Almost everywhere else in China, however, traditional attitudes to dating prevail. In traditional Chinese culture, boys and girls are introduced to each other in a group social setting.A girl would only agree to go out on a date with a boy if she were willing to consider marriage.Many American teenagers expect to date several people before they settle down with one person, and they may view dating during their teenage years as primarily for fun.In cities like Beijing and Shanghai, some young people follow Westernized dating customs. When not dancing, teens gather at local clubs to eat and talk. In Finland, as many as 30 teens may attend a movie together. Couples often go to dinner parties, barbecues, or the beach. When of age, most boys and girls date in large groups, going out together to weekend dance parties. Girls often ask out boys and pay for the date, too.

The dating part however is done one-to-one, both sides asking each other out and splitting the expenses associated with a particular evening.In small towns, teens meet in the streets downtown or gather around a fountain. Teens are separated until they are of marrying age, then their families introduce them to each other and sometimes a courtship follows.In Japan and Korea, most high school students don't date or go to parties, but spend their time studying instead.Here, it is not the boys who often make the first step of asking girls to go on a date with them, rather the girls take this part and they also take the responsibility of paying for the date.The most common dating places preferred by couples are dinner parties, barbecues, or the beach. In Finland for example, groups as large as thirty teens take part in an event together, such as going to the movies.Dating is seen as both a complex and simple matter, the difference between the Western world and other civilizations making it very intriguing as some dating rituals are extremely liberal, some are less free of constraints, while others are cut down to old fashioned gatherings, or are even illegal.Dating Customs on Various Continents Dating in Australia for example is illustrated by teens going out in large groups without really forming couples until they reach 18 or 19 years of age.Dating is done one-to-one and both girls and boys ask each other out and split the cost of the evening's entertainment.In Russia dates take place at dances or at clubs where teens eat or chat with friends.Photo: aenimation An American girl giving you her phone number means she is considering going out with you. With an Italian girl, you will work hard just to get her phone number. The fact that she says no the first time doesn’t mean she can’t go out or doesn’t want to. Now, the third time she says no, she means it (and don’t insist). Italian guys take the same amount of time to get ready as American girls.It doesn’t take long to get — after all, it’s her number, not a wedding ring. Right away, she wants to have an idea of how hard you are going to work to get her attention. On the one hand, fashion, elegance, and taste are embedded in the Italian culture, so Italian guys don’t even notice they have this going for them.Scott Thompson has been writing professionally since 1990, beginning with the "Pequawket Valley News." He is the author of nine published books on topics such as history, martial arts, poetry and fantasy fiction.His work has also appeared in "Talebones" magazine and the "Strange Pleasures" anthology.Slumber parties are preferred by the young living in Italy, as well as Switzerland.At such parties, teens gather at someones home and remain over night after the party has come to an end.