HYGIENE – A STORY OF SIMILITUDE

 

If there’s anything that binds humans around the world closer together, it is the instinct of survival. Along the way, we have made several changes in our approach towards hygiene, but in keeping with the universal laws, no goal is met efficiently without honouring the basics. In a pandemic that affected the world, it is the basics that were most preached, most circulated, and most recommended by doctors and well wishers alike. “Wash your hands”, probably makes for the most spoken phrase in 2020. And for good reason, where hygiene prevails, so does trust and health. Here is a list of quirky cleanliness trends around the world.

JAPAN

While Japan is infamous for its disciplinary approaches, their culture propagates true belief in the connection between the outside cleanliness having an effect on the inside cleanliness/purity of mind and spirit. Upon entering a traditional home in Japan, you are expected to change into fresher clothes and gargle your mouth to maintain a hygienic environment. This brings us to our next Asian country…

INDIA

In India, and in many other Asian countries, you remove your footwear outside the door of a respective house, in order to keep the dirt at bay. People who prefer footwear tend to possess separate pairs meant only for indoor use. The closest translation for hygiene in Hindi is swachhata or shuddhata, both alluding to ritual and spiritual cleanliness and therefore imperative to their cultural beliefs.

GERMANY

The Germans believe not only in the cleanliness of their homes but in that of the entire neighbourhood and community. That’s right, the matter of hygiene is taken very seriously and it isn’t uncommon for families to take up the weekly duty of cleaning up the neighbourhood. People sharing an area of residency usually come up with a rotatory schedule that conveniences everyone and keeps the neighbourhood not only hygienic but also maintains status and social wellness.

AFRICA

Some countries, over the years, have developed different hygiene preferences pertaining to the environmental situation in the region. In Africa, for example, the lack of water has made handwashing alternatives very popular. Zinc, or sanitizers, or dry soaps and cleansers are preferred by people in order to stay clean and reduce water usage.

No matter the location, inhabitants of our blue and green planet have devised methods to stay safe over sorry. The resources made available to us depending on where we stand have birthed not only a variety of hygiene hacks but also enriched cultural traditions, enhancing the beauty that lies in our diversity all around the world.

We at Bufin urge you to not only abide by the health advice presented by the WHO in light of the pandemic, but to carry these practises forth into a post Covid world, to make this world a cleaner, safer, healthier environment not just so we as specie can survive, but so that the human in us can thrive. Stay safe, stay responsible, stay healthy with Bufin!