Culture Insider: Taboos in gift-giving

3. No green hats for men

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Hats are not a good choice for gifts, in old China there were too many bad things linked to hats. For example, when elders pass away, their descendents had to wear a "filial piety hat". Particularly, green hats for males are especially bad. In Chinese saying a man wears a "green hat" means his wife is having an affair, which is a serious insult to the man.