Social Dos And Don'ts Of Lithuania 

shoes off inside 100% , I'd add hats off too. The rest- while very common but not mandatory

I am from Klaipėda. The is a story with being late here. There is a large minority of ethnic Russians living here (as per census 2021 17% of the the entire population of the city). Russians in general are noticably more relaxed about coming late or being 'fashionably late' than Lithuanians. Lithuanian colleagues or friends absolutely do not tolerate coming late unless you apologize and notify that you will be late because you have some issue that you cannot control. If you want to annoy your friend or piss off colleagues - yeah, go ahead and come late. Several times. Fashionably. And see what happens😀 They will point it out to everyone for the next 10 years and stop inviting you anywhere.

Additional rule in Lithuania - NEVER say to any Lithuanian, especially form the younger generation, that Lithuanians and Russians are the same. We are deeply offended by that.

As a resident of Klaipėda I have to say that 6 o'clock means 6 o'clock. Also try not to show up early because the host may not have fully prepared everything, as for any other situation, it's ok to show up a tad bit earlier.

My grandma was Lithuanian as well as half of my ancestors. I see so many similarities to how my grandma would act. I would spend time at my grandparents over the summer other than summer camp and my Lithuanian grandma would spoil us to a breakfast that was basically a 5 course meal every time. I would always say I wasn’t hungry/thirsty by the second or third serving of food but she would always insist. At least she would make us go home with the food instead.

About coming on time. If it is business meeting, one needs to be on time, or up to 5 minutes earlier to show deep interest. If a teacher is 15 minutes late - class is off. But if you're invited to a birthday party, it is better to be up to 15 minutes late, not to stress your host. You may be 1-2 hours late, if your'e extra close friend of everybody and they love you anyway. Or you may come 30 minutes earlier, if you're extra close friend and are ready to polish dishes or something like that.

1. Seat separately in the bus if it’s possible. 2. Let the elderly people to sit down. 3. Do not buy tickets, until you see “Keleivių kontrolė” (I am joking😅)

One thing that was missed is that during cold times you don't do a handshake wearing gloves. You take it off, shake hands with the person and then put it back on :)

I am born and grown in Klaipėda (and I still am in Klaipėda). If you say at 14:00 in worst scenario it means 14:10. Being late is rude and not informing that you will be late is rude also. Be on time or at least inform that you will be late.

the ''bring somthing if you're invited over'' is so true, when me and my dad went to his friend's family we always bringed a cake with us

I recently read a book on Lithuanian pagans and there was a very interesting chapter on the "I sveikata" / "to your health" expression. In (relatively) old Lithuanian, "sveikata" meant "soul", but nowadays it is never used in that context, we always use "siela" for soul. Additionally, Lithuanian pagans believed that a part of the soul might leave the body and get stolen by evil spirits during moments of shock or excitement. Hence, whenever someone sneezed in pagan or early Christian Lithuania, others around them would always say "I sveikata", hoping that it would help the soul get back into the body faster. The expression is very old in origin, but the current iteration, related to health and well-being, makes more sense in modern context, because sneezing and coughing is what sick people do, so not many people know the real backstory of the expression. The book doesn't go into detail whether the "I sveikata" of a toast is the same as the one used after someone sneezes, but given that it's usually used in combination with stronger drinks like vodka (I don't think I ever heard someone say "I sveikata" while drinking beer, but maybe that's a generation thing, not a drink thing), I think it is the same expression that originated from the same belief of soul leaving a body. If you're curious about the book, it's "Lietuviu religija and mitologija" by the late Gintaras Beresnevicius.

I can assure you that whenever I visit elderly relatives, they will give more food when you arrive since a long time than actual weddings. Crazy banquets!

Meanwhile, in an alternate universe: Canada Explained by a Lithuanian

The first time you have to decline is something older generation does, between young generation (

I'm form Poland and we have exactly the same social rules

Something I was told by my bestfriend (he's from Lithuania while I'm from Australia), that Lithuanians generally don't like being stared at unless they're friends or family

In Mariampolė region you have to arrive about 10 minutes early

The greeting is spot on, also, when a man and a woman get to know each other, develop a friendship, very often you can see them greeting with a hug

I am lithuanian and I approve this message

Not sure whether it is nationwide or just in our family - when you finish your meal you should say “Ačiū, sotus” and then host should respond with “Į sveikatą!” 😊

1. Never shake hands without crossing the doorway 2. Men handshake with men, women hug women, and a man handshakes women he is not yet comfortable with 3. When giving cheers while drinking you must look into the eyes of the person or people you're cheering. 4. In public transport you should avoid sitting next to someone unless it's someone you know.

Another great and original research!

very well made video, i will send it to few of my friends for pointers... Thanks!

Thanks for this video.

Nicely done! :)

Great video!

Men used to kiss a woman's hand upon greeting or departing. Had that when I was growing up. And it's not sexual but a sign of respect .

I think you got things down pretty much right. I would say that in general, being late when incited over is usually Frowned about and arriving early is rude, even if 10 minutes early because the host may not be ready. It’s typically expected that you will be either on time or maybe 5 minutes late. 15 minutes late May still be ok, but 30 minutes is considered rude.

Additional rule: you can arrive late to a gathering if the host is known for being late themselves and usually they'll even ask you to arrive later 30 minutes before meet up time :D

Good as always :)

Growing up as a 3rd generation lithuanian im surprised to see how most of this was just normal for me.

The Lithuanian "cheers" when drinking is also the same thing you say when somebody else sneezes. The Lithuanian "Bless you", if you will.

dont whistle at home, its bad luck

Alcohol. My mother-in-law always insisted, that a woman should never pour herself a drink if there is a man around. I, personally, always commend people who pour drinks for themselves. I heard it's called "sailors method". It generally asserts dominance and says - I know how much I can handle, that is why I pour my drinks myself.

I am from Kretinga area, I was always taught to arrive at least 15 minutes early

I am lithuanian and I didn't know half of these. Thanks!

The "dance" of offering and refusing is so funny to me personally :) It seems to slowly die out among the younger generation, and I'm glad about it - goddamit, just say what you mean THE FIRST TIME

Thanks for the information! My son was born on Tuesday, August 6,2002 in Los Angeles, CA. My mother tells me my father's father was born in August 1902 in Lithuania. Records were not so exact. Once a month a civil servant from the provincial capital would ride to each village and write down who had died the previous month and who was born the previous month. In September 1902 it was noted that my grandfather had been born.

I read comments. What do you guys mean "avoid sitting next to someone in the bus"?! There is no such rule. Everybody can sit wherever they want. Lithuanians are not really people avoiders. It's not Finland, where they don't step out of the house if they see or hear a neighbour. What I find rude is to "sit" your purse or bag next to you in a crowded bus so that nobody can sit next to you. That is low. Btw the front part of the city bus has always been for elderly people, disabled people, pregnant women and mothers with babies. If you're sitting there and they board, you should offer them your seat. I think this rule is good. In soviet times it was even stricter, you could have been embarrassed by the passengers if you didn't let the old lady to sit down. I'd say, we don't have any special do's and don'ts in Lithuania. It's rather about the upbringing and manners. Don't talk too loud on the phone. Do not litter. If being late, just call or send a message "I'll be there in 10 minutes", everybody's got phone, right?

Most of this norms are the same in my country as well. Greetings from Romania .

Eye contact when toasting, try to keep the agreed time to meet and shoes off at home are our customs too in sweden! Very familiar.

No idea where you got the being late in Klaipėda part, but I myself born and raised was never late, none of my family members or friends have a habit of being late and if such a thing happens they call and announce that they are late.

I am told by my friend in Lithuania to always toast with your left hand as it is closer to your heart.

I'm Lithuanian and this is all accurate information. About being late in Klaipėda, I don't know because I don't live there.

seems pretty accurate

Sveiki

the whole "nonono no cookie thank you" "ok fiine I will eat the cookie" thing is cursed stop plz

could have also mentioned stopping at traffic lights and is it much more observed in comparison with some south European countries like Spain or Italy.

We don't like it when someone litters in nature, because it's not nice to see piles of garbage afterwards. We put the garbage in bags (if it's paper, we put it in our pocket), and then we throw it in the trash. Thanks for a video.

3:00 and always the RIGHT hand, never give left hand when greeting or with gloves👋 In our Lithuanian culture greeting with left or gloves means disrespect.

You don't handshake with gloves on , you either take them off or fist bump thats another one id like to add

I am Lithuanian and from Kalipeda :) so, being late in Klaipeda is not nice as well. I know something, as I am always late and everyone is always angry 😅 Neither come earlier is nice in Lithuania. Refuse coffe/tea offering "at the first time" is not a right thing to do. And eventualy you'll be taking it anyways, most probably. Wine/alcohol is poured by a man, if there is one at the table. As a matter of a good education 😉

I never knew about any of them except shoes

Seems the same in Belarus ( well, not surprising since we're neighbours )

Whenever I greet a woman in her 20s that I don't know, I use fist bumps if it's informal or a handshake if it's a business meeting. If it's a female friend in a casual setting, then I just go for a hug. So far, it's working quite well! Don't use fist bumps to greet guys, though, as it will 100% lead to an awkward moment, as the other guy will go for a handshake every time you go for a fist bump. Some people also don't like going for a handshake if they're wearing gloves and prefer ignoring the above rule and going for a fistbump with another guy instead, taking the risk of an awkward moment. There's also another weird habit where relatives give each other hugs and fake kisses (make the motion of a kiss and the kiss sound with your lips while hugging someone, but don't actually kiss) after a family meeting, one of the most awkward things ever.

finding this just as interesting despite living here all my life because i dont go outside lol

I am from Klaipėda, which is the most German influensed city in Lithuania. Lithuania's organisation on work is the most similar to Germany, it is actually scientifically proven, so you can multiply it by 100 when it comes to Klaipėda and Lithuanians living there. But the problem is that there are 20% of russians-speakers living there and thus their influense is visible, so you have this contrast between super strict German time understanding and russian levity.

As someone who is from Klaipeda I have to say personally if we say 6pm we mean 6pm but that has to be group specific.

im from Vilnius

It is very intereting that giving an number of flowers is not polite🤔 Is it common in other Baltic countries as well.

Iam from Klaipeda,and i dont know anyone who would intentionaly be late,me and my family prefer to allways come earlyier,so ppl dosent have to wait for us

As a person from Klaipėda you can be 15 min late no more becouse it's just inpolite to be late there's that 15 minutes becouse in Klaipėda there is a lot of traffik

My mum's straight off the boat & feeding strangers or children's friends is not something we did, but perhaps it depends on the household income. We were never allowed to have friends over for meals but we also had 7 kids, so... no one was putting out a big spread for anyone & we rarely had that, too. Being late's a big deal... it's rude & if it's a sit-down dinner, of course you want guests to show up on time, otherwise you have to hold the food for everyone to arrive. I guess it's more a symbol of respect with the sentiment being, you're lucky you're being invited, so honor your host by showing up when they say. Shoes off is common sense especially in any country with snow/ice/rain. Who wants to drag wet, dirty shoes all over the house, but oddly, it wasn't something my Lithuanian mum requested. My Irish father, however, who was a steel worker, required that all shoes be left at the door & no bare feet cuz you might get steel splinters from his work. What I always remember is that if someone gave you a food gift, like a slice of cake or dessert, you never returned an empty plate. Something to do with you're blessing the household to always have food. And, a custom for us was to leave a small cup with a pill (like an aspirin), a penny & a crumb of bread outside the front door before the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve. It symbolizes that the household will have enough money, food & good health for the upcoming year.

I'm not sure about Klaipeda, altho i know quite a few people from there living in my hometown of Vilnius and punctuality is no problem with any them, i also dont mind people coming a little early, i just hate the ones that are really late. Basically if ur late more then 15 minutes i expect you to call in and tell me that you will be late.

As a Lugan who was born in Canada the drink song/dance goes something like this would you like a drink? no - thank you ... sorry, are you sure? i insist? yes, sorry, could i have a coffee, black thank you, thank you, oh sorry, no worries, thank you thank YOU no, thank you, sorry no, i'm sorry...

One more about the mans hand shake. If you younger you never draw your hand to a elder man, you wait till he do first this is very important and disrespectful. If u young boy you never do that..

I don't think that sitting at the corner of the table is bad luck. In fact, in old, traditional lithuanian homes the corner seat is reserved for the owner of the house, and the end to the eldest man of the family.

^^ Irishman living in Lithuania for the last number of months. You forgot to mention friends kissing friends on the lips upon greetings - found this so weird at the beginning but now I' used to it haha.

I think the shaking across a threshold may not be a superstitious thing. To me it seems disingenuous to shake over a threshold, and Lithuanians value sincerity. So if someone shook my hand over their threshold they either have not stepped outside or haven't invited me in. You are kind enough to shake hands but you haven't decided whether you will invite me in?

You cannot be late in Klaipėda :) meeting at 6sharp means meeting at 6sharp it is rude to be late even 5 minutes.

I'm from Mažeikiai. If I will be like hour early it's ok.

Claim your lithuanian ticket here

thing about shoes is far from universal, let's say czechs in this regard are usually stricter, about insisting to dink or eat something is partly generational and more common in rural areas

It is so weird watching an English video, seeing a street for 2 seconds and knowing exactly where it is lol.

I only saw it being normal in USA. And I don't find it normal, but some people don't care and they tell you to leave your shoes on (that's a situation in Croatia where I am from)

The little dance of refusing and accepting and implying that you don't want the thing when you do want it is as annoying as it sounds. That's why younger generations (30 and below) almost never do it in my experience.

Wheres the place where im expected to be at 7 while it was said 6? I would fit it like a snug glove😅

Not mentioned here but as an Englishman I always get told off for whistling, as it's supposed to be inviting evil spirits or something ?

Labas

labas

People feom abroad sometimes dont dig it ;) but we know it

tbh i hate the thing that us lithuanians offer stuff a tons of times even if we declined. its so annoying but i cant really say that bc i sometimes do it aswell on accident😅

I (being a samogitian) think that the samogitia stereotype is actually quite funny.

It’s interesting how my family and I always take our shoes off inside even though I was born in the usa. It’s like all these things are in my blood lol

Are students friendly in Lithuania ?

Kiss a hand, you show respect by that :)

Eye contact is only for hard liquor that comes in shots. If you're sipping wine or even something harder like whiskey no one expects eye contact (and if they say they do they are deranged). Definitely not with beer drinking. It's a shot thing.

im from klaipeda, be on fokin time m8

you forgot mention one thing about shoes of some will say to keep your shoes on but dont listen take them off your gonna be rude if you wont

They do same as us gypsy so no surprise there

The uneven number of flowers is a russian thing, not lithuanian.

Funny thing, living all my life in Lithuania and not expecting anyone to bring something to my house when I invite them. Sometimes I also forget that there is an unofficial "rule" to bring something when visiting someone's house :D Never knew that when saying "i sveikata" I need to watch to the eyes before my boyfriend who is at allAsian told me that :D Was really surprised to find out. About pouring drinks first to others and not yourself - at all a surprise for me :D About part of being on time, I agree. Doesn't mean you can't be late for 3 mins (at non-official appointment), but 10 mins late is kinda rude in Lithuania. Though I find myself coming 10 mins earlier to someone's house also not appropriate.

Can someone tell me where is normal to wear shoes inside of the home after coming from outside? Imagine someone walks with dirty shoes in your living room just after you finished vacuuming. How normal is that in other countries?

Hey guys, shot in the dark but do any of y'all know Lithuanian flower giving traditions and would be willing to respond and help me out? lmao

are you related to alexander lyon?

... how about whistling indoors? :) lol - superstition or social faux pas?

I am lithuanian

I would not recommend following this lis very strictly, yeah people take of shoes and show on time but it is not really exotic in the rest of the Europe, looking people in the eyes when you say cheers sounds more like a Germany thing to me, this I must say sounds stupidest on this list, I never look people in the eyes when I drink and no one finds it bothersome, never noticed anyone doing it too... However pouring drinks to your guests first is a must, never pour drinks by reversing rotating your wrist lateraly by the way - it is very rude... it is quite obvious that this pose displays negative attitude. Shaking hands above threshold also is a demonstration that your guest is unwelcome inside... By the way we do not "shake" hands, we press them, it is a sign of respect if the peraon who shakes your hand puts some pressure on it. A Lithuanian host will unlikely be mad if you will not bring anything on your visit, in fact it is not as if it is expected of you to bring something, it is more like if you are a Lithuanian guest you will feel very awkward if you will come empty but the host will unlikely mind that, however it is quite an offense if you will refuse the host's hospitality.

I'd rather be early and expect others to be on time. I don't know if it's a Lithuanian thing. If you're 5 minutes late I am assembling a missile launcher.

yeah my lithuanian parents do all of these