Ethiopian customs and taboos
Ethiopia is located in eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea to the northeast, with an area of 1.223 million square kilometers and a population of 8.5 million. Residents believe in Christianity and Islam. The national language is Amharic, and English is commonly spoken. Addis Ababa, the capital, Addis Ababa). Currency: Bill Ethiopian birr. Ethiopia is an ancient country with a history of more than 3000 years. Formerly called Abyssinia. Independence on March 1, 1896. On November 24, 1970, diplomatic relations were established with our country.
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Etiquette Ethiopians greet each other, and in many cases they have to bow. For example, if someone wears a "sand horse" to wrap his head, he has to take it off or even lift it to expose his shoulders. Greetings are quite distinctive and can last for a minute or two, or even longer. They asked each other about their health, family members, livestock, harvests, etc. After this leisurely greeting, we begin to talk about substantive issues, and the general bad news is discussed last.
When peers meet, they usually shake hands and greet them, and do not let go until the end of the greeting. After a long period of absence or relatives and friends, kiss each other's cheeks and greet each other frequently. The two sides touch each other's faces left and right, and the number of times is unlimited. The closer the person is, the more the number will be. People from the upper echelons or priests can only kiss each other on the shoulders when they meet. When ordinary people meet officials or subordinates meet superiors, they bow to show their respect. When children see their father or grandfather, they must kneel down and kiss their feet. When accepting a gift, the recipient should stretch out both hands to express his pleasure in accepting it. If he only stretches out one hand, it means reluctantly accepting it.
Customs It is common for Ethiopians to get married early, and rural men and women generally get married after the age of 10. Marriage is decided by both parents. When a girl reaches marriageable age, she can marry a man. From after engagement to before marriage, a man cannot meet his wife. On the wedding day, the groom took some people to the bride's house to "steal the marriage." Cover the bride from head to toe with a piece of cloth, then pick up the bride and run towards the groom's house. Along the way, the bride kept her feet off the ground and her head off. Starting from the wedding day, banquets will be held for several days in a row. It will be two or three years before the couple can set up another family.
In addition, some tribes in Ethiopia use whips to whip young men who come to propose marriage before being engaged. Only those who can endure pain can become a fiance. The Omo River in Ethiopia lives with the Omo people who still maintain the customs of their original tribe. They incomprehensible view through lips as beauty. When young girls reach age, they must use a knife to cut their lower lip and chin, lengthen and round their lips, and then use a wooden plate to support their lower mouth until the knife edge is long. Ethiopians have the habit of holding salt grains in their mouths. We also use salt grains to coax children, just as we use sugar to coax children.
September 11 th or 12 th of each year is the Ethiopian New Year. This is the season when the rainy season is coming to an end and the harvest is about to begin. During the New Year, in rural areas, men and women wear national costumes made of soft hand-woven white cloth, going from door to door, congratulating each other and welcoming the new year.
In Ethiopia, fasting days are celebrated every Wednesday and Friday. In addition, there are 70 mandatory fasting days, and fasting is required for half of the year. During Lent, people are not allowed to eat any meat, even eggs, milk, etc., and anything from animals. The only exception is that during the first 40 days of the Easter period, they can eat fish, shrimp and other seafood. They believe that these seafood products are blood-cooling animals, so they can not quit eating them. Islamists ban pork and use pig products. When conducting business negotiations with Ethiopians, do not involve political topics or talk about Islam, and try not to talk about the future, otherwise they will feel impatient and impatient.
Taboo Ethiopians like bright and bright colors, taboo black, and taboo religious symbol patterns.
Ethiopians wear light yellow clothes when mourning the dead, but people are never allowed to wear light yellow clothes when going out as guests. The number "13" is taboo among Ethiopians. I think this is a very unlucky number. They avoid passing things or food with their left hand. Believing that the left hand is extremely dirty and using it is impolite and unethical. No matter where you meet Ethiopians, don't stick out your tongue, otherwise it will be considered a contempt and insult to them.
There is a superstition in Ethiopia, which is: when someone is staring at, the person being stared at will either disaster will come or death will find him. In this country, when talking or meeting with local people, you can't stare at each other without blinking. Doing so will definitely make the other person very unhappy. They avoid yellow and light yellow, believing it to be the color of mourning, so they avoid using these colors on bouquets or clothing.