Hospitality
- Ethiopians are known across the globe for their remarkable hospitality and appreciate entertaining visitors in their homes.
- Ethiopians like to smile, and project happiness and welcoming spirit.
- A visitor will always be welcomed with a big smile by the host followed by a cup of coffee.
- It is viewed as impolite to decline the offer.
- Foreigners are normally referred to as farenji meaning a foreigner and refer to themselves as habesha meaning Ethiopian. Most people here are always willing to help out in case one needs help.
Greetings
- Greetings hold an important place in the Ethiopian culture consisting of handshakes as shoulders touch each other followed by a direct eye-contact.
- It is common to see women who have a close relationship kissing each other on the cheeks three times or even more.
- In the presence of elders, it is customary that they be greeted first by bowing.
