Cultural Etiquette
Cultural Dos and Taboos
1. If invited to a Muslim Kosovar's home, be sure to take off your shoes upon entering the house.
2. It is customary to give a small gift to the host or hostess on the first visit to their house. Chocolates or a gift from your own country make fine gifts. One may want to avoid gifts of alcohol or flowers.
3. Good topics of conversation include sports, travel, culture, family.
4. It is best that the foreign visitor stay out of conversations that involve discussions of local politics, especially Kosovo's relationship with neighboring countries. One may wish to avoid initiating the discussion of religion as well.
5. Handshakes are the customary greeting. When arriving at a business meeting or a private dinner, always greet the eldest man first. Among conservative Muslims, one should be careful shake hands with persons of the opposite sex (in such cases, a smile should suffice).
6. Note that Kosovo has a large Muslim population; among this population, the Muslim rules and codes of the religion must be applied.
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