Gift Giving

When you are invited to a Czech home, there is one thing you must do. You must bring a gift. It is considered very rude if you do not. Gifts can include flowers, candy, candles, etc. Also, it must be presented as a gift. In other words, if you pick up flowers at the store, you must remove the plastic wrap and then wrap it as a gift. Candy should be placed in a gift bag, etc. In addition, you must be careful what type of flowers you give and how many. Odd number flowers are given as gifts; even numbers are given at funerals. Red carnations should not be given as gifts. This cultural rule has kept me alert the couple of times I have been in Czech homes.

I was thinking about this tradition and trying to decide if we had anything like it in the States. I would compare it to bringing part of the meal. If you're invited to someone's home in the States, you usually offer to bring dessert, a drink, etc. That way, you help lessen the burden of the one preparing the meal. This is the closest thing I could think of as being comparable to gift giving to the host family in the Czech.