Culture Nuggets

The southern part of the country is different in many respects, including the culture and the mindset of the people. I haven't been here long, but I have learned some interesting things:

*If you look at someone's child too long, they believe that child will become ill.

*If you are at someone's home and are about to leave it is common for the host to say, "You're leaving now? You should stay and have some tea." This is just a nicety and you should never agree to stay for tea- that would be rude.

*People only burn candles if the power goes out. If they see you are burning a candle (maybe because it is a scented candle and you want your place to smell nice, or for ambiance), they will assume you are worshiping your dead ancestors; that you lit the candle to pray for/worship them.