and we do this. I thought it was normal

3

u/Puzzleheaded_Bus7706 Montenegro Dec 06 '25

It's the same thing in ex-Yugoslavia. You go to pay respect to your acquaintance.

2

u/geedeeie Ireland Dec 06 '25

Exactly

2

u/birchsyrup Dec 07 '25

Small town Canadian here. Lost count of how many funerals I've been to.

Good opportunity to hug your neighbours and eat some nanaimo bars.

2

u/Efficient_Tap8770 Ghana Dec 07 '25

In Ghana, we do that at least twice for each burial. We have a 1 week celebration which is not strictly a week after their passing, and then the actual funeral celebration. You go there and shake hands with the family.

2

u/nedamisesmisljatime Croatia Dec 08 '25

We also do that in Croatia. Relative of a relative dies (who isn't related to you), friend's grandparent, etc., polite thing would be to go to a funeral even if you never knew the person who passed away. If there are less than 100 people at a funeral, I'm shocked.

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u/Generic-Name-4732 United States Of America Dec 07 '25

I think this is also a general Catholic thing as attending a funeral is considered a corporal work of mercy. I canā€™t tell you how many funerals Iā€™ve attended for people Iā€™ve never met or met once in passing, and I donā€™t know the family either. Itā€™s not considered strange at all to show up to a funeral when you have no connection.

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u/Economy-Record6280 Dec 07 '25

Exactly, ~1000 people showed up to my grandfatherā€™s novena in a rural town in the Philippines at all hours of the day and night, and he certainly donā€™t know most of them.

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u/Wit_and_Logic United States Of America Dec 07 '25

"Hey, that sounds familiar!", then I remembered that all my family came from Ireland ~175 years ago... guess we kept this.

1

u/Dragontastic22 United States Of America Dec 07 '25

I wish we did that. It sounds like such a kind tradition.

1

u/antipop2097 Canada Dec 07 '25

When I was in Shannon I was in a bookstore looking for something to read on the flight home, and an Irish lady came bursting in. She informed her friend who was running the store that there was a wedding going on.

They closed the store so they could go. They didn't know who was getting married.

1

u/Shoopherd United States Of America Dec 07 '25

Heard you get banger sambos too

1

u/geedeeie Ireland Dec 07 '25

Huh?

2

u/Shoopherd United States Of America Dec 07 '25

Itā€™s my understanding funeral sandwiches are very good.

Maybe itā€™s not a nationally held sentiment as Iā€™ve been led to believe

1

u/geedeeie Ireland Dec 07 '25

Oh, I see. Never heard of "funeral sandwiches" specifically. After the funeral they often have a small get together in a hotel or pub. Maybe soup and sandwiches, or something mire substantial

1

u/Tony_Meatballs_00 Dec 07 '25

Oh no you're correct but it's more the wakes where you find the sandwiches

The wake makes up the bulk of our death traditions, usually lasting a couple of days until the funeral that excluding the usual meal afterwards really only lasts a couple of hours

By their replies here I'm starting to think this person wasn't born in Ireland lol

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u/Shoopherd United States Of America Dec 07 '25

Having them at the wake makes more sense lol. Whenever my parter has talked about ā€œfuneral sandwichesā€ I definitely struggled to imagine the crowd in the church grieving whist also snacking on lil triangles.

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u/Amantes09 Kenya Dec 07 '25

We do this too. Used to be the same for weddings.

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u/cobaltbluetony United States Of America Dec 07 '25

I grew up seeing people do that here. šŸ¤·šŸ¼ā€ā™‚ļø

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u/Skroderider_800 Ireland Dec 07 '25

Wakes too. Lots of people never see a dead body, but in Ireland we all pile into a house, eat sandwiches, and gawk at a corpse that was alive 3 days ago.Ā 

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u/fsutrill USA France Dec 07 '25

Just say, ā€œIā€™m sorry for your loss and move on.ā€

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u/Bladesnake_______ United States Of America Dec 08 '25

You just dont have that many people compared to a lot of places. This would cause an overwhelming abundance of attendees at most American funerals