What are some common traditions and where do they derrive from. Which one is your favorite and why.

hmmmmmm

the national clothes??

I heard about how when there are parties or weddings a pit is dug and sometimes lamb or beef is put in there and covered to cook (forget how long) and man oh man is suppose to be so tender, juicy and flavorful.

Hospitality - it has always been an important part of life in Arabia and is a really important part of being a good Muslim.

I heard about how when there are parties or weddings a pit is dug and sometimes lamb or beef is put in there and covered to cook (forget how long) and man oh man is suppose to be so tender, juicy and flavorful.

Its called Shuwa and we always have it at Eid - its scrumptous

I always wanted to try that. I also love the dates and would die for a few right now.

Dates.. yummmmy! But not all kinds of dates, there's this one that's soft and honey-ish.. I don't know what it's called.. but yea that's it.

One of the traditions is wearing of Omani Khanjar.

http://www.coyotespaw.com/weapon/956a-khanjar1.jpg

Am stuffing myself with dates with cold laban now that am back home :p Yummy!

The smell of bukhoor and 3ood (incense) I love it so much.

The Omani hospitality traditions..Starting from the way they greet each other "Shaking hands, kissing the cheeks/noses" and ending with serving the Omani Coffee "Gahwa" with the dates. I don't drink coffee but I know that Omani Coffee tastes great and it smells really good.
I like it when they insist on you to eat/drink something when you visit any Omani family. Though it's annoying sometimes :p. But you really can't see this habit in any other GCC country..or let's say it's so rare and unusual habit with others.

The smell of bukhoor and 3ood (incense) I love it so much.

Yeaaaaaaaaa :love:

I wonder how I forgot that !

I have some Omani incense and man reminds me of mass. I know the Catholic church buys the same stuff. Smells wonderful!

I have some Omani incense and man reminds me of mass. I know the Catholic church buys the same stuff. Smells wonderful!
when there's an important function, i can smell incence from the church a few doors away right in my room. that's what heaven must smell like. of course, if i'm too close to it i get a coughing fit and my eyes start watering lol.

I like using the essence much better than those chemical products like Lysol or Fabreeze. Those 2 smells I hate.

Are you sure its incense? Throughout history the church has always used frankincense to purify/ remove evil spirits etc And that only grows here in Oman for centuries religious organisations around the world have been buying it from us. Oman - country of Jinn and the cure for demons :p

they put the incense in this

http://www.hellenic-art.com/chalice/240071.jpg

light a coal (i think, or some sort of burner) in the bottom chamber, then the chief altar boy swings it around in circles to get the incence in the top chamber. the smoke comes out.

i don't know if there is a difference between incense and frankincense...

I don't see that in Mass too often except special circumstances. But the smell I smell it every time I go in. Very calming.

I know the incense I have comes from a tree in Oman so maybe it is Frankincense.

I like using the essence much better than those chemical products like Lysol or Fabreeze. Those 2 smells I hate.

Really?! :o

I love Fabreeze .. It gives a fresh smell.

For me certain sprays just smell too chemically for me (if that is a word)...my nose wrinkles. With having cats I use my Frankincense to make my place smell refreshing.

I like it when they insist on you to eat/drink something when you visit any Omani family. Though it's annoying sometimes :p. But you really can't see this habit in any other GCC country..or let's say it's so rare and unusual habit with others.

yah i like that but sometimes they OVER-do it!!

oh and, it differs from one town to another, some insist much more than other areas...


i also like the men's Malka (wedding), as men gather all dressed up and looking tough with the traditional clothes :flag:

I remember if I don't want anymore tea I would shake my glass which means no more. Wonder if I can do that with a plate? :D

^^ looooooool

that's usually with coffee, not tea xD

we always let the guests leave the table before us :angel:

I remember if I don't want anymore tea I would shake my glass which means no more. Wonder if I can do that with a plate? :D
That will be the cup of coffee & not tea as AMARANT pointed to. If you are done with your plate, so you can simply leave the place to wash your hands.

Oh I was joking about the tea thing...I did it with coffee. I used to drink this coffee that was made the Omani way and with the use of Cardomon (spelling) seeds.

That will be the cup of coffee & not tea as AMARANT pointed to. If you are done with your plate, so you can simply leave the place to wash your hands.

u r right about the coffee but not the dish thing

if you are invited to a lunch or dinner its rude to leave first from the plate or table, so you have to wait for the ppl who invited you to leave first or offer you fruits after finishing ..

u r right about the coffee but not the dish thing

if you are invited to a lunch or dinner its rude to leave first from the plate or table, so you have to wait for the ppl who invited you to leave first or offer you fruits after finishing ..
Who said so?! If you are done, the host will be asking to put more on your plate, & might insist, if you say you are done & can't take more, so then they will ask to leave to wash your hands.

^^ no what i know is this and lot of old omani families do so

its rude if u left first because its like you dont like the food or something

but if you are done and the host saw that he will ask u if u want more and if you said no thanks then he will get up and show u where u can wash ur hands..

Hospitality - it has always been an important part of life in Arabia and is a really important part of being a good Muslim.
This is one of the best one, and to be honest very very nice one!

And traditional clothes are nice as well !

^^ no what i know is this and lot of old omani families do so

its rude if u left first because its like you dont like the food or something

but if you are done and the host saw that he will ask u if u want more and if you said no thanks then he will get up and show u where u can wash ur hands..
Thats what I was saying, more to what I meant is the host won't let you stay there if you are done.

The host will leave last mostly because they will get up for clearing the table/floor.

regarding eating....do you use cutlery or do you eat with your hands? or half and half ?some food i cook is eaten by hand as it's more comfortable. like a dish of baked macaroni, a pie, a pizza. how do you manage a stew with rice for example? does the food have to be cooled down first, in case it's too hot to touch? what foods can be eaten by hand and what foods can't? (soup is obvious lol)
and what about me if i get invited to an omani house? i am left handed....i can manage with my right but i'm obviously more coordinated with my left.
i've read on a link i found in google that it's impolite to finish your plate before your host..is that right?
sorry for the many questions.

I tried eating with my hands, rice but couldn't. The rice kept falling out even if I squished it in my hand. And what I understand everyone eats from their side of the entree. It was interesting to at least try.

One of my favorite desserts is Halawa (I think it is called) and this other cookie where dates are used. You have two biscits and the date spread in the middle. OMG I ate so many of those and MISS them. YUMMY!!!

so you are supposed to form a 'ball' with your rice? and what about meat, and if there's gravy with it? do you use bread to lift it up? and what about the hotness of the food? i wouldn't mind trying. less cutlery to wash, and i love feeling food in my hands.

Min, I have some of that incense if you want some.. it smells just like the stuff used in church.

The man gets 3 types of incense. Two I like, one I detest.
One looks like a rock.. you break it into dust and burn it over coal or a hot plate incense thingy - this smells like the church stuff.
Then there us sandalwood. Literally flakes of wood. Smells heavenly and probably my favourite.
And then there is another it frikkin STINKS. It looks like plastic-y and it smells real bad.


The shuwa... the meat comes amazingly tender with that.. because it's cooked reallly slowly in foil.. had some about 2 weeks ago. But there's only so much lamb I can eat in a year. :rolleyes:

Dates... try pitting the dates, splitting them in half and stuffing them with marzipan (with ilma zaghar) and almonds. To-die-for.

Oh you break it up to dust? I was burning that thing on fire like it was man oh man it made a flame.

:hyper:

yes.. get a hammer and break it to a fine dust.. then sprinkle on hot coal or a incense burner. :D

:hyper:

yes.. get a hammer and break it to a fine dust.. then sprinkle on hot coal or a incense burner. :D
or get an altar boy to do it for you. the stuff they use in church comes in rock form.

Minerva it depends on how you're used to eating rice with your hands. Some people form it into a ball-like shape then eat it, others just dig through the rice with their four fingers and eat it without playing with it:p

The tradition I like is the same one Hijabi and Nico liked, hospitality. I'm not sure if it's called a tradition, or just something planted in the people here.

^^ no what i know is this and lot of old omani families do so

its rude if u left first because its like you dont like the food or something

but if you are done and the host saw that he will ask u if u want more and if you said no thanks then he will get up and show u where u can wash ur hands..

toxic is right, normally if you are invited and eat togeather in on plate, you wait for others then one of them will say 'du3a' (prayer) then go for washing hands.

i like the arabic coffee.. thought it tasts different in every gulf country, ill have to say that i love the Bahraini 1 best, coz its very light..

i really wana tast the shuwa.. i love grilled meat.. so i think id just dive into the plate that has shuwa in it! hehe

shuwa .. i want :cry:

the Omani shuwa is done by putting the meat into baskets made of dry banana or palm leaves after pouring lots of spices on the meat of course. (vinger, salt, garlic, chili, and the rest of the spices) and left in the hole to cook for a few days. you can't simply dig a hole and put some coal in and let it cook, it's designed specially for shuwa. and it comes out incredibly delicious!

I think the hole my ex told me about had concrete poured in it to make it stable and then some kind of lid is put over it. I would like to try this someday. YUM YUM!

^^ that's shwa, or "ma'9bi" (madbi)...

in our town, the hosts are the last to leave the meal...