Read it anywhere in any country. Children's poems about the homeland, about Rus', about Russia
Don't know what to present to a colleague or good friend? Give a symbolic gift. What could it be? Symbolic does not mean useless. Few people enjoy figurines or calendars. So if you can’t come up with one on your own, use the ideas below.
Wallet
Girls really like this symbolic gift. Representatives of the fair sex change their wallets like gloves or, as they say today, like phone cases. Such a gift will be useful, functional, and most importantly - necessary. But remember that a wallet is not given without money. Therefore, you will have to put at least 50 rubles inside. But you can show originality and put inside not a bill, but a souvenir. Today, souvenirs that “live” in a wallet are popular. It could be a raking spoon or a money mouse.
Goodies
You can present sweets or cookies as a symbolic gift. You can make such sweets either with your own hands or buy them in a store. The main thing in such a gift is the packaging. Make it out of cardboard or make a small bag out of paper. You can put a large lollipop or curly gingerbread cookies in it. Or you can buy cookies with wishes. A small sweet gift can be given for any occasion. It is much more pleasant to receive than a trivial chocolate bar.
Soap
Today, symbolic gifts made by hand are popular. If you know how to make soap, then do not hesitate to present the result of your activity to your friends. Close people will appreciate not only your skill, but also your care. After all, no chemicals are added to homemade soap. It consists exclusively of oils and natural additives such as coffee, orange zest or rose petals. If you don't know how to make your own soap, you can always buy it at the store. Such a gift will not only be pleasant, but also utilitarian.
Alcohol
A symbolic gift for New Year could be a bottle of champagne. This drink is associated with the holiday and will definitely be appropriate on a set table. What champagne to give is up to you. If you don't know the person's preference, go for semi-sweet. If you want to make a small surprise for a man, you should present him with small bottles of strong alcoholic drinks. You can buy several types of whiskey or cognac and pack it in one beautiful box.
Pot with a fresh flower
What a symbolic one should look like Present flowers, but not in the form of a bouquet. A living plant can decorate a colleague’s table or windowsill. These can be small roses, even colored cacti. Choose a flower that matches your friend's personality.
Such a gift can please a person for a long time, especially if it takes root and grows. And to make the gift unique, when you give a flower, give it a name. And then you can from time to time wonder how “Grisha” or “Misha” is doing there.
Money box
What can you give as a symbolic birthday gift? If a person tells you that he always doesn’t have enough money for something, present him with a piggy bank. You can choose the standard version in the form of a pig or in the form of another animal. For example, cats or dogs. Some may find this type of gift old-fashioned. Today, young people keep their savings on a card. Well, what can you say about this? The money from the card is spent, but if you “feed” the pig with 100-ruble notes, you can save it, for example, for a future vacation.
Diary
The ideal symbolic gift for a man is a glider. A diary is one thing that almost no person can do without. Even people who stay at home all day have to plan their activities. And if a person is a businessman and is forced to make important decisions every day, then he will not be able to do without such a thing. The secretary plans only work matters for men. But she will not remind you that you need to pick up your shoes from repair, that next week you should go to the hairdresser.
Slippers
A symbolic gift for a man for the New Year is cozy slippers. Representatives of the stronger sex rarely buy such new things for themselves. No, men don’t mind such little money. Rather, it is their natural dislike of shopping, especially clothing stores. Therefore, if you know the size of a man’s feet, you can buy him soft slippers. For example, a model made should have a classic shape. In this case, the man will definitely like your gift.
Creativity kit
This gift will be appreciated by any girl who... free time does handicrafts. Which set should you prefer? You can purchase a kit for weaving with beads or for modeling with polymer clay. If your friend embroiders, then give her a complex pattern, if she knits, give her a knitting magazine, and if you don’t know what exactly the girl is into, buy diamond embroidery. Any needlewoman will love gluing rhinestones to canvas. Today, paintings that need to be painted by numbers are popular. If your friend has always dreamed of feeling like an artist, give her this opportunity.
Casket
Cute things always attract female attention. Therefore, a win-win gift is a box. Girls will especially love a musical item that has some element of interactivity. Such a box will be used not only for its intended purpose, but will also take its rightful place on the cosmetic table. You will be pleased to see that the girl appreciated the gift.
Spices
This is a universal gift. If you know your friend loves to cook, give him some spices. After all, the taste and piquancy of the dish depends on the dried herbs. Good spices in beautiful packages are expensive, and not everyone can buy a set right away. Therefore, you can present the person with something special that is difficult to find on the shelf of the nearest supermarket. It could be saffron, star anise or cilantro. If you know that your friend doesn’t have beautiful spice jars, give them just that. You don't have to buy a big set. You can lay the beginning of a collection, and if a person appreciates the gift, he will buy the missing parts himself.
Keychain
You don't know at all, present the keychain. This thing, oddly enough, constantly needs updating. Key rings get lost, break, get dirty and quickly go out of use. Therefore, you can safely present something of high quality and metal. You may find a keychain with a lighter, knife, or bottle opener built into it. Based on the person’s needs and preferences. If you are giving such a souvenir to a girl, then you should give preference to a small soft toy.
There are only a few people who know how to choose and give gifts correctly. The secret of these chosen ones is simple: they know that a gift should have secret meaning besides his applied value. You can present an expensive gadget so boringly that there will be no feeling of celebration left, or you can present a simple stone and tell what in Greece it means: “May your money be as heavy as this stone.”
You can flaunt your knowledge of symbolism beautifully, or you can skimp on it ugly. Who likes it more?
Western tradition - to get away with little blood
Of course, not all cultures are equally symbolic. Each country has its own gift-giving etiquette, but life meaning they are laid down mainly in the East. In the West, things are much simpler.
Are you about to give a terribly expensive gift, but you're afraid the recipient doesn't appreciate your generosity? There is a wonderful American tradition for this case: enclosing a receipt! True, they do this not to brag, but to give a person the opportunity to exchange their gift (if they don’t like it) for real money. By the way, it is Americans who give the most gifts in the world.
But the Irish don't send checks. Because there's no point. It is customary to give gifts here only to children. Adults do without such conventions. When going on a visit, you are supposed to take with you some food (preferably homemade) and wine. So if your close person is interested in the currently fashionable Celtic motifs, don’t be surprised that you showed up with a bottle of vodka and self-cut sandwiches. The main thing is that traditions are respected!
Scandinavians and Finns don’t rack their brains too much either. The best gift is a candle! In these northern countries, living fire is a symbol of warmth, comfort, and light. Denmark generally ranks first in the world in per capita consumption of candles. But the Swedes prefer to give homemade candles. The art is simple: cover a rope well soaked in alcohol with soft wax or paraffin. Then everything depends on your sculpting talent. At least the gift budget is minimal, unless, of course, you don’t mind a little alcohol for a good person.
In France with its cult of reason and education wonderful gifts are considered a good art album, a highly intelligent book or film. This way you emphasize your respect for cultural level interlocutor. Therefore, it is unlikely that a Frenchman will give such a gift to a Belgian - there are too many jokes in France about the stupidity of its northeastern neighbors. And indeed, the problem of gift symbols in Belgium is being solved in the most radical way. The gift is often accompanied by a card on which it is written in detail what exactly it means. this item. So that the recipient, God forbid, does not perceive the gift in some way incorrectly.
And finally, about caution. If you celebrate Valentine's Day cheerfully among the Germans, you will be misunderstood. For Germans, Saint Valentine is the patron saint of crazy people. And his day is celebrated primarily in psychiatric hospitals. However, what is love if not temporary insanity?
It's a delicate matter
In classical oriental culture every object is a symbol of something intangible. Without a detailed reference book it is impossible to understand these intricacies. Let's try, however, to find some key points of Eastern gift-giving.
It is a commonplace that a Chinese person should not be given a watch. It is believed that keeping track of time reminds the Chinese of death. May be so. Moreover, the expression “giving a watch” sounds in Chinese exactly like “attending a funeral.”
In China, people are generally very sensitive to the sound of words. Thus, “four” is considered an unlucky number only because it is consonant with “death.” But we can turn our neighbors' prejudice to our advantage. Is it decent to give a girl a mobile phone that she has long dreamed of? After all, it certainly contains the ill-fated clock!
Give me a fan instead! After all, its shape is similar to the lucky “eight” (two divergent features that, according to Chinese thought, lure and prolong happiness). Or something else of a similar shape: for example, an umbrella.
A great way to offend a Chinese person is to give him something, no matter how valuable, but in a rectangular elongated box. The trained gaze of slanted eyes will immediately see a coffin in this, and, consequently, a wish for death.
It seems that our southeastern friends are tired of their own total symbolism. At least the most the best gift they count money. True, etiquette has been developed for this case too: the bills must be crisp, fresh from the bank, and certainly in a special red envelope with best wishes written on it.
And the second most desirable gift in China now, alas, is... binoculars. Moreover, they do not respect their own, Chinese optics, but are completely delighted with ours, especially the army ones. And no symbolism! It’s just that here it’s not considered indecent to peek at each other, and the general lack of curtains contributes to this. It is probably believed that if you are hiding from your neighbors, then you have something to hide from the party and the government.
But in general, the value of a gift for the Chinese is in its value. Getting away with an incredibly cute but cheap trinket is extremely indecent.
The Japanese, while in no way inferior to continental Asia in the complexity of traditions, still treat them more calmly. So, on February 14, they give each other expensive chocolate and eat it to the point of diathesis. This is their convenient symbol of love.
Islanders generally love to eat. For example, a food set of expensive products is considered an excellent gift. This is not accepted among us, but perhaps it’s in vain? A good basket from Globus Gourmet will please a normal girl much more than the thirty-fourth Teddy bear the size of a live baby elephant. Or it’s considered chic to bring back food from a trip that is produced only in the city where you were. Reminds me a bit of my former father-in-law - from every business trip he brings back a bunch of labels from local beers.
And the Japanese prefer to give flowers to their girls through delivery services. You won’t see a man with flowers on public transport – that’s not the samurai way. In addition, some Japanese are so strict that they are still convinced that giving flowers is the prerogative of members of the imperial family. This is exactly how it was accepted in the Middle Ages. So you can tell your offended friend: “Let Medvedev give you flowers!”
In contrast to the Western taboo on piercing gifts, in the East a good saber is an excellent gift for a man. Such things are especially appreciated in Muslim countries. True, there may not be a weapon accepted from a woman’s hands. War is a man's business.
And do not give anything in Saudi Arabia on February 14th. For celebrating this ungodly day there is a heavy fine.
In general, Muslims probably have the most big list something that cannot be given. Of course, alcohol is excluded. Pigskin too. Works of art are extremely undesirable: they often contain images of people who are not approved by orthodox Islam. In poor countries like Pakistan, it is better to give utilitarian things; in spoiled countries like Arabia, a carpet is considered a classic gift, but dishes or trinkets made of porcelain or silver will also do.
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Everyone gives gifts. A male spider presents a fly to the bride - so that the spider does not eat it later wedding night the male himself. Stupid penguin boldly catches a fish and hands it to his passion, who could easily get this fish herself. The weaver bird, they say, brings marital bed fresh flowers. And in the St. Petersburg zoo, a small macaque once stole a mirror from a servant and presented it to the dominant male.
There's only one universal symbol in gifts. "Heart" means "love." Here you will be understood both in Namibia and the Falklands. And maybe even in the St. Petersburg zoo.
Housewarming is a special holiday, because moving to a new home is a certain milestone in the life of any family. They say that two crossings can be equated to one fire. Therefore, people who survived this “natural disaster” deserve a joyful holiday and good gifts. But what can you bring as a housewarming gift?
Selection rules
The question of what to give for such a wonderful occasion as a housewarming is not easy to decide. Choice best option will depend on many factors. Before you buy this or that item, it is worth evaluating the following nuances:
- Housing dimensions. It is clear that if people move to a small city apartment, then you should not buy them huge floor vases, ficus in a tub or two-meter teddy bears. It will be difficult to fit these things in a small area, and throwing away or re-gifting gifts is not accepted. Therefore, by choosing an oversized item, you can put the owners in an awkward position.
- Age and marital status of new residents. Next, you should think about who will live in the new home. Gifts that would appeal to a young family may seem out of luck if the new residents are older spouses. A single woman is unlikely to like a hammer drill, and a single man should not choose a set of multi-colored oven mitts as a gift (although exceptions are possible in this matter).
- Interior style. When choosing various accessories and things to decorate your home, we must not forget about the compatibility of the gift with general style situation. So, in classic interior A modern design made of glass and metal, more appropriate in a high-tech environment, will look alien.
Is it worth giving money?
Many people nowadays do not want to spend time and effort choosing a gift, preferring to give an envelope with money. However, such a gift for housewarming is considered inappropriate. On this wonderful holiday, it is better to give a useful thing.
However, exceptions are possible. For example, if the family is young and not very wealthy (perhaps the wife is on maternity leave, and the apartment was purchased with a mortgage). In this case, it is really better to donate money. And to emphasize the symbolism of the holiday, you can place the bills in a piggy bank in the form of a house (by the way, you can easily build it yourself, from a cardboard box).
Practical gifts
For housewarmings it is customary to give practical gifts, especially if the family is young and starting life practically from scratch. Let's consider gift options:
- Appliances. This option is very successful if the donors know exactly what household “gadgets” the family does not have. You can buy something that is relatively inexpensive, for example, a slow cooker, a yogurt maker, or a blender. Or you can team up with other guests and buy something more expensive - a dishwasher or washing machine, large TV, etc. But in any case, it is worth calling the other invitees in advance so that the new residents do not receive five mixers or coffee grinders as a gift.
- Furniture. The gift is, of course, practical, but it can only be given by close people who know exactly not only the size of the new residents’ apartment, but also how they want to furnish it. But even in this case, the risk of not guessing the color of the sofa is too great. Therefore, it is better to either take the heroes of the occasion with you to the store, or give certificates to a large furniture center.
- Home textiles. This is also a gift with a catch, because the tastes of guests and new residents may not coincide. The donor may really like the carpet or curtains with lambrequins, but the heroes of the occasion will consider this gift an unnecessary dust collector and will be forced to put it away in the closet. A relatively safe option from this category of gifts is cozy blankets; today there are models with sleeves on sale; you can while away the evenings in them, sitting comfortably on the sofa. You can also give bath or kitchen towels; these things are rarely superfluous in the household. You can give your family a set of bath terry robes, decorating them with embroidery. You can embroider names or family “statuses” – “mom”, “dad”, “son”, etc.
- Dishes. The service is a traditional housewarming gift. But still, before you buy dishes, you should consult with the heroes of the occasion. After all, it may turn out that the family already has a couple of unnecessary sets, donated by relatives for the wedding, gathering dust.
- Lamps. If you are sure that the new residents will like the chosen option, then you can give various lamps - chandeliers, sconces, table lamps. You can find lamps of various designs on sale, so you can choose classic model, and a thing that will delight lovers of creativity.
Symbolic gifts
The above gift options are suitable for a young family who are just starting their own “household”. What to give as a housewarming gift to friends who have everything? In this case, it is worth choosing gifts that symbolize success and good luck.
So, according to Feng Shui, water is a symbol of prosperity. Therefore, friends moving to Vacation home, you can give a beautiful aquarium with goldfish. Another option for a symbolic gift is an indoor fountain.
If the new residents have moved into a small apartment, and are also busy people, then instead of a large aquarium, you can give a small tabletop model in which one or several electronic fish “live”. They look quite naturalistic and do not require any care.
Another symbolic housewarming gift is a horseshoe, which must be hung above front door. Warn your friends that if they hang the souvenir with the “horns” down, the horseshoe will “work” like a talisman, protecting the house from misfortunes and failures. If you tell it the other way around, then the horseshoe will symbolize the cup of abundance and bring prosperity to the house.
To attract wealth to your home, you can give a money tree. This could be a living flower, a crassula, or a souvenir tree, which has coins attached to its branches instead of leaves.
You should not ignore the element of fire - after all, it is famous symbol homeliness and comfort. You can give new residents a fireplace - electric or biofuel. Installation of such a model will not require obtaining a permit or building a chimney. Even if new residents don’t believe in omens, these things will become a real decoration of the house.
In a small apartment, a fireplace will certainly be superfluous, so in this case, it is worth choosing gifts that do not take up much space. For example, a beautiful candlestick, and you can make and decorate candles for it yourself.
Looking for original gift for a housewarming party, you should pay attention to such an option as a painting. Of course, this should not be cheap Chinese consumer goods; it is customary to give works of authorship. It is better to choose a symbolic plot for the picture; let it depict a road going up. Can I order family portrait new settlers, they will be able to write it from a photograph.
If you need to congratulate your friends on their housewarming inexpensively and in an original way, then you can buy them a funny figurine of a brownie as a gift. These toys made of fabric and straw are sold in souvenir shops, and if you have certain skills, you can make a funny and cute toy with your own hands.
Gifts “Hand made”
If the donors have talents in some kind of needlework, then you can make exclusive housewarming gifts for friends. These can be embroidered or knitted sofa cushions, tablecloths, napkins. Craftswomen can embroider beautiful picture which will decorate the interior.
You can give a vase, decorated yourself using the decoupage technique, or build a beautiful “dream catcher”. This thing will need to be hung above the bed; according to legend, it will protect those sleeping from nightmares.
Men who are interested in wood carving can make a beautiful frame for a mirror, shelves for the kitchen on which to place jars of spices, etc., as a gift for new residents.
Creative lovers can come up with unusual presentation the most ordinary objects. For example, from terry towels, which are useful in any home, you can assemble a “cake”, decorating it with bows, flowers made of crepe paper or satin ribbons.
Cool gifts
Since a housewarming party is a holiday, it should be fun. To contribute to the fun, you can prepare “cool” housewarming gifts.
You can give a miniature bar made in the shape of a globe or musical instrument(violins, guitars). A cool and at the same time useful gift - a frying pan for baking pancakes in the form of emoticons with different expressions. Such funny breakfast will give a good charge of positivity in the morning.
More interesting option– luminous shower heads. They are simply colored or thermosensitive, changing their color depending on the temperature of the supplied water.
You can give a variety of photo frames. In stores you can find very original models, for example, in the form of a cube that rotates on an edge, or a model floating in the air.
By the way, funny gifts housewarming gifts do not have to be material. You can, for example, shoot a funny video greeting in advance. This gift will be especially good if the new residents have friends or relatives who live far away and cannot come for the holiday. It’s worth calling them so that they can record their congratulations on video, and then film their congratulations and edit the film.
You can also prepare a creative gift - compose a song, come up with cool dance or arrange a kind and cheerful prank for the heroes of the occasion.
