Manners

Beside the official code of conduct enforced by the state for formal occasions, Bhutanese society has a refined and delicate culture of social behavoiurs and mannerisms. The manners are mostly imparted during upbringing by the parents and elders and are generally informed by Buddhist values and pratices of humility, honesty, respect for others, sense of responsibility and inner integrity. Good eating and drinking manners, for instance, are emulations of the Buddhist monastic practices as are physical comportment and treatment of the human body. Some manners are influenced by the folk beliefs of what is auspicious or inauspicious.