Almost every country in the world has its own customs that tourists find strange. For the locals, these are completely normal and routine. However, tourists often end up in confusing situations. Recently, the British site Buzzfeed published several fascinating facts about the strangest customs and habits in several countries around the world.
Nodding in Bulgaria
Bulgarians' nodding of the head to say "no" has been classified by the British site as one of the strangest things in the entire world. This comes as no surprise, considering that when people in the rest of their world nod their head it means "yes".
Bathing girls in Slovakia on Easter
In Slovakia, there exists a tradition of young men pouring buckets of water on young women and whipping them lightly. This is believed to guarantee good health for the girls in the next year. How a foreign girl might feel after partaking in some Slovak goodwill is another matter entirely.
Proms in Norway
Tradition in Norway dictates that each senior graduate put on a red suit or tuxedo and wear it for an entire 17 days. Also during that period, it is accepted for the former students not to work but to travel around the country with rented buses and have fun.
Blood types in Japan are of great significance
The Japanese have views that may seem strange to any foreigner. The long historical isolation of the land of the rising sun has birthed dozens of strange beliefs and customs among the Japanese people. For example, a person's blood type may determine their entire social development. The Japanese judge the character and likeness of a person based on it (similar to a zodiac sign).
Elves and leprechauns in Ireland
A recent study that came out revealed that a large percentage of Irish people believe in the existence of elves and leprechauns. From these stem numerous unusual customs that people, especially those in rural areas, continue to uphold - such as leaving bonbons in bushes and glasses of warm milk outside of their door.
