|
Cultural Etiquette
Cultural Dos and Taboos
1. When invited to an Albanian's home, be sure to take off your shoes upon entering the house.
2. It is customary to give a small gift to the host or hostess on the first visit to their house. Chocolates or a gift from your own country make fine gifts. One may want to avoid gifts of alcohol or flowers.
3. Good topics of conversation include sports, travel, culture, family (though men should not ask Muslim men specific questions about female relatives), and international politics.
4. It is best that the foreign visitor stay out of conversations that involve discussions of local politics, especially Albania's relationship withit's neighboring countries. One may wish to avoid initiating the discussion of religion as well.
5. Handshakes are the customary greeting. When arriving at a business meeting or a private dinner, always greet the eldest man first. Muslims may choose not to shake hands with persons of the opposite sex. In this case, a smile should suffice.
6. Women should be careful to avoid eye contact with men in public and should avoid venturing out late by themselves as that is considered "permissive" behavior.
7. Nodding your head vertically means "No". Nodding your head horizontally means "Yes".
8. Note that Albania has a large Muslim population; among this population, the Muslim rules and codes of the religion must be applied.
|