| Family: The father is generally the head of the family. Both parents often work, more so in the east than in the west. Large families are not common, even in rural areas. The average family has only one or two children. While order, responsibility and achievement are still traditional family values, a greater variety of lifestyles exists today, especially among those in the west. Most young people prefer to live away from home once they become wage earners or go on to university. Boys and girls socialize with each other on a casual rather than a formal basis. Young people usually marry in their late twenties. It is common for people to live together before or instead of marriage. Legal marriages are performed and religious ceremonies are optional.
Traditions—When a Child Loses a Tooth
Parents sometimes tell their children to put the lost tooth under their pillow. In the night a “Zahnfee” (a kind of elf) will take the tooth and give the child a small gift. |
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