French people usually shake hands when meeting guests in social situations, and girls and women often curtsy. When men and women meet, they often kiss their cheeks or face each other instead of shaking hands. The French also have the custom of men kissing each other. When two men meet, they usually kiss each other on the cheek in public. "Kissing hands" is also quite popular in some social classes in France. When kissing hands, be careful not to touch a lady's hand, or kiss a gloved hand, or kiss a girl's hand in public.
French toast on the dining table precedes men, even though the status of female guests is lower than that of Japanese guests. Women should be allowed to go first. Go into the house first and sit down first. When visiting and saying goodbye, we also greet and thank the hostess first, and introduce the lady first when meeting. Introduce the old first by age, and the tall first by position. If there are several guests, they are usually introduced in the order of seating or standing. Sometimes the introducer can't remember the name of the introduced person at the moment, and the introduced person should introduce himself voluntarily. When you visit the French, don't forget to bring flowers.
When sending flowers, it should be noted that the number of flowers cannot be even, and men cannot send red roses to married women. Pay attention to the types of flowers: sending chrysanthemums locally is a sign of mourning for the dead. The French give each flower a certain meaning, so we should be extra careful when choosing flowers: rose soul flower represents love, begonia represents anxiety, orchid represents piety, tulip represents love, primrose represents first love, daffodil represents ruthlessness, marigold represents sadness, daisy represents I just want to see you, lily represents respect, Dahlia represents gratitude, acacia represents trust, and lilac represents that my heart belongs to you. Hanging upside down shows enthusiasm, leading flowers show confidence, carnations show fantasy, peonies show shyness, Baishan tea shows that you despise my love, and black tea shows that I think you are the most beautiful.
In addition, the French regard bright colors as noble and popular, horses as a symbol of courage, blue as a "quiet" and "loyal" color, and pink as a positive color. However, the French are jealous of the walnuts, dark green, spades and chrysanthemums on the trademarks. The French also regard peacocks as evil birds, fear cranes (symbols of fools and adulterers) and turtles, and think azaleas and paper flowers are unlucky.
Most French people believe in Catholicism, followed by Protestantism, Orthodox Christianity and Islam. They think the numbers "13" and "Friday" are unlucky and may even cause some disasters. If you call old ladies "old ladies", they will be very unhappy. The French also taboo men to send perfume to women, because they are too affectionate and scheming. They don't want others to inquire about their political orientation, salary and personal affairs. If you give gifts at the first meeting, the French will think you are unsociable and even vulgar.
French female guests have the habit of making up, and generally do not welcome waiters to send scented towels. When talking with guests, the French always like to stand closer to each other, which they think is closer. They prefer rooster, thinking that it has both ornamental value and economic value, as well as the function of morning paper, so it can be regarded as a symbol of "light" and a national bird. They also like iris very much and regard it as the pride of their own nation, the symbol of power, the symbol of the country and the national flower.
French people are used to using gestures to express or emphasize their meaning in conversation, but their gestures are different from ours. For example, we use our thumb and forefinger to represent "eight" respectively, while they represent "two"; When expressing the concept of "it's me", we mean the nose, and they mean the chest. They also point down with their thumbs, indicating "bad" and "bad".
The French seem to be inseparable from alcohol all year round, but they drink too much. Three meals a day, except breakfast, every meal is inseparable from wine. They are used to using aperitif to clear their stomachs before meals, and borrowing spirits such as cognac to help digestion after meals. When eating, they eat meat with red wine and seafood such as fish and shrimp with white wine. Rose red wine is a universal wine, which can be used to eat fish and meat. Ladies like to use rose red to express their light taste and don't like strong things. The French not only pay attention to plates and glasses, but also pay attention to them. Although the French pay attention to a lot, they don't drink much. A bottle of 10 degree wine is usually enough for a party of three or five people.