Understand Belgian Culture

8/13/2019 Understand Belgian Culture

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Understand

BelgianCulture



Presentation

• Kingdom : Philippe, King of Belgium

• Official languages : French, Dutch and German

• Capital : Brussels

– Capital of Europe

• Area : 30,500 km2• Population : 11 million

• GDP per capita : € 37,736



Food & Drinks

• Over 800 different beers – Beer bible

– About 150 liters of beer/ belgian/ year

• Chocolate ‘pralines’ invented in 1912

– Brussels airport : World’s biggest chocolate seller

• Invented french fries

• Belgian waffles

Government• Country with highest proportion of female ministers (55%)

• 15% of population comes from immigration

• So many lights on the roads that the motorway is the only man-made structure visible from themoon

• Gilette Vertigo (Car) : Fastest acceleration ever with 3.266s to go from 0 to 100 km/h

• Royal Palace of Brussels, same style as Buckingham but façade is 50% longer

• Unicef ranked Beligum as the best country for children’s educational well-being

Famous in history

• Tintin

• Clovis, first king of France Belgian

• Charlemagne, founder of Holy Roman Empire Belgian

•

Charles V of Habsburg, King of Spain, Sicily and Naples. Greatest Renaissance ruler Belgian• Karl Marx wrote Manifesto in Belgium

Quick Facts



Belgian Identity



Food

Because Belgium has been invaded so many times its cuisine is rich ofmany influences. Nevertheless, the country has its own dishes that are

part of the country’s culture.

Belgian Fries with MusselsBelgian BeersChocolateSpeculoos

Tip 1 : Taste everything ! (But be careful, hard to find halal/kasher food !)



Clothing

• Belgians take pride in their personal appearance too. Theydress well and are concerned with the impression they make

on others.

• The Belgians don’t have a dress code of their own. But some

towns are well known for their carnival costumes (Unesco).

Gilles de

Binche

Tip 2 : Jeans and shirt everyday (M and F) – Formal for business



Political Situation

N-VA : Nationalist Liberal party

(Dutch)

PS : Socialist party

(French)

MR : Liberal party(French)

Tip 3 : Read about Belgian politics before heading for

Belgium.



Religion

CatholicAtheist

Tip 4 : Feel free to live your religion but be careful when you dress, some clothes like the

Burqa for example have suffered from bad press and are now forbidden in public spaces



Economy

Tip 5 : Historically the French part was richer (coal mines) and now it is the Dutch part

that has a higher growth rate. In discussions consider Belgium as one market because

people might get irritated when comparing the two parts.



Understanding Emotions

Tip 6 : If you travel to Belgium people will often ask how you feel and may appear

intrusive/impolite. At the other hand, if you feel bad, do not hesitate to tell

someone, they will do everything in order to cheer you up.

Joy in BelgiumDeath in Belgium



Conclusion

•

Tip 1: Taste everything ! (But be careful, hard to find halal/kasherfood !)

• Tip 2: Jeans and shirt everyday (M and F) – Formal for business

• Tip 3 : Read about Belgian politics before heading for Belgium.

•

Tip 4 : Feel free to live your religion but be careful when you dress,some clothes like the Burqa for example have suffered from bad

press and are now forbidden in public spaces

• Tip 5 : Historically the French part was richer (coal mines) and now

it is the Dutch part that has a higher growth rate. In discussions

consider Belgium as one market because people might get irritatedwhen comparing the two parts.

• Tip 6 : If you travel to Belgium people will often ask how you feel

and may appear intrusive/impolite. At the other hand, if you feel

bad, do not hesitate to tell someone, they will do everything in

order to cheer you up.

Understand Belgian Culture

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