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That Famous Bedouin Hospitality



Been doing research for my upcoming article on historical, cultural, social and religious aspects of hospitality and came across this lovely gem:

Arabs are known for their hospitality — how well guests are treated is seen as a measure of what kind of person the host or hostess is. Hospitality is among the most highly admired virtues and hosts consider it an honor to serve their guests. Thus it is understandable that refusing your host’s hospitality is a grave offense, especially in Bedouin circles where old traditions die hard.

The Okaz daily reported that a Saudi man here threatened to shoot his five guests after they refused to eat the dinner he had just served.

The guests, who came to ask the man for his daughter’s hand in marriage, were disappointed to learn that he had already agreed to marry her to someone else. They refused dinner and attempted to leave the man’s house.

Offended, he pulled out his gun and threatened to kill them. Though he forced his guests to eat at gunpoint, everyone enjoyed the meal without further incident.







2 Reader Responses

  1. Big Elk Says:
    November 17th, 2008 at 5:37 pm

    http://www.pbs.org/lawrenceofarabia/revolt/hospitality.html

    Three cups of coffee is polite. El’Heif, the first cup, is tasted by the Bedouin to make the guest feel safe; El-Keif, the second, is poured and tasted by the guest himself; El-Dheif, the third cup, is also drunk by the guest, who then shakes out his cup and hands it back to his host. Once coffee is drunk by a guest he is under the protection of the host.

  2. Carnival Culture 08: The Publick House - [tmbchr]™ Says:
    November 23rd, 2008 at 4:34 pm

    […] Generosity, however, tends to be a universally-praised trait amongst all cultures. In pre-European North America, you’ll find traditions like the Potlach of the Northwest in which Aboriginal cultures gave away lavish gifts to friends, family, allies and even enemies. Stories abound of powerful families becoming destitute because of their tremendous displays of generosity. In some cases, such public demonstrations of generosity are tied in with humility, and placing oneself at the service of others, while in other cases it’s more of a show of status: one is so wealthy that one can afford to give freely to one’s fellows. […]



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