Kosmos

Culture, travel, fashion and culinary delights: the Kosmos pages of Lufthansa Magazin bring you interesting and useful tidbits from around the world

Illustration of a traditional greeting — © Cristóbal Schmal

Traditional forms of greeting

CULTURE CLASH

A curtsy, a bow, a kiss of the hand? None of these are common in Germany (anymore), but elsewhere, traditional forms of greeting are still taken very seriously.

Ceremonious salutation

First forehead to forehead, then nose to nose – that’s the traditional Maori greeting in New Zealand, hongi, which is rarely practiced by regular people, but not even the British royals can escape the ritual when visiting the country on official state business.

Gentle gesture

In Ghana, people greet each other with a firm handshake that culminates in a snapping of middle fingers and thumbs. Anyone new to this style of greeting is generously afforded a second chance.

Snappy greeting

In Ghana, people greet each other with a firm handshake that culminates in a snapping of middle fingers and thumbs. Anyone new to this style of greeting is generously afforded a second chance.

Artist Lana del Rey — © G. Galimberti; Picture Press/Kintzing/Bella Howard

Paris, France

International gig

Ever since Chicago hosted the first Lollapalooza in 1991, music fans in North and South America (and since 2015 also in Europe) have been rocking the festival. Headliners at its July 22/23 Paris premiere are Lana del Rey (photo) and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

lollaparis.com

Illustration: Man swapping hats — © Cristóbal Schmal

Wearing hats

Culture clash

Wearing hats is all the rage. But picking the right one is something of an art form, given that there’s a suitable model for every occasion and each subculture has its favorites.

Goes well with horn rims

In the ’90s, it was the trademark accoutrement of British boy bands. Now, you’ll
mostly see nerds and geeks sporting a trilby. With its narrow brim, it looks rather like the younger brother of the classic fedora.

SLICK IN STRAW

In the summertime, a boater, the epitome of straw-hat elegance, is even acceptable attire for formal occasions. The homburg, which comes in straw or felt, is also a smart choice and goes well with a suit.

HIPSTER HAT

Flat crown, narrow brim, usually felt, the pork pie hat was originally made for women. Then Buster Keaton made it famous and today, it’s the favored headgear of the jazz, blues and ska scene.

A giant zeppelin straddles the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague — © Martin Rajnis/Hut architektury

Prague, Czech Republic

No travels for this airship

A giant zeppelin named Gulliver straddles the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague. Forty-two meters long and made of wood, it recalls the optimistic mood of the early 20th century. Gulliver’s interior serves the museum as event space.

Mr. Know It All

Exotic Wine-growing

How about vacationing at a vineyard? More recent wine-growing regions in India, Canada and Thailand have joined classic destinations in Bourgogne, Rioja and Piedmont and offer fascinating holidays for connoisseurs

CURRY WITH CABERNET

India is one of the oldest wine-growing countries in the world; people were fermenting grapes here 2500 years ago. But commercial wine production only came into its own in the 1990s. India now even has its own wine capital, Nashik, located northeast of Mumbai.

VIKING WINES

Vinland – in other words, wineland – is what the Vikings once called the east coast of North America. The Okanagan Valley on Canada’s west coast is regarded as the equivalent of California’s Napa Valley. Guess what Vinland’s roughly 120 vineyards produce – yep, ice wine!

A taste of the Tropics

So you thought good wines could only be grown between the 30th and 50th parallels? The vintages grown in Thai wine-growing areas, such as the mountains surrounding Hua Hin, provide tasty proof that you would be wrong.

Header Navigation

Oceans apart

A holiday in Kosovo?

A walk on the tame side

Green trumps gray

“You have to stay hungry”