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EveryParampara

Greetings, manners and hospitality

How people greet, host, give gifts and behave at the table.

Greetings, manners and hospitality are the small rules that tell people how to treat each other: how to say hello, how to eat, how to give a gift, how to refuse and how to leave. They differ in each culture, and a gesture that is warm in one place may be rude in another. EveryParampara gathers them by country, from the Thai wai and the Japanese bow to Ethiopian coffee, Iranian taarof and the Maori hongi, so that visitors and curious readers can understand what is going on.

Greeting and giving

Greetings may involve a bow, a handshake, a kiss, a hand on the heart or the joining of palms. Gifts have their own rules: both hands in East Asia, the right hand in much of Africa and the Middle East, no white flowers in China, no alcohol in a Muslim home. Wrapping, timing and the way a gift is received all matter. When in doubt, a small gift of food or sweets, given with a smile, is welcome almost anywhere.

At the table and at the door

Shoes off at the door, a seat of honour for the guest, the eldest served first, a refused offer pressed again: the rules of the table and the threshold are widely shared in spirit if not in detail. A good guest watches, thanks the host and does not rush. A good host feeds the guest, lets the guest leave with food, and walks them to the gate. These small customs make the visit a pleasure for both.

About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background on Greetings, manners and hospitality (kind of tradition). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
MealBreakfastLunchDinnerSupperTea-time and snacking customsTea, coffee and drinking ceremoniesSweets given and sharedFeasts and festival mealsFasting and breaking the fast
🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 3 moreAs-salamu alaykumسَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ A traditional Arabic greeting of peace exchanged in daily life and prayerEtiquette 🇸🇦 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and 4 moreMajlis A traditional sitting room and community assembly for hospitality and civic counselEtiquette 🇰🇼 KuwaitDewaniya An evening gathering and reception central to Kuwaiti social, business, and civic lifeEtiquette · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇮🇳 IndiaAtithi Devo Bhavaअतिथिदेवो भव A traditional Indian Hindu philosophy and campaign that treats guests with the reverence due to deities.Etiquette 🇫🇷 France and 4 morePicnic A meal taken outdoors in a park or scenic spot, often shared with friends and family.Festival · Lunch 🇩🇰 Copenhagen, Denmark and 1 moreHygge A Danish word for unhurried time at home with others, kept with candles and cookingHome 🇩🇪 Germany and 2 moreStammtisch A weekly gathering of regulars at a reserved table in a pub or restaurant for conversation and community.Etiquette 🇪🇹 Ethiopia and 1 moreHabesha coffee ceremonyቡና ማፍላት A daily ritual of roasting, grinding and serving coffee to welcome guests in Ethiopia and EritreaEtiquette 🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreName day A calendar tradition where people celebrate the feast day of the saint after whom they are named.Festival 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan and 1 moreArmudu tea glassArmudu stəkan A pear-shaped glass used in Azerbaijan to serve and drink black tea.Table custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇨🇳 ChinaHong Kong tea culture Morning tea with dim sum and milk tea through the day, in Hong Kong's teahousesTable custom · Breakfast 🇯🇵 JapanNemawashi根回し The Japanese practice of building quiet consensus before an official decisionEtiquette 🇨🇳 Yixing, ChinaYixing clay teapot紫砂 Handcrafted Chinese purple clay teapots that season with every brewCraft · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇮🇹 Naples, Italy and 5 moreCaffè sospeso An anonymous gift of a paid cup of coffee for a stranger in needTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇬🇪 GeorgiaTamadaთამადა The toastmaster who leads the Georgian supra, guiding toasts and conversation at feasts.Etiquette 🇨🇳 Hong Kong, China and 5 moreFace The shared social etiquette of honour, dignity and mutual respect across culturesEtiquette 🇳🇿 New Zealand and 2 moreMarae A cleared, sacred gathering place at the heart of Māori and Polynesian community lifeSpiritual 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreTrunk-or-treating A safer Halloween alternative where treats are handed out from decorated car trunks in parking lots.Festival 🇫🇷 France and 5 moreCheek kissingfaire la bise A greeting gesture where people touch cheeks or lips to cheeks to show friendship or respect.Etiquette 🇮🇹 Naples, ItalyCaffè Italy's daily coffee habit: espresso taken standing at the bar, and moka coffee at homeTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇵🇪 Peru and 2 moreAyniAyni (Quechua and Aymara) Giving and receiving as a duty, kept by Andean communitiesEtiquette 🇬🇷 GreeceXeniaξενία (xenia) An ancient Greek code of hospitality and guest-friendship rooted in reciprocity and divine duty.Etiquette 🇯🇵 JapanPindapata𑀧𑀺𑀡𑁆𑀟𑀘𑀸𑀭 A Buddhist almsround where monks walk through towns to receive food and necessities from laypeople.Spiritual 🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreHandshake A brief clasp of hands to greet, part or seal a deal, with local rules on how it is doneEtiquette 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreQuilting bee A communal gathering where people stitch quilts together while sharing news and strengthening community bonds.Festival 🇧🇼 Botswana and 2 moreKgotla A village meeting and customary court in Botswana, led by the chiefCeremony 🇼🇸 Samoa and 1 moreTalofa The Samoan hello and goodbye, also heard in Tuvalu and on LifouEtiquette 🇺🇸 United StatesTalking stick A carved staff that shows who may speak at a Northwest Coast gatheringCeremony 🇲🇾 Malaysia and 4 moreKopitiam A neighbourhood coffee shop where Southeast Asians share meals, drinks and newsTable custom · Breakfast 🇳🇿 New ZealandKarakia Māori incantations and prayers recited for spiritual guidance, safety and ceremonySpiritual 🇦🇫 Kabul, Afghanistan and 1 moreJirgaجرګه A traditional consultative council of elders that settles disputes through consensusCeremony 🇳🇿 Auckland, New ZealandWharenui A Māori carved communal meeting house at the centre of tribal life in New ZealandHome 🇨🇳 Chaozhou, China and 1 moreGongfu tea工夫茶 A skilled Chinese method of brewing tea in small teaware with precise heat and timingTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇯🇵 Kyoto, JapanKendo剣道 A Japanese martial art of swordsmanship using bamboo swords and protective armourGame 🇮🇹 Venice, ItalyCicchettiCicheti A Venetian custom of small counter snacks enjoyed with a glass of local white wineTable custom · Tea-time and snacking customs 🇨🇳 ChinaGuanxi关系 A Chinese tradition of cultivating trusted networks and reciprocal obligationsEtiquette 🇦🇺 AustraliaSmoking ceremonyNumbuk Yabbun An Aboriginal Australian ritual of burning native plants to cleanse, heal and welcomeSpiritual 🇮🇳 IndiaNamasteनमस्ते A respectful greeting made with joined palms, spoken in South Asia and beyondEtiquette 🇯🇵 Fukuoka, Japan and 4 moreWhite Dayホワイトデー A day on 14 March when men give a return gift to the women who gave them chocolateFestival 🇾🇪 Mokha, Yemen and 7 moreArabic coffeeqahwa (Arabic: قهوة) A bitter, spiced brew served as a gesture of hospitality across the Arab world.Table custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇯🇵 Kyoto, JapanKaiseki懐石 A multi-course Japanese dining tradition shaped by tea ceremonies and the seasonsTable custom · Dinner 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreTea culture How tea is prepared, shared and served, from Chinese tea houses to Tibetan butter teaTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇱🇾 LibyaLibyan tea A strong boiled tea in small glasses, served in three foam-topped roundsTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreProstration Bowing the whole body to the ground, in prayer and as a sign of respectSpiritual 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreElevenses A short mid-morning pause for a drink and a small bite, kept in many countriesTable custom · Tea-time and snacking customs 🇦🇱 Albania and 1 moreKanunKanû Albanian customary law kept by word of mouth, centred on honour and the given wordEtiquette 🇪🇸 Spain and 5 moreCompadre A ritual kinship made at a child's baptism, binding parents and godparents for lifeSpiritual 🇵🇭 Philippines and 3 moreManoPagmamano A Filipino greeting where a younger person bows and asks an elder for a blessingEtiquette
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Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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