Yemeni customs and taboos
The Republic of Yemen (Arabic: ا ل م ا ل), Yemen), for short. Located at the Red Sea exit in the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders Saudi Arabia to the north. It is adjacent to Oman in the east, the Red Sea in the west, the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea in the south, and the transportation hub between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean. It is a maritime transportation artery in Europe, Asia and Africa. The capital, Sana'a. The currency is the "dinar". The official language is Arabic, and English is commonly used. Islam is the state religion. Both major sects of Islam are prevalent in Yemen. Yemen is also known as the "Green God" and "Arab Paradise".
Yemen has a land area of 195,000 square kilometers. The population is 23.6 million (2013 statistics), the vast majority are Arabs, and there are also a very small number of Indians, Pakistan, Somalis, and Malays. Arabs living in Yemen have tribes as their basic unit. There are more than 190 tribes in the country, of which more than 150 are located in mountainous areas.
The four most important tribes are Hashi, Bakir, Haka and Mudhaki, among which the Hashi tribe is the strongest and most well-known in the country. The tribe is concentrated in the three provinces of Sana'a, Hajjah and Sa 'ada, with a population of more than one million. It is composed of more than 50 small and medium-sized tribes. It is a powerful entity integrating politics, economy, military and religion. Its status and importance are very prominent.
The location of the
is in Yemen. Men wear skirts and women wear trousers, which is a major feature of Yemeni Arab costumes. All year round, skirts are worn by all ages. Men usually wear a wide belt and a waist knife around their waist when they are around the age of 15. In the past, the sword was used for self-defense, but now it is only for decoration. Some waist knives are made of wood and iron, and some are made of pure copper. The handles of the knives are inlaid with different levels of jewelry such as gemstones, gold, and silver. Generally, the identity of the wearer can be distinguished based on the waist knife. In addition, most adult men in Yemen wear silver rings inlaid with gemstones.
Yemeni women can wear very colorful clothes at home, but when they go out, they wear black robes, black headscarves, and most of them wear black veils. They wear bracelets, necklaces, earrings and other jewelry. Some also draw on their hands, feet and faces. Various patterns in ginger yellow are used as decoration. With the continuous introduction of modern consciousness, some Yemeni women who are receiving higher education and working only wear their heads and no longer wear veils.
In modern work and life, Yemenis basically call them "sir","lady","miss", etc. Ordinary people often call them "Sadege"(friends) in their daily lives to express intimacy. Colleagues or friends usually shake hands and greet each other. Same-sex people are accustomed to hugging and kissing when relatives, friends or acquaintances meet. Lower levels kiss the hands or face of superiors, or lower levels kiss the hands or faces of upper-level figures, to show respect; kissing hands between equal levels shows intimacy; there is also this etiquette to express gratitude. Young people even have the etiquette of kissing knees and feet to their elders.
Taking off a hat is also a ritual in Yemen. Taking off the hat means that the person being asked must agree. For example, when inviting guests, the host takes off his hat to indicate that the invitee must go. But note that men generally do not take the initiative to shake hands with Arab women. It is also strictly prohibited to take photos of local women and children.
Yemenis are hospitable, but they do not pay much attention to foreign affairs etiquette and do not require diplomatic reciprocity. It is relatively easy to meet Yemeni government officials. However, the Yemeni people do not have a strong sense of time, and it is inevitable that they will be late or leave early for formal appointments. If they ask for good promises, the specific operations will be delayed, and they will have a strong sense of human and personal feelings. Commercial documents are written in parallel with company seals and signatures, and they attach great importance to seals. This is a unique shopping business habit. Pay attention to local taboos and do not point at each other during negotiations or dialogues.
If you visit a Yemeni home, they have a special habit of giving the guests incense and perfume. The sandalwood is mainly lit and placed in the incense cage. Then the guest is asked to stand up, unbutton the lower part of his coat, and place the incense cage on his abdomen. The owner then blows on the sandalwood with his mouth to make the fragrant smoke fumigate the guest's body. Before the farewell, the host will also spray the guests with perfume to express friendship with aroma.
Moreover, the Hashi people, the largest tribe in northern Yemen, welcome guests in a more special way. Whenever a distinguished guest comes, the chief always organizes a team to greet the guests. The welcoming crowd played tambourines, blew trumpets, sang folk songs, and danced with their waist knives. When the welcoming ceremony reached its peak, they even fired guns into the sky.
In terms of diet, Yemenis are relatively simple. Arabian pancakes made of sorghum flour, corn flour and wheat flour are their daily staple food. The main meat meats are cattle, sheep and chicken. Yemen has a rich variety of vegetables, melons and fruits. Spinach, potatoes, green peppers, tomatoes, etc. are available all year round. Watermelon, bananas, mangoes, and cantaloupes are the most popular seasonal fruits among Yemenis. Yemen prohibits alcohol and pork, and the diet is halal. It is particularly taboo to use your left hand to contact others or pass on things.
Yemenis are accustomed to having lunch as the most important meal. Banana dipped in honey is the main dessert for Yemenis. Important banquets usually serve Yemeni characteristics of "bint soha"(translated as "girl in the plate" refers to crisp and fragrant multi-layered scones sprinkled with honey) after meals. As dessert. Most Yemenis also like to drink granulated black tea and coffee after meals. Coffee bean shells are always added to the tea when drinking tea, while coffee requires a large amount of spices and ginger.
Coffee is also an indispensable drink for them to entertain guests. Yemeni coffee is strong and soft. If a guest drinks a cup and doesn't want to drink it again, he should lift the cup and shake it, otherwise the attentive host will pour another cup for you. The Yemenis in the city are very generous in their hospitality. They will serve the best food, such as roasted lamb, fried chicken, fried fish, fried steak, etc. The most famous dish is roasted camel lamb, which is used to entertain the most distinguished guests. A lamb is placed in the belly of the camel lamb after its internal organs are removed. A chicken is then placed in the belly of the lamb, and a pigeon is then placed in the intestines of the chicken. Add various spices and seasonings and roast on a bonfire.
In mountainous and desert areas, whether you know them or not, the owner will warmly entertain guests, kill sheep in front of the guests, present the sheep brain to the guests, and then taste the roasted mutton with blood. The next morning, guests were served milk tea and snacks, and then sent off on their way. Guests can send small gifts as souvenirs, but never leave money. The host will be angry and think it is an insult to them.
站图片位置Yemenis also a hobby of chewing qat and have become addicted to it. Yemeni families spend almost 50% or more of the average family's total income. As an important part of Yemeni life and the main way for Yemeni people to conduct social activities. As a special phenomenon in Yemeni society and culture, Qat has also had certain social and cultural functions.
The "Carter Gathering" is the main manifestation of Carter's function. Most Yemeni families turn up the best room in their homes as the Carter House for meetings or festive gatherings. At the party, many relatives and friends from all walks of life chatted about Carter while discussing various issues of general concern. It is said that chewing qat can help Yemenis think and make decisions, so even many major government decisions are formulated or made at this qat gathering.
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Like most parts of the world, weddings are also a happy celebration and important social event for Yemeni people. However, Yemen's wedding customs still retain many ancient Arab traditions and unique habits. In traditional Yemeni families, marriage is basically up to parents. Parents are the heads of the family, especially fathers who have absolute authority. Moreover, according to Islamic rules, men and women are not intimate, so apart from family and relatives, young men rarely have the opportunity to contact women, and it is even more rare to meet girls. Therefore, things like choosing a fiancee can only rely on parents and relatives and friends.
In Yemen, when the young men were seventeen or eighteen years old, their parents began to arrange marriages for their sons. First of all, mothers will pay attention to the children of relatives, friends and neighbors (if they are cousins, relatives are also allowed). In Yemen, women also have their own social activities. They communicate with each other in group activities such as chatting, cooking, praying, and knitting blankets to gain understanding. Mothers mostly use this method to find future daughter-in-law.
If a girl is interested in
, the mother will discuss it with the father, and the father is generally familiar with the male members of the girl's family. If you are not familiar with it, find a friend to inquire. Or go to the vicinity of the woman's house for an on-site inspection and look at the appearance of the house to get a rough idea of how the family is doing. Only when the parents agree will they seek their son's opinion. As for the girl, if the two families were related, the young man would know a little bit, but if not, he would know nothing.
Then, the parents will send someone to the woman's home to propose marriage. Of course, the woman will have to go through some inspection. If she does not object, she will set a date for a blind date. On that day, the young man and his father came to the woman's home with gifts. The main purpose was to allow the woman's family, especially the girl herself, to have a close observation and understanding. If she is lucky, the girl may have the opportunity to serve tea or dates to the guests, but of course she must wear a thick veil. This time, the woman knew more about the man, but the young man still knew very little about the girl.
At the end of the blind date, the woman's father generally does not agree to the marriage immediately, but asks for a period of time to consider and discuss, and seeks the daughter's opinion. If neither party has any objections, the next step will be a formal proposal.