Following up on my blog about the Bana tribe, I decided to look up more about Ethiopia and some of the other tribes and customs. I came to learn about the Ethiopian coffee ceremony which is found mostly in central Ethiopia. If you visit Ethiopia, you will probably be a part of this ceremony because it is a sign of friendship and hospitality. They perform it for visitors. The ceremony can take up to a couple hours though and is kind of strenuous.
The ceremony is always conducted by an Ethiopian woman that is dressed in a white dress. First, she will roast the coffee beans one a flat pan over a charcoal stove. While this is done, many incense are burned and so the smell can get a bit overwhelming. The lady will wash the beans on in the pan and remove the husks. When the beans are black and shining, she grounds them with a pestle and mortar. This ground coffee is shirred into a clay coffee pot and strained several times. When the coffee is ready, the youngest child is sent to tell everyone else that the coffee is ready to be served and brings a cup to the first eldest person in the room and then to the others. The woman serves her family, friends, and neighbors last who have been watching the procedure for a half hour. It is a great skill to learn how to properly pour the coffee into each cup from exactly one foot without interruption.
I find this ceremony to be very admirable and traditional. If other countries and other tribes show this much hospitality to visitors it makes me feel like the United States is severely lacking in the hospitality category. I don't find the ceremony and cool as what the ceremony represents and how it brings everyone together. (310)
The ceremony is always conducted by an Ethiopian woman that is dressed in a white dress. First, she will roast the coffee beans one a flat pan over a charcoal stove. While this is done, many incense are burned and so the smell can get a bit overwhelming. The lady will wash the beans on in the pan and remove the husks. When the beans are black and shining, she grounds them with a pestle and mortar. This ground coffee is shirred into a clay coffee pot and strained several times. When the coffee is ready, the youngest child is sent to tell everyone else that the coffee is ready to be served and brings a cup to the first eldest person in the room and then to the others. The woman serves her family, friends, and neighbors last who have been watching the procedure for a half hour. It is a great skill to learn how to properly pour the coffee into each cup from exactly one foot without interruption.
I find this ceremony to be very admirable and traditional. If other countries and other tribes show this much hospitality to visitors it makes me feel like the United States is severely lacking in the hospitality category. I don't find the ceremony and cool as what the ceremony represents and how it brings everyone together. (310)
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