I was into a discussion once with a relative of mine about the Omani culture and how it is very rich and very unique.

example:

In the past if you invite a guest in your house one of the Omani related culture manners was for the house owner to introduce two to three sets of food composed of fruits, dates, etc....and a pure Omani coffea....
(not just one set as how we do currently)

and in the past your guests welcome was not about juice and nuts!!!! like how we do nowdays!!!


Another thing: the owner of the house when lunch time arrives he introduce the Lunch plate and leave the guests alone to eat so they can relax not to feel shy .... (some parts of Oman)...

Now such examples were (are) part of our culture that I my self lack in knowing everything about....BUT am in the proccess and intrest in acquiring them....

Many of our cultural /Social manners and behaviours unique to Omanies are indeed wonderfull and I think should not vanish!!!

IF you think about it abit.....Do you care about such things???

How much do you really know about your belonged Omani culture!!!??

P.s. I got a Gift from a good patient a book about Omani culture and indeed its wonderfull as I learnd some things I didnt know about cultures and behaviours in different spocial circumstances in different parts of Oman :) Wonderfull!

awaiting for your thoughtss

Well as a non Omani, I thnk that is really a lovely custom.......with the dates abd coffee......

I hope it doesn't happen someday.......you visit someone's house and they offer you a cheeseburger and pepsi.......
But I am afraid it's going that way, where the young people look at traditions as a burden on their modern lifestyle......such a pity.


sayid fatak

In the past if you invite a guest in your house one of the Omani related culture manners was for the house owner to introduce two to three sets of food composed of fruits, dates, etc....and a pure Omani coffea....
(not just one set as how we do currently)
And we in Batinah, we do two. in fact it may differ from time to time and from house to house.

and in the past your guests welcome was not about juice and nuts!!!! like how we do nowdays!!!
i agree...all the way.

Another thing: the owner of the house when lunch time arrives he introduce the Lunch plate and leave the guests alone to eat so they can relax not to feel shy .... (some parts of Oman)...
Again in Batinah, we don't do that...in fact we think of it rather the opposite. We are used that older ppl set with the guests to encourage them to eat.
In the other hand, i like this tradition..;) as done in some parts of Oman that i"ve been to.

Now such examples were (are) part of our culture that I my self lack in knowing everything about....BUT am in the proccess and intrest in acquiring them....
And i always learn something new about it.

Many of our cultural /Social manners and behaviours unique to Omanies are indeed wonderfull and I think should not vanish!!!
Very, our friends from other gulf countries always state that and like to know these traditions.

IF you think about it abit.....Do you care about such things???
Sure, we do. It is history and ask any older ppl around you, they will tell u wonderful meanings these traditions carry.
How much do you really know about your belonged Omani culture!!!??
I know a lil and i really like to know more through books. But There is No Match for seeing them applied on front of you when you visit other places in oman. Just Wonderful and Interesting.

Well as a non Omani, I thnk that is really a lovely custom.......with the dates abd coffee......
In my life in the UK, ppl always admire us for these traditions as we told them about these traditions.;)
I hope it doesn't happen someday.......you visit someone's house and they offer you a cheeseburger and pepsi.......
I hope so.:shy:
But as there are ppl who value their history these things will never dissappear
But I am afraid it's going that way, where the young people look at traditions as a burden on their modern lifestyle......such a pity.
there are some, but there are others...believe me..:) ;)

IF you think about it abit.....Do you care about such things???
Nope. I don't believe in following a set of rules or traditions just because you come from a certain culture. It's good to embrace your culture and be aware of what the Omani culture consists of, but you don't necessarily have to follow it. I guess I don't place much importance on culture. I think that religion is more important, while following culture is entirely optional.

For instance, what you serve guests and how you serve it is totally irrelevant to me. As long as you make your guests feel welcome, I don't think it should matter in what way you present them with food and such.

If you're not going to follow your own culture, and would rather follow something else, then just do it in a way so that you don't offend those who do follow the culture. Everyone should be free to behave as they please, as long as they don't offend others within the society.

How much do you really know about your belonged Omani culture!!!??
I don't know how to measure my knowledge in such things, but I'm guessing not much.

I don't really know if I know a lot or a little. I'm not sure what exactly is considered Omani culture, and what is Arab culture and what's Muslim culture - they're all kind of jumbled up in my head.
When it comes to entertaining guests, all I know is what we do in the house. If serving juices and nuts is western, and serving coffee and dates is Omani, then we pretty much merged both in my house nicely enough :p.

I dunno what else... ok before guests leave, I remember sometimes there's like a tray of different types of oud and perfumes and stuff, and the guests are supposed to sample them. I thought it was kind of insulting, like telling them that they stink, but then I was just told, that it's a habit in our family or something. And the bukhoor. Always bukhooooor.

for not being n omani but from a gulf country.. i think it's something good to followe the custums.. well not all just to make life hell ! coz i think it shows that u respect ur past n treasure it.. but if ur with ur friends or some1 close chips n sweets n pepsi will be great im sure :p

Some one Owns culture doesnt reflects some ones own identity and have much of ego and dignity in it?

Doesnt reflect much of a belonging and bind to the land, love to your own people ??

Yea I know a culture doesnt have to be 100% clean and nice, with no mistakes or wrongs...yet...taking from it the positives (which I think is the Most!)..and knwoing them well and maybe trying to practise them in your daily life will make you more of a national more of a land belonger :)!!

am I right or wrong?

Omanis are really hospitable, at least the ones that really care anyways. Though I sometimes think they take their hospitability a bit too seriously... like when they would get all upset because I didn't want to drink tea and finish an enormous portion of Omani halwa.

Lol @ Shinoda - then you should definitely never go to my grandmother's house :p

I thought about it a bit, and I don't think it's really that vital that we keep traditions of the actual things we serve when guests are over and all that, but the values should definitely stay the same: hospitality, friendliness to neighbors, respect for their space... etc, those are more timeless things.

I think there should be some balance between what we keep and what we leave. There are cultural things that would be ok to let go off, but others are what makes the identity of the culture itself and its wrong to forget them.

Culture is no what to serve and what not to serve, I guess this slowly changes from generation to another. I bet my great grandmother did not serve what my grandmother serves and so on .. but there are some things like inviting the guest to have what you are serving (3zam) and leting them know they are comfortable in your home is something should stay.

Being welcoming or hospitable towards guests isn't something that is restricted to the Arab culture. I think that it's a characteristic that is existent in almost any society. When you welcome someone into your home, it's normal to offer them something to drink or eat.

This brings the question, do we do things because they are a part of our own culture, or because they make sense and it's only logical or part of manners to do it?

An example of one thing that is existent in our culture would be taking off shoes when you go into a house. I know some people could get offended if you walked in with your shoes still on. Something like that, I'd normally be cautious about, so as not to offend the person whose house I'm visiting. But then, come to think of it, I might just be doing it because I don't want to get dirt and germs all over the carpet.

IF you think about it abit.....Do you care about such things???


........For sure i care about it, cause i was raised surronded with the Omani culture and traditions, though as my parents and I plus my siblings are living in Muscat, we tend to balance with what we have as a traidtion and what we have adopted to be a moderate modern culture.........

.......But yet the rest of our family back in bilad/village are all following the Omani tradition and culture but again within the Islamic Teachings, they do not follow something that does not make sence and does not justify the reasons of some actions.........

.....Plus you don't have to take a 100% of the typical Omani Culture & Traidtion, but you can still take the good habits and acts and continue using or implimenting in your life and teach your kids.........

...Its nice to keep such thing flowing in your self......it feels good.....:3mani:


How much do you really know about your belonged Omani culture!!!??


.....I wouldn't say that i know much for me to answer with YES, but i can say i know what i have been tought and been practising....... Though i would really like to know more about it of the other regions of OMAN.....:)


P.s. I got a Gift from a good patient a book about Omani culture and indeed its wonderfull as I learnd some things I didnt know about cultures and behaviours in different spocial circumstances in different parts of Oman :) Wonderfull!

...Can you provide us with the information of the book's title and where can it be found, please? if you know the price of it, then it will be great......:blush:

.....In our family house in Muscat, when we receive guests who are strangers, we serve them a huge flat bowl of mixed fruits[un-pealed and un-cut], a plate of date, a plate of halwa, some savoury snaks, a box of chocolate, some nuts, Dalat Qahwa 3omania[ an omani coffee in a Thermos], Dalat Shay na3na3 [a fresh mint tea in a Thermos] and a jug of juice..........:cool:

....the reason we serve all of the above is because we faced some embarrasing moments where some guest don't drink any coffee, and then we will have to go and prapre some juice and that might take long, and by the time we come to serve the juice the guest would be about to leave. Or sometimes when you seve 1 or 2 things that guest might not be able to eat them for soem reasons.......So to avoid to embarrase the guest and to embarase our selves, we serve them every thing that could be served....

......On Eid days, we serve Mashakik and Shwa with Omani bread [ '7obz Re'7al] along with the list above.......lol and this is only a snak....:XD:

....But with guests who are family and close friends, we serve them what we think they like to have and many times we ask them what they want and they tell us and we just serve......

-------------------

...when it come to the main meals, lol, we cook more than 3 dishes [white rice, saloona which curry, Omani bread, fried fish or chicken, Qaboli or Majbos, two types of salad a green one and a mixed one.:mushroom:

....We dont live our guests alone, we stay with them to serve them and to make sure that they are fine with the food and await on them if they were female, but if they were men, for sure as girls we dont go to the majlis, but the family male member will ask us to provide with things to the edge of the doors and the rest will be carried by them to the guest and they will await on them..........:sunsmile:

originally posted by Arabian Princess
I think there should be some balance between what we keep and what we leave. There are cultural things that would be ok to let go off, but others are what makes the identity of the culture itself and its wrong to forget them.

i personally feel like i learn a new thing about it almost everyday...i like it :cute: most of them are unique and interesting..makes you proud :cool:

i also believe that omanis are known for thier Generosity..and most of us are known for being racist..most of us are (it's a fact)... :bored:

like what Arabian Princess said..maybe we'll be better off without some of 'em :hehe:

Am suprized that Many dont really care about even knowing about their own culture!!!

Hospitality is only a small facet of any rich culture ;)

Ok, so maybe it's good to keep and practice some aspects of your culture, but some things are just ridiculous in my opinion. In some parts of Oman, if two acquaintances bumped into each other, they have to take off their shoes when greeting one another, as a sign of respect. I understand why your hosts would expect you to take off your shoes when visiting their carpeted house, but that? :mmhmm:

.. it's with everything.. the more u experience/practice , the more u know n appreciate!!

.. so it's ur life style that decides how much u know/appreciate the culture/tradition u have!!

.. a person who lived in muscat for example wouldnt have that much knowledge of his/er culture coz of the lack of experincing it in his life style.. if we compare that to a person living outside muscat *or outside other modern life style city*!!

.. L:DL at clueless.. my grandmother does that when she sees us *her sons, daughters and grandsons/daughters only* as a sign of respect, care and love from her for us.. i told her many times not to do that but she would tell me off lol!! .. it likes im between ur hands and ask me whatever u want!!:cute:

I never know it ... in fact I never read even about it ... lately I was think to do so.

I am sure it's not that big different that what I get used to here in UAE ... but still I would love to know about my origional more :)

Wait wait... if you bump into someone for example, on the street or something, you take off your shoes?? :omg: that's kinda weird :p

i dont know and will not even bother my self to know about omani culture , it would be much better to learn more about our islamical history instead of our primitive acts.

Culture isn't necessarily primitive acts... in fact it's quite the opposite.

i dont know and will not even bother my self to know about omani culture


.. it's not something u need to know.. it's something u own!!

I don't, and it makes me laugh!

.........I agree with my cousin Toomuchat......its not something you need to have and keep for the sake of it, but its something you own it and you inhert it from your grandpartents and parents.......

.....Its the style of certain family, socity and community......Its part of your identity, if you dont have it, then your identity is never complete......

.....Plus there is an Arabic Proverb and in English is ---> Those who don't have it can never give it <---فاقد الشيئ، لا يعطيه

......In the meaning of, if you dont have something you can never give it to some one else, such as if you are to have enough money in your pocket then in this case you are able to lend it or give it to others, but if you did not have any money in your pocket then in this case you can not afford to give some one else any money.......

I am familiar with the common culture rules and frankly i'm not too fond of many of them to be honest so I don't necessarily follow them.

Doesnt a Nation's Own culture reflect much of that nations Own identity
and so if the one whom belong to that nation dont know its culture what that make them???

This is merly a sided thought though :)

Makes us ignorant to some of our STUPID traditions.

I think you should only follow the good part of our traditions, maybe we ought to know them all, to know which to eliminate and which not to, which ones to pass to our children etc. There is nothing harmful is knowing it all, it doesn't mean you will have to follow it. Knowledge is always a great value but it is what you gonna do with it, that is more valuable.

And to tell my kids how narrow-minded the people were, years back? There's a tradition that is well-known which goes by two parents during the night of their son's wedding waiting patiently for their son to make love to his bride and to show them a handkerchief covered with blood so they'd 'Phew, she was a virgin, thank God'.

What a wonderful knowledge that is!

Yes, so they never become as narrow minded as people were and anyways, I said, pick the good. That's obviously not the good, so why repeat it? ;) and anyways, since people acknowledged that , that tradition is ridiculous, so we stopped abiding by it.

Traditions is not all non-sense. It teaches us how important it is to welcome your guests and be hospitable and polite, serve them with food, etc. How to know your neighbors and bear them with gift every once in a while in order to develop great relations. There are many others great traditions one should not discard. That's all I am saying.

It may be well known to be courteous, but our traditions place more importance on them.

Or I'd prefer not to have them laughing at their culture and how stupid some of their traditions are ;)

Traditions is not all non-sense. It teaches us how important it is to welcome your guests and be hospitable and polite, serve them with food, etc. How to know your neighbors and bear them with gift every once in a while in order to develop great relations. There are many others great traditions one should not discard. That's all I am saying.
That is the teaching of Islam. You see my dear, there's a huge difference between tradition and religion ;)

But you see it fused together that it is hard sometimes to distinguish between them, so again, it's correct to say that not all traditions are non-sense and bad because Islam influenced it so much, to the better of course :)

And another thing, many of our customs are practiced till today because it's a tradition, not because of Islam. It's unfortunate, but many do things because society expects them to, not because Allah s.w.t or our beloved prophet recommended it. At least at the end of the day, they do it, regardless of the reason why.

Yeah anyways a lot of our traditions are just Arabic/Omani traditions, that were around before Islam. There were more traditions before Islam, but they were the ones that went against our religious beliefs or the ones that were just being followed blindly, so they were discarded. I don't think that any tradition remains today that goes against a moral or religious belief. There are a few things here and there that are insignificant, nothing like killing newborn daughters or anything.