Cape Verde etiquette and customs

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Cape Verde is an island country more than 500 kilometers away from the west coast of the African continent. It covers an area of only more than 4000 square kilometers and has a population of less than 400,000. The country is composed of 18 islands large and small. Each island is covered with coconut groves, green shades, flowers are in full bloom, butterflies and birds are singing. The scenery is beautiful. Looking down on the country from an airplane, it is like 18 giant green leaves floating and flashing on the smoky Atlantic Ocean. The vast majority of the island's residents are Creoles of mixed blood between white and black people. The common national language is basically Creole, which is simplified by Portugal. Due to the long-term influence of Western culture, the vast majority of residents believe in Catholicism, and their customs and habits have both African and European characteristics. Cape Verdeans love to make friends, treat others honestly and enthusiastically, and do things simply and straightforwardly. However, there are many rules in their customs and etiquette. When interacting with them, they need to pay attention to them, which may cause jokes or cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

The most solemn festival in Cape Verde is Carnival, which is held every year on the first Tuesday 40 days before Easter, when the country is closed. This festival was introduced from Brazil, was held for the first time in 1912, and later gradually spread to all parts of the country. On the day of celebrating the festival, every city performs its own wonderful program. There is a team in every area, and on the float of each team there is a girl dressed as a princess standing high on the float. The float moved forward slowly, and people marched in line, singing and dancing in a warm and grand manner. At night, people gather in squares or parks to sing loudly, dance wildly, and enjoy the fun of the world. China people in Cape Verde should try their best to participate in these public activities. They can not only increase their knowledge and deepen their feelings with the local people, but also take this opportunity to make friends, inspect the market, and obtain information.

A young man usually offers flowers to show his courtship to a girl. If he likes a girl, he will give a flower wrapped in plant leaves to the girl. If the girl accepted the flowers, the young man used banana leaves as paper to write a letter to the girl's parents to propose. Friday is regarded as an auspicious day, and weddings are usually held on this day.

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The greeting languages commonly used by Cape Verdeans when meeting include "Hello","How are you feeling recently","I am so happy to have the opportunity to meet you","May God bless your success","Sincerely thank you","Your deep affection cannot be expressed in words", etc. When you meet a Cape Verdean for the first time, you can take the initiative to extend your hand and shake the other party politely. Don't use too much force or hold it tightly. Say a few words of greetings very politely. When meeting friends you are familiar with each other, first give a warm hug, the act of kissing is to gently touch each other's cheek, then shake hands and say some greetings to each other. In rural areas, good friends meet each other and slap each other's right palm with their right palm while saying greetings to show their close relationship. Cape Verdean women always bow to male guests or bow, and women with status sometimes take the initiative to reach out and shake hands with male guests. Shaking hands is a common meeting etiquette in the local area. Both parties should be enthusiastic and proactive. It is extremely impolite to refuse to shake each other's extended hand for no reason. Of course, you have already realized that the other party has no intention of shaking hands. The best way is to nod or bow slightly to the other party, which is also a very polite move. In order to avoid embarrassing situations, before reaching out to shake hands, you should first think about whether you are welcomed by the other party.

What needs to be noted in the

is that when a man and a woman shake hands, the man can only reach out and shake hands after the woman reaches out. When a man shakes hands with a woman, never hold the woman's hand for a long time without letting go. Kissing is a etiquette that originated and is popular in Western countries. It is very popular in Cape Verde. The way and habit of expressing it is to kiss each other on the cheek, once on each side. In the local upper-class society is also popular between men and women kiss hand ceremony, the correct way is about 80 cm between men and women, four eyes look at each other, the woman first stretched out her hand and gently raised about 60 degrees to the left front for a drooping posture, the man saw the woman's hand gently lifted, slightly bent over, bowed his head, gently kissed the back of the other hand, and then released his hand, and said to the woman "Thank you." When kissing hands, men must be steady, natural, relaxed, the movements should not be vulgar, the posture should not be exaggerated, especially when kissing the woman's back, never make a "sucking" sound, so as not to cause embarrassment in front of everyone. In addition, hug is also a common courtesy when local friends meet, like kissing, hug is through the contact of a certain part of the body to express mutual respect and intimacy, can be interpreted as chest "kiss", both sides hug, you can get great pleasure, feel the strength of each other's spiritual support. The correct way to hug is to stand opposite each other at a distance of 20 cm. The left arm is up, the right arm is down, the right hand is holding the left rear arm of the other party, the left hand is holding the right rear waist of the other party, and the two sides hug each other to the left according to their own orientation. As a business etiquette, the two sides should not stick their bodies too tightly, hug for too long, and never kiss each other on the cheek with their mouths at will.

visiting Cape Verde for business activities, it is inevitable to introduce each other during exchanges. Whether it is face-to-face introduction, written introduction, self-introduction, or introduction through a third party, there are some local habits. When introducing yourself, greet each other politely. This is to remind the other party of their attention, and then explain one by one your name, identity and wishes to get to know the other party; if you want to continue to keep in touch with the other party, you can leave your own address and phone number for the other party. What you need to pay attention to when introducing yourself is to observe the other party's reaction and introduce it appropriately; do not force the other party to leave you the other party's address and phone number. When you are introduced, you should stand demurely in front of the other party and show your sincerity in wanting to get to know the other party. When you are introduced, you should take the initiative to reach out and shake hands with the other party and say "hello" and "nice to meet you". When introducing a person to everyone as a third party, introduce the stranger first, and then introduce the people present one by one; introduce the young to the elderly; introduce the male to the female; and introduce the low status to the high-status. If the person being introduced is a woman, do not lead her around the venue and introduce her to every guest present one by one. Introducing a person through a letter is also a common way to make new friends in Cape Verde. The letter is generally simple and clear, stating the name, identity and relationship of the person being introduced. It is put in an envelope without sealing it and handed over to the person being introduced. The person being introduced cannot visit the other party directly with the letter of introduction, but should pass it through the other party's secretary or assistant and wait for the other party's reply.

In business exchanges in Cape Verde, it is common to give each other business cards. In the eyes of Cape Verdeans, business cards are a reflection of a person's identity and status, a manifestation of dignity and value, and a way to seek social recognition, understanding and respect. Since business cards are regarded as a highly valuable self-"letter of introduction" locally, when dealing with local business and corporate communities, the delivery, reception and storage of business cards should pay attention to due etiquette effects and cannot be treated lightly. First of all, your business card should be printed with the company name, personal title, mailing address, contact number, etc. The quality needs to be more elegant. It is best to have a comparison between Chinese and Portugal, and it is better to have a personal photo printed on it.

When you need to deliver business cards in business occasions, the principles to be grasped are: those with low status must first hand over business cards to those with high status; men first hand over business cards to women; young people first hand over business cards to older people. If there are many people present, deliver first to the person with higher positions or older positions; if you are not clear about the position or age of the person present, you can start delivering first from the person on your left. When delivering the business card, you should smile, stare at the other person with your eyes, and hold the two corners of the business card with your thumbs and forefingers and give it to the other person; if you are sitting, you should stand up or bend your body when delivering the business card; At the same time, you should say "This is my business card, please accept it" and other polite words. Cape Verdeans generally do not give business cards easily until they have determined the origin of each other. Therefore, do not take the initiative to ask for business cards from others, and pay attention to respecting the wishes of others. When receiving the other party's business card, you should immediately stand up or bend your body, smile, catch the lower corners of the business card with your thumbs and forefingers, and say "thank you" at the same time. When receiving a business card from a person you meet for the first time, you should read it carefully on the spot and read out the other party's name, title, unit and other important contents with emotion. Finally, pay attention to keeping business cards well and not placing them randomly. If you have already received the other party's business card and don't have a business card to give back, you should apologize to the other party and explain the reasons, such as "I'm very sorry, I just arrived in your country and haven't had time to print my business card","I'm sorry, I just ran out of business cards with me today, and I will send them to you personally in a few days", etc.

you go to Cape Verde to explore the market, the pace of life must be very tense, and almost every day will be regarded as precious. Some China companies may be worried that Africans have a weak sense of time and that they will waste time in the process of doing things. In fact, there is no need to worry about this, because Cape Verdeans have a strong sense of time and pay attention to observing time when doing things, negotiating, and making appointments. They believe that being late and missing an appointment is a very lack of etiquette. Once those high-status Cape Verdean businessmen have made an appointment with you at a time and place, if they may be late or even miss the appointment due to some special reason, they will inform you in advance and express their sincere apologies. Sometimes they will personally or send a secretary to you to apologize and explain the reasons. On the contrary, China personnel should pay great attention to this point when handling cases in Cape Verde. When conducting business activities in Cape Verde, observing time and not missing an appointment will increase the trust of Cape Verdean friends in you and help your career succeed.