How are customs different in Taiwan and Mexico?

Answer 1

Taiwanese culture is a blend of Confucianist Han Chinese, Japanese, European, American, and Taiwanese aborigines cultures while Mexican Culture is a mix of Native-American (i.e: Mayan, Aztec), southern European and until very recently, American culture. These cultures have their commonalities, but more often than not, both are completely different:

Taiwanese are superstitious about anything concerned with dying. This means do not write people's names in red, nor point at cemeteries or graves (it shows disrespect for the dead), nor whistle or ring a bell at night (it is an invitation to ghosts).

On the other hand, Mexicans celebrate death, remembering the life of those who have passed away; this takes the form of a celebration that even mocks death itself: Day of the Dead (November 1 & 2) are days for celebration, including people dressing as skeletons and mounting elaborate altars to honor the dead.

Some taboos of Taiwanese culture include:

• Never giving umbrellas to anyone, as it has the same pronunciation as "break up" in Chinese.
• Never give off clocks, as it sounds the same as "to perform the last rites".
• Never offer shoes as a gift (it means sending someone to heaven).

While some Mexican taboos include:

• Topics like sex, politics and anti-church ideas are a huge no-no when talking to a Mexican, unless you are talking to a young Mexican and have a closer relationship with him/her.
• Most Mexicans are Catholic and as such, most of them are deeply religious and conservative in character, specially on small towns and villages.
• If you speak in Spanish you should be aware of where to use tú or usted. When talking to elders or important people, the usted is required; tú is used for children or very close people.