Egypt being the home of the famous pyramids, there are many more things to see and reasons to visit the country that are a mixture of ancient and modern touch. To enjoy and not seem like you might be brushing off their culture, here are a few fascinating traditions and cultures dear to Egyptians.
When you visit an Egyptian home, there are things you should follow.
The first interesting fact about visiting an Egyptian family is it is essential to finish your glass of juice. If the family does have daughters, not finishing the glass of juice you have been offered means, according to them, the daughters in that family might not get married. It, therefore, might be a celebration once you leave and you leave an empty glass of juice.
When you get into an Egyptian home, you must remove your shoes first, and you have to wait for the host to show you where to sit. It is also essential to avoid using your left hand, especially eating in and passing things around the house. It is believed that the left hand is used for unclean tasks. It is a good thing to appreciate your host and complement them once you are leaving and getting in the house, respectively. The host might take offence if you refuse to take a second helping, and you might want to leave a spoonful or two of food on your plate so that you don’t get additional for more.
Want a prosperous life? Bury a weasel
An exciting belief that some Egyptians have is burying a weasel at their doorstep to welcome a life full of a lot of wealth and happiness. With prosperities in mind, it is also believed that while visiting a new home or going to see a person’s new house, one should step in first using their right leg as a form of blessing and welcoming prosperity in their new house.
The Twitching eye
If you have experienced a twitching eye, then there is a meaning according to Egyptian beliefs. The narrative behind a twitching look might be a sign of bad luck, especially if it’s the left eye, which might comprise a horrible event or just getting terrible news.
A daughter might mean more wealth for the family
With boys being a preferred gender for the longest time in many traditions since they are believed to carry the family name through generations and are more preferred since they can offer labour in Egypt, the preference might be different as they think that girls are supposed to bring more wealth to the family than boys.
Spilling coffee might, after all, be a good thing
In Egypt, spilt coffee might not be condemned, and you might, however, get applause with everyone around you wishing you good things. It is a strong belief that good things and good news will locate you once you spill coffee.
Dressing
With the Egyptians being guided mainly by religion, their attire is usually conservative and traditional. Dressing up even while visiting people in their houses and clothing are valued. Some cities like Cairo have modernised and started to accept women as they dress up in modern clothes with less judgement, but it is also common to see women dressed up all covered up and in hijabs. Men, on the other hand, put on loose trousers and long-sleeved loose shirts. More people feel comfortable if they are dressed up conservative.
Money culture
One of the interesting factors is that tipping is a tipping culture, and Baksheesh is a coon expectation in hotels and restaurants. It is believed to be an appreciation form to service providers. Like all around the world, there are multiple ways for Egyptians to earn money, especially online. Some of the ways they have adapted are trading in the money market like cryptocurrency, online tutoring, YouTubing and drop shipping. It has been difficult for other popular modes to earn money, like online gaming, to take its entire course in Egypt. With Egypt being a Muslim country, gaming and gambling are prohibited. The impact of Egyptian culture on casino games is a complicated one since Egypt is a Muslim country, and gambling is not permitted among Muslims. It is, however, hard to get rid of gambling as it has been in the culture since ancient times and since it is practised globally, three cities have casinos and gambling facilities that are licensed, but their main customers are foreign people.
Affection display.
Even when your relationship is official, it is a little awkward for people to display affection publicly. You might not want to go as far as kissing and hugging, but even holding hands might not be as common as you might think in public areas, and it is essential if foreigners show the kind of respect shown by the locals.
Time
You might think that as time might be of the essence during your tour so that you might be able to tick off your tour list, then it is essential to know that there might be a possibility to add more days to your tour to complete your list or just cut off some of the activities in your inventory. Egyptians tend to be more relaxed and take their time doing things. Therefore, it means that you might have to adapt to a go with the flow attitude to have maximum enjoyment for your trip.
Religion
Egypt is a country that has almost its entire population of the Muslim religion. It, therefore, means that the Muslim culture mainly guides its cultures and most of the activities and happenings. All aspects of Egyptians’ way of life, including their cultural practises and family values, are driven by Muslim belief. A whole tour of Egypt might be marked by echoes of prayers from mosques all over the cities. Muslims pray about five times a day, and shops and businesses also close up for prayers. Friday is usually their day of worship, and on this particular day, they should expect to find most shops closed and a typical week in Egypt begins on Sunday.
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