The main difference is I suppose is the gift giving perceived as an obligation or an expression of caring and love. If you are culturally conditioned on one of

The main difference is I suppose is the gift giving perceived as an obligation or an expression of caring and love. If you are culturally conditioned on one of these interpretations I presume the other feels plain wrong. If it's an obligation, then I suppose the retributive action (if any) from not meeting this obligation probably depends on the society and the event. Different societies have different responses to individual who don't play by the rules. In general even non-literate human societies are pretty good in carrying a common ledger of who-owes-what-to-whom. I suggest the book "Debt the first 5000 years" by David Graeber on the details. But overall, when traveling, check the local customs around gifts from a cultural guide :)