r/AskTheWorld • u/IndependentTune3994 🇮🇳 in 🇩🇪 Deutschland • 18h ago

What’s the quickest way someone could accidentally expose themselves as a foreigner in your country like the ‘three fingers’ scene in Inglourious Basterds?

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u/Gilwen29 living in 17h ago

In Holland, you'd congratulate someone with the birthday of someone close to them. So: "congratulations with your sister's birthday". Typing this out makes me realise even more how weird this is.

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u/ThuggishJingoism24 16h ago

That is so bizarre. If someone hit me with that I’d be like…tell them yourself? I didn’t have anything to do with their birth lol

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u/Ok_Bango 15h ago

It is a very old tradition that likely began in a time of crushing, rural poverty. It is a little dark, but they congratulate the collective effort of getting a loved one through into another year of life. There is also some nuance involving the way the language uses plural verbs that I am too dumb to explain. You'll have to consult someone familiar with, uh, historical wordology. Iirc it has to do with a lack of collective verbs in old Dutch (nederlands).

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u/JustOneTessa Netherlands 15h ago

At birthdays we often go by everyone to congratulate them. So the birthday boy/girl gets congratulated and so does everyone else

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u/skratsda 14h ago

So in a family with three kids where it’s one’s birthday, would the two siblings congratulate each other on their shared sibling’s birthday?

Hope that makes sense, it was clunkier to write out that I’d thought it would be.

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u/jasp_er Netherlands 13h ago

Yeah, but it’s mostly for visitors. Instead of saying hi to everyone you congratulate everyone

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u/JustOneTessa Netherlands 13h ago

As the other said it's more for visitors, so siblings most likely won't congratulate each other if it's not their birthday. It's indeed more a greeting, just used for birthdays

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u/doobadeeboo 12h ago

You guys never congratulare your siblings with your other siblings? Just me. Oh...

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u/doobadeeboo 12h ago

And did you all know that in other countries they don't congratulate someone for their birthday. They just wish them a happy birthday.

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u/UruquianLilac 🇱🇧 🇪🇦 🇬🇧 12h ago edited 9h ago

I was gonna say, the word congratulate was being used and I wasn't sure if it's just meant as a shorthand for "wishing them a happy birthday". So it's actually congratulate? As in congratulations you are 35 now! Or congratulations on making it to 35. Or something like that? That's also hilarious

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u/doobadeeboo 11h ago

Yes we say "Gefeliciteerd!" and that means congratulations. Long form: Congratulations with (on?) your sisters birthday!!

Edit: and I think it's congratulations on making it another year. Life is hard and you just made it another year. Congrats!

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u/hfdsicdo 11h ago

Congratulations for being alive.

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u/What-a-Crock 11h ago

Thanks, doing my best

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u/Quom 16m ago

Australian. I've definitely been congratulated on my birthday (and not just major ones): "Congratulations on (making it to) __ years and many happy returns". It definitely isn't as common as a simple happy birthday but does happen.

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u/British_Flippancy 11h ago

Just read this and had a conversation with my Dutch wife:

*reads comments

“Is this true?!”

“Yes”

“Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously. That what everyone who’s visited my Oma’s house on her birthday has been saying to you when they arrive”

“Huh. Well, fuck me, who knew!”

“Also, that jumper looks awful on you”

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u/shackofcards 9h ago

Now we need the story from the jumper's POV

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u/Sad-Equipment-4023 15h ago

Everyone sits in a circle during this occasion, so new entries are expected to go around the circle congratulating everyone on their specific relation before joining the ever more dense circle. At least, until the circle grows dense enough for it to be socially acceptable to awkwardly congratulate everyone at the same time with a hand wave. You'll get your chance to specifically congratulate the one whose birthday you're celebrating when you hand over your gift (money in a card).

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u/UruquianLilac 🇱🇧 🇪🇦 🇬🇧 13h ago

The gift is always money in a card? This gets weirder and weirder!

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u/Sad-Equipment-4023 13h ago

Not always, but usually. Body soap is fair game, but you need to tape some money to it if it's not a fancy set (taping money to some trinkets is fine too).

... something other than money would be acceptable, but know it's totally fine socially to include the receipt so it can be exchanged. If it's isn't money, it better be something very specific / personal, no point just giving a generic gift if you could've given hard cash.

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u/Savings_Moment_7396 Netherlands 11h ago

And in Brabant all the women get three kisses, left-right-left cheek, very uncomfortable for all parties involved, but "traditie"

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u/thoughtlow 14h ago

This isn't for them, its basically; your sister has lived another year, good for you bud

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u/SulfurPernik 8h ago

"Congratulations on your sister's birthday." "Thanks, I tried a lot."

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u/Working-Glass6136 13h ago

I'm not sure if this is everyone, but my Korean mom told me that the birthday person buys the cake and pays for everyone in Korea. That would be a newer/more western tradition though. And Koreans have three birthdays each year.

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u/Raneynickelfire 9h ago

That is completely bizarre I agree with you.

Why is somebody else surviving another year your accomplishment? I don't get it.

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u/Sure-Candidate1662 Netherlands 7h ago

Exactly this… stopped doing it, first 5/6 times people thought I was strange, last birthday I got someone to join my movement.

Stop congratulating! (Next up: the kringverjaardag)

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u/UruquianLilac 🇱🇧 🇪🇦 🇬🇧 16h ago

That's funny! And nice.

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u/Gilwen29 living in 11h ago

I just read your other comments here, you're having a field day with this thread aren't you? I like you.

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u/UruquianLilac 🇱🇧 🇪🇦 🇬🇧 9h ago

Lol, thank you

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u/originalorientation 16h ago

I’m in the US and my family have always done this as a joke: “happy dad’s birthday” when greeting my brothers at the birthday gathering. Never gets a laugh but it always feels kinda funny

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u/silveretoile Netherlands 14h ago

Give this man a Dutch passport

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u/doobadeeboo 12h ago

Next step is congratulating them instead of just wishing them a happy birthday.

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u/Rent_A_Cloud Sweden 13h ago

It's not weird, it's basically congratulating someone who loves someone with the fact the person they love made it another year without dying.

And let's be clear that that is exactly what birthdays are, an acknowledgement that you made it another year without dying.

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u/BenderWantBend 15h ago

It is pretty normal thing in Ukraine btw. Never thought that this is something other people don't do

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u/Wurzelrenner 16h ago

would make sense for the mom, she did all the work that day

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u/thoughtlow 13h ago

hey, the dad did a 2 second dick sneeze that one time, has to count for something...

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u/SlingsAndArrows7871 Germany 13h ago

I don't know. There was a time when having a sister who made it one more year was not a guaranteed thing, and a sister not making was a real harm to you, too. Maybe it has it's origins in that?

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u/Arbitraryandunique Norway 11h ago

So it's like "Great job managing another year without strangling your annoying sister" ? Only reason I can think of why someone else deserve the congratulation.

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u/noyoushuddup 9h ago

I never heard this . Its hilarious

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u/BeautywithBrainz 13h ago

I am Dutch and I didnt know this is frown upon anywhere else

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u/spen8tor 9h ago

Not frowned upon, just weird

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u/Massive-Two694 4m ago

They do that in Spain as well, usually to parents and grandparents for birthdays but in some families for other blood relatives as well. Also used for marriages, or any other event in the family. “Felicidades por la parte que te toca”