Of all the variables you might find on the “cultural dashboard”, there is none more likely to spark a clash faster than the varying definitions of “clean” across cultures. The paradox is nearly every culture has strict rules about what is “clean” but in the complicated dance that is cross-cultural understanding, of course, the rules vary greatly about the definition of clean.
We found an interesting example of this in the German cultural tradition of Kehrwoche which literally means “Sweep Week”.
Here are several bloggers (most of them not German, but living in Germany ) and their outsider attempts to grasp the definition of “Kehrwoche”, or as one puts it, “the dreaded Kehrwoche”
One blogger calls in “an undeniably Swabian invention. Like it’s relatives, Spaetzle and the Swabian dialect , it is something that comes naturally to all natives, and leaves us foreigners a little confused.” We think “coming naturally to all natives and leaves us foreigners a little confused” could be almost anything a visitor encounters when we’re outside our own culture.
One thing we here at UnTours found particularly interesting about Kehrwoche is that it proves the point “It’s all relative” when it comes to culture. Most people would agree that Germany is a country where cleanliness is an important value, and, in fact, many of us would agree, that Germans are some of the tidiest people on earth (barring, of course, the Swiss). We found it interesting that the blogger at “In Actual Fact“, with a distinctly acerbic tone points out, ” “The Swabians are regarded as ridiculously industrious and punctilious by other Germans. Yeah, by other Germans – just think about that for a moment”. Apparently, even in Germany, there is a “tidy” continuum, and it seems the Swabians are on the far end of that spectrum.
When it comes to crossing cultures, ‘clean’ is in the eye of the beholder. In Italy, for example, we found that Americans, in an effort to be considerate, when leaving their Untour apartment the last day would strip the beds, usually leaving the used linens on the floor. Putting the sheets on the floor is something near a scandal for your average house proud Italian. So the Americans were doing their best to be extra considerate, and, alas, unsuspectingly veering outside the definition of clean for the Italian host.
One way we at UnTours try to help our customers have more than a trip, but, an experience within the culture as well, is in our “Inside the Culture” tips in each the On-Site guide booklet, that comes with your Rhine Untour, Castle Untour, or come to think of it, any Untour! Quite frequently, we include a brief explanation of what “tidy” might mean to your hosts, and how our ways might differ. (HInt: no sheets on the floor in Italy.)
Here’s our Cultural Dashboard for this week’s Culture Clue:
- Group/ Individual Identity: Kehrwoche speaks to the “group” identity of the dwellers in a building. Yes, indeed, the individual must sacrifice (The Conneticut Girl in Germany blogger is shocked: ‘The most amazing part is that a Kehrwoche usually means also kissing your Saturday goodbye, as tasks can take more than 4 hours to complete…!’). Another culture might hesitate to impose a group rule, of such standards. .
- Uncertainty avoidance/tolerance; Kehrwoche is an excellent example of the cultural dimension of uncertainty avoidance. Another culture might just have a “wait and see” attitude toward the cleaning responsibility. Or perhaps hire cleaning personnel. But the Swabians, being both frugal AND tidy found a clear rule, that dispensed with uncertainty, so everyone wanting a clean building knows exactly how it will be accomplished.