Growing up in the South taught me a lot about Southern Hospitality, and yes that is a real thing. I can tell you from personal experience that people in the south know how to treat a stranger with kindness and how to make anyone feel like family within 5 minutes. Where I grew up, everyone greets everyone, asks how your family is, offers sweet tea or a snack as soon as you walk through the door and hugs each other's necks like it's the last time you'll see each other. Although I like to think Southerns have mastered the art of hospitality, it turns out the Greeks may have one-upped us.
Xenia is the Greek word for hospitality. It is the relationship between two people from different regions. Greeks are known for being very proud of their culture and very loyal to one another. Greeks have "in-groups" whcih makes up thier inner circle. Usually this includes, family, close friends and friends of friends to whom an individual is fiercely loyal. However, at the same time, Greeks also extend a hospitality that America has seemingly lost sight of (in my opinion).
You may wonder how Greeks can be so dedicated to their in-group but also so hospitable to outsiders. After doing some research, this is what I've found. There are two possible reasons for this hospitality/
1. In the past, the Greeks believed that the gods wanted them to show hospitality to anyone who showed up at their homes. Zeus was said to have disguised himself as a poor man, dressing himself in rags, so that he
could visit the homes of Greeks and see how they treated strangers. He would reveal himself at a certain point as the god he really
was, the point of the story being that it's a good idea to treat strangers/foreigners well, because they could turn out to
be gods.
or
2. Before modern transportation, traveling was much more extensive and lengthier. Using methods of transportation such as traveling by foot or by boat were much slower, therefore requiring a traveler to spend many more nights away from home and in different locations. Even if a traveler could find an inn or hotel, the majority of travelers could not afford to pay to stay somewhere every night they were gone. This led to travelers relying on the hospitality of others to provide shelter, food and protection. In exchange for the hospitality a gift of some sort was given.
Although the form of hospitality may have changed along with the times, it still exists and is prevelant in Greece today. People don't usually need a place to stay for free or a meal after traveling, but a kind gesture is always appreciated.
I can speak from personal experience about the hospitality from Greeks. During the short time I've been in Greece, I have already been overwhelmed by the amount of hospitality shown to me (especially as an American).
Exhibit A: This past weekend, our whole group of students went on a road trip to about 6 different soghts, stopping in the small town of Nafplion to stay the night. As my roommate Sarah Kim and I were walking around looking for somewhere to grab a bite to eat for dinner, the owner of an internet cafe invited us in to his restaurant just to show us his business. Even though we didn't eat there or order anything he insisted that we sit down so he could show us about books he loves about Greece. We told him we were from the States and he told us all the places we should go see while we're here (and he was impressed when we said we had already been to a few places he mentioned!) Before we left he insisted that we both leave with cold water bottles because it was hot outside. I initially turned him down and said that it wasn't necessary but he was not going to let us leave without them. So of course we graciously took the bottles and continued on our quest for food. It amazed me that he didn't seem to want anything from us other than making sure we were hydrated. This is not something that happens in the States.
Exhibit B: Each Monday near our dorm building, there is a fresh market full of the most amazing fruits and veggies I've ever tasted. I love it so much I go twice every Monday, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. The first week I picked my two vendors that I like so I buy my food from them (and try to learn and practice my Greek). The first Monday afternoon, one vendor gave me free apricots under the pretense that I come back to see him next week.This past Monday afternoon, my other favorite vendor gave me a free melon just because! He just said it was for me. These random acts of hospitality make my day like nothing else. Seriously, I had a grin like a kid who just got a puppy. Yes, maybe these actions were to continue to me buying from them but I could tell they genuinely enjoyed my reaction at being given free fruit!
Exhibit C: In a previous post I mentioned the kefi-infused beauty named Demetria we met in Santorini. Not only did she immediately befriend Mark, Sarah, Dallas, Nick and I but she also invited us to her family's restaurant to drink free wine. Where in America does this happen? We barely knew each other for more than 20 minutes and she was insisting that we come so that we could relax and visit while enjoying a glass of wine on the house. Also in Santorini, a shopkeeper gave all the girls an evil eye charm with our purchase just because.
I could go on and on about different displays of hospitality (and I will probably have more to share in the future) but these are acts of hospitality that have stuck out to me thus far. Although Greeks are sometimes hesitant to show this hospitality to Americans, if you even attempt to communicate in Greek they instantly warm up to you and see that you are at least putting effort into learning their language. Americans always expect others to learn English so we never have to be at an inconvenience. But that is another post for another time.
For now, I challenge you to try out this new idea of hospitality from the Greeks. Go out of your way to show kindness to someone else without expecting anything back. I guarantee if everyone did this, America (and the world in general) would be a much nicer place to live in.
No comments:
Post a Comment