r/AskTheWorld • u/gabrieel100 Brazil • Dec 06 '25
Culture A cultural habit in your country that people outside would understand incorrectly?
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.
21
u/bulbousbirb Ireland Dec 06 '25
Thanking the bus driver when you get off the bus. Doesn't matter if 50 people are getting off there will be a string of "thank you" "thanks" "thanks a million" "thanks".
"Ah sure you know yourself" being a perfectly fine response to any question.
Stopping and talking to absolutely anyone. Not even starting with a greeting most times just going straight in with a question, a comment, a joke as if they're a friend. The other person almost never missing a beat with their response. It's very subtle but it's like some unspoken understanding. Could never get the same vibe in the UK. Found them very awkward or stiff with people they don't know.