AFRICAN AMERICAN
v Kwanzaa
GREETING: Happy Kwanzaa
ARMENIAN
(Most Armenians belong to the Armenian Gregorian or Orthodox Church;
smaller numbers belong to Catholic or Protestant congregations.)
v New Year
GREETING: Happy New Year
v Christmas
GREETING: Merry Christmas
In church on Christmas, Armenians greet each other by saying "Christ
was born and revealed."
(Traditional Armenians only give gifts to children.)
BAHA’I
v Naw
Ruz
GREETING: Happy New Year
v Festival
of Ridvan (the "d" with a dot below, the correct transliteration, is pronounced
like a "z," thus "Riz-wan")
GREETING: Happy Ridvan (Riz-wan)
It is inappropriate to offer greetings on the following occasions:
• Ascension of Baha’u’llah
• Martyrdom of the Bab
• Birthday of Baha’u’llah
BUDDHIST (Theravada)
v Visakaha
Day. This is a combined celebration of Buddha’s birth, death, and reaching
nirvana.
GREETING: Ordinarily, Buddhists do not offer greetings, but if they or
outsiders wish, they may say the following:
Happy Buddha’s birthday
CAMBODIAN
l New
Year
GREETING: Happy New Year
To confer blessings on this holiday, Cambodians throw water on each
other and on outsiders they like and respect.
CHINESE
l New
Year
GREETING: Happy New Year
Gung Hay Fat Choy (Cantonese pronunciation)
Gungshi Shin Nien (Mandarin pronunciation)
There are no customary greetings for the following holidays:
• Lantern Festival
• Respect for Ancestors Day (Ch’ing-ming)
• Dragon Boat Festival
• Ghost Festival
• Mid-Autumn Moon Festival
CHRISTIAN
v Easter
GREETING: Happy Easter
v Christmas
GREETING: Merry Christmas
Because Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays, it is offensive
to say "Merry Christmas" to a Jehovah’s Witness, as well as "Happy Birthday."
Both are disrespectful greetings.
There are no special greetings for the following occasions:
• Candlemas
• Shrove Monday, Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday
• Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Pentecost, Advent
EASTERN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN
v Christmas
GREETING: Merry Christmas
v New
Year
GREETING: Happy New Year
v Easter,
also known as Pascha
GREETING: Happy Easter
There are no special greetings for Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Pentecost.
HINDU
The greeting is the same for each of these occasions:
• Makara Samkranti/Pongal
• Maha Shivaratri
• Holi
• Ramanavami
• Janmashtami
• Durga Puja
• Diwali
GREETING: God bless you with prosperity and happiness;
I wish you happiness and prosperity.
HISPANIC/LATINO
v Christmas
GREETING: Merry Christmas (Feliz Navidad)
IRANIAN
v Now
Rouz
GREETING: Happy New Year
ISLAMIC
v Eid
al-Fitr
v Eid al-Adha
GREETING: Eid Mubarak; Happy Eid; Congratulations;
May every year bring more good things to you.
v Ramadan
GREETING: Ramadan Mubarak; Congratulations on the arrival of
Ramadan; Wishing you the blessings of Ramadan. (Mubarak
means "blessings.")
Muslims fast from sunup to sundown during the month of Ramadan. If you
find yourself in a situation with someone who is observing Ramadan where
you need to eat, drink, or smoke, ask them if this would be offensive
to them.
It is inappropriate to offer greetings on the following occasions:
• Laylat al-Qadr
• Muharram
• Maulid an Nabi
JAIN
v Mahavir
Jayanti
This occurs at the end of one week of fasting and celebrates the birth
of Mahavir. Believers ask for pardon for past transgressions. It is inappropriate
to offer greetings on this occasion.
JAPANESE
On New Year’s Day, "Happy New Year" is appropriate.
On birthdays, weddings, and other happy occasions, Japanese say "Omedeto,"
which means "Congratulations."
There are no special greetings for the following occasions:
• Greenery Day
• Children’s Day
• Respect for the Aged Day
JEWISH
v Purim
GREETING: Happy Purim; Happy holiday
v Passover
GREETING: Have a happy holiday; Happy holiday
v Shavuoth
GREETING: Happy holiday; Have a happy festival
v Rosh
Hashanah
GREETING: L’shana Tova, Happy New Year; Have a good year;
May you be written in (or inscribed) for a year of good health and happiness.
v Yom Kippur
GREETING: May you be sealed in the book of life for a good year;
Good yuntef
v Sukkoth
GREETING: Happy holiday; Happy festival
v Shmini
Atzeret
GREETING: Have a happy festival; Have a happy holiday
v Hanukkah
GREETING: Happy Hanukkah
The phrase "good yuntef " is an appropriate greeting for all
holidays.
KOREAN
l New
Year
GREETING: Happy New Year; New Year’s Blessings
l Chusok
Because it is mainly an agricultural and full moon harvest festival in
Korea, Chusok has no special greeting.
MEXICAN
v Cinco
de Mayo
GREETING: Happy Cinco de Mayo
l Day
of the Dead
GREETING: Since this is a memorial day, there is no appropriate greeting.
v Las Posadas
GREETING: Merry Christmas (Feliz Navidad)
v Christmas
GREETING: Merry Christmas (Feliz Navidad)
SIKH
v Guru
Gobind Singh Ji’s birthday
v New Year
(Baisakhi)
v Guru
Nanak Ji’s Birthday
GREETING: The greeting is the same for each of these occasions:
• Congratulations on this holy day.
• May you be blessed by the Guru.
• Greetings on this holy day.
TIBETAN
l New
Year (Losar)
GREETING: Happy New Year; Happy Losar
To each other they say, "lo sar bey tashi delek." This means,
"I wish you prosperity and good will." Using the English translation as
a greeting would be appropriate, too.
VIETNAMESE
l New
Year (Tet Nguyen Dan)
GREETING: Happy New Year; Blessings on the New Year
EATING TABOOS
FOOD:
Catholics, on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday,
may abstain from eating meat.
Hindus don’t eat beef.
Hindus, Muslims, Mormons,
and some Protestant sects do not drink alcoholic beverages.
Jews who observe Passover are forbidden to eat any
baked goods or cereal products that could ferment (bread or dough).
Jews and Muslims who observe the
dietary codes don’t eat pork or fish without scales or fins. In addition,
Jews will not eat foods that are not kosher or not prepared under kosher
conditions.
Navajos who adhere strictly to old traditions do not
eat fish. However, more modern Navajos do.
Seventh Day Adventists who strictly follow the official
Articles of Incorporation, dated 1901 and amended in 1953 that urge
strict vegetarianism, refrain from eating meat.
UTENSILS:
When eating with people who use their hands instead of utensils, do
not use the left hand for touching food and drink. It is considered
unclean. Use only the right hand.
When using chopsticks while dining with Japanese people, do not rest
your chopsticks upright in the rice. To do so brings bad luck because
upright chopsticks are only used during funeral rituals.
UNEXPECTED CUSTOMS:
Koreans generally do not drink tea with their meals. With meals they
serve hot or cold water or soft drinks. They drink tea before or after
meals. The tea is usually made from barley, not from tea leaves.
In Japan and Hong Kong, slurping pays tribute to the chef. Lip smacking
as done in Hong Kong is a complimentary sign, as is belching when done
in Saudi Arabia and parts of the Philippines. When living in the United
States, people from these parts of the world may continue these practices.
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