Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Hospitality (02/07/05)
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TITLE: Customs and Manners of Hospitality | Previous Challenge Entry
By Terry Ann Stevens
02/09/05 -
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In ancient times hospitality was an important virtue. Without the communication tolls of modern society you could not know when your guest might be some personage of importance. A king or lord that you didn’t recognize might have you punished or even killed for some imagined slight. It was a matter of survival to be a good host. Strict protocols were set by traditions some of which survive today.
The best food you could offer was set before each guest. If cornmeal cakes were all you could provide, so be it, but a goat or calf could be slaughtered as well. Your guest would be greeted with a kiss. Water would be provided for him to wash and oil supplied for him to anoint his head. Your guest had just had a long, dusty walk in the Middle Eastern sun. He would also be supplied with water and a servant to wash his feet. This was the job of the youngest child or lowest servant. Because many animals traveled the same road your guest walked and if they had shoes at all they were only sandals.
When you shared a meal with any guest it was a moment of importance. A shared meal was the “handshake” on any agreement. It cemented alliances. It could join two families, hence the wedding feast. To refuse to eat with someone was a great insult and could create an enemy for life.
An honored guest would be begged to stay and usually would extend the visit a day or two. You would always rise when they were leaving and walk with them. The distance you walked with them indicated your respect. You might walk as much as half the distance back with an honored guest. You always watched your guest’s back until they were out of sight.
Some of these customs have their counterpart in today’s world. We supply our guests with a place to “freshen up”. Our social lives often revolve around food. Many a business deal is cemented in a restaurant over lunch. We still see our guest’s way to the door and watch as they drive away.
In Hebrews 13:2 it says (be not forgetful to entertain a stranger, for thereby some have entertained angles unawares KJV)
Shouldn’t we treat every one we meet with great hospitality and courtesy just in case?
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