Poland is quite a big country situated in central Europe. Warsaw is the capital city and Polish is the official language. Poland has many traditions and customs which are country-specific. Visitors to Poland should know and remember some of them.

GREETINGS

It is always important to know how to greet the people you meet or who you are introduced to. Sometimes it can help you to make a good or a bad impression on others so be careful.

What you should know about greeting in Poland:

  1. When you meet a person you do not know, you

- do nothing

- or you shake his/her hand (when a man meets a woman, it is her who must shake his hand first, if she does not, the man should not do this first).

  1. When you are a man and you meet a female friend:

- a kiss in hand (very formal custom)

- one kiss on cheek

- handshake is also acceptable in some situations

  1. When you are male and you meet your male friends:

- handshake

- or nothing

  1. When you are a woman and you meet your female friends:

- one kiss on cheek

- or nothing

  1. when you meet your family or good friends:

- three kisses on both cheeks

- or handshake

GESTURES

  • When you meet someone you know on the street, you nod your head or just smile at him/her
  • If you are a man, you wear a hat and you meet a woman, you should take the hat off with your right hand and nod your head
  • Kissing women in hand -it is a very specific gesture and a very old tradition, nowadays old-fashioned
  • Shaking somebody's hand-you should be smiling and should not shake the other person's hand too strongly

GOING TO SOMEBODY'S HOUSE

When you visit someone you know you should take off your shoes and you can ask for a pair slippers. If you do not want to take off your shoes, you should always ask the host for permission. This habit does not apply when you are on a formal visit or on a party. Another important thing is to remember about the order of greeting people:

1. First, of all, women welcome one another.

2. Next, women welcome men.

3. Finally, men can greet one another.

What is more, the welcoming ceremony should begin after the guests take off their clothes. When you organize a party, you should not invite your guests to sit at the table until everyone who is invited arrives.

When you want to go for example to the bathroom, you should always ask the host for permission.